Page 7

7

OLEKSI

The SUV handles the climb like a beast, its armored tires gripping the frozen mountain pass better than I expected. But even sitting inside this rolling fortress, I can feel the cold gnawing through the seams.

Nikolas mutters under his breath, one hand light on the wheel as he steers around another patch of black ice.

“Fucking steppe,” he grumbles. “Nothing but wind, rocks, and death.”

I snort. “Could be worse.”

He glances sideways at me. “How?”

I jerk my chin toward the windshield where the sleet is starting to whip sideways in angry gusts. “Could be raining.”

Right on cue, a gust of sleet pelts the glass, rattling the armored shell.

Nikolas growls low in his throat. “Or fucking snow.”

“Great, now you’re just tempting fate.” I lean back in the seat, flexing my fingers. “I think what could be worse than this is being crammed in the drafty piece-of-shit truck that bounced us from Moscow to the Morozov farm. I held my breath, counting each mile it managed to make it to. It sounded like it was wheezing, coughing, gasping like an eighty-year-old chain-smoker.”

Nikolas chuckles under his breath, the sound thin and grim. “You’re right, that would be worse.”

“Elena enjoyed most of the ride.” A smile tugs at my lips, and my heart warms thinking about my little niece. “She squealed in delight at every rattling bump like she was on a fair ride.”

“Elena is showing signs of being someone who’s going to live life on the edge,” Nikolas agrees, turning to me, smiling. “Having her around has stopped me from missing Adam too much.”

“How is your grandson?” Guilt rips through me at the mention of Adam. He is the son of my cousin, Radomir, and Nikolas’s daughter, Leigh. I haven’t spoken to Rad in over a month and don’t know if he knows what’s going on or not. “Does Leigh know about Sabrina and Tara?” I find myself asking before I can stop myself.

Nikolas turns to glance at me. “No.” His voice is firm. “And I think we need to keep it that way.”

“I take it that means Rad doesn’t know either?”

“No.” He shakes his head again, pausing as if contemplating his following words. “Listen, Oleksi…” He turns to me briefly before looking back at the treacherous road. “You and Sabrina should never have gotten caught up in all this…”

“But we are,” I point out. “There is no going back now and no do-overs.” My eyes narrow as I look at his profile.

“There are enough of us involved already.” Nikolas’s grip on the steering wheel tightens, indicating his distress over something. “Fuck!” He hisses. “I warned Carla and Sol.” His eyes seek mine again for a few seconds. “I told them that as soon as Tara and Sabrina are old enough they need to tell them the truth.”

“I take it you were the one who helped them disappear?”

“Yeah, your aunt called me for help,” Nikolas explains. “I thought it was risky for Galena to set them up in Vegas so close to her. But Galena assured me that their friendship was a secret. Galena’s parents disapproved of her keeping company with people as high profile as Anya and Timofey.”

“And I’m guessing Carla’s parents weren’t happy about their daughter being friends with a known crime family!”

“Correct,” Nikolas confirms. “But that didn’t stop the RMSAD from knocking on your grandfather’s door to make sure Galena had nothing to do with Carla and Sol’s defection.”

“You mean Leonid and Mariya,” I correct.

“Right!” Nikolas nods. “We learn that once you’ve erased someone, you erase who they were and never refer to their former names. In most cases, we don’t even know their real names.”

“That seems smart.” I nod and turn to look out of the window.

The mountains close in — jagged, snow-slathered, their black teeth scraping the sky. The steppe is merciless out here. No softness. No mercy. Just like the world I’m from. And it seems, Sabrina never knew where she was from.

“If Carla and Sol had told Tara and Sabrina who they really were, we may not be in this situation right now,” Nikolas says.

“This is why you never wanted Sabrina and Radomir to come to Russia when they were looking for Leigh.” It suddenly dawns on me.

“Sabrina looks so much like her grandmother,” Nikolas says. “I was terrified she’d get recognized.”

“You should’ve just said something.” I shake my head and then smile, thinking of how much Sabrina looks like Anya. “But she does look like her grandmother. It’s like getting a glimpse into what she’ll look like at that age.” I give a snort. “Now I know why Sabrina is more than super smart too.”

Nikolas jerks towards me, and I see his eyes fill with shock, which makes me frown. We also nearly swerve off the road, but he has the vehicle under control in moments. With my heart beating in my throat and my fingers tingling with shock, I have to wonder why he’d be shocked by that statement.

“Do you not know how smart Sabrina is?” My brow furrows.

“What?” He gives me a confused look. “Of course, I know how smart she is. I’ve known her since she was a baby. She and my daughter have been best friends since they were three.” He pulls a face. “Trust me, I know how scarily clever she is.”

“Then why did you almost kill us when I mentioned it?” My eyes bore into his profile. “It’s not like it’s a state secret…” Fuck maybe it is. In Russia, anyway.

“Listen, there is something you should…” Before he can say more, he turns onto the road that leads to the coast and Dragunov Village and skids to a stop nearly sending me through the fucking windshield.

“For fuck’s sake, are you trying to kill me?” I glare at him.

“No!” Nikolas says. “But I think the snipers and those goons might.” He points to six heavily armed men dressed in Dragunov colors - red with black and a blue dragon emblem in the center of their black flak jackets, appearing from nowhere.

“Well, this is new!”

“And not good,” Nikolas adds. “Makes you wonder why they’ve all of a sudden started heavily guarding the entrance road to the village.

I wanted to ask about that myself, and make a mental note to ask the acting elder.

“What is your purpose here?” The one guard steps up to Nilolas’s window and asks as it goes down.

“We’re here to see Agofan, he’s expecting me,” I lean forward to tell them.

Another older man dressed in the same uniform walks over to the car and sticks his head in. I know him. “Hello, Oleksi.”

“Bob.” I greet him. “What the fuck is this all about.”

“Just a bit of trouble,” Bob shrugs. “The new elder wanted security beefed up.”

“Talking about elders, we’re here to see the acting one,” Nikolas tells him.

“Operative word being acting ,” he mutters, and something like disgust flashes in Bob’s eyes. “Yeah.” He nods and turns to the other men, signaling for them to let us through. “You’ll find him at the village hall. Good luck.” He pats the door and steps back for us to move forward.

“Do you think he meant they are expecting trouble?” I ask Nikolas. “Or about to cause trouble?”

“I’m thinking both,” Nikolas’s answers set my hair on end. “Those aren’t just some guards posted at the village entrance for security.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I agree. “It’s like the Dragunovs are gathering an army.”

And that thought leaves me even colder as we roll into the village. The sun is setting and becoming nothing more than a bruised smear against the horizon. Smoke from wood stoves curls into the frozen air as the villagers prepare for the evening. There is a buzz running through the streets.

Nikolas pulls us up outside the village hall — an old stone building that looks like it was built by men who knew how to kill with rocks if they had to.

Standing at the steps, waiting like he’s the fucking Czar himself, is the man I presume is Agafon.

Short. Smug. Oily.

Exactly the kind of man I hate on sight.

Beside him stands a figure swathed in a heavy gray cloak, watching us with calm, emotionless eyes and her hands folded demurely in front of her.

Nadia Voronina-Dragunov. Irina’s twin sister, and if I remember the sibling structure correctly, she’s the youngest of Vasily’s five grandchildren from his late daughter.

I climb out of the SUV, feeling the village’s eyes burning into me from behind every shuttered window.

Agafon steps forward, arms wide in mock welcome.

“Oleksi Mirochin!” he calls. “You honor us at last with your presence.”

I bite down hard on the urge to break his nose and tell him this is no honor I’m bestowing on them, and they may have well kidnapped me, because that’s what it feels like.

“Agafon, I presume?” I reach out to take his soft hand, and he holds it out for me to shake. It’s like shaking a fucking wet rag.

“You presume correctly.” Agafon gives me a slight bow. “Acting elder of Dragunov.”

Jesus, he thinks he’s a fucking king, or by his robes and weird hat, maybe the pope.

“Hello, Nadia,” I turn my attention back to her.

“Hello, Oleksi, it’s good to see you again,” Nadia answers politely. “And thank you for your condolences. May I take this opportunity to extend mine and my family’s to you and yours for the loss of Gavriil.”

“Thank you,” I say. Ignoring the sharp sting in my heart from the mention of my brother. I turn to Nikolas. “This is Nikolas Vasilikis. A good family friend.”

Nikolas shakes hands with Agafon and greets Nadia respectfully. “I am truly sorry for the loss of your sister and grandfather,” he tells her. “They were both great people.”

“Thank you,” Nadia’s voice wobbles slightly, and her eyes brighten with unshed tears.

“Shall we move inside?” Agafon suggests. “The weather is a lot better there.” His attempt at humor falls flat.

Nadia leads the way into the village hall. Inside, it smells like smoke, and a soft buzz of curious voices greets us. A few of the older village members sit at scattered tables throughout the hall playing cards and various board games.

We are led into one of the surprisingly modern boardrooms, where Agafon takes a seat at the head of the long wooden table and Nadia sits to his right.

“Now that the pleasantries are out of the way,” I don’t wait for the idiot to begin. They need to know I am the one in charge, not them. I dictate what goes on here, not them. “Let’s get down to business.” I see the surprise lift Agofuck’s eyebrows. “First, don’t ever summon me or threaten me again.” My eyes narrow as my tone becomes dangerous. “You serve the Mirochins, not the other way around. It’s best if you pass that on to the actual new village elder. Which brings me to my next point, I do not liaise or make deals with acting heads. So, when, Ruslan, is it?” I hold Agafon’s eyes and can all but see his superior attitude starting to crumble. The little tit really thought he had the upper hand here. “—returns, tell him to let me know, and we can sort out the terms of the new alliance between the Mirochins and Dragunov village. Until then…”

“I…” Agafon swallows. “Look here, Oleksi, we…” clears his throat. “If we don’t get the alliance we want, we will sever our connection to the Mirochins. Already, the people of Dragunov Village are feeling unsettled and are threatening an uprising if the alliance is not cemented with…”

“Is that why the village has suddenly got a small army?” I lean back comfortably in the chair, my eyes never leaving his. “So you can stand up against the Mirochins?” I cut him off.

“You… you do need this port…” Agafon tries to reassert his authority, ignoring my reference to my little run-in with their new army. “And remember, it’s not just this port that you will lose access to if we break alliances with you.”

I stare at him for a while, making sure he’s squirming, before saying. “Now you’re trying to extort an alliance from me?” He is either desperate to get this alliance or deliberately trying to goad me into breaking it, and I don’t like that.

“No,” Agafon denies. “We do not want to cut ties with the Mirochins. Your family has looked after this village for generations. We would not have survived the hard time if it had not been for your great-grandfather and his father before him.”

“Then why threaten me and demand my presence here?” I lean my elbows on the table and pin him with my eyes. “Why all the disrespect to my aunt when she offered to come in my place?”

“We needed to cement the alliance with the head of the Mirochin family, not a proxy,” Agafon tells me, not realizing they are doing just that to me.

“My feeling exactly,” I tell him, and see his eyes widen as he realizes what he’s just said. “I will secure the new alliance with the actual new Dragunov Elder and not his proxy .”

“I have Ruslan’s full authority to…” He starts to stammer.

“My aunt runs the Russian operations for me in Moscow,” I point out. “I’d say that pretty much makes her much more than a proxy and a lot higher up in the hierarchy than you are.”

“I… I…” Agafon is now spluttering.

His face is going red with outrage, and I notice Nadia, who hasn’t uttered a word this whole time, raises a hand to her mouth. Is she laughing? It’s hard to see with the hood of her cape covering most of her face.

Just then, his phone rings and he glances at it. “Sorry, I have to take this.” He all but jumps to his feet and sprints out of the room.

“Probably his mommy,” Nikolas chirps under his breath.

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” I agree with him, watching the man hightail it out of the room, but not before I saw the visible signs of relief for the interruption on his face. “I don’t know about you, but I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Yeah, it’s like he’s a puppet,” Nikolas observes. “He seems to have a script he’s talking from.”

I nod. “The question is, who is pulling his strings?” I wonder. “Is it Ruslan, trying to antagonize me? Which means he’s wanting to stage a war, but I’m not sure to what end.”

“Maybe he’s starting his own criminal organization,” Nikolas’s suggestion startles me.

Is that why he’s gathering an army? Jesus Christ, as if I don’t have enough on my fucking plate. I don’t want to have to deal with this pissant village declaring war on us too.

As the door swings shut behind Agafon, Nadia turns towards us and pulls off her hood. I’m struck by her beauty and then amazed by the sudden transformation we witness as her meekness seems to melt away.

Her eyes meet mine — they are sharp, clear, burning with something dangerous.

“We don’t have much time,” she says in a low, steady voice. “So I’m going to cut straight to it. I know why you’re really in Russia.” Her eyes narrow, and she shakes her head. “I know, too, that the RMSAD has taken Sabrina and that you’re looking into Tara’s disappearance, hoping it will shed some light on what happened to your brother and my sister.”

She holds mine and Nikolas’s attention as she continues.

“Okay…” I shrug, willing her to get to the point.

“I can help you with all of it,” Nadia tells us calmly. I say nothing, my body going still.

“How can you help us?” I ask skeptically, knowing by the way her shoulders have tensed slightly, this is not just about helping us out of the goodness of her heart. She wants something in return, and I fear I know what!

“I have contacts in the RMSAD,” Nadia informs us, and before I can say anything else, she adds, “Contacts who, unlike yours, are trustworthy.”

“And what do you get in return?”

“Freedom,” she says simply, her head turning and her eyes holding Nikolas’s. “Get me out of here. Out of this village. Away from my older brother, Ruslan. Away from Agafon—out of Russia!”

I glance at Nikolas, who frowns, and we look at Nadia questioningly.

“And how do you propose we get you out of here?” I ask her.

“And what kind of information can you give us?” Nikolas adds. “We’re not just going to agree to your terms without a sample.”

Nadia looks at me first. “You offer for my hand in marriage, and we pretend to be engaged.” She looks at Nikolas and says, “Once we are out of Russia, you help erase us.”

“Us?” Nikolas’s brows shoot up. “Who is us?”

“My partner and I,” Nadia tells us, and I suddenly understand. “We want to get married and be free of this life we are forced to live.”

I’m struck by the thought that she doesn’t want to marry me either.

“Like Nikolas said, this is a big ask,” I tell her. “If your brother finds out what we’ve done, I could lose this alliance instead of cementing it.”

“He won’t. I have a plan,” Nadia says, glancing at the door. “Now what is it going to be?”

“We need proof you can help us,” Nikolas insists.

She nods, pulls out her phone, and calls someone. Speaking in rapid Russian, “It is me. Are you near her?”

We watch Nadia curiously. She stands and walks over to us. “We can not show this for long, or my contact will be discovered.”

She shows us her phone, and my heart slams against my rib cage. It’s Sabrina in what looks like a white prison uniform, sitting at a table in a large empty mess hall, picking at a bowl of… I lean closer. Fruit?

“How do we know this is today?” I ask, feeling Nikolas tense and suck in air when he sees Sabrina.

Nadia tells whoever is live-streaming this to us to show us proof that this is live. She holds up a newspaper with today’s date on it, and then, to prove she’s with Sabrina, accidentally bumps into the table, sending Sabrina’s bowl of fruit flying.

“What the fuck!” Sabrina springs to her feet. Fruit pieces are sticking to her clothes.

“I am sorry.” It’s a female voice. Laced with a heavy Russian accent as she speaks English to Sabrina.

“It’s real!” My voice is barely a whisper, and I look at Nikolas, who nods. I want to grab the phone and demand to know where the fuck they are but Nadia breaks the connection.

As Agafon walks back into the room, I take the two copies of the marriage contract and slam them in front of him.

“Sign these and Nadia and I are engaged,” I tell him, my tone brooking no argument and filled with impatience. I’ve seen her. I know Sabrina is alive and looking well despite being in some fucked-up Russian black-ops site. I don’t have time to waste with this bullshit. “We will iron out the details with the real village elder when he sees fit to grace us with his presence. Until then, Nadia comes with us tonight when we leave.”

“But…”

“I accept,” Nadia says, standing. “I will get my things.” She grabs a pen from the table and signs both copies where her name appears. She shoves the pen at Agafon. “Sign.” My eyebrows shoot up. There was no meekness in that command and I notice Agafon nearly shits in his pants at it.

He nods, looking a little shaky and me wondering why the fuck anyone would leave this prick in charge of anything. I shake the thought from my head. It’s not my problem if they think he could protect the town from anything.

“We’re engaged,” I tell Nadia, who nods, and Nikolas witnesses both copies of the contract.

“Get your things, we leave in twenty minutes,” I tell her. I just want to get out of here and contact Clyde.

“I only need ten,” Nadia quips, and the sudden shift in her tone and confidence makes me realize she had manipulated this entire meeting, and we were looking at the puppet master pulling Agafon’s strings.