Page 110 of Deadly Knight

“He left the Bratva,” she continues in a low voice.

If my stomach could drop lower, it would. It’s what he offered, and exactly what I didn’t want him to give up. His family, his friends, and his home.

All because I’m too scared.

“What are you talking about? Why? When?”

“Pretty sure you know the answer to that one. A month ago. He wanted out. Didn’t give me much of a choice on the matter either.” Her tone turns sharp, bitter.

“But that’d be his death, wouldn’t it?” Cupping my hand around the phone, I lower my voice in case anyone walking by overhears.

“I’ll never be able to do that to him, no matter what protocol deems. He’s family. Theonlyreal family I’ve ever had. I’ll be damned if tradition says otherwise. He left immediately following our meeting, after grabbing a small bag of his stuff, and then hopped a commercial flight back to Toronto. It was a week after you left. But something’s happened recently; something he should be made aware of, so I need to talk to him, but he’s not answering his phone. I assumed he was hiding with you.”

What if he’s in trouble?The phone feels colder in my hand, my knuckles turning white from my tight grip as I do the math on her story. “A week after I left…that was a month ago.”

“We’ve been trying to get a hold of him on and off for a few days. Figured he was ignoring us, but now that it’s been nearly a week since our first attempt, I’m worried. Even when Dimitri’s having one of his fits, he doesn’t usually take this long to check in, so Lev tracked his cell.”

No, no, no. What if?—?

“Where did it lead?”

“Um, give me a sec.” Papers ruffle in the background before she answers, rattling off an address. One I know all too well. Have typed into shipping addresses countless times and have written on official forms.

Myaddress. It’s my apartment building.

Ishe nearby? Fuck, I don’t know, but I immediately start speed-walking, more eager to get home, to help Vanessa figure this out.

“Do you recognize the address?” she asks, her hope making her tone of voice higher.

Right, I went silent—stunned he’s so close by.“Yeah, uh…that’s my address. It’s my building. Could you figure out where exactly? There’s a lot of apartments.”

“That’s way beyond my abilities. Messaging Lev ’cause he’s the only one who will be able to answer that. You don’t mind staying on the phone?”

“Not at all.”

“Thank you, Katya. Lev’s here. Hang on, I’ll put you on speakerphone.”

“Hey,” a masculine voice comes through the speaker, one that’s virtually unfamiliar since I’d only really seen him in passing in the Volkov mansion before he left for Rome. Guess he’s back home. “To answer your question, I can’t see which floor his phone’s on,butI did find something particularly of interest. Katya, you said you live there too?”

“Yeah.”

More papers ruffle, and then Vanessa whispers something low I don’t catch. The two share a brief conversation in Russian before she asks, “How long have you lived in that apartment?”

“About five years. Why?”

“Five years ago, Dimitri bought that building.”

“What?”I slam to an abrupt halt before remembering I need to reach home quickly, to hopefully find answers.

“We’re staring at the building’s bill of sale. It’s his signature.”

If Dimitri bought the place, it must have been his way of staying close. This entire time, he’s been moving undetected while remaining close. No wonder he knew my day-to-day activities. How to always find me.

He wasn’t only stalking me.

He waslivingnear me.

I’ve always been safe.