6. Mila
6
MILA
G ravel flies as I speed down the road to the Petrov mansion, my hands gripping the wheel. My jaw hasn’t unclenched since I peeled away from that shitty little cabin Vitaly has holed himself up in.
I can barely feel my hands. My fingers have all but gone numb, so I squeeze the wheel harder and yell at the windshield, a frustrated cry ripping from my lungs.
He’s back.
The devil is back.
And worse than him coming for Nikita, coming for his throne… He’s come for me .
Nikita promised me he was dead. He promised me the assassins killed him within weeks of him being released from prison. He said they confirmed it, that they sent him photos of the body. That it was done , forever.
He lied .
“Fuck!” I scream, banging my fist against the wheel and bucking in my seat. Adrenaline pours through my veins like thick lava as the inferno inside me blazes.
I’ve never felt so angry. So out of control of myself.
I should’ve killed him. I shouldn’t have missed when I threw that knife.
Why did I miss?
How?
How could I have been so unprepared?
When I speed up to the gate, I blare the horn and roll down my window, urgently waving my arm so the guards will let me through. Vitaly’s scent clings to me from his T-shirt, and if it wasn’t the only thing I was wearing, I’d rip it off.
I hate the scent.
Hate it.
It’s the musty scent of arrogance and greed, and the moment I get the chance, I’ll burn it along with this SUV he thinks he rescued me with.
Rescued me.
Him .
As soon as the gate opens, I speed through. The SUV screeches to a halt when I reach the front patio and slam on the break, ripping it into park and throwing open the door.
It’s early morning, so Nikita should still be home, but if he isn’t, he’ll hurry back. He’ll want to hear what I have to say.
Today is the day Vitaly Petrov finally stops breathing.
My ribs hurt as I storm through the front door, not giving my injury any care. I welcome the pain. It fuels my steps to Nikita’s office where I find him with his underboss, Alik.
The door slams into the wall when I throw it open. I stomp to stand in front of Nikita who’s sitting across from Alik with the gold serpent head of his cane cupped loosely in his hand.
“He’s alive,” I say, as if it’s new information to either man.
Nikita’s face is pinched in a scowl that makes me want to drop to my knees, but for once, I don’t falter. I tighten my fists.
“You told me Vitaly was dead,” I sneer, taking angry inhales through my flared nostrils.
Not a flicker of guilt crosses Nikita’s expression. He pins me with an icy glare, like he’s waiting for me to remember my place, but as far as I’m concerned, I survived his test last night. I even survived the devil.
If I’m not good enough to be a soldier now, maybe I’ll never be.
“Who told you he was alive?” Nikita finally asks.
I bark out a dry laugh. “ He did. He’s here, Nikita. Last night, when you sent your goons to kill me, he kidnapped me before they could finish.”
“Vitaly’s alive?!” Alik asks, rising from his chair. When I turn to him, his eyes are wide and furious, pointed at Nikita.
He didn’t know either.
Instead of answering, Nikita stands, not taking his eyes off me. His lips are set in a thin line, his eyes clouded with violence.
“He took you?” Nikita asks, limping to me.
I nod. “I barely escaped. He’s dangerous. And armed. We’ll need to assemble a?—”
My words cut off at the sharp crack against my cheek from Nikita’s palm. I bend over, my hand cupping my face. When his cane swings next, the metal handle connects with my jaw and knocks me to the floor.
I curl onto my side, my ribs and jaw aching as I cower with my hand over my face.
Too strong. I came in way too strong.
“You were with him, in the same room, and you ran away ?!” Nikita roars before slamming his cane down on my side. My body stiffens, uncurling on instinct as he digs it into my kidney. My mouth is clamped shut, but shameful whines escape as I close my eyes and wait for it to stop.
“All that training I let you do, and for what? So you can botch the one opportunity you have to make yourself useful?” He lets up on my kidney but kicks my stomach, knocking away what little air I had left. “Worthless fucking whore.”
“Pakhan,” Alik interjects, pausing Nikita’s foot just as he goes to swing it again. I whimper my thanks then bury my face in the carpet to muffle any sounds that threaten to come out next.
“Mila is the only person who knows where Vitaly is. With all due respect, sir, she isn’t useless to us yet.”
Seconds pass while Nikita weighs this. When he grunts, I know the pain is over. “Put her in the car. Do not let anyone else find out he’s back.”
Alik kneels beside me as Nikita leaves. When he touches my shoulder, I don’t know whether to flinch or lean into it.
Alik isn’t kind. Or warm. Or merciful.
But he isn’t cruel either. He at least understands reason.
I let him help me to my knees and look at him when he turns my head his way.
“Why would he take you?” he asks, his face hard as stone. He could be angry, but I’d never know. That’s just his face.
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
His eyes roam my face like he knows I’m lying. When it comes to Vitaly, Alik is possibly the only person who got more screwed than me. He might hate Vitaly even more than I do.
“I didn’t feel the need to talk to him about it,” I add, trying to harden my eyes.
Alik wouldn’t care that Vitaly thought he was saving me. I’m not convinced Alik cares about most things.
But Nikita… I wouldn’t put it past Nikita to slit my throat in front of Vitaly just to mock his efforts.
It’s better if they don’t know he was saving me.
Alik still doesn’t look convinced, but he stands up and offers his hand. I take it and let him help me to my feet, cringing at the aches in my body.
“Are you all right?” he asks.
My face pinched, I nod.
With only a moment's hesitation, Alik starts for the door.
“Alik?”
He pauses and turns to me.
I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing my nerves to calm. “Is Nikita going to kill me when we’re through?”
Alik is still for several moments before he lifts a shoulder. “Maybe… But I doubt it. He was disappointed when you didn’t come back last night… Make yourself useful, and you’ll be fine.”
He turns and continues to the door while I hang my head with a sigh. I sigh partially from relief and partially from the exhaustion that comes with playing Nikita’s games.
I push it all out of my mind and focus on Vitaly instead.
When I lift my head up, my breaths have evened, but my blood heats once again.