Chapter 33
Nika
North Ridge Ski Lodge has always reminded me of a cicada husk.
Previously run by a retired couple years ago, the abandoned shell feels cavernous, an empty space once vibrant and alive.
Pale wood forms the bones and skin of the building in exposed rough-cut frames and joists supporting smooth planks.
Once upon a time, those walls housed pictures of visitors and staff skiing, tubing, and eating.
Now they sit bare, waiting for a new life.
Those double paned monstrosities keep the snow out, but not the cold, not after so many years of disuse. The sizable twin stone fireplaces on the east and west walls are barren, holding only dust.
Big enough to burn bodies in.
Other than me and the half-circle registration desk, nothing occupies the stone floor hidden beneath years of neglect. From my position near the front door, I have clear sight lines to the windows and exits.
My thoughts start to echo, and anxiety claws at my soul.
What if I was wrong all this time? That would make everything I’ve done monstrous, all my sacrifices useless.
Have I ruined countless lives…for nothing?
If that’s true, I’m not sure I can live with myself.
Overhead, in the mezzanine that overlooks the entire ground floor, Max sets up a mini sniper’s nest. I channel his surety, his steadfastness. He’s here to do a job, and so am I.
The locket rests against my sternum. I deliberately wore the necklace over my coat as proof that I have what we came for. Mission accomplished, as far as Dimitri knows.
If Dimitri spoke the actual truth, and I’m the one in charge, this is enough to show we’re done and can move on. We can leave the mountain safe house behind and go on with our lives. The Kozlovs will never see me again. My world will still have order.
If Max is right—as my growing suspicions suggest—then the locket won’t be enough and Dimitri will finally have to admit the real purpose for everything he’s done these past fifteen years.
“Are they okay?” The question has been eating at me for days.
Boots scuff against grit as Max shifts his position. “Who?”
“The women we used. The kindergarten teacher. The archivist. The journalist’s daughter.”
The silence stretches on as Max processes my real question. Not just are they alive, but are they all right after what I did to them?
“They’re safe. We’ve got them in the family.”
In the family.
The Kozlov family. Thinking of that as a safe place seems implausible.
“That’s good. I’d like to meet them so I can apologize.” Funny how the women found safety from me in the very organization I’ve spent fifteen years plotting to destroy. “Guess that’ll never happen.”
Headlights sweep over the windows, momentarily lighting up the husk.
“I’ll take you to them. They’d all love to know the backstory. Just don’t expect instant acceptance. More than one of them are still dealing with the trauma of that night. You’re not the only one who saw a parent die.”
That twists the knife wedged in my chest.
My mother’s death triggered this whole crusade, and I inadvertently used other women who found themselves in similar situations.
I’m just as bad as Dimitri. Or worse.
As long as I find out the truth, maybe I can still make things right.
Dimitri gets out of his car, and two men follow. Anton, fresh-faced and blond with the body of a surfer, and Pavel, older, bulkier, and darker. Both are from the handpicked inner circle of our little mercenary group.
He’s brought me backup in case things go sideways.
Time to get to the bottom of this.
Dimitri throws the lodge door open and rushes to me. “Kai, thank God. Are you okay?” He projects worry and relief in a way I used to think meant he loved me.
Even as hope bubbles up, I raise up a hand to stop him before he can get too close. He halts in his tracks, and the others linger by the door, closing it but shifting uncomfortably.
“Anton, Pavel, good to see you.” Both men nod when I acknowledge them, their faces blank and uncaring. Good. Let them all realize this isn’t the easy reunion Dimitri expected. “Who sent the note about Sasha Pisarev to the detective?”
“Why are you asking about Sasha?” The warmth leeches from Dimitri’s tone as his eyes land on the locket hanging at my neck. “What’s going on with Max, Boss?”
Boss.
That word again. As if I still believe he means it while he works behind my back and pushes his own agenda. “Who. Sent. The. Note?” I’ve got no patience for his game. The more he dodges, the more my anxiety spikes.
Irritation sparks in Dimitri’s eyes. “Sasha’s nothing. Why are you even asking about him? I removed him. It was all part of the plan. Your plan, remember?”
My plan.
As if any decision was ever truly mine.
Why did I never question a grown man’s willingness to follow a child’s scheme? “You never told me you were going to frame him as a traitor.”
“What are you saying?” His gaze narrows as he glances around the empty room, no doubt searching for Max. “Listen, Kai, your plan was good, but it needed improvements. I enacted them. When it was time, I would have—”
“You talk a lot for a dead man.” From the mezzanine, Max’s voice cuts through the silence.
Dimitri spins, squinting into the shadows.
I signal to Pavel. “Disarm Dimitri. I need some answers.”
Pavel doesn’t budge.
Instead, he and Anton pull their sidearms, then glance at Dimitri as if waiting for orders.
My heart sinks.
Oh, shit.
After Dimitri gives them an almost imperceptible nod, they level their weapons at me.
“Sweet, naive Kai.” Dimitri’s satisfied smile spreads across his features. “You were only ever the pretty face of the company.”
He pauses like I should know how to respond to that.
My brain struggles to catch up as everything I thought I knew crumbles at my feet, including my sense of self. I barely hear his words over the buzzing in my ears.
Dimitri nods again. “But I own it. And you. No matter where your little friend is, he can’t stop what’s going to happen now. This has been in motion for years.”
My feet shift back, my body instinctively curling away from the man in front of me.
The man I’ve trusted for over half my life. My mentor, teacher, and savior.
A traitor.
Bile floods my throat when I realize the worst-case scenario now resembles a wistful dream.