Chapter 33
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
GEORGIA
My mouth is dry, my head hurts, and the bed is suspiciously empty of the warm body that I fell asleep beside. These are my thoughts as I slowly wake from a dead sleep. More than that—something feels off.
I open my eyes to find myself in a stark white modern bedroom, a different room than the one I fell asleep in. Try as I might, I can't place it as a room in Andrei’s home. It’s cold and modern with none of the architectural charm of the Kozlov mansion.
Holy shit. Where am I?
Cold fear pierces my lungs, stealing my breath. I make a move to stand, but quickly realize I can’t. My wrists are secured to the bed. I struggle against the ropes, attempting to twist out of their hold, but it’s useless. Someone wanted to ensure I could not get away. Now the only question is who.
And why?
That’s when it all comes rushing back.
Piper’s vivid blue eyes flash through my mind.
She was the last person I remember seeing.
She roused me early this morning to tell me that Andrei had been shot, and that I needed to come quickly.
I didn’t think, I just followed her blindly, too distraught to question why she was leading me through the back stairwell of the house, or why she took me out a service door into a waiting car driven by a man I didn’t know.
My memory goes hazy the moment we sped away from the estate.
A sharp prick to my neck, then the world went dark.
My chest pumps like wildfire, panic clawing up my throat.
Andrei. Was he actually hurt or have I been played?
Something tells me it’s the latter. Moments that we spent together pierce through my memory like shards of glass.
Whoever she is, Piper played me and she’s the reason I’m here, that I’m sure of.
But where is she, and where is here?
Even with my arms secured, I have just enough slack to lift my head and gaze out the window.
We’re high above ground level. That’s the only thing I can tell by looking out the window at the dusky sky.
No other buildings or landmarks are in sight.
I don’t even know how long I’ve been unconscious, though my dry mouth and full bladder suggest it’s been many hours.
Moments later, I hear the twist of a lock, and then the door opens, bringing me face to face with Piper.
A blonde Piper.
My mind spins in a million different directions, unable to latch onto a single coherent thought.
She grins at me, coming farther into the room. “Well, well. Look who is finally awake. Took you long enough. You’ve been passed out for hours.”
I scramble to sit up more fully, but can’t. “Who are you?” My eyes turn to slits as she takes a seat in an armchair beside the bed.
She rests her chin in her hands, observing me without a hint of emotion on her face. “You know me as Piper, but most people call me Kira.” Her lips curl up at my shocked expression. “Do you know who I am?”
Shock paralyzes my vocal cords for a moment. This is Kira?
When I’m finally able to speak, my voice comes out thin and scratchy. “Kira, as in Oleg’s daughter.” I’m unsure what I find more incredible; that the transformed creature in front of me is the very person we’ve been searching for, or that she was under our nose the whole time.
“Very good. I guess the Kozlov brothers are actually paying attention.”
The Kozlov brothers—her own flesh and blood. But does she know that? It occurs to me I’m on perilous ground. I don’t know what she knows, what her intentions are and who she is working with. I can’t trust her. Chills run down my spine when I realize her father is most likely behind all of this.
I blow out a heavy breath, recalling Monsieur Coset’s lessons about getting others to open up while keeping my cards close to my chest. First thing is to keep her talking.
“Why are you doing this?” I say, tugging on my bound wrists. “I thought we were friends.”
She rolls her eyes in a decidedly non-Piper like gesture. Kira has a lot more edge than her brunette counterpart. “It’s not personal.” She shrugs.
“It kind of is seeing that you abducted me and have me tied to a bed.” I release a deep breath, dread coiling low in my belly. “Is your father here? Is he part of all this?”
She smirks. “Don’t worry about my father. He thinks I’m minding my own business, gallivanting around Europe spending his money like a good little mafia princess.” She grins at me like the cat that ate the canary. “Unfortunately, I’m no longer interested in hiding away.”
“What do you mean?” I ask as a sense of foreboding trails down my spine.
“It means, I am here to reclaim my birthright. The Antonov Bratva.”
My eyes widen in surprise. This is not what I was expecting her to say.
“So you’re not working with your father? You want to take over from him?”
“Exactly.” One elegant finger taps her temple.
“I knew you were smart. I’m sick of sitting idly by and watching my father run the Antonov empire into the ground.
I’ve spent enough time in the shadows waiting for my chance to reclaim my birthright.
Now that my father is distracted by the Kozlovs, this is the perfect time for me to make a move. ”
Confusion must be etched on my face, because Kira just gives me a small smile. “I can see you have questions,” she observes.
“I do,” I admit. “Starting with—why did you abduct me?”
“It’s not you I need so much as the Kozlovs’ support. We have the same goal—they want to destroy my father and so do I. There’s a world where the two brotherhoods could work together, not against each other. You’re here to guarantee their cooperation.”
“I am definitely not following.”
She huffs out a breath. “When I infiltrated the Kozlov’s home it was to learn what was important to Andrei.
Something I could use as leverage to guarantee his support.
I admit, it was hard at first. Andrei runs a tight-ship and seems to have few weaknesses.
Imagine my stroke of luck when you came around, and I realized Andrei was falling for his little spy.
” She narrows her eyes to slits. “They were training you to spy on my father, were they not?”
I nod. “If you want to destroy your enemy, it's best to learn their secrets.” She’s unaware that I was searching for her, which is for the best while I try to understand her motives.
“Exactly what I suspected.” She may have finagled a job with the Kozlovs, but she certainly didn’t learn all their secrets. “Anyhow, it became clear to me that you were the best way to get Andrei to comply. If he wants you back, he’ll need to agree to my terms.”
I release a bitter laugh. She’s obviously unhinged. Sure, Andrei enjoyed my body, but he’s not going to risk his life and his men’s life to rescue me. That I’m sure of.
“Posing as an employee and then abducting me will not win you any favor with the Kozlovs. And I’m afraid Andrei doesn’t value me that highly. I’m not sure why you think I’d make a good bargaining chip, but you’re out of luck.”
She tilts her head with a small smile. “You don’t get it, do you? Andrei would do anything for you.”
I turn my head away from her, hardly convinced. “You’re going to be sorely disappointed.”
“Earlier I sent Andrei pictures of you unconscious and chained to the bed. He’s agreed to meet with me tomorrow.”
“What!?” My head snaps back to face her. “He’s meeting with you?”
“I threatened to kill you if he didn’t.” Her face brightens. “I guess he values you more than you think.”
Great. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or horrified.
“Good luck, Kira.” I tell her, and a little part of me actually means it.
“You’re obviously very brave, but you have no idea who you're up against. The Kozlovs are trained killers, hardened bratva. You might be Oleg’s heir, but you clearly weren’t brought up in this world.
” I hold her gaze, hoping she’ll listen to reason.
“Why don’t you tell them who you are before you meet in person?
Like you said, they hate your father, not you.
Andrei is a reasonable man, or at least reasonable by bratva standards, but you won’t get very far backing him into a corner. ”
She fixes me with a sharp look. “Revealing my identity before the meeting makes no sense. Anyhow, he won’t hurt me while I have you squirreled away.
If he wants you back, he’ll have to work with me.
” Her words are heavy with disdain, her lip curling in bitterness.
“This also allows him to see what I am made of. If I can infiltrate his tight as hell organization and abduct his lover from right under his nose, it shows that I at least deserve a seat at the table.”
“If you say so.” Her logic doesn’t add up in my mind, but the determined lines etched in her face tell me she won’t be dissuaded.
She certainly has the Kozlov gutsiness, and looking at her flaxen hair and sharp cheekbones, the physical resemblance is also clear.
My heart squeezes with a powerful emotion.
The long-lost sister that the brothers have been searching for is right under their noses—except this won’t be the reunion they were hoping for.
“Listen to me, Kira.” There’s a note of desperation in my voice, and I truly hope it gets through to her.
“Nothing will help you when the Kozlovs come at you with their full force. Do you even have back-up?” Jesus, I can't believe I’m worried about my kidnapper, but I am.
Not only because of our tenuous friendship, but because if Andrei hurts her, or worse, he’d never forgive himself.
Kira looks pale and tired all of a sudden.
She stands, placing her hands on her hips.
“My friend Jake is helping me. This is his place. For now, he’s the only one I can trust.” I wonder what that means but I get the sense question time is over.
She’s already moving toward the door, and right now, the only thing I can focus on is my bladder.
“Wait! You need to untie me.” I yell at her retreating form. “I have to pee.”
She sighs and returns to my side. “No can do. But I can loosen the rope enough for you to take care of business. Just don’t do anything silly. I have a gun on me, and I’ll use it if I have to.”
I shake my head sadly. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Kira. I truly hope so.”