Chapter 1 #2
By the time I turned twenty-one, Oleg had completely unraveled.
His drug and alcohol abuse escalated, he ventured into human trafficking and started cutting the street drugs he sold with fentanyl.
His senior lieutenants were fed up. They came to Russia and secretly met with me and Aunt Masha, urging me to dethrone my father and claim my place as the rightful heir.
Leading the Antonov Bratva was not the future I’d pictured, but I hated my father and what he was doing.
Only, the attack that we planned went south when someone tipped him off.
In the end, my father survived, but most of his senior lieutenants were killed.
After that, Oleg became hell-bent on revenge.
He had my aunt murdered, and would have done the same to me if he could.
But he wasn't about to. I got to him first.
Liza’s eyes widen and her mouth falls open as she prepares to scold her father, but I stop her with a hand on her shoulder.
“It's okay," I assure her. “It’s been said before.”
Boris starts to laugh like I told him the funniest joke in the world, and Liza and I exchange looks.
“Why are you here?!” he asks, wiping a tear from his eye. “Out to get revenge on the host?”
“Why would you say something so ridiculous? She’s a guest here, like us.” Liza flashes me an apologetic look, but there’s something about Boris’s tone that sets my teeth on edge.
“What do you mean, get my revenge?” I ask cautiously.
Leaning in closer, his voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper. “You know, considering the rumors about how Maxim helped kill Masha Antonov.”
“Ex-excuse me?” My breath catches in my throat, and everything around me spins as his words hit me like a freight train.
“You don’t know what you’re saying!” Liza’s voice quivers with rage. “You’re drunk!”
“I am, but I still know what I’m talking about.”
My blood freezes in my veins. I’d love to dismiss Boris’s revelations as drunken ramblings, but I've long known that while my father ordered the hit on my aunt, someone else lured her out of hiding. “Why would Maxim Belov help my father kill Masha?”
“Why? Who knows.” He shrugs, his words slurred and his eyes glassy. “Maxim Belov does whatever he wants. No one would dare challenge him.”
Liza shakes her head in disgust before her worried eyes meet mine. “Please tell me you don’t believe a word. He can barely stand.”
“Why would he make up something like that?” I stumble back, trying to get control over my racing thoughts.
“Last summer, when I was back in Russia cleaning out my aunt’s secret cabin—the place she’d been hiding out in—I found the diary she’d kept in the days before she was murdered.
In the entries leading up to her death, she mentioned someone she knew and trusted who had vowed to protect her.
Although she didn't disclose their identity, she planned to meet them in Moscow. But whoever this person was did the exact opposite. They led her like a lamb to the slaughter.”
Liza frowns. “It’s still a jump to think Maxim had anything to do with it.”
I swallow the lump of emotion clogging my throat. "He knew my aunt—he told me so. And he's one of the few people powerful enough who could have protected her from my father."
Liza blows out a breath. "What would his motivation be?"
I pause, my hands curling at my sides. "Well, I don't know, but I certainly plan on finding out."
"No! You need to drop this." She grabs my shoulders, and she fixes me with a stern look. "Maxim is dangerous. You know that as well as I do. He'll kill you—his daughter's friend or not—if you start sniffing around his business.”
My lips form a firm line. "If it's true, there's no way in hell I'm leaving it alone, even knowing what Maxim Belov is capable of."
"You don't even know if it's true—you just admitted that yourself. My father's drunken ramblings and a vague diary entry aren't proof."
We both look down at Boris, now passed out in his seat.
“Then I’ll find the proof.”
“Like that’s easy. Maxim is better guarded than the gold reserves at Fort Knox.”
I sigh. She’s not wrong, but a challenge won’t dissuade me. I vowed to myself I’d never forget—I'd avenge Masha's death when the opportunity arose. This is the first solid lead I’ve had, and I'm sticking to my promise. Her murder will not go unanswered, no matter what it costs me.
“I don’t know how, but I’m going to figure this out,” I announce before breaking from Liza’s hold and striding towards the main ballroom.
She calls to me, but I don't turn around.
I need to see Maxim for myself. Scanning the room, I spot him surrounded by a group of men, all hanging onto his every word. His gaze lifts to mine, and in an instant, I'm caught, unable to look away from his commanding stare.
A chill runs down my spine. His lips twist into a smirk, clearly amused by my unease, but I stand my ground.
Whatever secrets he’s hiding, I will unearth them before I burn him alive. I don’t know how, only that I’ll find a way. And somewhere in all of this, I’ll free Aly from his grasp too.
Fifteen minutes later, I've done two laps of the ballroom, staked out the washroom, and checked the hallways, but I can't find Aly anywhere. I feel bad that I left her to fend for herself for so long. I'm sure tonight feels never-ending for her.
As I push through the crowd, a waiter grabs my elbow, guiding me to the side. Irritated, I’m about to pull my arm away, but as he steps forward into the light, my breath catches in my throat.
"Andrei?" I whisper.
My eldest brother, the Kozlov Bratva pakhan, stands before me disguised as a waiter, complete with a wig and an absurdly fake mustache. Under any other circumstances the situation would be laughable, but right now it feels surreal.
I’ve never been so relieved and horrified to see anyone in my life. Relieved because Andrei always makes everything better, but horrified by what Maxim will do to him if he’s discovered.
“Are you hurt?” he whispers darkly. “Has he mistreated you? I swear to God, if he put his hands on you—”
"He hasn't hurt us..." I hesitate. Aly will be furious if I tell my brother the truth because she's convinced Maxim will make good on his promise to kill her loved ones, especially Leo. But I can't pretend everything is fine. "The situation isn’t great.”
Andrei glances around, ensuring we're not overheard. "No kidding. That's why we're here. To get you guys out."
"Who else is here?"
"Only Daniil, Leo, and Yulian," he replies, referring to our other two brothers and Aly's brother, Yulian.
“We snuck in as..." Andrei pulls a face and gestures to his ridiculous waiter costume.
"We've looped the security cameras, but we don't have long.
We need to put some distance between us and Belov's men before they realize you're gone. "
I clasp my hands together tightly, our grim reality crashing down. "He has a damn army. Leaving here unnoticed won't be easy."
Andrei grimaces. "There are helicopters waiting for us a few miles out. We won't have a chance like this again—we need to take it."
My heartbeat quickens. Escaping from Maxim is reckless, dangerous, but Andrei is right.
This is likely our only opportunity to break free.
Even if it makes uncovering the truth about Masha's death all the more difficult, I have to do what’s best for my friend.
And what’s best for her is escaping Maxim, even if I can't shake the feeling that he'll pursue her to the ends of the earth.
Anxiously, I scan the room. "I don't know where Aly is," I admit.
"She's in the wine cellar with Leo, which is where we’re all to meet. Walk out of here like you’re heading towards the washroom and then make your first sharp right. Go down the stairs heading into the basement. I’ll meet you there.”
Taking a deep breath, I force myself to appear calm and composed, even though my nerves are stretched tight like piano wires. Walking across the expanse of the room, I keep my gaze fixed straight ahead, silently praying I don't encounter Maxim on my way out.
My shoulders drop an inch as I reach the basement and Daniil and Yulian step out of the shadows. The sight of them floods me with relief. Daniil's eyes light up, and without a word, he strides forward, lifting me off the ground in a quick, tight hug.
“I can’t believe you guys pulled this off,” I marvel. “You’re all crazy, you know that?”
My brother gives me one of his signature roguish grins. “Like we were going to leave you here in Belov’s evil clutches.”
Evil is exactly right. But there’s no time to focus on tonight’s revelations. That’s for later.
Yulian steps forward, his hand clapping onto my shoulder in a reassuring gesture. I give him a small nod and smile as Andrei appears beside me.
His first line of business is to rip off his fake mustache with a wince. "How did I get stuck with the shitty fake mustache? This is humiliating," he grumbles. Daniil opens his mouth, but Andrei cuts him off with a sharp look. "You are to never mention this. Ever.”
Daniil shrugs. “I make no guarantees.”
“Save the bickering until we’re out of here,” Yulian grumbles, expression tense. “Follow me.” He leads the way towards what I assume is the wine cellar. Swinging open the door, he’s the first one in the cellar-like room, sweeping Aly up in his arms. “Thank fuck you’re okay.”
“I am,” she reassures him.
“We need to get moving.” Yulian points towards the exit. “Van’s out back.”
Aly's expression drops, hands clasped together. “I can’t,” she says. “You go. I need to stay for now. It won’t be forever, but—”
Yulian's head snaps back. “What are you talking about?”
“If you stay, I’m staying. I’m not leaving here without you,” Leo declares, his eyes locked on Aly—the love of his life he's only just gotten back.
Before the argument can continue, the lights stutter, blanketing the wine cellar in sudden darkness.
This isn’t good.
Dread pools in my stomach, and all I can do is brace myself for whatever nightmare is about to unfold.