Chapter Seventeen
Alora
“It’s not here anywhere, Kreos,” I huffed, dumping the contents of my camera bag on the bed for the tenth time. “I left it in the woods, I know it. We have to find it.”
He chuckled, and I glared at his face on the screen. We were FaceTiming since he was out on “important business” all day. Whatever that meant. I’d asked if that was code for torturing people, to which he’d scoffed, but hadn’t denied it.
But I didn’t care about that right now, because my portable USB drive was missing. I knew I’d had it last night, because I had backed up a batch of photos on it before Kreos had gone all Predator and chased me through the woods. If there was one lesson I had learned the hard way, it was to always back up your files and do it as soon as possible.
“It’s not funny.” I stood with my hands on my hips. “I’ve got so many photos on there. Personal photos.” Oh, fuck. I rubbed my hands over my face. “Nude photos, Kreos. There are nude photos on there.”
His eyes darkened, and he leaned closer to the camera. “Why are there nude photos of my wife on a USB drive?” he growled.
I threw my hands in the air, rolling my eyes. “ Calm down, it was before we were married. I read some stupid article about ‘self-discovery’ and how it was supposed to make you feel good to take nude photos. And well, I tried it, and I looked pretty good… so I kept the pictures.”
He was silent, his thumb rubbing across his bottom lip. “We need to find it, then.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying.” I chuckled, not sure if I should cry or laugh at the ridiculous situation. “I know I’m supposed to be a good girl and stay home, but Grig and Tash are here. They could take me to look for it.”
I could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t like the idea of me leaving. But he had to learn to trust me. Even though I was still keeping something from him. I’d had every intention of telling him about the coin and the possible connection to the old photos I had developed, but everything had been so charged last night that I’d forgotten. When I’d woken this morning, he was already gone. And this was not the kind of conversation you had over the phone. But just to make sure I didn’t forget later, I’d shoved the coin into the pocket of my jeans after I got dressed. Tonight, we would resolve this mystery.
“OK, fine. But that’s the only place you can go. Then straight home. Understood, kotic ?”
I clapped my hands, bouncing on my toes. “Thank you, thank you.” See, this was progress. He was learning not to be so strict.
“If you go anywhere else except that church, you won’t be able to sit for days,” he murmured, a twisted smile on his face.
So much for progress .
I gave him a salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”
He cocked his eyebrow at my remark, and I knew I would get a spanking no matter what at this point. Joke was on him though, because I loved a good spanking nowadays.
There were people talking in the background, and he nodded at someone. “I have to go, kotic . Behave. Church, then home.”
“OK, Daddy.” I leaned closer, giving him a kiss through the screen.
“I love you, milaya .” His eyes softened as he stared at me for a moment.
I bit my bottom lip, butterflies dancing in my stomach at his declaration. “I love you too, Kreos.”
I’d have to get used to that. Telling him I loved him, even though it terrified me. Last night had been eye-opening. I’d had no idea how freeing it could be to tell him how I felt, but it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. He wanted me to trust him, and I would do my best. I knew he lived a dangerous life—well, we did. I had to trust that he would keep himself safe, as well as me. It was best not to dwell on it and just trust that the universe had brought us together for a reason, not only once, but twice.
Half an hour later I was meeting Grig and Tash in the parking garage. Grig turned his head away when I walked up, and I sighed.
“Grig, I’m sorry, OK? I didn’t mean to deceive you.”
Tash chuckled as she threw a bag into the back of the SUV. “He’s been pouting all day that you tricked him.”
“Can you tell Mrs. Zokrova that I’m ready to go when she is?” he told Tash, even though he was standing right in front of me.
“Grig, please,” I pleaded, guilt running through me. “Look, I even brought you a piece of my favorite chocolate cake. You know I don’t share this with anyone, not even the Pakhan.” I held up the little box with a piece of cake in it.
He looked at the box, then finally back at me. I wiggled it and he snatched it out of my hands.
“Where’s my piece?” Tash put her hands on her hips.
“That’s just for Grig, because he’s special,” I scolded. When Grig turned around, I mouthed, “It’s in the kitchen,” then straightened my back when he looked up.
“Fine, but don’t ever do that again.” He raised his eyebrows, and I nodded, clasping my hands together.
Ten minutes later, we were on the road headed back to the church. At least it was light out, so finding the USB should be easy.
Once we got to the church, we spread out, looking everywhere for it. Ten minutes turned into thirty, and after an hour of searching, I was on the verge of giving up. But half an hour later, Tash ran over with something black in her hand, a triumphant look on her face.
“You found it!” I squeezed her into a tight hug. “Oh, my God, I owe you one. You get a whole chocolate cake.”
“Hey,” Grig snapped. “I thought I was the special one.”
“You both are.” I chuckled. “OK, let’s get home before Kreos has an aneurism that we’ve been gone for so long. I’m surprised he hasn’t even called.” I pulled out my phone, scrunching up my nose. No signal? That was odd. I’d had a perfect signal last night. “Hey, do you guys have a signal out here?”
Tash and Grig pulled out their phones and shook their heads.
“That’s weird. It was fine last night.” I shrugged my shoulders, putting my phone back in my pocket.
They both shared a look that I couldn’t decipher, but the air around us seemed to tense.
“Let’s go.” Tash grabbed me by the elbow and ushered me back to the car. Grig looked around the woods, his hand on his hip like he might pull out his gun.
“What’s going on?” I asked Tash as I jumped into the backseat.
“Nothing. It’s getting late. We should head back.” Tash hopped in as Grig started the car.
“GPS is out,” Grig muttered, giving Tash the same look from moments ago.
We pulled out of the wooded area and back onto the main road, neither of them saying anything. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes later when the sound of a police siren had me turning around in my seat. Sure enough, there was a black SUV behind us with red and blue lights blasting.
“Just stay calm, Mrs. Zokrova.” Grig turned on his hazards and pulled onto the side of the road.
Tash shifted in her seat, her hand moving to rest near her gun on her side. “FBI,” she murmured. Her eyes narrowed as she watched the SUV in the side mirror. “Agent Greene.”
My stomach dropped as I peeked out the back and indeed saw Agent Greene walking toward us. There were two men with her, both dressed in tactical gear. “What do they want?”
Grig sighed as he turned to look at me. “This is what they do. Play games to try to catch us off guard. They don’t have shit on us. Never do.”
“If they take us in, you call the Pakhan immediately and head straight home. Don’t stop. Don’t talk to anyone. They can’t legally hold us. It’s just an intimidation tactic.” Tash stared at me, her jaw clenched. “Got it?”
I nodded as there was a tap on the window. Agent Greene stood with her badge displayed, the two men behind her already holding their guns.
Grig rolled down the window, smiling. “Agent Greene, what a surprise.”
Her lips curved into a twisted grin as she yanked the door open. “Out of the car.” She looked over Grig’s shoulder at me, her face softening. “You too.”
The three of us climbed out, the two men training their guns on Tash and Grig. Agent Greene pointed to the side of the road, and I walked over, tapping my boot in irritation. They dragged Grig and Tash to their SUV and pushed them against the hood.
My blood boiled at the way they were being treated, but Grig continued to smirk and Tash’s face revealed no emotions. Except I saw the glint in her eye, the one that meant if they did something she didn’t like, she would be ready to start a fight. She glanced over at me, and I shook my head slightly, making her smile.
The agents removed Tash’s and Grig’s weapons, the click of handcuffs echoing a moment later as they cuffed their wrists behind their backs. Agent Greene supervised as the men searched the vehicle, looking between the seats and in every compartment. They even looked under the hood because apparently criminals like to keep guns there, too.
Grig and Tash remained silent, as if this was nothing unusual for them. How many times had they gone through this before? I knew Kreos had his people in the FBI, but this seemed like something to worry about.
After a few minutes, Agent Greene came over and stood next to me as we watched the agents continue their search of the car.
“Alora, or I should say Mrs. Zokrova, it’s good to see you despite the circumstances.”
“What is this about, Agent Greene? Why are you stopping us when we haven’t done anything wrong?” I demanded.
She chuckled, no humor in her tone. “The Zokrov Bratva is always doing something wrong.” Her gaze dropped to my wedding ring, then up to my neck, where I knew I had marks from Kreos’ lovemaking.
“Is this why my sister’s attackers haven’t been caught?” I arched my eyebrow. “Because the FBI is too busy harassing innocent people instead of looking for the real criminals?”
Her face reddened as she turned to face me fully. “We’re doing our best to get your sister justice, Alora. You know that.” She ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a sigh. “Did you think about what I asked you? Back at your apartment? I know he forced you into this, Alora. If you trust me, I can help you get free.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “The only thing I need you to do is to stay far away from me and my family. We don’t need your help.”
She searched my face, her lips set in a flat line. “I underestimated you,” she murmured. When I didn’t say anything else, she tossed the car keys in my direction, surprising me. “You’re free to go, but I’ll be taking your friends in for questioning. Drive safe, Mrs. Zokrova.”
With that, they climbed back into the SUV and pulled off with their sirens blaring. Tash and Grig were staring at me through the window in the backseat.
I pulled out my phone, cursed when I noticed there was still no signal. Kreos would be furious if he knew what had just happened. I jumped into the driver’s seat of the SUV and started the engine. Except this time, the car wouldn’t turn on.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Maybe they’d wiggled something loose when they were searching under the hood. I hopped back out, then opened the hood. I knew nothing about cars other than how to jump a dead battery. But after inspecting the battery connections and all the other cables, and not seeing anything out of the ordinary, I realized I might have to walk. The sun was already setting, which meant it would be dark soon. There was no way in hell I wanted to be walking out there in the middle of nowhere in the dark with no cell service.
I tried starting the car one last time with no luck. Good thing I had my dagger in my boot, but that was the only weapon I had. If a coyote or another wild animal found me before I got help—well, I didn’t want to think about that.
I marched down the road, holding my cell phone up in the air, searching for service. Of all the times for this to happen, it had to be when I was alone in the middle of nowhere.
No more than two minutes after I’d left our SUV, a car drove down the side of the road, coming from the opposite direction. I was about to wave them down, but then decided against it. Out here, Kreos’ enemies could be anywhere. It would be better to just find a payphone or wait until I got service again.
But apparently the driver was going to take pity on me, because they turned around, their headlights casting a shadow as they pulled up next to me. Inside was a woman, maybe in her early thirties, with bright red hair and an even brighter smile. She rolled down the passenger window, waving at me as I stuffed my phone into my back pocket.
“You need help, sugar?” She had a slight twang in her voice that made me think of a couple that had come to the bar visiting from Texas. “It’s not safe for a young lady to be walking alone at night, you know.”
“Actually”—I took a step closer, peeking into the car—“do you mind giving me a lift to the gas station? It’s about two miles from here.”
“Sure thing, hon. Hop in.” She leaned over and grabbed her backpack from the passenger floor. When she turned around to throw it into the backseat, I could clearly see the butt of a gun tucked into the waistband of her pants.
Goosebumps prickled over my arms, the hair on the back of my neck standing up.
Always trust the goosebumps.
“Oh, you know what?” I leaned away from the car, pulling out my phone. “Forget it. My husband just texted. He’s on his way.”
Her smile stayed frozen on her face as she looked at me. “I think you should get in the car, Mrs. Zokrova.”
My heart stopped for a moment, then began beating so fast as dread washed over me. I took a step back, then another as I looked all around me. My only option was to run into the woods and hope she didn’t shoot me first.
She put the car in park and stepped out. “Now we can do this the easy way, or the har—” Her face registered shock, her mouth hanging open as a dark red circle formed on her forehead. A second later, her body crumpled to the pavement.
My eyes widened as I realized someone had just shot her in the head. Time seemed to slow down as a man stepped out from the woods behind her car. He walked over slowly, a gun with a silencer attached to it, aimed at the ground. My breath came out in short, rapid gasps as he stood in front of me.
He gripped my shoulder, his face twisted with concern. “Are you OK, Alora?”
The world spun, and he grabbed me before I could fall.
It couldn’t be.
“You’re safe now. I got you.” He gripped me tightly.
“Jameson?” I whispered, as everything turned black.
*** ***
I woke with a gasp, a leather jacket covering me. It was dark, except for the moonlight streaming in through the broken stained glass of the church windows. My stomach churned when I stood, gripping the church pew in front of me as I wobbled.
“Careful,” a voice came from behind me, “you don’t want to faint again.”
Jameson came forward, his hands held up like he was trying to calm a wild animal. Which was exactly how I felt at that moment.
“Jameson?” My voice quivered, my trembling hands going to my lips. “You’re dead.”
“Surprise, sis.” He chuckled as he stood in front of me. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
I stared up at my brother, so familiar, yet completely different. The teenager who had made me pillow forts when I was sick and had taught me photography now looked like a hardened man, a scar running down his temple to his jaw.
“I’m going to be sick.” I turned away from him as I heaved, wanting so much to throw up, but my body wasn’t cooperating.
“I’m not that ugly, am I?” He laughed again, a teasing note in his voice.
I tried to compose myself, my mind racing as I tried to figure out how this was possible. “What the fuck? What the actual fuck is going on?” My voice rose with each word, hysterics about to take over. I turned, staring at him from head to toe. “How are you alive?”
He scrunched up his face, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s a long story.”
“Well, you better start talking right now. I thought you were dead. Murdered by the police. I’ve been mourning you for seventeen years.” Tears clouded my eyes, and he took a step forward. I shook my head, backing up until my legs hit the pew. “What are you doing here? How are you here?”
“What I’m doing here is saving you. And I got here a few weeks ago via plane from Canada.” He said it so matter-of-factly, as if that was supposed to answer the million questions I had. He sighed and sat down on the pew, patting it. “Can you sit? I’ll explain everything, I promise.”
My entire body was shaking as I sat on the edge of the pew. Was this a joke? Because it felt like a really bad one. How could my brother be alive? Not only that, how had he known when to show up just now and save me from that…
“Who was that woman? The one you shot?” I clasped my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking.
“If I had to guess, I would say she’s one of your husband’s many enemies.” His jaw ticked. “How could you marry him, Alora?”
A chill went down my spine, making me shiver. “What do you know about my husband, Jameson?”
“Oh, I know a lot about Kreos Zokrov. More than you do, apparently,” he scoffed.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Does he know you’re alive? That you’re here?” My mind raced with possibilities. Did Kreos have something to do with Jameson being here?
“He has no idea. Because if he did, he would try to kill me. Again.”
My eyes widened at his words. I looked at Jameson, really looked at him. He was wearing a nice pressed suit, similar to the ones Kreos or Gavriil would wear. His hair was styled, and an expensive watch gleamed on his wrist. There were tattoos running up his neck and covering his hands, and I could barely make out the word on his forearm.
Omerta.
“You’re in the mafia?” I whispered .
“Yeah, not by choice.” Jameson stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. “That night I died? It was because of your husband. He had me killed. He’s the reason I’ve been gone all these years, Alora.”
“Please, Jameson, explain to me what’s going on.” I balled my hands into fists. None of this made sense. It felt like I was in my very own special episode of The Twilight Zone , and every minute, things were just getting worse.
“That night, I saw something I shouldn’t have. I cut through the alley to get to work and saw a cop executing another cop. Before I could run, he grabbed me and threw me in his trunk. The next thing I know, I’m in some fancy house where everything went to hell.”
“But the fire… they said they found your wallet?”
“I was put in a dark basement. It was a nightmare.” His voice dropped, as if haunted by the memory. “There were cells, people locked inside like animals. The guy in my cell, Antonio, said his family was Italian mafia—claimed the Bratva had taken him for leverage for some war they were in. He was young, like me. The other man in our cell had been tortured for days, barely conscious. There was blood everywhere. People screaming, women crying.”
He visibly swallowed, a faraway look in his eyes. I shuddered, rubbing my hands up and down my arms. How terrifying that must have been for him.
“When the shooting started, everything turned into chaos. The cop, the one who had taken me, was opening cells and just shooting everyone. When he got to us, Antonio rushed him, knocking away his flashlight, and sliced his face up with a screw he’d been holding onto. The cop shot him in the leg, but we kept fighting.”
His hands trembled slightly as he stared up at Jesus crucified on the cross. “Smoke started filling the basement, and the cop took off. The house was on fire above us, and it was spreading like wildfire. We were able to break through the plywood on a small window and get out, but just the two of us. All those people…” He rubbed his hands over his face. “They all burned down there. We ran, but I had to carry Antonio because he was bleeding so much from his leg. We stayed hidden until it was safe, then we called his brother, who came. The next thing I knew, we were crossing the Canadian border before anyone knew we were still alive.”
“Jameson, why didn’t you come home? Or tell us? All these years…”
“I couldn’t, Alora. I wanted to, believe me. There were only two choices—disappear with them, or risk watching the Bratva come back and kill you and Mom. If you had found out I was alive, they would have killed you. I had to become a ghost.”
Anger coursed through me. At him for not telling me, and at that cop for doing this to him. But something still didn’t make sense. “What does any of this have to do with Kreos?”
His eyes darkened as he came toward me. “He was there that night. I saw him when the cop dragged me through the house. He was there arguing with some men, saying that everyone was going to die tonight. I remembered every single detail about his face. He was just a kid like me, but already a monster. Antonio’s family said we couldn’t retaliate back then because they had just called a truce on a decades-old war. I had to let it go, but inside, I never forgot what happened… because of him. Then a few months ago, Kreos Zokrov showed up at my boss’s house with a business proposition. He looked right at my face and had no idea who the hell I was. Because to him, people are disposable.”
“You’re wrong!” I backed away, my heart racing. “Kreos fights against trafficking. He told me—”
“He’s a liar and a murderer. And you married him.” He spat each word at me with such anger that I flinched. This wasn’t the brother I knew. No, this was a hardened man with seventeen years of rage burning inside of him.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Alora,” he mumbled. “I promised myself I would protect you. That’s why I’ve been watching, waiting. When I saw you had married him… I couldn’t let history repeat itself. But you don’t have to be afraid of me. I would never hurt you.”
His words did little to ease the fear that had slowly been creeping up my spine. “How did you know about the marriage?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.
His face softened as he stood in front of me. “I’ve been keeping tabs on you for years. I knew I could never tell you the truth about what had happened, but I could try and keep you safe. I had someone looking out for you.”
“Who?” I scrunched up my nose.
“Zeke.”
My mouth fell open. “The guy living in front of my apartment, Zeke?”
“Yeah, he’s a good guy. When he told me you were involved with a dangerous criminal, I came to see for myself. Then I found out it was Zokrov…” Jameson’s jaw clenched. “I told my boss Zokrov was the one behind everything that night, but without proof, they won’t risk a war. Then I saw you with him and knew I’d start a thousand wars to keep you safe.”
“Jameson.” I reached up, finding his cheek. “My heart aches for you, for what you’ve been through. All these years lost because of terrible people. But Kreos isn’t one of them. He’s—”
“—got you fooled, Alora.” He jerked his head away from me. “I’ve been trying to warn you, protect you.”
A thought came to me then. “Wait, are you working with the mole in his organization? Is that because of you?”
Confusion flickered over his face. “What mole? What are you talking about?”
“Someone’s been trying to take down Kreos, leaking information to his enemies.” I checked my pocket, pulled out the coin. “You’re not responsible for this?”
He took the coin, studying the front and then the back. Shaking his head, he handed it back to me. “Not me, but it sounds like fate is finally catching up, if you ask me.”
I shook my head, putting the coin back in my pocket.
“I’m going to kill him, Alora. End this so you can be free from this charade of a marriage and I can get my vengeance.”
My heart shattered at his declaration. He was wrong about Kreos, I knew it. “Stop it. You don’t get to come back from the dead and destroy my life all in the same night.” I paced in front of him, my mind racing. “He’s my husband, and I love him. I can prove he wasn’t involved.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, not saying anything for a moment. “How?”
“You let me worry about that. Just promise me you won’t do anything until I can get the proof. Promise me, Jameson. You owe me that much.”
I could see the hesitation on his face, and I held my breath. He had to give me a chance to prove this was all a mistake. And then… then I didn’t know. My brother was alive, but he wanted to kill my husband. How could things get any worse?
“Fine.” He nodded. “Get your proof. Warn him if you want. It won’t stop me from coming for him. Remember, we don’t run from monsters, Alora. We kill them.”
My heart clenched at his words. He was a significant reason I was who I was—fearless, vengeful, and somewhat crazy. I could make this right.
“I love you, so I’m giving you this one chance to prove me wrong. If it was anyone else but your husband, they’d be dead already.”
I sighed, my shoulders relaxing. I knew there had to be a way out of this, I just had to think.
“For what it’s worth”—he came forward, gripping my shoulders—“there wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t think about you and Mom. It killed me to know that I couldn’t be with you guys. To know that you were grieving for me, as much as I was grieving for you. I hope for your sake this doesn’t end tragically for us all. Again.”
He pulled me into his arms, squeezing me tight against him. For a second, I felt eight years old again, safe in my big brother’s arms. I slowly wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him back. This was my brother. He was alive. But I had to fix this somehow.
A phone beeped, and I pulled back with a frown. “You have service?”
“Yeah, our little lady friend back there was using a signal jammer. I disabled it.” His expression darkened. “You should check your phone. You’ve been gone two hours.”
Crap, Kreos would know by now what had happened and would be expecting me home already.
“I fixed your car. FBI must have knocked the battery cable loose when they were searching it. Amateurs.”
He walked me out to my car, the engine humming in the background as he leaned in the window. “You have twenty-four hours before I come calling. I hope for your sake, you find the proof you need.” He knocked on the door twice, and I pulled off.
There were only two missed texts from Kreos. I let out the breath I’d been holding, my fingers trembling as I answered him.
FBI took Tash and Grig, but let me go. Had car trouble. On my way home now.
His reply came immediately.
Grig has been released. Tash earned herself a night in lockup for her attitude. Call me as soon as you get home, kotic.
My mind raced the entire way home. How was I going to fix this? I had to tell Kreos. He would know what to do.
The devil on my shoulder was whispering into my ear, though. Taunting me. What if Jameson had been right? What if Kreos was responsible for all of this?
He couldn’t have been. In my heart, I knew it wasn’t possible. He would have been young, around Jameson’s age, when that had gone down. There was no way he would have been involved in human trafficking. He’d told me numerous times that was a line he’d never cross. If anyone in his organization even whispered about it, they were dealt with swiftly.
I pulled up to the gate, relief washing over me to finally be home.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Zokrova,” the guard said. “The Pakhan wanted to know when you got home. I’ll inform him now.”
“Yes, please do, Jacob.” The gate slid open, and I drove down the winding road to the place I now called home.
I refused to lose Kreos. He was mine, just as I was his.
But my brother… all those years… God, there was no time to process any of this.
I had to do something. And now that I was back home, I knew exactly how to find out the truth.