Chapter Eighteen
Alora
There was no time to process what was happening. My mind was racing with worst-case scenarios, each one more horrible than the last. Would Jameson kill Kreos? Was Kreos responsible for Jameson’s “death?” Had he known my brother was alive and kept that from me? How did the Cruel fit into all of this?
I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel, inhaling deeply through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. Now was not the time to freak out. I needed to be stronger than ever before.
Kreos and his men were still gone, dealing with whatever important business he had. I just prayed that the “business” didn’t have anything to do with Jameson.
Everything seemed normal at home. The staff walked about doing their business, the guards blending into the background and pretending to be invisible. I hurried down the hall to Dove’s room, knocked on her door, but she wasn’t in there.
I pulled out my phone, sending her a text. Where are you?
Tattoo room working on a piece. Wanna come hang out?
I knew she would stop what she was doing and help me, but maybe I didn’t need to drag her into this. She’d already been through hell and back, and this was my fight. Not hers. After telling her I’d catch up with her later, I headed back downstairs toward Kreos’ office.
Nobody would dare ask me why I was going there. I was the Pakhan’s wife and could do anything I wanted. I pushed the door open, and slipped inside. If there was one place I was going to find answers, it was going to be in Kreos’ safe.
Now, I just had to figure out how the hell to get the damn thing open. I flipped on the light switch and froze.
A chill ran down my spine when I stepped further into the room.
The safe was open.
How could that be possible?
Kreos would never be that careless.
Was this some type of trap?
I took a tentative step forward, gasped when I saw Sasha lying on the carpet in the middle of the room. Something didn’t look right. I hurried over and kneeled down.
“Sasha?” I whispered.
When she didn’t stir, I pushed her gently, but still she wasn’t getting up. Fear gripped my insides as I wiggled her some more, but she wasn’t moving. My gaze swept over her form, not finding any visible wounds or injuries.
I rubbed her belly, relief washing over me when I realized she was breathing. But something wasn’t right. “Come on, kuritsa , get up.” Her collar seemed too tight around her neck, and I unclasped it, shoving it into my back pocket .
There was movement behind me, and I turned with a gasp. Nadya stood by the door, her eyes wide.
“Oh, Nadya, you startled me. Something’s wrong with Sasha. I think we need a vet.” Kreos would be heartbroken if anything happened to her and he wasn’t there.
Nadya limped over and kneeled next to me. She placed her ear near her head, then shook her. “I think she’s just sleeping, Mrs. Zokrova. Too many treats, probably.”
I clenched my jaw, willing myself not to snap at her. “Nadya, this isn’t normal. She’s not moving at all.”
“Hm, odd.” Nadya lifted Sasha’s eyelids, then tried shaking her body again.
“Do you know who was in here? The Pakhan’s safe is open and he definitely wouldn’t do that. Was Gavriil here?”
She gave me an odd look, then stood. “Nobody was here, Mrs. Zokrova. We should call the vet.” She walked over to the door, but instead of calling out for help or leaving, she shut it, sealing us both inside the room.
Goosebumps spread over my body, and I tried to figure out what I was missing. Kreos and his men weren’t here. The safe was open, and Sasha was out cold.
Nadya’s shadow fell over me, and I glanced up from Sasha. My gaze landed on Nadya’s ankle, and my heart raced wildly. She and Anya were usually dressed in the house uniform of black stockings and a dress with an apron. For the first time since she’d walked into the room, my mind registered that she was dressed differently. Jeans and tennis shoes.
And on the inside of her right ankle was a small tattoo. Maze-like vines formed a circle, with little stars throughout. On the inside were the initials “L.H.V.”
The coin.
Loyalty, Honor, Victory.
My head shot up, my eyes drawn to the object in her hand, which she had lifted over her head.
“You,” I whispered.
“This is going to hurt a little,” was the last thing she said before she hit me on the side of the head.
The room spun as I tipped over; everything went black.
*** ***
I woke with a gasp, a metallic taste in my mouth. My head throbbed like I had gotten hit with a bat.
Oh, maybe that was because Nadya was the damn mole and had tried to kill me?
My gaze traveled around the room I was in, and I realized I was in some type of old wine cellar, but not one I recognized. There were bottles scattered on the ground. Some were full, others were empty and broken, with shards of glass everywhere. It was as if someone had been drinking down here, then had a tantrum. The air was heavy with moisture and must, a suffocating sensation. Off to the side was an old wheelbarrow, like one might use for gardening. There was dust and grime everywhere.
The good news was that I was probably still on Kreos’ estate.
The bad news was my ankles were bound to the chair legs and my hands were cuffed behind me.
I really needed to evaluate my life choices and how I kept ending up in these situations .
“Sorry if I hit you too hard.” Nadya’s voice came from across the room, making me gasp. She came closer, jumping over a few of the broken bottles. It wasn’t lost on me that she was no longer limping.
Like at all.
What a little snake.
In the center of the room was a table, and on it were the contents of Kreos’ safe: journals, SD cards, flash drives. There was also a big shiny gun and two big syringes next to a bottle of wine. “Good news though, I found a bottle opener.” She laughed.
“Where are we?” I asked, my gaze traveling around the room, looking for a way to escape.
“Underground in the tunnels. I’m sure the Pakhan showed you.” I nodded, and she continued. “I like to come down here sometimes to think. It’s so quiet. Isolating. You can scream as loud as you want, and nobody will hear you.” To prove her point, she screamed at the top of her lungs, her hands balling into fists at her side.
OK. Crazy bitch mode activated.
“That felt great.” She cackled, then turned her attention back to me. “How’d you know?”
“Know what?” I just needed to keep calm and keep her talking until I could figure out how to get free.
“In the office just now. I saw it all over your face even before I hit you.” She tapped her chin, watching me closely.
“Your tattoo,” I muttered.
Her eyes flashed with surprise, and she looked down at her ankle.
“The house on Maple? The man in the basement wasn’t dead. He gave me your coin. It matches your tattoo.”
“My father’s coin,” she said and grabbed the bottle of wine. “And you didn’t tell the Pakhan about that?”
I sighed, shaking my head. “No, I didn’t realize how important it was going to be.”
She laughed, the sound sending a chill down my spine. “Indeed, Mrs. Zokrova. He would have found out about me pretty quickly after that, I imagine.”
“And who are you? Is your name even Nadya?” The handcuffs were digging into my wrists, and I shifted in the chair, trying to see how constricted I was. Something poked me in my butt cheek, and I stilled as realization dawned on me.
Sasha’s collar was still in my back pocket.
I threw a silent thank you to the man upstairs, and the one down below, because at this point, I didn’t know who was on my side.
“My name is Elena Petrov. Daughter to Dimitri and Natalia, sister to Alek and Nikolai. All of whom perished at the hands of Viktor Zokrov.” Her eyes blazed with anger, and I did my best not to move.
So that was it. Kreos’ father had killed her family, and that was what had started all of this. I needed to keep her talking, get her to tell me everything. Kreos should have known something was wrong by now, since I hadn’t checked in with him. But I couldn’t wait and just hope he would come and save me in time. I had no idea what she had planned, but I guessed it would not be pleasant.
“I’m sorry, Elena. I don’t know anything about that. What happened?” I wriggled my hand, pulling on the metal buckle of the collar. It wasn’t much, but it could help me get free. As long as I didn’t drop it and get caught.
“Thirty-five years I’ve carried this burden. I was only eight, but I remember everything. I remember my father’s face, my mother’s screams as our entire family was slaughtered. We were the most powerful Bratva in Russia, and Viktor decided he wanted the title of Pakhan. He thought he deserved it and spared no one in his path of destruction.”
Oh, fuck. Kreos had told me about this. What had he said? His father had wiped out generations in a matter of hours. That was how he’d claimed his throne and become Pakhan.
“Elena, I’m so sorry.” And I was. The brutality behind something like that… and then to survive it… “How did you survive?” My hands were twisted awkwardly with the cuffs, but I guided the metal piece of the buckle into the tiny keyhole. The jewels on Sasha’s collar jingled slightly, and I coughed, trying to cover up the noise. If Elena caught me trying to get free, God knew what she would do.
“When the shots first started, my mother rushed me into the kitchen. Below the cupboard under the sink was a small nook. It was just big enough for me to fit inside.” Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and I could see that scared little girl in her eyes.
None of this was OK. What Kreos’ father had done, what she was doing now. So much pain and anguish. And for what? Power? It seemed so… pointless.
“I stayed there for hours, frozen in fear. Finally, I got up the courage to come out and… I wished I hadn’t. There was so much blood. Pure destruction of everything. I was able to sneak to a neighbor’s home, an d one maid helped me. Got me into hiding. She saved me. Her name was Nadya.” She clasped her hands together as if praying, whispering words I couldn’t understand.
While she was speaking, I kept trying to guide the metal piece into the keyhole, and a rush of adrenaline coursed through me when it wedged in. I took a deep breath, letting my shoulders relax against the strain for a moment. There was hope.
“I spent the next two decades becoming the perfect servant. The loyal maid. The injured woman too weak to ever be seen as a threat.” To emphasize her point, she practically skipped back over to the table and grabbed the bottle of wine. Once she had the cork out, she took a hefty swig and held the bottle out to me, as if I should grab it. “Oh, I forgot. Your hands are cuffed.”
Not for long.
Without waiting for me to say anything, she pushed my head back and poured wine into my mouth. I wasn’t expecting it, so it spilled all down my chin and I coughed it up. Crazy bitch was out of her mind.
“You know, I was hoping we could be allies. When he first brought you home as a prisoner, I thought, ‘I’ll help this girl the way Nadya helped me.’ But then you went and fell in love with the monster. It’s sickening really. And the Pakhan is beyond obsessed with you. It’s unhealthy, Mrs. Zokrova.”
I wanted to defend my actions, but knew it would be useless. At this stage, there was no way she was going to show me any mercy. The only thing I could do was stall as long as I could until Kreos got here, or until I got free.
“I don’t understand why you didn’t just kill Viktor. You worked there with him, had plenty of opportunities to get your vengeance. So why didn’t you?” I gritted my teeth, focusing on trying to press the buckle against the spring-loaded lever.
“Kill him?” she scoffed, drinking more of the wine. “That would be too merciful. He needs to experience what I did, feel what I felt. Utter and complete loss. I want him to live so he can watch his son’s empire crumble while his other pathetic son is stuck in a coma—thanks to me, by the way.” She cackled.
My eyes widened at her confession. Constantine was in a coma because of her? “How? How did you get to his brother?”
She opened up a laptop, grabbed one of the USB sticks, and put it inside the port. “The assassination attempt wasn’t my doing, but when he was in the hospital as a John Doe, I knew it was my chance.” She picked up one syringe and wiggled it in my face. “Tryliportal sodium. Untraceable in the blood. Just a few drops in his IV every day keeps him in dreamland. It’s brilliant.”
“It’s sick, Elena. I understand the pain and hatred you must feel, but you can’t just take it out on innocent people. Constantine wasn’t even born, nor was Bela, when that happened to your family. And Kreos was just a baby. You’re not justified in your actions.” I spit the words out with venom in my voice, which only made her stalk over to me and smack me in the face. My head whipped to the side and I gasped.
“Kreos is everything that is wrong with this world. He’s a worse version of his father, smarter, more controlled, and even more dangerous. Since he’s been Pakhan, his organization has grown stronger than ever before. The Zokrov name instills fear and panic in everyone. It’s not right.”
Her chest rose as her breath came out ragged, and I remained silent, not moving a muscle so I wouldn’t trigger another freakout from her.
“Killing Kreos’ father would be too easy. One bullet and then it’s over? Thirty-five years of waiting for nothing?” She shook her head, a twisted smile on her face. “No, I want Viktor to watch his precious son’s destruction. To see everything he’s built collapse into nothing. Destroying Kreos and his empire ensures that no other family suffers like mine did. I’m breaking the damn cycle, Mrs. Zokrova. And as for you? Well, you made the mistake of falling in love with the Devil himself, and now you’ll have to pay the price. If it gives you any comfort, please know that I won’t harm Dove. I promise you that much.”
At the mention of Dove’s name, I jiggled the metal piece faster. I could almost feel the cuff loosening. Only a little more and I would be free. I just hoped I had enough time. “So, what’s your big master plan, then? You know when he gets here, he’ll kill you? You have to know that.”
“I’m prepared to die, but that’s not going to happen today.” She typed on the laptop, her face twisting with confusion a moment later. “Stupid thing isn’t working,” she muttered and ripped the USB out of the slot. There were stacks of USBs next to her, and she grabbed another, and plugged it in.
The sound of her nails tapping on the table was the perfect cover as I pressed into the lever. My heart skipped a beat when the cuff sprang open, releasing my right wrist. I kept the cuff there, so if she happened to look, I would still appear to be a captive.
“I hate to ruin the surprise, but if you must know, the plan is to kill you in front of the Pakhan. You’re the one person he loves more than anything in this world. He will be utterly heartbroken. Then I’ll inject him with this”—she pointed at the syringe—“and once that’s completed, I’ll go through all these files and start dismantling the Zokrov empire. Unfortunately, I needed the help of the Cruel, so once he helps me take down all of Kreos’ operations, he’ll have to die too, of course. He’s just as vile as the rest of them, but you know I had to pick the lesser evil.”
“The lesser evil? The Cruel is part of human trafficking. He’s a monst—”
“Shut up!” She slammed her hand on the table. “I need to focus. Why aren’t there any files on here?” she muttered more to herself than to me.
I didn’t dare move yet. Now wasn’t the time. At least my hands were free—well, technically just one, but I could use the cuff as a weapon if I needed to. Having my ankles tied to the chair was the bigger problem. Even if my hands were free, I couldn’t run. She had a gun, so I had to be smart about how this played out.
She grabbed another USB and shoved it into the port. Her eyes flashed to mine, and I clenched my jaw. “You know, I have you to thank for most of this, so I’ll do you the courtesy of killing you quickly when it’s time.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, not trusting my voice for a moment. Like hell she was going to kill me. I hadn’t gone through all this bullshit, found the love of my life, just to have her rip it all away from me. Not happening. “What do you mean, thank me? ”
“I knew the Pakhan was keeping his files somewhere, but I didn’t know where. I’d searched that house from top to bottom, found five safes, but none of them had these.” She waved her hand at journals and USBs on the table. “That night he came home covered in blood, he was distracted by you and didn’t realize he had opened the safe right in front of me. I knew there had to be another one somewhere, and then bam, there it was right in front of me.”
She went back to fiddling on the laptop, and my gaze traveled around the room. If she came at me with the gun, I would have no chance. My best shot was to get to my knife in my boot, or one of the bottles on the ground. If I could grab one and hit her, then I stood a chance. My ears picked up on a noise in the distance, and my back straightened.
Kreos was here. I just knew it.
“Why are these all blank?” she screamed, smashing the laptop on the table until the keypad buttons started flying off. My eyes widened at her outburst, but then a realization slowly started dawning on me.
Kreos prided himself on always staying one step ahead of his enemies. He left nothing to chance or circumstance. If those were blank, then that meant it was intentional. A decoy perhaps? But why—or how could he have known?
Elena grabbed the brown leather journal I’d seen Gavriil put into the safe and ripped it open. Papers flew everywhere, and she reached down, gathering them up. She gasped as she riffled through them, crumpling them one by one.
“What is it? What’s the matter? ”
Her head snapped in my direction, her nostrils flaring. “Recipes,” she shrieked. “Fucking recipes.” She picked one up, showing me. “Pashka.” She dropped it, picking up another. “Napoleon cake!”
Oh, fuck, she was really losing it now.
“How is this possible?” I could hear the rage in her voice, and I knew that I would have to make a move soon. She grabbed the gun and came toward me. “Did you do this? Did you ruin my plan?”
“No, I did.” Kreos’ voice came from the doorway and we both turned our heads in his direction.
Elena stood next to me, the gun pointed at my head. Kreos took a step forward, his hands raised. Relief washed over me now that I could see him. Did he have a plan? God, I hoped he did, because my plan wasn’t bulletproof, and neither was I. His gaze met mine, and I mouthed “I’m OK” so he wouldn’t freak out. Well, not too much anyway.
His jaw clenched as he came closer. “Nadya, you don’t have to hurt her. I’m here now. I’ll do whatever you say.”
“My name is Elena,” she screamed, her hand trembling as she pushed the gun into the side of my head, the metal cold against my skin. If she didn’t calm down, she was going to shoot me before I could even move.
“OK, Elena. I’m unarmed. Please let her go. She has nothing to do with this.” His voice was calm, but I knew better than that. I could see the turmoil in his eyes. He was terrified. “Tell me what you want.”
She pointed to the table at one of the syringes. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to inject yourself with that and get nice and relaxed. Then I’ll let her go and it will just be me and you.”
“She’s lying, Kreos. She’s going—”
Elena smacked the gun against my forehead, a sharp pain radiating through me. “Shut up. Just shut the hell up. I’m sick of you already. I want this over. I’ve been waiting too long now.” She pointed the gun at Kreos as he took another step forward.
“I’m just getting the syringe. Easy now.” He picked up the syringe and held it up. “What is this?”
“The same thing that keeps your baby brother asleep. And now you will be too.” She laughed, that manic laugh that made you feel you were in a horror movie.
He stripped off his jacket, never taking his eyes off me. I wiggled my right shoulder slightly, my gaze going from him to my shoulder, back and forth, trying to tell him I was free. But either he didn’t understand or he had another plan, because he started to roll up the sleeves of his shirt.
“Are you going to tell me why you’re doing this, Elena?” he murmured, resting his hands on the table.
“Your father took away everything that I loved. And now I’m going to do the same to him. To you. Starting with her.” She pushed the gun harder into the side of my head, and I clenched my jaw.
“I love you, Kreos,” I whispered. Not because I was giving up, but because I needed him to know.
His eyes darkened as he stared at me. “Don’t worry, milaya , this will be over soon.”
I couldn’t lose him. My whole life I had been waiting for something, and I realized now that it was Kreos. He was my everything, and I wouldn’t let her take him away from me .
“Yes, it will be.” Elena stood between us, pointing the gun at Kreos. “Get on your knees.”
Kreos held his hands up, one of them holding a syringe as he got down on his knees. Elena’s hand was trembling, and I realized that she might be going off plan now. You could see the rage all over her face as she stood over him. What if she shot him?
She looked over her shoulder at me, a wicked smile on her face. “Look at your husband now, the mighty Pakhan on his knees. Not so powerful anymore, is he?” She chuckled, then turned back to face Kreos.
She cocked the gun, and my stomach turned. Where was Gavriil? Surely he wouldn’t let Kreos come down here without some type of plan. My ankles were tied to the chair, and there was no way to get free from the bonds.
There was a commotion just outside the door, and Elena’s eyes widened. Someone else was here, but the question was, would Kreos and I both be dead by the time they got inside? She turned the gun toward me, then back to Kreos. Back and forth she went, her face twisted in anger.
“What are you going to do now, Elena?” He arched his eyebrow. “My men are here. Are you going to take your revenge, or are you a coward?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, focusing the gun completely on him. What the hell was he thinking, taunting her like that?
“Years of infiltrating my organization and working to stay undetected. How you must have hated seeing me succeed, knowing that I was growing stronger, and you… well, you just stayed weak, didn’t you? ”
“Shut up!” she screamed, her face turning red.
A deafening boom echoed throughout the room. Kreos inhaled sharply through clenched teeth, and my heart stilled. A harsh sound escaped his throat, something between a grunt and a snarl as blood soaked his pant leg.
“No!” I shouted, my legs instinctively trying to move, but they couldn’t.
She’d shot him. That crazy bitch had actually shot him.
“You see, Mrs. Zokrova? He’s the weak one, not me. He can’t save you.”
“You’re forgetting one thing, Elena,” I hissed as every muscle in my body tensed.
She turned to face me, the gun by her side. “What’s that?”
“I don’t need anyone to rescue me when I can do it myself.” I leapt up, surprise written on her face as she realized my hands were free.
I roared as I swung the handcuffs, my fist connecting with her face. She screamed, the gun going off again as the cuffs cut a gash across her cheek. We landed in a pile, with me on top of her, half the chair broken, but still tied to my leg.
“You bitch!” she snarled and tried to hit me with the gun.
I screamed in her face, all my anger and fear pouring out of me. My elbow came down and slammed into her nose, blood gushing everywhere. The gun went off again, the sound of stone crumbling and bottles falling behind. Kreos reached over, and knocked the gun from her hands. She thrashed around, trying to push me off. But I wasn’t going anywhere. I reached across the floor, grabbed a piece of glass and, in one fluid motion, sliced it across her neck.
Her eyes widened as her mouth hung open, like she couldn’t believe I had actually done it. Kreos tore the chair free from my legs, then dragged me off her. Elena’s hands went to her throat. The only sounds in the room were my heavy breathing and the gurgling noises she was making.
“ Milaya , are you OK?” Kreos’ eyes were frantic as his blood-soaked hands cradled my face.
“Kreos,” I choked, wrapping my arms around him. He was alive, a fucking miracle in itself. Despite everything, we both had survived. So many overwhelming emotions came over me as my tears soaked his shirt.
“Shh, shh, it’s OK.” He gripped me to him, squeezing me so tight I almost couldn’t breathe.
The door burst open, Gavriil shouting as he pointed around the room. “You foolish man,” he growled at Kreos.
He had his gun pointed at Elena, but it was unnecessary. She was never coming back to hurt us again.
Kreos scooped me up in one fluid motion, the only sign of his pain was the tightening of his jaw and a slight limp as he carried me. Grig and several of Kreos’ other guards were in the tunnel, all with their guns drawn. Their eyes widened at all the blood covering me, but I just held on as tight as I could to Kreos.
“Is it over now?” I whispered.
“Yes, my love. Everything is OK now.” His fingers dug into my flesh as we moved through the tunnel system .
I grabbed his shirt, trying to stop him. “Kreos, your leg. Put me down before you hurt yourself more.”
His dark chuckle echoed throughout the chamber as he held me in his arms. “No, milaya . I’m never fucking letting you go again,” he whispered, his voice filled with a mix of possessiveness and determination.
Thank God, because I wasn’t going anywhere now. He was stuck with me forever.