Chapter 25 - Viktor
Anton doesn't give me a chance to recover from the explosion. He grabs my arm in one hand and the duffel bag in another and drags me off. I follow him, completely confused.
“You did that?” I ask when we get in the car. “How did you know they were there? What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't move because you're injured. Seriously, what the fuck?”
“Calm down,” Anton says coolly. “We knew you'd try something stupid. I just had to be one step ahead of you.”
“You bugged my computer,” I say after a moment. “You little fucking shit. We agreed never to do that.”
“These are exceptional circumstances, although I will give you credit. It was a nice disguise and a good ruse. Booking a ticket to Russia and doubling back. I wouldn't have thought of that. I was so confused when you went to the airport.”
“How did you see through my disguise?”
“Bought a ticket and followed you. You really should be more observant,” Anton chuckles as though this is some fat game.
“I didn’t think my brother would be following me,” I say grumpily.
He drives us back to his apartment, and we leave the duffel bag in the car. When we get to the penthouse, he pours me a whiskey. “Were you hurt by the explosion? I can call someone.”
“No, it just threw me back. Nothing broken.” I sip my whiskey. “Although I should crack your skull because I could have been killed.”
“I was there the entire time. I would never have let you near the warehouse.” He sits down with a sigh. “Besides, Rigor finally agrees it's time to put an end to this.”
“So he sent you instead of me? What bullshit is that? I'm the one with someone at stake.”
“We all have something at stake, and your actions seem irrational. I'll give you this: you did thorough research, so you were genuinely planning it out.” He leans back and rests his arm on the back of the sofa. “I never would have thought about approaching it by tracking their social media and then their phones.”
“People should be careful of what they put on the internet.” I sit down opposite him. “I need to get back to Riley.”
“She's fine. I have guards watching her. First, we need to discuss what we're going to do about this Jimmy character. Roman has a plan, but you're not going to like it.”
“Why wouldn't I like it?” I ask.
“Because it involves Riley,” he admits.
“No.” I stand up, putting my glass down with a thunk. “You are not using Riley as bait to draw this guy out. She could get hurt, or worse, taken and killed. The guy is a psychopath with an agenda.”
“Exactly. He's not going to stop until we do something, and unfortunately, the one he's after is Riley. She's the most likely to draw him out.” He downs his whiskey. “Sit down and we'll discuss it.”
“What do you propose we do? Send her out without any guards and hope we get to her in time?” I stare at him. He stares back at me and I shake my head. “Absolutely not.”
“They won't approach her if she's protected. Or if one of us is with her. Now, they think Riley is helpless, but I know for a fact that you've been teaching her to defend herself. She brags about it to Gwen all the time.”
“So what? That doesn't mean I should put her in danger. Only that she can protect herself if she's in danger.” I get up and start to pace. “Rigor cannot agree with this. Surely, he knows what Riley has been through with the Vultures. What if she freezes and can't defend herself? If they take her, I'll never forgive any of you.”
“We'll keep a tracker on her so if anything does go wrong, we can follow them. We have a feeling Jimmy himself will pick her up. He's arrogant and irrational, a little like you. Just not as nice.” He gets up and approaches me. “This is the best solution.”
We spend the rest of the evening arguing about this. Eventually, Anton calls Rigor, who promises to see me in the morning. Anton swears that Riley isn't going to do anything tonight, so I reluctantly sleep on his sofa. It's a fitful sleep. I keep dreaming that Riley is just out of my reach, being pulled back by an invisible force. Only I'm being held back from saving her. Definitely my subconscious bringing up my worries.
When there's a knock at the door, I bolt up and am on my feet.
“It's just Rigor,” Anton says irritably. He's never been a morning person.
I try to calm my racing heart, running a hand over my chest.
“Maria,” Anton calls. “Coffee, please.”
“Yes, Sir,” she calls back, coming out of her room in the back and shuffling toward the kitchen.
Rigor walks in and looks directly at me. “I told you, do nothing.”
“Nothing wasn't going to cut it,” I say confidently.
Rigor frowns. “I gave you a direct order.”
“Riley's life is in danger. What would you do if it were Fiona?” I shoot back. “You would burn the world alive for her. I know you would. Even if Kervyn told you to sit down and shut up.”
Rigor clenches his fist. “No, I wouldn't just sit down. But I would communicate, Viktor. You act like you always have to do everything alone, but we're a family. We have each other's backs.”
“Is that why you want to set Riley up as bait?” I ask angrily. “Because she's family. It doesn't matter if something happens to her so long as we take care of the problem.”
“It isn't like that,” Rigor snaps. “Riley is with Roman now. He's explaining everything to her. I told him to call me once he's done so you can speak to her and hear for yourself what she wants to do.”
“It doesn't matter what she wants. What matters is to keep her safe and…” Rigors' phone interrupts us.
I look at my watch. It's almost seven in the morning. While Rigor speaks Russian to Roman, Maria brings in three cups of coffee on a tray before shuffling back to the kitchen.
“Here,” Rigor says, holding his phone out.
I take the phone and put it against my ear.
“Viktor?” Riley asks.
“Riley, what are you doing with Roman?” I ask. “How did you get there?”
“When I woke up and realized you hadn't come home, I panicked and figured out your plan. I thought something bad had happened and all I could think of was to get to Roman to help you,” she sounds so relieved. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I'm fine. Anton was there before me.”
“Is he fine?” she asks, always the caring one.
“He's fine, but I might still knock him out.” I sit on the sofa. “Riley, you don't have to do anything. I can take care of the problem.”
“No, I want to,” Riley says after a moment. “I need to do this. I need to face him. He's never going to leave me alone and Roman and Rigor are right. This is our best bet to draw him out. Then, once we have him, he's all yours.”
I sigh quietly. “Riley, what if you freeze or panic?”
“I'm done being a scared little girl, Viktor,” she says resolutely. “I want to do this. I want to face him and I want to make sure he knows he cannot win. And I hope you fucking kill him and send a message to all his friends.”
That surprises me, and I take a moment to think. Riley clearly needs this to conquer her trauma. She needs to face her fear, no matter how much it scares me that she could be hurt. She needs to do this. I sigh quietly. “Okay. But I need you to know I love you and I will burn this world to the ground to find you if they take you.”
“They won't. I promise.”
“What's the plan?” I ask. “Where are you guys going to do it?”
“The mall,” she says. “I wasn't going to take any guards at first, but that would be suspicious since I've only been moving with guards the last couple of weeks, so what I'm going to do is excuse myself from the guards to try on some clothes. Then, when Jimmy attacks me, you guys swoop in and save the day.”
“You make it sound so simple,” I say. “It isn't that easy. There are a lot of exits in the mall. Lots of things that can go wrong.”
“It's just a matter of time before they attack one of our houses. Do you want your family to get hurt? This is a good opportunity to get him. Cut the head of the snake off and the rest will fall.”
“Is that what Roman said? Cause it sounds like something he would say.”
“It's true,” Riley insists. “Please, Viktor. I'm asking you to trust me. Trust me to do this properly. I won't let you down.”
The plea in her voice all but breaks my heart. I sigh softly. “I do trust you, Love. I just want you to know that I will always find you.”
“I will be fine,” she says. “I need to get home and get ready. Don't come in too soon or you'll scare him off and we might not get another chance. Promise me?”
“I promise,” I say quietly.
“I love you,” she murmurs.
“More than anything,” I respond.
She hangs up and I hand Rigor his phone back. He looks at me. “Shower and get ready.”
“There are clothes in the spare room you can wear. I'll get the guns,” Anton says.
“Do you not think we're rushing into this?” I ask.
Rigor smiles. 'While you were doing your planning, we were doing ours. I promise, Viktor, nothing will harm Riley. We will protect her.”
I go to the bathroom and have a hot shower. I'm slightly achy from when the blast threw me backward, but I finish up and go to the guest room and get dressed. By the time I'm back in the living room, Anton has a range of guns out.
I pick up a handgun and holster and strap it to myself. Anton picks up a shotgun.
“That's subtle,” I comment sarcastically.
“I want to deliver a proper message,” he says. “Nobody but nobody fucks with the Milov family.”