Chapter 46
Yuliana
“Slit his throat,” I ordered.
“No, please—”
The foot soldier’s plea was cut short when Vlad sliced the long blade across his neck. The man’s eyes went wide, and his mouth gaped open like a fish as he tried to breathe. Only blood and gurgled noises came out.
Vlad dropped the body and wiped his knife clean.
“Where to next,” he asked, and I shook my head.
Walking over to the window of the penthouse, I stared out at the glittering lights of Tokyo.
Even during the day, the metropolis glimmered and hummed with activity.
I just wish that I were here for pleasure and could take in the sights, cuisine, and culture instead of remaining hidden and leaving a trail of bodies in my wake.
I’d been to Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Australia, and now Japan. Every location and lead we found turned out to be a dead end. My father was playing an expert game of hide-and-seek with me, and I was getting sick of the chase.
“I don’t know,” I said, hating that I was running out of options, which meant that I would need to reveal myself before my mission was done.
Eddie had more than likely discovered my transactions at the bank. He was smart and monitored everything closely, so stealing the surveillance video only gave me a brief cushion of time. If he wasn’t currently hunting me, then he would be soon.
The dead bodies and the destruction of my father’s house would’ve gotten the attention of the Curators by now, and they would soon be investigating.
Someone was going to out me. It was only a matter of when.
“I’ve run out of ideas. Vadin scampered away from the house like a rat through a hole and has remained hidden.
His plane and flight plan show movement all over the world, and whoever he paid to keep us chasing our tail is doing an excellent job.
I’m starting to believe that he was never at any of these locations.
For all I know, he has been watching my every move and laughing at me. ”
“I doubt he was laughing when his home blew up,” Mylo said.
True.
“The point is, I am open to suggestions. You were both police officers for years. What is your instinct telling you?”
They looked at one another, then back at me.
“Out with it.”
“I don’t know if you want to hear this,” Vlad said.
I walked over to the bar and poured myself a drink. It was top-shelf Koshu aged for twenty years. No point in allowing good sake to go to waste. With my drink in hand, I sat down on the arm of the white leather chair and glared at him.
“You think he went to see Lilya, don’t you?”
“It’s likely. Our initial intelligence pointed to him not knowing where she was, but with Christov in the mix, who knows. He definitely wouldn’t want you to know that he had gone to see her,” Vlad said.
“God, I can only imagine the lies he will use to try and poison her,” I added.
“I have confirmed that Lawrence is dead,” Mylo said. “It’s not just a rumor. So that takes him off the board.”
My hand tightened on the ceramic cup. My only regret was that I didn’t get to kill him myself. I could still feel his disgusting hands on my body, and not even his death would make me feel any better.
“And yet, I don’t find it comforting,” I said, taking a sip of my drink. “Did Vadin’s plane go to North America at all?”
“No,” Vlad said, and I sighed.
My phone rang, and I stood to pull it out of my pocket.
“It is as if you knew I was thinking about you,” I said, answering the call.
“As long as they are all good thoughts, my dear,” Dimitri said, and I smirked.
He hadn’t changed.
“Mostly, but they will be even better if you have news for me.”
“Well, then you are in luck. It just so happens that I received a call earlier today from Edmundo, inviting Ronan and me to his birthday dinner.”
At the sound of Eddie’s name, my heart clenched in my chest. His birthday…I still remembered the last one we spent together. Before the emotions could bubble over, I pushed them back down. Focus, you need to focus.
My eyebrow rose when Dimitri didn’t continue. He was burying the lead on this news, and, always the one for dramatics, wanted me to ask.
“Oh…are you calling to find out what to get him,” I asked cheekily and smirked as he chuckled.
“Always so saucy. Your daughter is very much like you,” he said, and my smile fell. “But no, he has requested our presence to see if Ronan will be a good match for his daughter,” Dimitri said.
I choked on my drink, and Dimitri laughed hard.
“Relax, my dear, I’m not speaking of Lilya, although technically they are far enough apart that marriage is an option.”
Over my dead body.
“So, you mean Victoria. Patricia’s daughter?”
“Yes. Apparently, he is seeking a suitor for her. Edmundo is considering others as well.”
“I see,” I said, and sat down, needing a moment to wipe away the panic that had momentarily consumed me.
The thought of Ren forced into an incestuous marriage would’ve had me kicking down Eddie’s office door.
“What I thought you might find most interesting is that my brother will be there,” he said, and I sat up straighter.
“Eddie invited Vadin to have dinner with him?”
That seemed very unlikely. Eddie hated my father almost as much as I did, if not more.
“I do not know the circumstances around Vadin being there, but Edmundo warning me ahead of time is very interesting,” Dimitri said.
I crossed my ankles and stared at the dead man in the middle of the room. He lay there on display like a macabre piece of art.
“Yes, it certainly is. Tell me, do you know who else will be there?”
“Other than myself, Romeo Mancini, and Ronan, no. So, do you think you’ll be attending? It will make for an eventful birthday.”
I’d be lucky if Eddie or Ren talked to me again once they knew the truth, but the thought of seeing them so soon…it made my blood sing with excitement. Angry or not, I needed them in my life. I’d find a way to explain everything. Going also gave me the opportunity to corner my prey.
“Shall I add you as my plus one,” Dimitri asked, and I drank down the rest of my sake.
“No, I think it is best that I attend as a surprise guest. Vadin just might decide to scurry back into whatever hole he left if he senses deceit.”
“What do you think he wants with Edmundo, anyway? He must know that the Genoveses will never work with him again.”
“He’s not interested in Eddie. He’s after Lilya’s trust fund.
I’ve seized the grand majority of his assets and burned even more to the ground.
He’s looking for leverage. I didn’t think he knew where she was, but I suppose I have Christov or Lawrence to thank for that.
They probably couldn’t help but repeat history and go running to him to spill the news. Pathetic.”
“Ah…that does sound like him. It also explains why he reached out to me yesterday, but I didn’t take his call.
Either he’s looking for a handout, or he wants to try and claim my throne here in Cali,” Dimitri growled.
“Over my dead body will I ever hand him anything else, especially what I’ve worked my entire life to achieve. ”
The anger over his brother’s betrayal had never diminished over the years.
If anything, it only made him more resentful and bitter.
I understood the resentment, even though our situations were very different, and Aunt Helena was a kind soul.
His heart belonged to my mother, Renata, and he’d never gotten over her being forced into Vadin’s bed.
“I assume this means you need your plane back.”
“Yes, which is the other reason for my call. I want it here for March first, and not a day later. I mean it, my dear,” Dimitri said.
Uncle Dimitri could still be very abrasive and demanding when he wanted to be, but I had been dealing with men like him my whole life.
“You’ll have it early, then. I appreciate you letting me borrow it.”
“Anything for you, my dear.” His voice was once more chipper as I bowed to his wishes. “Before I go…did you do what I asked?”
A sad smile pulled at the corner of my mouth.
“Yes…I placed my mother’s favorite flowers on her grave for you. I also took the locket you mentioned from her jewelry box. Vadin left everything the way she kept it.”
“And it still has my picture inside?”
“It does. One of you and her.”
He sucked in a deep breath.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice sullen. Clearing his throat, he continued. “I will see you soon. It will be a very memorable dinner.”
With that, he hung up the phone.
I looked between Vlad and Mylo.
“You were right. He’s after Ren.”
I pushed myself up out of the chair and could almost taste his blood on my tongue. Vadin would die for what he’d done to me and Eddie and our family, but now…he would die painfully for going after my daughter. My hand clenched into a fist.
“I’m going to cut his beating heart out of his chest and let him watch as I squeeze until it stops. Then, he’ll know what it felt like the day he betrayed me.”
Waving in the direction of the corpse, I marched for the door.
“Clean this up and dispose of the body. We’ve found our target,” I ordered.
Retribution was coming for Vadin Mikhailov. It was time he met his maker in hell.