Chapter 26
ZORA
I've been chewing my nails, pacing this room for the past few hours wondering what my brothers have planned and when Yefim's going to let me out of here.
I never expected this from him—Bogdan maybe, or Makar, but not Yefim.
He has never been so ruthless with me before, which means Bogdan and Makar probably won't even look at me right now.
Maybe that's why he's locked me in his guest room. He's doing it to protect me.
And I've been hearing their voices in the study across the hall for a while too, though most of it I can't make out, laughter and banter.
They're idiots, and I know they have something really bad planned.
This whole time, they never wanted information to make Kazimir look bad.
They always planned for me to lead them to Kuzin operations.
I walk over to the door and listen for a second and hear only laughter and a rumble of Makar's voice.
It's torture not knowing what they're talking about, and since they took my phone and purse, I can't call anyone or let anyone know what my own brothers are doing.
I have to assume that they're going to move against Kazimir and his family, probably while his Uncle Roman is still away.
And I have to assume the reason they put that tracker into my purse was to learn where they are most vulnerable—and pull me back when they're ready to strike.
Though, that last part is questionable. If they care even a smidge about my safety, it'd shock me.
Or maybe that's why Yefim was the one to track me down.
Bogdan and Makar would've let me stay with Kaz when they carry out their next attack and Yefim didn't want me hurt. Who knows?
"—tonight, though—" I hear, and I know it's Bogdan. I press my ear to the cool wood of the door and try to listen, but my own breathing is too loud to make much out. I hold my breath, pausing to focus on what Makar is saying now and press my eyes shut to block out any distraction.
"They'll never see it coming…"
What? What is coming? I press my ear harder and take a quick breath, then focus again on what Bogdan is saying now.
"—by the front entrance. Structural damage, maybe, but—"
Damn my own need for air. I can't hear them over the sound of my breathing. I tell myself to focus and suck in a few deep breaths and blow them out, pushing as much oxygen into my lungs as possible before I hold my breath and press my ear back at the door.
Yefim is speaking now, talking about tonight. "…in about forty minutes or so, and response time would be under ten for a bomb threat."
"Then we don’t warn them," Makar says plainly.
"A building is one thing. You understand the hell Roman Kuzin will rain on us if we blow his people up?"
"No one will be there this…" Bogdan's voice trails off as I realize what they're planning. They’ve planted a bomb. My brothers are going to blow up a building and the only one that makes sense for them to blow up is the Kuzin offices.
"Oh, my God," I mumble as my hand rises to cover my mouth. What are they thinking?
I try the knob again but it's still locked. They can't do this. They could kill someone—they will kill someone. And what if it's Kazimir?
"No!" I shout, banging on the door with my fist. "Yefim, let me out!
You can't do this!" I jerk on the knob several times, trying to pull it open, but they don’t respond.
Then I bang on it more. "You have to let me out!
You can't hurt him!" Tears want to well up but I’m too angry, too scared that they may actually go through with planting a bomb on Kuzin territory.
And it's all my fault.
I led them right to the place.
"Yefim, please," I plead, but I hear their footsteps moving away from the door and I hear their voices fading.
Panic grips me, pushing my heartrate and tanking my concentration. I need to get out of this room and I need to get to Kazimir now, before it's too late. I have to warn him, even though it means confessing that I knew how and why this was happening to him. I can't live with myself if they hurt him.
Looking around the room, I try to find something to smash the door knob and open it, but I only see the lamp and a chair.
I pick up the lamp from the nightstand and tug it away from the wall.
The cord sparks and zaps as it tears from the socket and I use it to smash over the door knob, but the damn thing shatters, sending shards of glass across the floor.
"Fuck!" I hiss, dancing backward over the broken glass that crunches under my feet. Then my eyes are searching again, looking for a way out. "Dammit, you guys," I mutter, feeling myself getting too emotional. I feel nauseous too, like any second I'm gonna throw up.
I pick up the chair and carry it to the door, hoping it's heavy enough to bust the knob off, but I'm uncoordinated and weak. The most I can do is slam it against the wood, which will only draw their attention.
What on earth am I going to do? I have to get to him and warn him. I can't let him be hurt because of me.
So I set the chair down, but the instant it makes contact with the floor, I look up at the window and make a decision in a split second. I have to smash the window. It's the only way out, and I'll probably be cut up climbing through it, but I have to try.
Before I can even think about it, I pick up the chair and launch it at the window. The glass shatters so loudly, I know my brothers have heard and are coming, so I don't stop to think about anything except getting out of the room.
I run to the window and pull the chair away, looking down at the bushes under Yefim's window.
It's not that far of a drop, maybe as high as I am tall, so I swing a leg out, ignoring the sharp pain of glass pressing on the heel of my palm as I slide through, and just as I drop to the ground outside the window, I hear Yefim's shout.
"Zora, get back here! What the fuck did you do!"
All I can do is run. The back of my thigh burns, and I feel searing pain in my back from leaning on the window frame wrongly.
My palms are moist, and I'm probably bleeding in multiple spots, but I'm free.
My feet slap the sidewalk as my eyes search frantically for help, and I see a woman unloading groceries down the block.
Her car sits with the doors open and the lights on, and I make a beeline toward her.
When she looks up at me, her eyes are wide. "Are you okay?" she asks, looking down at my hands. I glance at them and see them covered in blood, but it only registers for a second before I dive into her car's driver's seat and put the car in reverse.
"I'm so sorry," I mumble as the car starts to roll backward.
"Hey, come back here! That's my car!" she shouts and runs after me, slapping the side of the car as the doors swing shut and latch loosely.
"I'm sorry!" I shout, even as I throw the car in drive and hammer the accelerator. I don't have any time to lose.
Yefim and Bogdan will be coming, and I have to make it to the fight club before that bomb goes off and kills someone. I leave her in the street screaming after me, looking around for help, and I keep my eyes locked on the road ahead.
Kazimir is going to hate me. He'll never speak to me again. And this baby I'm carrying will never know his father. But I have to save his life.
I race across town, checking my mirrors every so often to see if my brothers have followed.
No doubt they are out looking for me and utterly pissed.
But I never see a car following, and when I pull up to the club and there are a dozen cars in the parking lot, I know the building is occupied.
I see Kazimir's car, and my heart sinks as I slam on the brakes and throw the thing in park, then jump out and race toward the building.
There's a large man standing in the entrance with his arms crossed over his barrel chest, and he doesn't look happy to see me.
"Where's Kaz?" I keep running, pushing through the door and trying to get past him, but the man steps in front of me and puts his hand up.
"I can’t let you go in there," he says calmly.
I slam both palms against his chest and shove him back. "Get Kaz right now, get him out here right now." I'm frantic, clawing at his arm as he tries to hold me back.
"You can't be in here." The man doesn't budge as I wrestle against him, trying to turn out of his grasp, but his massive bicep hooks around my middle and pins me back against his body.
"There's a bomb in this building," I blurt out." You have to get everyone out. You have to get Kaz." Now the tears come, and I can't stop them.
A second man appears, darker skin and angry eyes. I've never seen either of them. They may be fighters or just security, but I don't want them to die either.
"What are you talking about?"
"My brothers put a bomb in this building somewhere. I don't know when they're set to go off, but it could be tonight." I'm trembling, tears streaming down my cheeks, and he still won't let go. "Please, get Kaz and get everyone out now."
The two men look at each other for a second as the first one starts to drag me back out the front door.
"Please," I scream, kicking him, "Please I'm not lying.
There's a bomb. It's not safe." I pound at his strong arms and thrash around, but even when I grab onto the door frame and try to hold myself inside, he pries me loose.
Until someone says my name and then he freezes. "Zora."
I've never been happier to hear that voice in my life. "Kaz."
"Zora, what are you doing here?" The man spins me around to look at Kazimir, who stands at the end of the hallway looking confused. "Let her go," he says, waving his hand, and the man sets me down.
"There's a bomb, Kaz." I run toward him and throw my arms around him, ignoring the blood on my palms. "Kaz, I'm so sorry. My brothers… there's a bomb and… Please, you have to get out." I'm sobbing so hard, I probably don't make sense at all, but he doesn't doubt me for a second.