Chapter 22 - Sienna
God, my head felt like it was splitting open.
I pried my eyes open, only to squeeze them shut again as harsh light stabbed straight through my skull. Nausea rolled through me.
When I tried to move, the rope bit into my wrists and ankles.
Then it all came back in a rush.
The knock at the apartment door.
Mandy opening the door.
A blow to her head.
Men storming in, shouting threats.
Me agreeing to go because I had to protect the baby growing inside me. The baby I’d already chosen to keep. Because even if I couldn’t love Avit the way I wanted, I could love what I carried from him.
Then the car door.
A hit to my skull.
Darkness.
I forced my eyes open again, blinking through the pain, and recognition washed over me.
I knew this place.
I was in Oskar’s office, the same building I’d infiltrated to save Avit.
“Ah.” A deep Russian accent drifted across the room. “Mrs. Safin, you’re awake.”
I lifted my chin. I wouldn’t let this bastard see an ounce of fear. Dying wasn’t an option, not when my baby needed me alive.
“Oskar Mosav,” I sneered, meeting his cold black eyes head-on.
His lips curled. “Not a coward like your old man, I see.” He strolled toward me, stopping just inches away. “But it doesn’t matter. I told Jasper that if he crossed me, I’d come for you. Looks like the bastard didn’t care enough about his only daughter.”
I rolled my eyes despite the pain of hearing about my father. “Cut the melodrama. You didn’t kill me, so why am I here?”
His smirk widened. He reached out to touch my face; I jerked away. He chuckled.
“Beauty…and brains.” He dragged a chair closer and sat leaning in. “You’re worth more alive than dead. After all, you’re the wife of a Safin. Your husband has something I need. If he doesn’t give it to me today…” His eyes hardened to coal. “You die.”
To hide the ripple of dread I felt at his words, I laughed dryly. “And you really think that after you kill me, you’ll be able to walk the streets of Philadelphia, Rasko Vosam?”
His eyes widened.
“Yes,” I smiled and continued, “I know everything about you—your enemies, your deals, and that little sister you keep hidden. It would be a shame if you killed me, only to go home and find her dead.”
I heard the smack before I even felt the sting. Heat exploded across my cheek, blood coating my tongue.
“You stupid bitch,” he hissed. “You think you can threaten me? And if you’re dead, you can’t use that information, can you?”
“I can more than threaten you when you think you can use me as a fucking pawn,” I spat back.
“I told my husband everything. The Safin faction is one of the most powerful in Philadelphia, and they’re aligned with the Rykovs.
Combined, there isn’t a stronger Bratva alliance in the city.
If you kill me, Avit will find you and kill you.
There wouldn’t be a place on earth your sorry ass could hide from him. ”
By the time I finished, my breaths were uneven—not from anger, but anxiety, though my eyes remained defiant.
Because I knew damn well Avit didn’t care about me.
I was no less a pawn to him than I was to Oskar.
But Oskar didn’t know that. I just needed to say the right things, in the right way, long enough for him to let me go.
Then all I had to do was survive the next two months.
After graduation, Mandy and I would be on the first flight to the UK.
“What’s the saying? The bigger they are, the harder they fall?” he smirked. “There are wives and children involved. And maybe I will die, but I’ll sure as hell take a few of his family members with me.”
My stomach lurched, and my head spun, but I refused to let him see me flinch. Before I could respond, a knock echoed through the room.
Oskar rose and opened the door.
“Boss, we have a guest,” said the man standing there.
Then he leaned in and whispered something low enough I couldn’t hear. A vicious smile spread slowly across Oskar's lips.
“Let the bastard in.”
My gaze locked on the doorway, pulse hammering. A few moments later, Avit came into view, wearing a tuxedo.
My eyes widened. What the hell was he doing here?
And despite the terror twisting in my gut, I couldn’t help noticing how handsome he looked.
“Welcome, Mr. Safin, thank you for accepting my invitation. I knew you'd want to see your wife up close and personal. The picture didn't do much justice to her, did it? Do come in,” Oskar said as he extended his hand into the room.
Wait? Oskar sent Avit a picture of me?
Probably when I was passed out.
And Avit came here willingly? To get me?
Did that mean he cared?
Or was it just an opportunity to get even with Oskar?
When Avit stepped into the room, the hair on my arms raised.
“Mr. Mosav, it takes a mighty foolish man or a mighty brave man to kidnap my wife. I have yet to determine which one you are.”
“Brave? Foolish?” Oskar chuckled, spreading his hands. “Neither. I’m efficient. A man who understands leverage and control. You came, didn't you?”
My eyes flickered between both men as they spoke.
“You misunderstand,” Avit murmured amusedly, as he began circling Oskar, studying him like he was prey.
“You think I couldn’t get my wife out of here”—he gazed around the room—“without showing my face?” His blue eyes sparked like sapphires, sending a thrill through me.
“I didn’t show up because of your threats.
I came because I wanted to see the man who was bold enough to sign his own death warrant. ”
“And you think you can stroll in and out of here as you please?”
Avit smirked. “I can. And I will.”
Oskar laughed. “I have guards stationed surrounding this property and right outside this room. Neither of you leaves here alive unless I get what I want, sent to the location I'll give you. Now that I have both of you, your bargaining power is gone.”
My shoulders slumped. Did Avit really walk into a trap for me? God! If anything happened to him, I'd never forgive myself.
“And what do you want?” Avit lifted a brow, unbothered by Oskar's threat.
“I see you're finally getting the picture.” Oskar patted Avit on his shoulder. “Since I put a bullet through the skull of my middle man…”
I flinched before I could stop myself.
“…I decided to come straight to the source.”
Avit nodded. “I'm assuming you want the injectable opioids and platelet boosters for free?”
“I see the rumors about your intelligence aren't just hearsay,” Oskar grinned. “I'll take only five thousand vials of each. That should be doable, right? And then I won't bother either of you again.”
“Avit,” I interjected, “are you really going to give Oskar what he wants? Giving in to his demands doesn't mean he'll keep his word and let us go.”
“Mrs. Safin, the men are talking. If we need a recipe, we'll ask for your input.”
“Shut the fuck up, Oskar,” I growled.
A genuine smile lingered on Avit's lips. “Angel, I'll handle this, okay? Trust me.”
I nodded. And a part of me knew I could. I had only ever truly felt safe with Avit. And I had to trust that he knew what he was doing.
Avit turned his attention back to Oskar, his tone hardening. “So, let me get this straight. You kidnapped my wife and lured me here so you can get millions of dollars of medication for free?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm.” Avit shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “There's a problem with what you're proposing.”
“What? You think this is a proposition, and you have a chance to say no?”
“The problem is,” Avit continued, completely ignoring Oskar’s interruption, “when I strike a deal with someone, I always get something in return.”
“You and your wife will be able to see another day. So you’re welcome.”
“I’m a businessman. If it doesn’t profit me in dollars and cents, the deal stays on the table.”
Oskar snorted. “I’ll give it to you, kid, you’ve got a lot of balls. But that’s not enough to get you out of here alive if you don’t do as I say.”
“It’s amazing what kind of leverage a man can hold,” Avit said smugly, “when he finds the right information.”
Oskar tensed slightly, but I saw it.
“You see,” Avit went on, “I told my brothers who you are. Why you ran from Russia. Who you’re running from. Incredible, how long you’ve managed to stay hidden.”
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Oskar’s face.
“Ah, that’s right,” Avit added softly. “Don Giovanni was protecting you. But he’s dead now, isn’t he? That was your biggest ally on US soil.”
Avit stepped in close, toe to toe with him.
“Unlike you, the Safin faction has powerful allies within Philly, across the US, and recently, globally. The Triads. You might know them. Yes?”
Oskar laughed manically. “And you expect me to believe that you and your punk-ass brothers got in with the Triads? Do you even fucking know how impossible that is?”
“But you got in,” Avit replied casually. “Which means it was child’s play.” He shrugged. “But if you don’t believe me…”
Avit slid his phone from his pocket, tapped the screen, and held it out to Oskar.
Oskar’s cocky bravado dropped instantly. His face paled, his shoulders tensed, and fear danced in his eyes.
Even with barely an inch difference in height, Avit somehow managed to tower over him. He took one step forward, forcing Oskar to take two steps back.
“If my wife or I don’t reach Safin headquarters in”—Avit checked his watch—“five minutes, those allies won’t kill you. They’ll hunt you and your precious sister for the rest of your life until you beg them to kill you.”
I watched the wheels turning in Oskar’s head.
Then, under Avit’s unblinking stare, Oskar walked over and untied me. He stepped back quickly, like he couldn’t get away fast enough.
Avit’s voice dropped to a menacing growl. “From this moment on, you don’t look at, touch, or even think about my wife. If you bother her again, I’ll return the favor, and your sister becomes my business. Understood?”
Oskar nodded stiffly.
Avit moved toward me, still watching Oskar as he extended a hand. I took it gingerly and pushed to my feet, my legs trembling like jelly.
The sudden motion made me feel nauseous, and I shut my eyes for a moment.
Avit’s hand rose to my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. “Wexler is waiting outside the door. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
As much as I wanted to drag him out with me, I nodded and reluctantly released his hand. My legs protested every step, but collapsing in front of Oskar wasn’t an option. Avit had the upper hand and, he needed to keep it if I wanted him to leave this room alive.
Before I crossed the threshold, I couldn’t stop myself…this time I looked back, before closing the door behind me.