It was her favorite drink on the rare occasion she consumed alcohol. She was a stereotypical Russian who loved her vodka.
Now, it’s my poison of choice.
All the cars that crowded my driveway are now gone, letting my guards breathe a little. I don’t want to seem biased—though I am—but I have the best men.
Adrian and some of his men served time there, too, but there were only a few of them. I was the only one with enough power to take all of my men with me when I left this house. I lost many of them, but the ones who remain are the most disciplined, loyal men any leader could have.
Despite their general depression at losing Sasha, Maksim, and Yuri all at the same time, they’ve been giving one thousand percent under Viktor’s command.
They might be the only reason I’m still hanging on here and not buried six feet under with Sasha. She considered them friends, and I’ll never forgive myself if I let anything happen to them.
If she learned about Maksim, she’d hate me forever.
And Yuri…I don’t know what the fuck happened to him. It’s like the earth split open and swallowed him without leaving a trace.
I thought maybe he went after Maksim, but it’s not his style to disappear without informing me.
He could’ve defected or…I don’t know.
I don’t fucking care at this point.
“Boss!” Viktor comes running in my direction as I head to the car.
I ignore him and open the door. “Not now. I’m done for the day.”
“This is an emergency.”
“I still have no fucks to give.”
He rips my hand from the handle and slams the door shut.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“You need to see this.”
“I swear to fuck—” I halt in my tracks when a very familiar face walks toward us, wearing cargo pants and a disheveled T-shirt. “Maksim.”
He offers a strained smile. “Long time no see, Boss.”
I approach him slowly, as if I’m witnessing another ghost other than Sasha’s persistent one. Short of some healing bruises on his face, he looks exactly like the Maksim I know.
“He got out of a cab in front of the mansion,” Viktor offers. “The guards at the front called to tell me about his arrival.”
“What the fuck happened?” I ask. “Why did you disappear?”
“I was captured after I sent you that initial text, and then they got rid of my communication outlet.”
I narrow my eyes. “How did you get free?”
“One of them helped me.”
“Who are they and them, Maksim?”
“Anton Ivanov and Sasha. Though you probably know Anton as Yuri. He was fucking lying all these years, Boss. Actually, he killed Yuri five years ago, faked that accident and took his place, then—”
“Wait. Go back.” My throat grows dry with every word. “Did you just say Sasha?”
“Yeah. She said, and I quote, ‘I’m alive. Though you probably know by now that the body was a ploy. Next time I see you, I’m going to kill you.’”
“She…is alive?” The words strangle me on their way out.
“Yeah. She managed to escape the bombing, but that’s not the point right now. She helped me leave Russia because her family wants to kill everyone in this house, including your family. She said she wants to set up a meeting for just the two of you so no one else gets killed in this war. She’s doing this behind their backs, so they can’t find out…”
Maksim trails off when I drop the bottle of vodka. It crashes against the ground as I throw my head back and bark out a long, deep laugh.
Life rushes through my limbs all at once, washing away all emptiness and the hell that came with it.
I’m breathing. No.
I’m alive.
Fuck.
Fucking fuck.
She actually got me. She nearly drove me insane, but all this time, she was in Russia doing fuck knows what.
She wants to kill me the next time she sees me?
By all means.
Anything for my beautiful wife.
9
SASHA
“Sasha!”
I straighten on the makeshift stool I made from some boxes as Anton barges into the garage. I let my rifle rest on my knees, my fingers strangling the cloth I’ve been using to clean it. I prefer to do it here so Mike doesn’t see this side of me—or his family.
He’s just a kid who loves his cartoons and candy, and I want to preserve that innocence for as long as possible.
Cold air penetrates my bones and the blizzard slips inside before my brother slams the door.
His coat is covered with snow and his face is so white, it could compete with the harsh natural elements. His eyes blaze worse than the storm outside, terrifying in their depths.
“What the fuck have you done?” he snarls, his voice and face tight with tension.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Maksim is gone.”
“Really?” I rub the cloth across the back of my weapon. “And how do you know that? Unless you went to see him on your own?”
He’s been sneaking out regularly, after he thinks we’ve all gone to sleep. I thought maybe he was going to exercise or meet with the men who still follow this fallen empire, but judging by his shit mood every morning, I’m sure he’s been visiting that old cottage.
I considered following him, but since Maksim has gotten strong enough to defend himself, I thought it would be better not to interfere. Besides, they haven’t been injured, at least not physically, so it was pointless for me to get between them.
Anton seems to take the asshole act up a notch whenever I try to break up their endless fights, so I chose the diplomatic route and let them fend for themselves.
Now, however, Anton looks close to ripping me to pieces. “So you did let him go.”
“No, I didn’t. But you didn’t answer my question. Did you go behind my back to the cottage?”
“Sasha,” he growls deep in his throat.
“Yes, Tosha?”
“Don’t fuck with me.” He storms in front of me, his shoulders, legs, and fists brimming with lethal tension. “When did he leave? How? What’s his itinerary?”
“No clue.” I lift a shoulder. “I might have dropped off a key there and smuggled in some ski equipment.”
“You fucking idiot!” He reaches a hand out to grab me by the collar of my shirt, but I jump up and step away at the last second. The rifle drops from my lap and hits the ground with a clank.
“What?” I meet his cold gaze with my own. “Maks isn’t your prisoner. He’s no one’s prisoner, for that matter. He was never supposed to stay in that basement forever.”
“Yes, he was.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“What the fuck is wrong with you, damn it! You just sent him straight to New York. In no time, Kirill and his men will be crowding the front of our house to finish what they started.”
“No, they won’t, because Maks doesn’t know the exact location of this house.”
“You underestimate that fucker. He can pinpoint the area and they’d easily track us down.”
“He won’t do that.”
“Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure?”