“Did someone say payback?” Nikolai sprints in our direction wearing only shorts and then punches the air. “With fists and mayhem and burning down the whole fucking island?”
“We can’t act rashly when we haven’t gathered enough info yet,” Ilya says, forever the mediator.
Nikolai lunges forward and pins Ilya with an elbow to his throat. Ilya isn’t a small man, but my friend is similar to a titan. “I say how about you admit that you’re the one who gave the Serpents inside intel? Confess now and I’ll only skin you after you’re dead. If you don’t, I’ll do the opposite.”
I touch his shoulder. “Let him go.”
“This motherfucker is suspicious, Jer. It’s no coincidence that our inner security was leaked to the Serpents after he defected from their ranks and pretended to be your loyal servant.” He stabs Ilya’s trachea with his elbow. “Speak before I murder you.”
“I didn’t do it,” Ilya mutters even as his eyes bulge. “I wouldn’t have sold them out and revealed their identity if I had.”
I grab Nikolai by the nape and wrench him back, forcing him to release Ilya.
“This isn’t the time for inner conflict.” I stare at my friend. “If Ilya wanted to give them something, he would’ve handed over the mansion’s blueprint, including the newly installed security cameras. And he wouldn’t have stayed during the fire or saved Gareth.”
“The motherfucker could’ve been faking it.”
“Enough.” I exert pressure on Nikolai’s neck. “We should focus on making them pay your way.”
Light shines in his usually dead eyes and he smirks. “You can’t take that back. We’ll do it my way and you’ll tell those fuckers Kill and Gaz to obey me.”
“After I plan it.”
“Do your thing. But I’ll use explosives.”
“Explosives will get the authorities’ attention. No.”
“You said my way.”
“Anything but explosives.”
I’m sure he’ll come up with an equally screwed-up method, and I’ll allow it.
Those fuckers deserve whatever wrath Nikolai has planned.
And I will watch as their blood stains the streets.
After we get home, I stop at the front of the mansion to look at the fully burned east side. Some workers are already moving like bees, cleaning the space in preparation for renovating it.
We came out of the incident unscathed. Yes, I almost died, but something worse could’ve happened. Like losing my sister and the only friends I’ve had my whole life.
After taking a shower and changing my clothes, I go to my Annika’s room and knock on the door. This is a temporary one since her purple princess room is being cleaned.
“Come in,” she says with utter boredom from the other side.
I stroll in to find her lying on the bed on her stomach, legs in the air and phone in her hand.
Annika is the spitting image of Mom. They have the same long brown hair, petite features, and an elegant aura that it feels like I have a mini version of my mother with me.
Their similarities end on the physical level, though. Where Mom is soft-spoken and demure, Annika is extroverted to a fault, never stops talking, and has the energy of a bunny on crack.
Upon seeing me, she jumps up, throws her precious phone away, and inspects me. “Are you okay? Should you be moving? And why did you go jogging when the doctor said you should be resting?”
“Breathe, Annika.” I clutch her by the shoulder. “I’m fine.”
She narrows her eyes, observing me further, definitely not believing a word I said.
Since she was born when I was six, I’ve considered it my mission to protect her with my life. The fact that I couldn’t last night has been chipping away at a part of me.
“Enough about me. Are you okay, Anoushka? Do you need anything?”
“Aside from being set free of my Rapunzel tower? I don’t think so.”
I ruffle her hair. “It’s for your security.”
“Oh, please. You just like locking me up.” She swats my hand away. “And stop treating me like a kid.”
“No,” I say point-blank, and she makes a face.
“Come on, Jer.” She takes my hand in hers. “At least let me go to the dorm. I miss the girls so much, and they’re worried sick about me after they heard about the fire.”
The girls. Including, but not exclusive to, Cecily.
“No.”
“Jer!” she whines. “Please. You know how hard it was for me to make friends, and these girls really like me despite my status as a mafia princess and my last name. I can’t just lose them.”