by Bianca Cole
My heart is beating out of my chest. Milana is in that building, and it’s on fucking fire. A red rage mists over my whole vision, and I can feel the control slipping. It feels like the car crash all over again.
I can’t lose her. I won’t lose her.
I’m about to run forward when Andrei grabs my shoulder. “Wait,” he orders.
“Milana is in there,” I protest, trying to break free of his firm grip.
“Possibly, but you running in after her through the front door isn’t the best way to save her.” Andrei glances between the house and a parked car sitting at the side entrance of the building. “I’ve got an idea.”
He heads toward the door, and I hesitate. Alexi follows after Andrei, forcing me to go along with Andrei’s plan. The panic that has got a grip of me is making it difficult to think straight. Andrei’s probably thinking with a clearer mind.
Once he makes it to the door, he turns to face the both of us. “The flames are worse on the other side of the building. If we go in this entrance, we’ve got more chance of making it out alive.”
Alexi nods in agreement. I can’t even find it in me to say or do anything. I’m numb. A flashback image of Lillian’s lifeless body, bloodied and yards away from the car, takes over my mind.
“Are you alright, Lyov?” Andrei asks.
I shake my head, trying to shake away the images. Milana can’t die. I’ve got to save her. “Yes. Let’s do this.”
Andrei looks less than convinced, as he turns his attention back to the entryway. He opens the door and almost walks straight into one of Veselov’s men. I recognize him instantly from the club — Milana’s bodyguard.
Andrei draws his gun, but so does he. They stand staring at each other, and my heart almost stops beating when I see Milana appear behind him. “Lyov,” she cries, rushing forward between her bodyguard and Andrei to launch herself into my arms.
I hold her tight, hardly able to believe she’s here. She’s safe and in my arms.
She pulls away and turns her attention to Andrei. “Please, stand down. Pavel was trying to help me escape. He set the fire and has a vehicle ready to take me away.” She places her hand gently on Andrei’s arm.
He glances at her with narrowed eyes and back at Pavel. Pavel puts his gun away, holding his hands up.
Andrei backs down and puts his gun away too. “They’ll never stop hunting you for this,” he says to Pavel.
Pavel swallows hard and nods.
“Can’t we offer him sanctuary?” Milana asks.
I squeeze her hand in warning. We can’t keep asking for more from Andrei. He has done enough for us.
“If you want him to remain as your bodyguard, I have no qualms against that,” he says, surprising me.
Milana’s face lights up.
Andrei turns to Pavel. “Take Milana to this address.” He places a piece of paper in his hand. “Wait for us there.” He then turns to me and Alexi. “It’s time for me to end this once and for all.”
I shake my head. “They have us outnumbered, Andrei.”
His jaw tightens. “Don’t question me, Lyov. We have to make them believe we were responsible for the fire. Even if we only show our faces, they will know that this is what happens when you fuck with the New York brotherhood.”
Alexi joins in. “Let’s do this. Pavel will keep her safe.”
I give him a reluctant nod, and Milana steps toward me, pressing her lips to mine. “Be careful, and I’ll see you soon,” she says.
I kiss her back, hard and fast, before allowing Pavel to take her away. Allowing Milana to escape without me goes against every instinct that drives me. I feel torn. My pakhan has afforded me too many leniencies as it is up to now. If I were to defy him, I can’t be sure that he would stand by it—not again.
“Come on,” Andrei says, moving deeper into the blazing house.
We make it into the main hallway to find Romanov and Veselov, attempting to break down the front door. Pavel made sure they wouldn’t have a quick and easy exit. “Don’t fucking move,” Andrei calls out, as the three of us aim out guns at the two men.
There’s no sign of either of their sons.
“Petrov, I should have known you had a hand in this,” Luka growls.
We had no intention of entering into a war with the Los Angeles brotherhood, but this has forced our hand. A full scale countrywide war could erupt because of this. All the northern brotherhoods will side with Andrei, but the Miami and Los Angeles outfits are more extensive than any of them.
“That’s what you get when you fuck with us,” Andrei shouts.
Veselov moves forward, and Andrei cocks his gun. “I said, don’t move.”
Georgy shakes his head. “You won’t be getting Milana, though. She is upstairs under her bodyguard’s protection. His lips curve into a wicked smirk. “The fire would have already killed her.”
The hatred I feel for this man is so intense it overwhelms me. He is talking about his own daughter’s death. I can hardly contain my rage. “You’re wrong,” I shout, narrowing my eyes at him and cocking my gun too. “She’s already out. We’re not fucking stupid, Veselov.”
His smirk drops. “Lying bastard,” he growls, launching forward.
It’s Alexi that moves first, shooting him in the chest and stopping him dead. A part of me worries what Milana will make of this. She may hate her dad, but he was still her family.
Romanov’s expression turns to one of fear, as he regards Georgy’s dead and lifeless body. He holds his hands up and clears his throat. “Look, the disagreement was between you and him. I’ve got nothing to do with this.” He glances around his home, which is quickly filling with smoke. “Although, I’d expect some compensation for the damage you’ve done to my home.”
Andrei stares at Luka, unmoving. “It can be discussed at another time.”
Luka grits his teeth as Andrei turns his back on him. “There’s nothing to discuss. You damaged my home, and I’d expect you to have the decency to pay for the damage.”
“Fine, send me a bill,” Andrei says, waving his hands in the air.
They both know that this is pointless. The cost of the damage will be nothing to either of them, so it makes sense for Andrei to agree in an attempt to avoid war over it.
“Andrei,” Luka shouts.
Andrei turns to face him again.
“If you see Miron Alenkov, tell him I’m out for blood.”
Andrei stares at Luka for a moment, before nodding his head. “Will do.”
It makes no sense since Miron is Luka’s sovietnik. Why would he issue a warning to him? Clearly, something else has happened. Miron has been Luka’s sovietnik for years. They knew each other back in Russia.
Luka manages to free the front door with one more push, and he escapes through it. The three of us walk back the way we came.
Filip is waiting in the SUV outside to take us back to the airstrip we landed at. We weren’t able to land at the same airstrip as the Veselov, as it would have been too obvious.
The journey from the strip we landed at is about an hour. I grit my teeth, wishing that Milana could have waited. We may not have been apart for long, but I need to see her. There are so many things left unsaid, particularly the fact I love her.
I’ve known it ever since we first met, but I’ve been too scared to admit it. The thought of telling Milana I love her and stripping myself bare frightens me more than anything—other than losing her. My heart will be at risk, but I realize it’s worth it.
Andrei leads us out of the exit only to be confronted with more conflict. Pavel, Milana’s bodyguard, is standing with his gun aimed at Yerik, while Dima, her brother, has his gun pointed at Milana—his sister.
It looks like this isn’t over yet, It’s just beginning.
22
Milana
It feels wrong, leaving Lyov as he charges into a burning building. Pavel has a car ready on the other side of the door. I glance back into the hallway of the Romanov mansion, conside
ring turning around.
“Milana, what are you doing?” Pavel asks.
I glance at him and then back into the house. “It’s not right,” I say.
“What’s not right?”
I shake my head. “Leaving him here. I can’t.”
“Milana, don’t even think about it.”
I ignore Pavel, which he’s used to me doing, and turn back. Lyov may think he’s protecting me by sending me away, but the last thing I’d want is to leave him to his death. I’d rather die along with him.
My gut twists with unease as I head closer to the scent of smoke. It’s clouding the air and getting worse by the second. “Milana,” Pavel shouts. His footsteps thunder behind me as he catches me up.
I gasp as he grabs me by the waist and hoists me into the air. “Where the fuck do you think you are going?” he growls.
I grit my teeth, wishing I had the strength to fight him off. “Let me go, Pavel.”
He pulls me back the way I’d come. “No, you can’t help them.” I give up as he pulls me toward the door.
The sound of a gun being cocked has us both freezing. “Where do you two think you are going?” Yerik asks.
Pavel sets me onto my feet and blocks me with his body. “If you hadn’t noticed, the mansion is on fire.”
Yerik’s eyes narrow. “You were trying to escape with my fiancé.”
Pavel squares his shoulders and sighs. “I was trying to save her as her bodyguard. Put the gun down, Yerik.”
Yerik glances between me and Pavel two times, before putting the gun down.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Pavel says.
Yerik gives him a nod, but I can tell he’s still wary of our intentions. “How did the fire start?” he asks, glancing at me.
Pavel shrugs. “Fuck knows.” He barges through the door to the side, swinging back around with his gun drawn on Yerik.
Before he can realize what is happening, I dodge away from him and dash to Pavel’s side. Yerik holds up his hands. “What the fuck?”
Pavel ignores him. “Milana, in the car now.”
“I knew you were helping her escape. You probably started the damn fire,” he yells.
“Now, Milana.”
I glance between Pavel and the building burning in front of me. Lyov is in there. It goes against my instincts to leave him, but I’ve got no choice. I rush for the passenger’s side of the car and open the door, freezing at the sound of another gun being cocked.
Dima is standing in front of me, aiming his gun right at me. “Don’t move a muscle, sis.”
I swallow hard, staring into the soulless dark eyes of my brother. There’s no doubt that he will shoot me if I don’t do as he says. In fact, he might still shoot me even if I do.
“Put the gun down, Dima,” Pavel orders.
He chuckles a deep, evil laugh. “I’m not taking any orders from a traitor. My father will string you up for what you’ve done.”
I keep eye contact with my brother, trying to work out a way out of this. “Pavel isn’t a traitor. He was trying to save me from this building and that asshole.” I nod toward Yerik.
Dima’s narrows his eyes. “Don’t try to take me for a fool, sis. You don’t want to marry Yerik and you’ve managed to convince Pavel to get you out of here.”
I keep my expression blank. Dima has always been too perceptive.
The sound of the door opening behind us has all of us looking over. Andrei is standing at the door with Lyov and Alexi behind him. I swallow hard, knowing this is going to end in bloodshed.
Dima won’t let them leave. There’s more chance of me sprouting wings and taking flight.
Yerik points his gun at Andrei. “Don’t fucking move.”
Dima keeps his gun trained on me. “Or the bitch gets it.”
Lyov tenses and moves forward, which prompts Yerik to cock his gun in warning. “Not another step,” he growls.
Andrei stands at the front with a calm and collected expression. “If you don’t let us go, you’re declaring war,” he says quietly.
Dima glares at him, but it’s Yerik who speaks, “I think you are the one declaring war, by breaking into my father’s home.”
Andrei steps forward, shaking his head. “Blame his father.” He nods toward Dima. “He snatched Milana from us and drew us to your home.”
Yerik glances between Dima and me. “Milana is his sister and my fiancé. You have no claim on her.”
Lyov steps forward this time. “I don’t fucking think so. Did Milana agree to the engagement?”
Yerik glances between me and Lyov. “She didn’t refuse it.”
That’s true. In front of him, I kept up pretenses, knowing it was the safest option. “I definitely didn’t agree to it either,” I protest.
“Shut the fuck up,” Dima spits at me. “You’ve done enough.”
Lyov draws his gun in a flash, pointing it at Dima. The cocking of his gun has my heart racing faster.
This is escalating quicker than I could have imagined. Alexi follows his lead. “Stand down, Dima,” he calls.
“Or what?”
Alexi shakes his head. “Luka agreed to let us go, so holding us up only goes against your allies orders.”
Dima glances between Andrei and Alexi, unsure what to believe. “What of my dad?” he asks.
“He didn’t have much to say on the matter.” I don’t miss the glint in his eyes, and I feel my stomach dip. They’ve killed him. I can’t explain how I know, I just do.
I know that is a lie. My dad would never agree to let them go, believing that they’d set this fire, and after everything I’ve heard about Luka Romanov, he wouldn’t either.
“I don’t believe it,” Yerik says, shaking his head.
Andrei nods toward the door. “Why don’t you go and ask him?”
Yerik’s eyes narrow. “Are you telling me he’s still in the burning building?”
Alexi shrugs. “Why don’t you find out for yourself.”
I sigh heavily, wishing this childishness would end. “Dima, put down the gun.” I glance at my brother, hoping I can reason with him. He is my family.
He steps forward and keeps his gun trained on me. “What makes you think I’d do anything you say?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Lyov moving toward me. I want to tell him to stop, but I can’t draw my brother’s attention to him. Instead, I keep my eyes fixed on Dima. It’s all I can do in a hope that he doesn’t seem him move.
Dima is ruthless. He will shoot first and ask questions later.
Dima makes a split decision to pull the trigger on me. It’s as if time slows to a halt as the trigger goes off and the bullet ricochets toward me. Suddenly, I’m pushed to the ground by a large, hard body.
I glance up to see Pavel lying across me with a bullet wound in his chest. I try desperately to stem the flow of blood.
It’s at this moment that Dima notices Lyov’s advance.
“Lyov,” I scream, trying to warn him. His eyes are trained on me as he searches for a wound. Dima doesn’t hesitate as he shoots Lyov, catching him in the shoulder. A pained expression passes across his face as he collapses backward onto the floor. The impact of the fall knocks him out cold, and I can’t get to him.
I can’t move under Pavel’s immense weight. The worry and panic spiral out of control as I try to process what just happened. The man I love has been shot and I haven’t even told him yet. He’s lying on the floor and I can’t go to him. Pavel, a man who has been like a father to me has also been shot. Both of them by my asshole of a brother.
A few more gun shots ring out, but I can’t see what is happening. The weight of Pavel is weighing heavily on me, but I’m trying desperately to stem the flow of blood from his wound. “Hold on, Pavel,” I say, tears prickling at my eyes.
He’s unconscious and breathing shallowly.
Suddenly, Pavel is yanked off of me, and Andrei is standing over me. He holds out a hand for me to take, and I do.
; Once I’m back on my feet, I see Yerik and Dima lying on the floor. They’re both alive with minor gunshot wounds. Dima is whining like a coward. He’s only been shot in the leg. Lyov is lying on the floor still and I rush toward him. He’s unconscious. Tears flood down my cheeks as I kneel by his side, pressing my hand against the bleeding wound in his shoulder. “Lyov, no, please don’t go.”
A hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to see Alexi. “It’s a flesh wound.” He shakes his head. “He’ll be okay, but it’s going to take him a while to recover.”
I sniff, returning my attention to him. “I want him to wake up. I haven’t even told him the truth.”
“What truth?” Alexi asks.
“That I love him more than anything in this world.” A steady flow of tears race down my cheeks.
Alexi snakes a hand around my shoulders and forces me to my feet. “You can tell him that once he’s awake. I promise you, he will be fine.”
Andrei is on the phone, speaking frantically in Russian.
“Are we going to call and ambulance?”
Alexi shakes his head. “We’ll drive him and Pavel to the hospital. They can’t be linked to this place, otherwise the police will be swarming within seconds.” He glances over at Andrei briefly, before lowering his voice. “Both of us will have to drop you off with Pavel and Lyov. We can’t hang around. It’s too dangerous.”
I nod my head. "Is my dad dead?” I ask, staring into the auburn eyes of Lyov’s friend.
There’s sympathy in his eyes as he nods his head. “Yes, I’m sorry. It wouldn’t—”
“Don’t be sorry. I despised the man,” I say, despite the slight burning in my chest. The world is a better place without Georgy Veselov in it, and my life will be better without him hanging over me. Even so, he did father me. It seems to have a slight pull on my emotions, which annoys me.
Andrei approaches us. “We need to get them in the car and to the Los Angeles general as soon as possible.” He turns his attention to me. “Mila, please wait in the back of the SUV.”
