When I left my father’s house two months ago, I never thought I’d ever come back.
At least, not alive.
But here I am. In front of the black metal gate, waiting for the guards to open it. I don’t have to wonder whether or not they spotted me since countless cameras and drones survey the mansion.
If someone is stupid enough to consider intruding on the Pakhan’s house, they’ll have machine guns at their temples before they can blink.
The guards recruited to specifically protect the Pakhan don’t only rely on technology, though. They own countless weapons, some smuggled from Russia, and others from the merchandise they’ve acquired from arms dealers.
I’ve just seen the weapons vault once, and only because I was passing by when they were loading new guns in it. That thing resembled an army’s arsenal waiting to wage war.
Needless to say, I never went near it again.
Like Little Miss Ostrich, I pretended none of it mattered and I had nothing to do with it. Until I couldn’t keep up the façade anymore and I had to leave.
But now, I’m back.
Now, I’m sitting in front of the huge gate, staring at the blinking cameras. The guards must’ve seen me by now and told my father that the daughter who stole from the Bratva and he covered up for is back.
No clue what’s taking them so long. It couldn’t be because they don’t recognize me.
I stripped my hair and bleached it back to its original platinum blonde and I also removed the glasses and the contacts. I even wore a soft pink flowery dress and elegant high heels—the style everyone knows me by.
Just like that, Jane vanished. I snuffed her out as if she never existed.
I left my resignation letter with HR and two different letters to Gwen and Chris, apologizing for not being truthful about who I truly am and telling them that it’s better if they forget they ever met me.
Neither of them were supposed to happen in my new life, but they did, and for the first time, I realize that I’m capable of having friends.
It hurt to leave them, but it’s for their sake.
It’s for the best.
I’m back where I always belonged and foolishly thought I could leave.
And the worst part is, this isn’t the only thing I was so foolish about.
There’s also the belief that I could have a normal relationship.
My chest aches at the reminder of him, Knox, the man who showed me the world, but I left him with a bitter betrayal.
It’s been a day since he caught me with Daniel and left with that angry frown I wish I could erase. Only one day, but it feels like an eternity, like I haven’t seen him in forever.
The fact that he thinks so little of me adds insult to injury, but hopefully, with time, when he realizes why I’m doing this, he’ll understand.
The key word being hopefully.
Two guards appear behind the gate as it slowly creaks opens. They’re dressed in black suits and have assault rifles slung over their shoulders.
Then someone else walks through them, but it isn’t a guard. He’s a tall, bearded man who’s always protected me since I was a child.
It’s only been a short time since I saw him last, but he looks different, a little bit monstrous, even. Not that he’s ever been an angel, but I guess I only ever considered him a big brother. One who wouldn’t hesitate to break someone’s arm and smash another person’s face just because they touched me—even accidentally.
But that was before I turned my back on him and the brotherhood.
“Hi, Vladimir,” I whisper, unsure.
“Don’t hi me.” He has a thick Russian accent and a glare that can serve as a weapon. “Where have you been?”
That means Kirill and Adrian didn’t tell anyone about my whereabouts. That gives me less to worry about.
“Around.”
“Around isn’t a place.”
“It was nowhere important. Now, can I come in or are you going to keep interrogating me here?”
His lips press together, and I’m sure he has a million other questions he still wants to ask, but even he must realize this isn’t the place to do it.
“Follow me,” he grunts, then turns around without waiting to see if I’ll do as he says.
My feet carry me inside and my heart shrinks as the echo of the metal gate reverberates behind me.
It sounds final, as if I’ve signed some sort of a deal with the devil and will never be able to escape.
The guards fall in behind us as we step into the main building. The shrinking in my chest gets worse when my gaze falls on the giant painting in the entry hall.
A painting that Papa and my dead uncle—the previous Pakhan—put here for every visitor to see.
The clashing of angels and demons in a ferocious battle is depicted in raw detail. If you look closely, you can feel the blood coating your fingers and hear the howls of pain deep in your soul.
It’s an indirect message that lets everyone know what’s waiting for them.
It’s meant to bring assurance to every ally of the Bratva yet terrorize them in case they think of betrayal.
And I see myself in the dark side of the picture, the one that’s shadowed by the lighter color and unable to win.
I’m the slaughtered demon lying on the ground, clutching his chest and choking on blood.
My ominous thoughts are brought to a halt when Vladimir stops in front of the double golden doors of the dining room, where Papa conducts his meetings with the leaders of the brotherhood.
Meetings I were never allowed to attend.
My pulse skyrockets and any semblance of calm shreds into a million pieces. Does this mean Papa will confront me in front of everyone? Adrian and Kirill included?
Shit. I’d hoped to talk to Adrian first, because if he finds out I didn’t abide by his orders, he won’t hesitate to make his threat about Knox a reality.
Before I get the chance to hyperventilate, Vladimir opens the door and I freeze.
Because I’m attacked by a hug out of nowhere.
A warm, soft hug that I’ve known since I was five, when she promised to protect me.
My great-cousin, Uncle’s granddaughter, Rai, pulls back to check me out as if I’m a soldier home from war.
She’s wearing a beige pantsuit and her hair is pulled up in an elegant twist. It’s blonde, too, but it’s a bit darker than mine.
Everything about Rai is darker than me. Whether it’s her childhood or how involved she is in this world.
“Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you? Just give me a name and I will personally make sure they know their place.”
I resist a smile at her overprotectiveness. She’s always acted like my shield against this world, but unfortunately, that was never enough.
“No one hurt me, Rai.”
She focuses on my face for the first time, a frown deepening between her brows. “Then where were you?”
“She willingly left, as she mentioned in that measly note she wrote before disappearing.” The apathy in the older male voice turns my blood to ice.
I stare over Rai’s shoulder and my eyes meet those that are identical to mine.
The same eyes that I considered safe when I first met him.
Sergei Sokolov.
Even though I found his eyes safe that first time we met him at the park, I didn’t want to leave with him, because that meant abandoning my mom.
That same day, however, someone told my stepfather that they saw Mom with a man and he beat her up so badly, I couldn’t remain hiding under the bed anymore.
I rummaged through my pocket for his number and called him. Papa. I begged him for help and he came within half an hour.
It was too late, though.
Because my stepfather had finally managed to beat Mom to death. I’ll never forget the scene I walked in on that night.
Mom’s head was lolled to the side, blood splattered on the table, and her teary eyes stared at nothing.
My stepdad was on his back next to her, a bloody hole lodged between his eyes.
In the midst of the gruesome scene stood Papa, a gun in hand.
When he saw me, he hid the weapon and reached his hand out to me. That time, I didn’t hesitate to take it.
Because I had no one but him. The man who ended the nightmare my stepdad represented, even though it was too late.
That same man is now staring at me with ice-cold eyes that rip through my soul. He’s so much older than back then. His hair has whitened and wrinkles have appeared around his eyes.
But no amount of aging can take the killer out of him. No amount of changes can deny how powerful he is.
The Sokolovs were born to do great things, he told me when I was young, but I don’t think he meant using my skills to steal from the brotherhood.
I slowly walk to him and reach for his hand to kiss the back of it the way everyone is expected to greet the Pakhan, but he turns his face away from me in clear rejection.
My trembling hand falls to my side and I swallow thickly.
“You have some explaining to do,” he says without masking the coldness in his voice.
“Granduncle…” Rai starts in a placating tone. “She just came back.”
“When she shouldn’t have left in the first place.”
Vladimir closes the door and locks it, trapping the four of us inside, then starts inspecting the room, for bugs, I presume.
We all remain silent until he finishes his thorough checkup and nods at us to proceed.
It’s Papa who says, “You have one minute to explain why you stole funds from V Corp and disappeared.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, hanging my head. “I didn’t think the three of you would cover up for me.”
“Then what did you think? That I would paint my own daughter as a criminal and risk losing the leader position? Did I or did I not tell you that you needed to think about who you are before making a single move? It’s not only about you anymore. It’s about the Sokolov name. So why don’t you tell us what made you betray it.”
“I didn’t betray you…”
“You left with funds and without telling any of us.” Vladimir crosses his arms. “That’s the definition of betrayal.”
“That’s not what I intended.”
“Then what did you intend?” It’s Rai who speaks, her voice softer but no less firm than Vladimir’s. “Tell us, Ana.”
I let out a breath. “I wanted to protect Babushka.”
Rai frowns. “You don’t have a grandmother.”
“I do. She’s not my real grandmother, but she raised me and protected me. But Papa expelled her back to Russia, where no one can help her, because he said she’s a bad influence. She has dementia and is suffering, but he forbade me to see her, so I had to come up with this plan.” I don’t miss the way I’m talking about my father in third person in his presence.
I can’t even look at him, because I know his wrath won’t be easy to handle.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rai asks.
“I wanted to, but you were so busy with your marriage and the Bratva, and I couldn’t add more to it. Besides, I wanted to do something myself for once instead of always relying on you.”
“That was foolish, Anastasia.” Vladimir steps from the door, his bulk eating up half the space. “Even though we covered for you and returned the funds out of our own pockets, Adrian found out about what you’ve done and that nearly cost your father his position and life. Ours, too. He pulled a huge favor from the Pakhan in exchange for not harming you or exposing what you did.”
My head whips up. “I…didn’t think it’d come to this. I’m so sorry.”
“Apologies don’t fix what’s already broken.” Papa is still not looking at me, his face closed off and his expression dark. “You’ll not leave the house until you receive further instructions.”
“But…”
“That is final.”
“Please don’t hurt Babushka. Please.”
“That depends on how you act from now on.” Papa looks at me and I wish he hadn’t. He appears so much older, so much sadder. “You’ve disappointed me, Anastasia.”
He stands up and leaves, and I finally let the tears loose.
Home sweet home.
