Page 139 of Revenge

Chapter Sixty-One

Ava

My mind goes back to a conversation with Viktor a few nights ago.

“I’m glad you made it home safe,” I tell him.

“So, this is our home now?” he teases.

“You know what I meant.” I giggle. “Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat.”

“I’m okay. I actually want to talk to you about something.” The seriousness of his voice stops me.

“What is it?” He takes my hand and leads me to the elevator. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere no one can hear us.” I don’t ask any more questions because there’s something different about him. We ride the elevator in silence until it opens in the lobby.

“We can’t just leave the kids unattended.” I look at him.

“We aren’t going far, and they have more than enough people with them.” His tone is stern but loving if that makes any sense.

We get in his SUV and drive in silence. From time to time, he looks at me. He takes my hand, to reassure me everything is fine, I guess. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left the kids behind. But I don’t understand where we’re going. I’m surprised when he pulls into Eros.

“Why are we here?”

“I’ll tell you inside.”

There are men everywhere, and it feels and looks like an army gearing up for war. Something has changed. He takes my hand and leads us inside. Everyone moves to the side as we walk in. I think he will take us to his office, but he veers past it and stops at an unmarked door I’ve never noticed before. He keys some numbers into a keypad and opens the door. There are stairs leading down somewhere. At the bottom of the stairs, there’s another door and another keypad. Once again, he keys something and opens the door.

“Where are we?” I finally ask. He lets me enter first, then closes the door behind me. I hear the sounds of bolts locking.

“This is one of my safe rooms. We call it The Box. I come here whenever I need to have a sensitive conversation, and I can’t risk anyone overhearing. Only three people can open the door to The Box.” He leads us deeper into the room. At first glance, it’s some sort of office.

“Why are we here?”

“Before I tell you, I want to show you some things.” He emerges even deeper into the room. It’s bigger than I realized. “This place is self-sufficient. You can hole up here for a month if you need to. Through that door, there’s a bedroom with a shower. The other door is a fully stocked kitchen and some weapons. You can see the entire property on the CCTV. The only way in this room is the door we came through, and you need a code. To leave from the inside, you need to use a palm screen and enter a code.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“If something, anything happens, and you can’t leave for one reason or another, come here. Like I said earlier, there are only three people who can get in. Oliver, me, and you after this conversation.”

“You’re making me nervous, Viktor,” I say, taking a step away from him.

“Let’s sit.”

I don’t want to, but the way he says it, he isn’t exactly asking. So I sit. I don’t have any other choice.

Viktor takes a deep breath and reaches for my hand, “I don’t want history to repeat itself. I didn’t trust you enough in the past to handle anything that we could face. I want to do things differently. To do better.” I want to say something but don’t. At this moment, he needs me to listen. “My father has declared war by dividing the clan out in the open. He has sided with the Irish.” He looks at me as he sits. “This will test loyalties and lead to many deaths.”

“What does that mean exactly?” I hold my breath, not knowing what he’s going to say.

“It means either my father dies or I do.” He’s cold as the words come out of his mouth, making me shiver. This was not the answer I was expecting. “I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth. I brought you here because there’s a contingency plan in place. If something goes wrong, there’s a plan for you and the kids. A plan that will take you to safety. There are new identities, money, and a place to live away from everything.”

“I’m not going anywhere without you.” Surprising myself, a tear escapes.

“You might not have a choice. I need to know you will do what needs to be done to get yourself and the kids to safety.” I don’t say anything letting his words sink in. “Ava, I need your word.”

“You have my word. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep our kids safe,” I say, wiping my tears.

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