As Roma dials, I open my eyes with newfound clarity. The fear is still there, hanging in the back of my throat. But it's now joined by anger. A sharp, focused rage that burns me up from the inside out.
I grab my phone and start dialing one brigadier after another.
The orders are clear and simple:
Go to the mansion.
Kill every Volkov you see.
No questions. No survivors.
Every one of them responds without question. This is still my fucking bratva. Indigo is still my fucking wife.
And no one will take her away from me.
No one.
28
INDIGO
I'm sittingwith Amara and Svetlana, drinking tea and watching the first snow of the season drift lazily past the windows while a fire crackles in the nearby fireplace.
It feels surreally peaceful, considering everything that has happened.
Svetlana's recovery is going well. Although she's still not at a hundred percent, she's now able to get out of bed and take a few steps now. Walking is still harder than it used to be for her, but she insists on doing it, and told me that she's tired of staring at the same four walls.
"Do you think Anatoly will be home soon?" Amara asks, blowing on her chamomile tea.
"I hope so," I say, cradling my own cup between my palms and relishing in the warmth that flows from it. "Roma went to deliver the evidence personally. Once they see the security footage, they'll have to release him."
I'm halfway through taking a sip when a thunderous BANG echoes through the mansion. The teacup slips from my fingers and shatters against the hardwood floor.
"What was that?" I whisper, my heart suddenly racing.
Svetlana sits up straight, her relaxed demeanor vanishing instantly. Her eyes dart around. But as quickly as she rises, she immediately falls back, wincing from pain.
She swears under her breath as she tries to get back up.
More bangs come, this time in three rapid successions.
Vassily bursts through the door, his face ashen and his gun drawn. "We need to move. Now."
"What's happening?" I demand as I walk over to help Svetlana to her feet.
"Volkovs," he says grimly. "Roma just called me to warn me about them. We need to get to the panic room before they arrive in force."
A flash of light outside the window catches my eye, followed by another bang.
"Are those—" Amara's voice trembles.
"Gunshots," Svetlana confirms, and she grabs onto me as I hoist her to her feet.
Vassily comes over and takes Svetlana from me, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her weight.
"I've got her," he tells me. "You take your sister."
I reach for Amara's hand just as something slams into the window. This time, the sound it makes rattles my teeth.