Page 27 of Hunted By the Masked BRATVA
"He agreed to consider it. Which means we have maybe twenty-four hours before he decides if I'm more useful dead or alive." He helps me to my feet. "Either way, we can't be here."
I grab my bag, already packed. Konstantin takes my hand, and we run.
Konstantin
The safe house is two hours outside the city, buried deep in the forest where the Bratva doesn't usually look.
I bought it three years ago under a name that doesn't exist, paid for with money I earned from jobs Leonid never knew the full value of. Insurance, I told myself. A way out if I ever needed one.
I never thought I'd need it for this. For her.
Emilia's been quiet since we left the city, her hand tight in mine as I drive through the darkness. The bruises on her throat are already forming, dark fingerprints that make rage burn hot in my chest.
I should've killed Troskoy when I had the chance. Should've put a bullet in his brain the moment I saw his hands on her.
But that would've been too quick. Too clean.
No, I want him to suffer. Want him to watch everything he built crumble before someone finally puts him down like the rabid dog he is.
"How much farther?" Emilia asks, her voice still rough.
"Ten minutes." I bring her hand to my lips, press a kiss to her knuckles. "There's food. Supplies. Everything we need to disappear for a while."
"How long is a while?"
"However long it takes for the dust to settle." I glance at her. "Troskoy's empire is burning. The files you released are all over the news. Every law enforcement agency in the US is mobilizing and Russia isn’t far behind. By morning, he'll be the most hunted man in the country."
"Good." She stares out the window at the passing trees. "But what about Leonid? What about the Vasilievs?"
That's the question, isn't it?
"I gave Leonid enough dirt on Troskoy to keep him distracted," I say. "The man's been stealing from the Reznikovs for years. Leonid won't let that slide."
"But will he let you slide?"
I'm quiet for a moment, considering my answer.
The truth is, I don't know. Leonid's a pragmatist. He values loyalty, but he values profit more. If he thinks I'm more useful alive than dead, he might let me walk. Might even thank me for exposing Troskoy's theft.
Or he might decide I'm too dangerous to leave breathing. A man who betrays the Bratva once will do it again, that's the conventional wisdom.
"I don't know," I finally admit. "But I know this: if Leonid comes for me, he'll have to go through you first. And I'm not letting that happen."
"So what's the plan? We hide here forever?"
"No." I turn off the main road onto a dirt path barely visible in the headlights. "We hide here until I can negotiate our exit. I have leverage. Information Leonid wants. If I play it right, we walk away clean."
"And if you can't play it right?"
"Then we disappear properly. New names. New country. New life." I glance at her again. "I have enough money stashed to keep us comfortable for years. Decades, if we're careful."
She's quiet, processing.
"You'd really do that?" she asks softly. "Give up everything? Your reputation, your power, your entire life?"
"Emilia." I pull the car to a stop in front of a small cabin, hidden among the trees. "I gave all that up the moment I decided to help you. The moment I looked at you and saw something worth more than anything the Bratva could offer."
I kill the engine, turn to face her fully.
