Page 5 of BRATVA'S Avenging Bride
But I knock instead.
Three sharp raps.
Silence.
Then, from inside: "Go away."
Her voice. Hoarse, raw. Smoke damage, probably.
"Open the door,zhar-ptitsa."
More silence. I can almost hear her thinking, weighing her options. Run or fight. Hide or face it.
The door cracks open.
She's smaller in person. Barely reaches my shoulder, all sharp edges and hollow cheeks. Her hair is still dusted with ash, her clothes streaked black. She smells like fire and fury.
And she's holding a knife.
It's a kitchen blade, dull and cheap, but she grips it like she knows how to use it. Her eyes are dark, burning,alive, and lock onto mine with zero fear.
God, she's perfect.
"You're Matvey Bogdanov." It's not a question.
"And you’re the woman who set fire to my club and somehow walked away."
Her knuckles go white around the handle. "I'm not going back. I don't care who you are or what you want. I’ll slit my throat before I go back to that life."
"I don't want you to go back. That building is gone. There's nothing left to go back to."
"Then what do you want?"
I step closer, slow and deliberate, until the tip of her blade presses against my chest. She doesn't flinch. Doesn't back down.
Brave little firebird.
"I want to know why."
Her laugh is bitter, broken. "Why? Are you serious?"
"You burned down my property. Killed my men. That usually requires an explanation."
"Yourmen?" Her voice cracks, and something feral flashes in her eyes. "Your men beat us. Sold us. Locked us in rooms and let strangersuseus. Your men are the reason Lena has a broken face and Mira has broken ribs. Your men—"
"Weren't following my orders."
That stops her. The knife wavers.
"Boris ran that place like his own kingdom," I continue, my voice low and even. "He paid his dues, stayed off my radar, and I let him. That was my mistake. But don't pretend you know me,zhar-ptitsa. Don't pretend you know what I would've done if I'd walked into that building and seen what you saw."
"You would've donenothing." She spits the words like venom. "Men like you always do nothing."
"Men like me would've put a bullet in Boris's skull and burned the building down ourselves." I reach up, slowly, and wrapmy hand around the blade. It cuts into my palm, warm blood dripping between my fingers. Her eyes widen. "You did my job for me. The question is... what do I do with you now?"
She tries to pull the knife back. I don't let her.
"Let go."
