56. April

56

APRIL

"… the hell were they thinking?!"

My ears perk up at the sound of shouting in the tunnel.

"… really need to relax, Yuri. It's no…"

I recognize the voices: Yuri and Carmine, arguing about—well, something.

"… wrong! Why even offer the three-day deal if we weren't going to honor…"

Deal? I wasn't trying to listen in, but sue me: now, I'm interested.

"… getting what we want now instead of later… not a bad outcome, is it? Besides…"

Man, someone should really teach the home team a thing or two about acoustics. If they don't want the sound to carry, they shouldn't be having secret meetings in a freaking tunnel of all places.

Without hesitation, I press myself closer to the bars.

"I gave him my word," Yuri growls. "Now, I need to know: did Vlad go rogue or did you?"

"Does that matter?" Carmine asks.

"Yes. Because then I'd have to worry."

"About what?"

"How much your word is really worth."

Damn. Hope Carmine's got aloe vera on hand, because that was one hell of a burn.

But when he speaks next, his voice is ice: cold, smooth, and dangerously sharp. "Are we going to have a problem, Yuri?"

"You tell me. Did you break the deal or not?"

Fear seeps back into my heart. Not for myself, or even for my daughter: for Yuri .

Speaking to Carmine like that is as good as a death sentence.

But it seems that, whatever understanding they have, it's too valuable to throw away. So Carmine lets out a long sigh and says, his tone much calmer, "It was the girl. She gave away our last inside man. He had to make a call on the spot."

Me?

"Don't look so put-out. You were in charge of her surveillance, weren't you?" Carmine sneers. "If you're going to point fingers for this, then by all means, I'll find you a mirror."

Wow. Gaslighting much?

I can't help the guilt that grips me. I'm not sorry for stealing that phone—I did what I had to do. But now, I'm wondering if I didn't set off a chain reaction of consequences. Not only for me, but for others, too.

I just hope Matvey's okay.

"Haul ‘em in!"

I startle. Quickly, I push myself as far away from the bars as I can, pretending I didn't just eavesdrop on a mafia war council.

Then new men swarm the room.

"Toss them in the cell," someone says.

"The one with the girl?"

"Do you see another?" the first man snaps. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

Two men come forward, dragging a third one between them. His head is hanging forward, as if he was knocked unconscious, which means I can't make out his face.

But I don't need to. His suit, his frame, his cologne—I'd recognize those anywhere. "Matvey!"

"Stay back!" one of them barks. "One wrong move and I'll feed you a bullet myself."

And they say chivalry is dead . Still, I do as I'm told. The panic I'd worked so hard to chase from my heart is mounting again, full stereo.

Ta-thump, ta-thump, ta-fucking-thump.

When they toss Matvey inside, I spring up and catch him. His dead weight is almost too much. But what truly makes my legs buckle is that thought: dead weight.

Is he…?

God, please don't be dead. Please, I'll do anything.

Please, please, please…

But then I feel it: a heartbeat. Faint, and distant, but there. "Thank goodness," I sob into his shirt as we both fall to our knees. "Thank goodness you're okay."

Then I hear screaming.

"Let me go!" snarls a very familiar voice. "I will cut off your balls and feed them to your mothers if you don't let me go this fucking instant!"

I never thought I'd be so glad to hear it. "Petra!"

"April?" she calls to me. Her eyes meet mine, then rage sets them ablaze again. "You put her in a cell ? How fucking dare— GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME! I'll eat your fucking eyes!"

Yep. Good ol' Petra.

In the end, all her kicking and screaming is useless. Carmine's henchmen throw her in as well, though all of them are looking worse for the wear than she is. Rule number one of doing crime: don't fuck with the pregnant ones. Just don't.

The second she's behind bars, she throws herself down at my side. "Are you okay?"

"I mean…" I glance towards the four men limping out of the room. "Better than them for sure."

"Bastards," she bites out. "I had no idea—I…"

"I know," I quickly reassure her. "This isn't your style. Say what you will, but you'd have gotten me a suite."

Her eyes flit guiltily to Matvey. "Is he…?"

"Just knocked out." I exhale. "Let me guess: they were afraid he'd put up a fight?"

"Yeah," she hisses. "Fucking cowards."

Bet they regretted they didn't knock her out, too. "I'm so sorry," I murmur. "This must be hell for you. Your dad, and then…"

I still can't say it. Despite all I've seen, I still can't say it.

"Is it true?" she whispers. "Is Yuri really…?"

Luckily, I'm spared from having to answer that.

Because the man himself answers for me. "Petra…"

She whirls around like lightning. " You ."

"I'm sorry," Yuri murmurs. "You weren't supposed to be dragged into this. Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" She laughs hysterically. "Do I look fucking okay to you?"

"I already told them off for?—"

"Is it true?" she cuts him off without mercy. "Did you betray your own brother?"

Short and to the point . Some things never change.

"I…"

"It's a yes-or-no question, Yuri."

"It's not so simple."

"Looks simple enough to me."

"Petya…"

"Don't," she snarls. "Don't you fucking dare call me that."

"I did this for us!" he objects. "I did this for?—"

"Are you here to let us go?"

He blinks. "I… I can't do that. If you'll cooperate, then yes, but…"

"But not April?"

Silence.

Petra scoffs. "Go. Get out of my sight."

"Please, just listen?—"

"I LOVED YOU!"

It's worse than a scream—it's a howl. Like there's nothing human left there. Just a broken beast with a bleeding heart.

"I loved you," Petra exhales when the echoes of her wail die down. "And you betrayed me. You betrayed us. "

"I saved us," Yuri whispers, his pain just as real.

"No, you killed us. Now go."

"Petra—"

"GO!" she screams. "Or I swear I will kill myself with the first sharp thing I find."

It's as good a threat as Yuri used with me. With us. He took Matvey's family hostage, and now…

Now, Petra holds hostage his.

With a silent nod, Yuri obeys. He turns around, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, and leaves the same way he came.

The second his steps fade, Petra slumps against the bars. She takes one deep breath, then another. "Okay." She turns to me, eyes blazing. "Time to get the fuck out of here."

For once, we are in perfect agreement.