2. MADDY

2

MADDY

Tsar—that’s my father’s nickname, stemming from our last name, Tsariuk. It’s a Russian version of czar, an emperor.

Did you know that one of the most powerful nuclear bombs ever created was a Russian one, called Tsar Bomba? Yep. My dad is the embodiment of it.

It’s morning. I haven’t slept all night. I didn’t go to work or even bother brushing my teeth or making myself look presentable as I call Dad on video chat. My face is puffy from crying all night.

“ Nu kak ty, rebionak ?” he asks right away. How are you, child?

Black turtleneck. Gray in his brown hair. Square jaw. Thick brows. Intense dark eyes. My native language.

God, did I miss him. It feels good to have family. Still, every time we are on a call, there’s that uneasy feeling inside me that he is planning something for me that I might not like. An intervention of sorts.

Trust issues—that was the reason we started drifting apart when I moved to the US to go to high school. Dad has always had unlimited power that swung in many directions. It could be deadly, but it could sort out world’s problems if done right.

I am determined to use it.

“What did you have to do with Raven’s kidnapping?” I ask without answering his question.

“Mila, I will find out who was involved and what went down. Are you okay?”

Archer didn’t tell him about everything that went down yesterday or that I was kidnapped first. Of course, he didn’t, scared that my dad would unleash his wrath on Ayana.

But if Archer withheld certain details, I won’t.

“You should know,” I say, staring at the screen, “yesterday, they used me as bait to lure Raven.”

Dad’s jaw tightens, and his gaze hardens. “Did they touch you?”

“What was your part in Raven’s kidnapping?” I repeat.

“Did. They. Harm you? In any way?”

“What was your part in it?”

“None.”

“Lies.”

“None, Mila. None,” he repeats calmly. "I do not care for Mr. Levi.”

I don’t know how to cut through his shield. Never knew. Escaping him right before the Change was my most successful maneuver.

Suddenly, anger rises in me. Tears well up in my eyes at the thought that he had something to do with Raven’s kidnapping.

“So, you are somehow involved,” I state bluntly.

“No. I am not. I am not lying to you, Mila.”

"If he is alive… If there is a chance that… You'd better start caring, Dad. If you ever want your heirs.”

And there it is, my trump card—his expression shifts, that little change I hardly ever see in him, shock. Dad is taken aback.

In a second, he is back to his cool self. His lips curl a tiny bit in a smirk. “So, not a secret boy toy after all.”

I roll my eyes.

"You really like him?”

I try to hold back tears and look away as I wipe my eyes with my palm.

"I'll see what I can do,” Dad says. “They have their own games going on in Port Mrei, Tony Parp and all.”

“Tony Parp?”

“Butcher. He was out for Mr. Levi’s blood. I do not like that or the fact that he got you involved.”

“Yeah,” I say bitterly. “Involved all right. You are the one who makes deals with the likes of Butcher. You know what the guy in charge said when they held me and Raven at gunpoint?” I stare at Dad, trying to gauge his reaction to my next words. “Listen to this. They said, ‘How about we take this girl for a ride? All of us. See how she likes it.’”

My father’s eyes darken. I know that look. And I want him to understand that his shady deals jeopardized me and his future.

“How would you have felt,” I say, feeling nauseous just at the thought but knowing that it will push Dad’s buttons, “if they gang-raped your daughter? And then you’d have your heir from some scum in Port Mrei? Wouldn’t that be a great story for your enemies to laugh about at the baby shower?”

His fingers tighten into a fist. The soft wrinkles around his mouth harden. He stares at me unblinkingly, but the familiar viciousness in his eyes is unmistakable.

Oh, the people who know him are petrified of that look, the rage and cruelty that follow. Many times in the past, that look was what his enemies saw right before their lives were blown up into pieces.

“Raven traded himself for me,” I say quietly, my father’s face blurry because of the tears that instantly well in my eyes. “I offered myself, Dad,” I say with a sob, looking away from the screen because if his eyes could set things on fire, Ayana would’ve been ablaze right now. My dad is possessive. He doesn’t like his reputation tarnished, and I am his reputation. “Yeah. I offered myself for his freedom, but he told the guards to take me away. He stood there, Dad, with a chain around his neck”—a sob escapes me, my chest tightening with pain—“stabbed and bleeding, hands tied, with a gun against his head as he pleaded for me to walk away.”

Another sob rips my chest. I hide my face in my palms as I try to breathe deeply and shoo away the horrific images of last night.

“I want to see you,” Dad says. “You know, I can protect you better anywhere but that island. Venezuela. Brazil. Australia. Canada. Take your pick, Mila.”

That’s where he is anchored now, Venezuela. No surprise, really, considering Venezuela sits on the largest oil resources in the world and—Archer already filled me in—my dad is investing in oil-mining infrastructure. Has been since the Change. And of course, he has assets and houses in many countries that weren’t affected by the nuclear war.

“I can give you everything you want,” he says. It’s a promise I’ve heard many times before.

“You mean, everything you want?” I snap with an evil chuckle. He is so good at changing topics. “That’s exactly why I ran away.”

“Mila, I am not asking you to go to Russia. I am coming to see you and talk this over.”

Dread starts in the bottom of my stomach. “And you want me to believe you won’t drag me out of here?”

“I will not. Number one, I do not want to lose you again. Number two, I will protect you even on Zion. And now I have an assurance that I can.”

“An assurance?”

“I made a deal with Mathew Levi.”

“A deal…” I still didn’t confront him about that, but he admits it. “Tell me about this deal.”

I know his fucking deals. University was my deal with him. I got to pick one in the States and have my four years of relative freedom. Then I would have to marry his business partner. That deal was a way out of his claws. I was a spoiled girl growing up. I turned reckless when I made that deal. But I became smart when I decided that it was a shitty deal and would make my life hell.

And look at that, someone made a deal on my behalf. I always end up being someone’s bargain.

“What deal, Dad?” I repeat calmly but insistently.

“Mr. Levi transferred some of his major arms contracts to me. It screwed up his other partners, yes. For my sake. Well, for your sake, actually. He also gave most of his Gen-Alpha shares to me.”

A bitter smirk tugs at my lips. Dad is actually telling me what Archer told me—the truth. That’s impressive. “You got a good bargain for me. As always.”

Dad sighs, shakes his head. “No. I did not ask for it. He offered. I wouldn’t have bargained.”

“You wouldn’t?” I force myself to laugh. He stares at me, not responding. “But you accepted? You took that all from him because you could? Because he was willing to do it to ensure my independence?”

“Yes.”

“So, you tricked him.”

“Mila, listen. And listen attentively. He already worked something out with Archer Crone. He was determined. Before I even said anything, he offered the terms. It makes me wonder…”

“Wonder what?”

“How serious you two were.”

“Your spies didn’t report that?”

“I saw pictures. Before I first contacted him, I thought he was some temporary thing. You were never together in public, as per reports.”

“Reports.”

“Yes, reports.”

“Oh, how well I know you, Dad. I should’ve expected.”

“So, Mr. Levi and you. What exactly was it?”

“It was complicated.”

“So, you two were serious.”

I can’t possibly explain it to him. How my relationship with Raven started. What it became. Us not talking. Then reuniting. For one night. One night that seemed like a lifetime of promises. One night that wiped away all the bitterness and pretenses.

“Why are you talking in past tense?” I ask quietly.

“He is not here.”

“He will be.”

“Will he?”

That nasty feeling in my stomach is back. “Is there something you know that I don’t, Dad?”

He sighs. “He tried to be cool when we first talked. But I could tell he was… afraid. That I would not agree to what he had to offer. Mr. Crone sat there with a scowl on his face, hating the mere fact that we were talking. While Mr. Levi was eager. Anxious, even. He prepared an offer. He did, not Crone, who owns Ayana. I know that scenario too well. Know it first-hand.”

I don’t ask, only stare at him.

“When I met your mom,” he says quietly as he rubs his chin.

“He likes being called Raven.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I love him. Does that answer your question?”

Dad is silent.

“It’s serious. And if he doesn’t come back…” That awful pang in my heart is back. “He needs to come back, Dad,” I croak. “You need to find him.”

“Me?”

“Unless it was your doing.”

“Mila, don’t.”

“It wasn’t?” I lock eyes with him, trying to stay calm. “I need to know.”

“It was not. Mr. Levi had a lot of enemies.”

“Raven.”

“Raven, yes.”

“So, you are helpless in this situation,” I taunt him. “Fine. I will find him myself. I gotta go, Dad.”

“Mila, wait!” He throws his hands in front of him in surrender, his jaw clenching because I angered him. I did it intentionally. “Calm down. Listen to me. I flipped the world upside down to find you. And I did find you, a while back. Do not underestimate me, sweetheart. I wanted to pluck you out off that island as soon as I got the first picture of you. I was furious. But then? Then I needed an answer to the question I asked myself for the last two years.”

"And that is?”

“What was so bad that you wanted to forget who you were?”

"Seriously? You wanted to marry me off to a stranger."

“Mila, sweetheart, marriage is business. Love? Love goes away after several years. And then it is back to business. Deals. Stipulations. Compromise. Children, assets, time. You were too young to understand. Money can fix a lot of things."

"It didn't fix Mom."

“Don’t,” he warns in a raised tone.

“You married for love,” I say.

“That is rare. And I never wanted you to go through the same pain…”

Losing Mom, I understood later, was tough for a ten-year-old me. For Dad, losing a partner and the love of his life was devastating. And he still didn’t draw the parallel between the families he ruined and the car accident that killed my mom. Whether it’s narcissism or some special sort of cruelty that makes him oblivious to his doings—I don’t know. It’s useless asking cruel people what their atrocious crimes would feel like if they were done to their loved ones.

"Don’t you see it, Dad?” I ask. “Money can’t buy happiness. Nor can it buy health. Nor peace of mind. There are too many things money can’t buy, but sure, it can make a miserable life more comfortable.”

“When you get older, you will discover that comfort can be stable and is more important than some quick happy carnival ride many call relationships .”

“I don’t need a lecture on wisdom.”

“I have enough bad experiences that you don’t need to repeat. I wanted to make sure you had better ones.”

“But I wanted my own experiences, Dad! To fail, make good decisions, bad ones, maybe struggle, but on my own, without a leash. I wanted my life. My choices. Even if I had to be poor. And I won’t go back. Won't accept your dictatorship. You try to force me, and I'll do something stupid. I simply won't accept your way."

He nods. "I know. But I will have my way when it comes to your safety.”

I exhale in frustration and use my strongest card. “I want to make my choices, have my family. And in the future, if you want my family to be yours, you have to let me live the way I choose to.”

He clicks his tongue. "That will not do."

My jaw drops as I narrow my eyes at him in anger.

“Easy, easy, Mila,” he says with an amused chuckle. “You misunderstood. I will never let you go, sweetheart. You know that. You are my daughter. I will always make sure I know where you are and what you do. And I am willing to compromise. I want to come to Zion, see you, talk to Mr. Crone, figure things out, business.”

“Of course, business.”

“Mila, calm down. The only reason I am remotely interested in that tropical dumpster fire is that you are there. The only reason I will make an effort regarding the situation with Mr. Levi— Raven —is because you care.”

I sit quietly. “Can I ask you for a favor? Without you asking for anything in return?”

He answers with a quiet nod, waiting. He loves doing favors. Right now, he loves the fact that I’m asking for his help.

“I want you to find Raven,” I say. “Wherever he is. Whatever happened to him. You talk to those thugs from Port Mrei. I’m sure you know people. Good people. Not that monster who calls himself the mayor. Will you do that?”

“I will. That is if Raven is still alive.”

“Don’t,” I snap at him in warning. “It’s not much to ask, Dad. You can send your spies. Or use the ones you have there. If not, I can get the guards and go to Port Mrei myself?—”

“Don’t be fucking stupid,” he snaps, then takes a deep breath, gritting his teeth and blinking slowly in irritation.

I’m bluffing. That would be stupid. But I feel slightly vicious, pulling on my dad’s nerves especially when I use my trump card again. “If I ever have children, it will be with Raven. You do want grandkids one day, don’t you?”

There— there —I hit the sensitive topic again. Dad might be ruthless but don’t underestimate a powerful man with a God complex who thinks that everything that comes from him is pure gold. Including his kid. Potentially, grandkids.

“I will find him, if he is alive.”

“He is,” I say stubbornly. “You promise?

“But you need to tell me something.”

Here it goes, a deal. I raise my brows in question.

Dad huffs in slight annoyance like I’m still a spoiled kid who needs bribing. “You need to tell me I can come to Zion, and you will be happy to see me.”

There. I knew it. That’s his way to get everyone to dance to his tune.

And, oh, do I know how to stroke my dad’s ego.

I gloat, because I missed that too, my dad being himself, needy for my attention. “Yes, Dad. I’ll be happy to see you.”

And for once, I know I will be.