17. Nina

17

NINA

Anton doesn’t come back for hours. I’m sitting on my bedroom floor, wide awake, when he stumbles past.

He curses as he crashes into something, and I have no doubt that he’s been drinking. Whatever that call was, it must have been bad.

But I don’t have the capacity to go and comfort him, not when my head is so full of dark thoughts.

My father threatened to kill an innocent woman and her unborn child.

His blood runs in my veins.

He is a part of me.

I barely make it to the toilet before I hurl my guts up.

My head is pounding as my alarm buzzes the next room. I must have eventually fallen asleep as I wake up curled in a ball on the bathroom floor, though I feel anything but rested.

My stomach aches from throwing up so much, and my limbs are heavy and weak.

It’s going to be a long day.

Thankfully, Anton doesn’t appear in the kitchen as I’m making myself a coffee to take with me on the drive to the city, and for once, I’m grateful that Yakov isn’t a talker. I need time to process all that Anton told me.

The Koslovs know about Lev.

My father would no doubt want to hear about this, but he is the last person I want to talk to.

How can he have the audacity to call Anton a monster after the things he’s done?

The fact that Anton told me about his own past shows me exactly the sort of person he is. He wanted me to know the truth. He didn’t want to trick me or blindside me by letting me fall for his charm and wealth. He wanted me to see him for who he really is.

“Yes I’ve killed, but only when it’s absolutely necessary. To protect those I love”.

There’s no way he killed Maxim in cold blood. It must have been in self-defense or to protect someone, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to prove it.

After my classes break for lunch, I head to the cafeteria with the girls to get some food. They’re all busy dissecting their night out at Espionage last Friday, but I’m barely listening.

“Nina? Is everything okay?” Bea glances at my untouched tray of food.

“Yeah, um… I think I just need to use the bathroom. I’ll just be a sec.” I catch Yakov’s eye at the next table, and he gets up to follow me.

After ducking inside the girls’ bathroom checking that all of the stalls are empty, I lock myself in the one farthest from the door, in case Yakov is listening, and dial an old friend from back home.

“Mila? It’s Nina.”

“Hey, Nina! Haven’t heard from you in a while. How’s New York?” Mila’s father and boyfriend both work for my father, so we sort of became friends, but I wouldn’t call us close.

“It’s good. Um, I don’t suppose you’re with Pyotr right now?”

“Yeah, he’s right here. Why?”

“I need to ask him some things about the target I’m looking into.”

Mila is quiet for a moment, but then I hear some muffled talking and then her boyfriend Pyotr’s deep voice sounds down the phone.

“Nina?”

“Hey, Pyotr, I just need to know some things about the day Maxim died.” I swallow the lump in my throat.

Maxim might have been an ass, but he was still my brother, and I’m not sure I’m ready to hear all the gory details of his death.

But I don’t have much of a choice if I want to help Anton.

“Like what?”

“Well, you were there, right? It was before my father sent you back to Russia?”

“Yeah, it was the last job I did. Why all the questions, Nina?”

“I’m looking into Anton Koslov for my father, the one who killed Maxim, and I want to make sure I know the full backstory, so any information you can give me would be really helpful. I can’t fail at this, Pyotr. We need to make sure this man pays for murdering my brother.”

Pyotr sighs, and I anxiously hold my breath as I wait for him to tell me what happened.

“It was fucking chaos, but I remember one of their guys getting Maxim in a headlock, and then Mikhail ordered them to stand down once he realized who it was.”

“Really?”

“They thought they could use him as bait, so he and the guy you’re looking into, Anton, tied him up and threw him in a car. They just took off and left the rest of the men to deal with the aftermath. I got out of there as quickly as I could to try and follow them.”

“So, what happened?”

“They took him to some warehouse, and we waited outside as they dragged Maxim inside. We called for backup because we had no clue what we were walking into. For all we knew, it was a set up and there could have been two dozen men inside all with machine guns.”

Did Maxim know at this point that it was all over?

My throat burns with bile as I imagine how terrified he must have been when he realized who took him.

Mikhail Koslov has a reputation for a reason.

“But before backup could even arrive, Mikhail appeared, dragging Maxim back toward the car.”

“He was alive at this point?” I blink.

This isn’t what I was expecting to hear at all.

“Maxim? Yeah, he was alive. Battered, but alive.”

“H-he was battered…” I whisper as I try not to picture the scene that is building in my mind, of what Mikhail might have done to him.

“Broken nose, black eye, nothing serious.”

I almost choke on a laugh as I’m flooded with relief.

“They were likely trying to get information out of him.”

“I don’t understand. How the hell did he end up dead? It sounds like they were trying to keep him alive.”

“Mikhail threw him to the ground and as he was opening the trunk and talking to Anton, Maxim stole Mikhail’s gun out of his pocket and went to shoot Mikhail.”

“Oh, my god.”

“That’s when Anton shot him. I doubt he meant to fire a killing blow but honestly, it happened so quickly. One minute Maxim was alive and then, he wasn’t.”

“Oh god,” I choke.

“Sorry, Nina, I know this must be hard to hear. It was tough to watch. Maxim was a good friend.”

“He should still be alive. He shouldn’t have been so stupid to try and shoot Mikhail. If he just went along with what they wanted…” I run a hand over my face as I try to stay calm.

There’s no point in dwelling on what could have been. It doesn’t change the fact that my brother’s dead, and Anton is responsible.

“I agree. But Maxim was hot-headed.”

“Act now, think later, just like our father”

Pyotr chuckles. “Exactly.”

“So, Anton was trying to save Mikhail…” My eyes well with tears.

“Looked that way, yeah. I’m sorry this happened to you, Nina, truly.”

“I appreciate that. Thanks for talking me through it.” I hang up the phone.

He was trying to save Mikhail’s life.

I swallow a sob as relief washes over me.

Anton’s been genuine this entire time. A small part of me was terrified to learn that it might have all been an act, one that I was stupid enough to fall for.

But he’s not the villain. He’s one of the good guys, and I need to make sure it stays that way.

I need to talk to my father in person. Somehow, I need to persuade him not to seek revenge against Anton, which is not going to be an easy feat. But I have to try.

I can’t let Anton suffer for trying to save his cousin's life.

We need to talk. I found out something that will be very useful to you. Send a car to the emergency exit of the main building at two.

My father doesn’t reply to my text, so I just have to hope that he does as I ask just this once. But that’s not my only issue. Somehow I also have to ditch Yakov.

My final class of the day is held in one of the small private studios on the first floor of the main building. Our class is split up into groups of five, with each group in one of the studios that all link together. If I can somehow sneak into the adjacent studio, I’ll be able to dip out of the emergency exit at the back of the building to meet the car my father hopefully sends…

I follow behind Allie as we head into the studio.

We’re currently rehearsing for the Winter showcase which is still weeks away but agents from various ballet companies will be coming to watch to scout potential dancers. It’s a huge opportunity, and one I should not be wasting.

Allie moans as we drop our bags in the corner. “A three-hour practice, who thought that was a good idea? I’m already dead on my feet after the fundamentals class this morning.”

I’m barely listening.

The fourth-year student who is choreographing this particular piece hasn’t arrived yet, so if I’m going to make my move, it needs to be now.

I glance at the door that joins us with the next studio.

“Allie, I need to ask a favor,” I whisper under my breath.

“Sure, what?”

“I have an appointment I really need to go to, but Yakov doesn’t know, can you cover for me?”

“Uh…” Allie frowns, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“Please.” I hope she can read the urgency in my tone. “Just tell Cassie I went to the nurse or something if she asks. I’ll try and be back before the end of class.”

“What’s this for, Nina?” Allie looks worried.

“I can’t tell you.”

My heart is racing in my chest.

I can’t afford to waste this chance to speak to my father as I’m not sure when I’ll get another.

“Okay, fine.” Allie sighs, reaching for her pointe shoes. “But you’ll need to catch up.”

“You’re a great friend, thank you.”

She waves me off, and I quickly gather my things and hurry toward the door.

It seems the next class’s choreographer hasn’t arrived either, so I quickly dart across the room, ignoring the puzzled looks from my classmates, and duck out the emergency exit.

The brisk fall air hits my skin as I step outside, scanning around for a car. My eyes land on a blacked-out Range Rover that flashes its lights as I look in its direction.

“Oh, thank god,” I breathe.

My body is a bundle of nerves on the drive over to my father’s house. The man he sent to pick me up is quieter than Yakov, if that’s even possible, so I spend the twenty-minute drive rehearsing what I’m going to say to my father when I see him.

He is not a reasonable man, so my best option is to try and convince him that I have information that will make him question his plans regarding Anton.

Once we arrive at my father’s estate, my driver escorts me to his office.

I know where it is, but it seems he’s under strict instructions not to leave me alone.

I find my father sitting behind his enormous desk, nursing a glass of scotch and barking at some poor guy on the phone. He doesn’t glance my way as I walk over to the couch and take a seat.

The room is dark and lifeless, a stark contrast to Anton’s place.

For a moment, I feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of one day not living there with him. In the short time I’ve been there, it’s felt more like home than anywhere else I’ve lived.

Eventually, my father hangs up the phone and turns his attention to me.

I try not to shrink under his intense gaze.

My father is an intimidating man, even when sitting behind a desk.

“What is this about, Nina?”

“I have some information for you that I didn’t want overheard.” I try not to fidget. I don’t want to give him any reason to suspect that I’m lying.

“Well? Spit it out.”

“I overheard Anton talking with Alexei.” I try to keep my voice even. “They are expecting you to retaliate soon. They think the planned attack on me outside Espionage was your way of reminding them that you haven’t forgotten what happened with Maxim. Anton believes you’ll take something he cares about as payment.”

“They don’t suspect who you are, then?” He narrows his eyes at me.

“No.” I sink my nails into my palms as my pulse quickens.

“Good.”

“They’re ready for an all-out war against you, and they will fight dirty. They’re going to target all of your clubs and businesses. They want to destroy it all.”

The best approach is to attack the one weakness my father has—the fear of losing power. If he believes the Koslovs are planning on taking him down once and for all, it should be enough to turn his attention away from Anton specifically.

“I’ll look into it.”

My stomach sinks.

If he looks too much into it, he’ll learn that I’m lying, and then all of this will have been for nothing.

“You should act quickly?—”

“I can decide that for myself.” My father’s nostrils flare.

Just as I’m about to reply, a knock sounds on the door, making me jump in my seat.

“Yes?” My father looks irritated.

Akim, his second in charge, peers around the door.

“You wanted to talk?”

I should be used to feeling invisible, it’s been this way my entire life, but I can’t deny it still stings.

Perhaps that’s because I’ve been made to feel like the center of the universe by Anton for the past few weeks…

“I should get back to school.” I get to my feet.

Akim steps into the room, not bothering to hold the door for me.

Asshole .

The door slams shut behind me, and I take a moment to breathe.

Whenever I’m around my father I feel like there’s a ten-pound weight on my chest. It’s never relaxed or comfortable.

I’m always on edge, trying to read his expressions or tone. It’s exhausting, and I crave the comfort and ease of being at Anton’s house, sitting with him on the couch as we watch movies and fall into an easy conversation about our days.

I can only hope that my father decides to act on impulse, and that Anton and his family are as prepared as I’ve made them out to be. Otherwise, I might have just given more than just Anton a death sentence.

I’m about to head back down the stairs when Akim’s voice filters through the door and his words have me halting my steps.

“The plan has changed?”

“Yes. Nina is going to get herself pregnant.”

I shake my head.

“You want Anton to knock up your daughter? Surely, that seems counterproductive?—”

“It’s not. Not when I plan on slaughtering the child right in front of him.”

My body jolts at my father’s words.

What did he just say?

Akim laughs, and the sound almost has my knees buckling beneath me as my throat burns with the urge to vomit.

“And then I will kill him,” my father continues. “That way the last thing he will feel is the pain of losing a child.”

I shake my head, barely able to register the words that just came out of my father’s mouth.

He’s planning on killing his own grandchild?

The fact that he would inflict such pain on his own blood, on me , just to satisfy his need for revenge, is disgusting. I knew my father was capable of horrific things, but this is nothing short of evil.

“Until I can confirm what Nina told me to be true, things will still go ahead as planned,” my father continues.

“And Nina is aware of this?”

“She knows what she needs to do. She has a duty to this family, to me , and she knows the price if she fails.”

I stumble away from the door, not wanting to hear another word.

I can’t let him do this. I can’t let him hurt another person.

I hurry up the second flight of stairs that leads to my father’s private rooms. He has a second, smaller study off his bedroom where I know he keeps some of his private files.

He has never trusted computers or technology for fear of being hacked, which works in my favor.

I need to find something that I can give to Anton that will help take down my father once and for all.

Behind the desk in the smaller study is a bookcase overflowing with books and files, but I know my father doesn’t keep his most personal documents on display.

I pull out a stack of first editions by Tolstoy in the original Russian that he brought over from our house back in Russia.

I always wanted to read the delicate books, which is what led to me finding my father’s secret notebook filled with contacts he keeps hidden in the back of War and Peace .

Inside is a list of every man who has ever worked for my father, including any aliases they might work under. This list is the key to my father, and I need to get it to Anton.

I kneel on the floor and pull out my phone, taking photos of each of the pages of the small book.

My hands shake uncontrollably as my father’s words play on repeat in my mind.

I plan on slaughtering the child.

“Oh gods,” I sob as I snap a picture of the final contact, my brother Lev, before quickly putting everything back the way I found it and hurrying out of the room.

I’m in way too deep, and I need to find a way out of this plan, now .

By the time I’m being dropped back at school, the rehearsal is about to end, so I hurry through to my studio where I fall in line behind the rest of the class as they file out of the studio.

Allie looks over her shoulder at me, and I mouth “Thank you” at her.

She nods before hurrying away toward the exit. I feel bad for asking her to cover for me, but I had no choice.

Yakov is waiting outside the studio as usual, watching everyone closely for any sign of a threat.

“Hey,” I greet, trying to appear normal despite my racing heart and sweaty palms.

Yakov frowns, eyeing me closely. “We better get home.”

“You speak,” I blurt, taken aback. “I actually thought you might be mute.”

He only narrows his eyes before ushering me toward the exit.

I’m lost in thought as I sit in the back seat of the car on the drive back to Anton’s estate.

If my father decides to act on my false information, Anton needs to know what he’s facing. But there’s no way I can tell him without revealing who I am and the fact that I’ve been lying to him this entire time.

He’ll hate me for it, but I can’t in all conscience sit on this information that could potentially wipe out his entire family.

I just have to hope that he’ll be willing to forgive me when he finally learns the truth.