Chapter 21

Laura

I LOOKat Victor, his profile harsh against the streaming sunlight as Misha drives.

Today has been great so far.

Great until Dave, the ledger, Vasiliev.

“Listen, this is important.” Victor’s tone has changed, the earlier playfulness replaced by a steely intensity. “I need you to tell me everything you know about this ledger.”

I press my lips together, panic rising in my throat. I glance at Misha as he makes a sharp turn, pulling over to the side of the road near a quiet park.

He doesn’t turn around, but I can feel the tension radiating from both of them.

“Where is the ledger now?” Victor asks, his voice low and urgent.

“I…” I hesitate, my mouth suddenly dry. “I hid it. In the apartment.”

Victor scoffs, a smirk twisting his lips. He runs his tongue over his teeth, nodding his head slightly.

“Clever girl,” he murmurs, and despite the gravity of the situation, I feel a flutter in my stomach at the praise.

Did I actually do something praise-worthy?

He shouldn’t look so damn… appealing, not now. But the slight curl of his lips, the predatory sharpness in his eyes, like he’s just discovered a crucial piece of a puzzle he’s been trying to solve.

A stork flies overhead, landing gracefully on the hood of the car. It regards us with beady eyes before taking off again, its wings flapping against the windshield.

Victor hardly seems to notice, his gaze fixed on me. “Tell me exactly what you saw in the ledger.”

I swallow hard, my fingers twisting in my lap. “I… I saw…”

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. I have to trust Victor. I have to believe he can help me.

“Dave’s handwriting was all over it,” I say in a rush. “Documenting transactions, payments made and received. It looks like… It looks like he’s been working with Vasiliev.”

Victor’s jaw clenches, a muscle ticking in his cheek. “Blyad. That fucking mudak has been playing both sides.”

I feel a chill run down my spine at his words. “What… What do you mean?”

Part of me isn’t sure I even want to know, but I have to ask. I need to understand what I’ve gotten myself into.

“This isn’t just petty crime, Laura. This is major. If Vasiliev is involved, it means we’re not just dealing with a backstabber, but with a different kind of hell,” he explains, his voice a mix of fury and fascination. “Dave’s been playing a dangerous game.”

I feel like I can’t breathe, my chest tight with fear. “Wh- What will happen to him?”

Victor’s expression turns icy, his voice devoid of any warmth. “Well, that depends on how stupid his next move is. If he’s smart, he’ll lie low and pray they don’t find him. But if he tries to reappear like he did….”

Before he can finish, Misha cuts in from the driver’s seat. “That dumbass ex of yours probably thought he could make a quick buck by stealing from the Vasilievs. Fucking idiot. If he took that ledger, he’s as good as dead. They’ll hunt him down like the rat he is.”

Victor flicks a deadly look at Misha, then turns that intense stare on me.

Tears sting my eyes as I remember the raw fear in Dave’s eyes at the wedding. He wasn’t just afraid—he was terrified for his life.

“Tell me where you hid it, Laura,” Victor presses, his gaze intense.

I look at him, my brow furrowed as I try to gauge his intentions.

Can I trust him? Really trust him?

With the one piece of evidence that could either save Dave or condemn him?

My hesitation must show on my face because Misha lets out a frustrated huff. “You’ve got to tell us, Laura. We can’t help you if you don’t give us all the information.”

A chill runs through me, and I pull my coat tighter around my body. The car suddenly feels too small, too confining.

“What does this mean for me?” I whisper, almost afraid to hear the answer. “If Dave’s involved with these people, and they find out I have this ledger…”

I can’t even finish the thought, too horrified by the implications. Victor’s hand tightens around mine.

“They’ve already found out,” he says matter-of-factly.

My head snaps up, my eyes wide with shock. “What? How?”

“Think about it,” Misha chimes in. “If Dave stole that ledger, the first thing the Vasilievs would do is track down anyone he’s close to. And who’s closer to him than his ex-wife?”

The reality of the situation crashes over me like a wave. They know. They know I have the ledger, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it back.

“Oh God,” I whisper, my free hand coming up to cover my mouth. “Victor, what do I do? If they’re coming after me…”

“They’ve already tried that, too,” Victor says, not to me, but to Misha.

Before I can ask him to elaborate, he continues, “Look, I didn’t want to tell you this before because I didn’t know what the fuck was going on.” Victor shifts his body toward me, his expression serious.

Misha glances at his watch and starts the car again, the engine humming to life.

“What are you talking about?” I demand, frustration rising in my voice. “Stop keeping me in the dark, please. I’m so sick and tired of being treated like a fucking mushroom—kept in the dark and fed bullshit.”

Victor runs a hand through his hair, sighing heavily. “The night at your apartment, the guy who got to you first… He wasn’t one of ours.”

My brow furrows in confusion. “What do you mean, not one of yours?”

“I’m pretty damn sure he was Vasiliev’s man,” Victor clarifies, his jaw clenching with barely contained anger.

I shake my head slowly, trying to make sense of everything. “Wait, so… You’re saying you were there in time to… save me?”

Victor’s expression is a mix of guilt and something else I can’t quite decipher. His gray eyes bore into mine intensely.

“No, it wasn’t meant to be a rescue,” he admits gruffly. “I was there as your captor, too. But when I saw that fucker trying to take you…”

“Hah!” I burst out, slapping my hands against my thighs. Tears of frustration prick at my eyes, but I blink them back furiously. “So, I was a target from multiple sides? Well, isn’t that just fucking perfect?”

This is unbelievable!

If Ser were here, she’d be scribbling notes frantically. A paranormal romance set in the underworld of vampire mobsters and the lone witch who dared to steal their most precious artifact. I can almost see the cover now.

Misha clears his throat awkwardly from the front seat. “Boss, the chopper is leaving in forty minutes. We better go.”

I whip my head around to stare at him. “Chopper? What chopper? Where the hell are we going now?”

I turn back to Victor, my voice rising with each question. “You know, it would be really fucking nice if someone could learn to communicate with me about what’s going on in my own goddamn life!”

But even as the words leave my mouth, I know how ridiculous they sound. I’m not in control here. I’m just a pawn in whatever game Victor and the Vasilievs are playing.

And if I want to survive, I’ll have to learn to play by their rules.