Page 5 of Lethal Alliance

His hand drops, and two shots ring out in quick succession.

The guards who took us fall to the ground, their blood spreading across the tarmac.

I push Masha’s face into my leg to stifle her scream. I stare at the dead men, my own scream stuck in my throat.

Blood from the wound on my face drips onto my gown, turning the material a dark purple. I can’t even feel the pain anymore.

I can’t feel anything at all.

The man with the eye patch turns to us.

“My name is Alexei Petrovsky.” He tilts his head politely at the stairs. “Please board the plane.” His voice is chillingly calm.

This time, Masha and I go.

Alexei Petrovsky isn’t our friend. He isn’t anyone’s friend.

He’s a killer—and now he’s our kidnapper.

2

DARYA

Darya—

I knowyou are planning to run.

I’m not going to stop you. But I want you to be safe, and I want you to know the truth.

First, your safety.

Inside this envelope you will find a passport, more than enough money to get you out of Spain, and a card with the name and address of someone who will help you disappear.

You cannot take your father with you, not this time. The Orlovs are too close. Sergei will remain here in my care. Trust that I will keep him safe.

And now for the truth.

My name—my real name—is Roman Borovsky. My father was Aleksander Borovsky, a famous safe maker and jeweler.

When I was a child, my father built a vault for a very powerful man. Until recently, I never knew this man’s name. My parents thought that keeping me ignorant would keep me safe.

They were wrong.

The vault was built for your father, Sergei Petrovsky.

I don’t know how or when the Orlovs learned it was my father who built the vault. But they did, because when I was ten years old, the Orlovs came for us. When my father wouldn’t tell them how to access the vault, they killed him.

My father must have known they would come for him. He’d already sent my mother into hiding, and he made sure I got out before the Orlovs could get their hands on me.

The Orlovs hunted me for years. They believed I knew how to open the vault and stopped at nothing in their efforts to find me. Despite the danger, I stayed in Miami, hoping my mother would return.

She never did. I must assume that she, too, is dead, and my father’s secrets with her.

Given their relentless pursuit of you, it seems the Orlovs’ determination to open that vault has not lessened with time.

I should have told you the truth long ago, but you of all people might understand how difficult it is to drop the habits of a lifetime. Let me just say that it took me longer than it should have to trust you, and for that, I can only apologize.

Which brings me to our current situation.

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