Page 54 of City Of Thieves
And Tatiana is so deep in all this shit, she’s sinking faster than all of us.
Releasing her arm, I shove my way through the waning crowds, my hand diving inside my suit jacket for my gun as my bloodlust temporarily overpowers my need for answers. Somewhere on the other side of the black walls, I hear her call my name, but the man she wants is no longer in control.
Slicing a path through the high heels and suits is like trying to thread a needle with a shoestring. I’m losing ground already. Keeping my eyes peeled for glimpses of slate gray, I force my way to the lobby, the distance between us widening further as he exits the front entrance.
Once my feet hit the sidewalk, he’s twenty feet ahead of me in a full out sprint. Leaving everything behind, I chase after him, pedestrians scattering like toppled bowling pins.
“Get the fuck out of my way!” I yell.
Once I’ve narrowed the gap to ten feet, I stop and aim my gun at his shoulder, only to have another dark blue sedan cut across my view line and slam on its brakes. Before I can fire a clean shot, the rear driver’s side door swings open and Oleg dives inside. The door doesn’t even fully close before the driver floors it, blowing through an intersection and sending two cars careening into oncoming traffic.
“Renzo!” Frantic footsteps come to a messy stop behind me.
Not trusting myself to speak, I shove my gun back into its holster and resume my grip on Tatiana’s arm. This time she doesn’t resist as I lead her back to the parking deck, doubling her steps to keep up with mine until we reach my car as sirens fill the air.
Circling us around to the passenger’s side, I fling the door open. She climbs in without protest, clutching her hands together as I slam it shut behind her. Only when I’m settled behind the wheel, does she try to talk again.
“That man you ran after...”
“What about him?” I grit out.
She hesitates.
I hear her voice begging me to trust her right before the auctioneer’s gavel fell.Hard pass, sweetheart, but I’m intrigued enough to see where you’re going with it.
“What the hell are you involved in, Tatiana?”
She flinches, the fear in her eyes diluting some of my anger. “Just tell me who that man is first.”
“Oleg Belov.” I drag a hand through my hair and grimace. “His brother, Vasily, is the manager ofYama, a Bratva-owned underground fight club in Desolation, New York. He was the one who told me about the auction… About you…” We hold each other’s gaze. “Vasily also told me the guy I just chased down a street in Mayfair was six feet under, so I guess he’s a fucking liar as well as the walking dead.”
“Belov… Are you sure?”
I glare at her.
She stills.
I go for the jugular.
“You lied to me as well,dolcezza. You know that name. I can see it in your face. So, I’m going to ask one more time, real nicely…”
She blows out a weary breath. “You’re right, I do. But I’ve never seen him before today, I swear. It was the way he looked at me… It was just so reminiscent...” She glances away, her fingers straying towards the silver locket she always wears around her neck. I don’t need to open it to know what’s inside. My mother hangs her love for her kids around her neck, too.
“Reminiscent of what?” But I’ve guessed the answer already.
Anastasia’s father.
She knows I know. Her confirmation is more a show than a tell. The atmosphere in the car switches and the temperature drops. I can sense her despair, her confusion, the horror entrenched so deep inside her it’s become a living, breathing thing.
“You’re afraid of him,” I state, knowing we’re nearing the quicksand.
“I have every cause to be.” Her fingers close tightly around the locket. “He took my daughter away from me when she was five days old.”
Jesus.
“Talk to me.”
Trust me, even when I’m not capable of it myself.
