Page 10 of Last Violent Call
Which meant she had been left in peace for so long. She had been settled for almost as much time as Roma and Juliette had been leading their new life too. When Juliette broke eye contact, visible pain flitted across her expression in empathy. Roma felt the same pang twist hisstomach.
“So why now?” he asked. “Why not come after you when you escaped?”
Mila gave a weak shrug.
“My speculations don’t make any sense either. All I know is that, about a month ago, a letter showed up for me in Mr. Pyotr’s handwriting. He said he wanted to help me, and there would be consequences if I didn’t accept.”
“I burned it, by the way,” Yulun cut in. “Threw it right in the fire.”
Mila cast him an amused look. It faded quickly as she continued her story. “He had found me, so it wasn’t safe anymore if he could show up at any moment. We fled into the next town over. Except another letter showed up. We fled again.”
“Let me guess,” Juliette said. “The letters kept showing up.”
Mila reached into her skirt pocket. “I kept this last one on me. It is probably the most concerning of them all.”
Roma leaned in, grimacing when he took the slip of paper to read the words.
They are coming.
“Did this come postmarked?” he asked. “Any clue as to where it might have originated from?”
“They arrive in a blank envelope each time,” Yulun answered. “I have half a mind to believe that Mr. Pyotr is dropping them off himself.”
Which was… frightening. Juliette glanced over with her brow furrowed. Roma returned her feeling of disconcertment.
“That was four days ago,” Mila said, gesturing to the warning. “The very same afternoon”—she took a deep, stuttering breath—“I saw news of Valentina and Viktoria reported in the papers. Murdered, one day after the other.” She paused. Squeezed her eyes shut, thenopened them again, her voice steadying. “The papers didn’t give names, but I know it was them. They worked as showgirls at different dance halls.”
Roma put the slip of paper down on the table.
“The other two are dead too, aren’t they?” he asked.
“Dasha and Lilya lived next door to each other in a township right outside Suzhou’s borders, an hour’s drive from here,” Mila answered quietly. “Yulun went to go warn them this morning.”
Yulun pinched the bridge of his nose, looking exhausted. “Dasha wasn’t there,” he supplied. “Though there was a bloody trail going into the alley. Lilya… Lilya was already cold. There was blood everywhere around her neck. I took one look and bolted.”
Chances were, someone would find Dasha’s body in the next few days. It would be foolish to hope otherwise.
“And that was when you called us,” Roma concluded.
“I didn’t know what else to do.” Yulun’s expression crumpled. “I really thought that staying in these rural areas would make it harder to find Mila. I thought it would keep her safe.”
The living room fell into a hush. The scent of despair hung heavy, and when Juliette stood up abruptly, she waved her arms around as if she were trying to clear the smell out.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” she said. “I’m going to give you some knives, and then you and Mila are going to learn to defend yourselves in case another threat comes soon. Let’s just hope we can get to the bottom of thisbeforeanything more arrives.”
Juliette strode across the living room, her fists clenched and her shoulders tight. All of a sudden, Yulun stood as well, calling, “Wait!”
Juliette paused, one foot already in the hallway.
“I… Iwasright, no?” he said. “You’re Juliette Cai.”
“I’m not Juliette Cai.”
Yulun furrowed his brow in sheer disbelief. “You cannot possibly still say that when—”
“It’s Juliette Montagova.” She lifted her hand and waved her fingers, flashing her gold wedding ring while she continued onward and exited the living room. “I’m a married woman. Roma, come help me get the knives, would you?”
In that moment, as Roma pushed off the wall and followed her obediently, he fell in love all over again.
