Page 102 of Twisted Pact
I cover her hand with mine and chuckle. “Get some sleep, Zaika. The next few days are going to be hell.”
When she’s gone, I stare at the blueprints again, searching for the move I’ve missed.
Novikov has built himself a fortress, but every fortress has a weakness.
And I’ll find his before he takes another breath.
27
Mila
Eavesdropping on Alexei’s meeting probably qualifies as one of my worst decisions, but I can’t help myself.
He promised yesterday to keep me informed, but the morning sun barely penetrates the bunker’s reinforced windows as I press my ear against the office door. He’s been in there for the past hour with Dmitri and several other men whose voices I don’t recognize. The concrete walls muffle most of the conversation, but I catch enough fragments to make my heart smash against my sternum.
“—command-channels only during the operation,” someone says.
“Standard protocol,” Alexei replies. “No communication with the outside until the mission is complete. Otherwise, total communication backout.”
Communication blackout. That means I won’t know what’s happening. I won’t know if Papa is alive or if Alexei survives.
“What about the girl?” another voice asks. “She stays here?”
“She stays here,” Alexei confirms. “Under guard. No contact with the outside until we return.”
I back away from the door before I hear anything else. My hands shake as the reality of what he’s planning sinks in. He’s going to leave me here in the dark while he risks his life to save my father.
No updates and no information; just hours of waiting and wondering if everyone I care about is dead.
Fuck that.
I return to the bedroom and search through the drawers until I find what I need. My phone. Alexei took it weeks ago, but he gave it back after the hospital visit. I pull up a map application and start memorizing the route to Novikov’s warehouse.
Forty minutes by car. Maybe less if traffic cooperates.
The office door opens down the hall, and footsteps echo as the meeting breaks up. I shove the phone under my pillow and sit on the edge of the bed, trying to look innocent.
Alexei appears in the doorway. “How are you feeling?”
I do my best to shrug nonchalantly. “I’m pregnant and trapped in a bunker while my father is being tortured. How do you think I’m feeling?”
He walks into the room and sits beside me. “I know this is hard.”
“Do you?” I bark out a laugh and add, “Because you seem comfortable making all the decisions while I wait around hoping everyone survives.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Neither is leaving me in the dark during the rescue.”
His face goes carefully blank. “What are you talking about?”
“I heard you. Through the door.”
“Mila—”
“Don’t.” I stand and start pacing. “Don’t tell me it’s for my own good. Don’t tell me you’re protecting me. I can’t just sit here for hours, not knowing if you’re alive or dead. If Papa made it out or if Novikov killed him.”
“The alternative is worse.”
