The knock came at three in the morning.
Not a gentle knock. Not a polite one. Three hard, fast pounds that shook the door of my apartment.
I was awake in an instant. My hand went to the gun on my nightstand. My eyes went to Alexei.
He was already on his feet. Already moving toward the door. His own gun was drawn. His grey eyes were cold.
"Don't," I whispered. "We don't know who it is."
"I know."
He looked through the peephole. His body tensed.
Then he unlocked the door and opened it.
A man stood in the hallway. Tall. Broad. Older than Alexei, maybe forty five. His face was weathered, like cracked leather. His eyes were sharp and dark.
"Yakov," Alexei said. "What are you doing here?"
"The safehouse isn't safe anymore." The man, Yakov, stepped inside without waiting for an invitation. His eyes found me. "She's the cop?"
"She's the commissioner's daughter."
Yakov's expression didn't change. "Dimitri knows."
Alexei's jaw tightened. "What does he know?"
"Everything." Yakov pulled out his phone and handed it to Alexei. "He sent this to all the family captains an hour ago."
Alexei looked at the screen. His face went pale.
I stood up. "What? What does it say?"
Alexei turned the phone toward me.
A photo filled the screen. A photo of Alexei and me. Walking into the safehouse together. The timestamp was from two nights ago.
Below the photo, a message:
Alexei Volkov has betrayed the family. He is protecting the daughter of our enemy. The blood oath is broken. Find them. Bring them to me. Alive.
Dimitri
My blood ran cold.
"He knows," I whispered.
"He knows," Alexei confirmed. He handed the phone back to Yakov. "How long do we have?"
"An hour. Maybe less." Yakov walked to the window and looked out at the street. "Dimitri's men are already searching the city. They'll find this place soon."
"We need to move."
"Where?"
Alexei thought for a moment. "The old warehouse on Cherry Street. No one uses it anymore. Dimitri doesn't know about it."
Yakov nodded. "I'll bring the car around. Two minutes."
He left. The door clicked shut behind him.
Alexei turned to me. His grey eyes were hard. Focused.
"Get your things. Now."
"I don't have things. I have a folder and a gun."
"Then grab them and move."
I grabbed the folder from the table. My gun from the nightstand. The blanket from the couch. I didn't know why I took the blanket. Maybe because it smelled like him.
"Ready," I said.
Alexei took my hand. His fingers wrapped around mine. Warm. Strong.
"Stay close to me," he said. "No matter what happens, don't let go."
I nodded.
We ran.
---
The alley behind my apartment was dark and narrow. Yakov was waiting in a black sedan, engine running. He opened the back door as we approached.
Alexei pushed me inside first. Then he climbed in after me. The door slammed shut. Yakov hit the gas.
The car shot forward.
I looked out the window. My apartment building disappeared behind us. The streetlights blurred into streaks of orange and yellow.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"The warehouse," Alexei said. "We'll be safe there for the night."
"Safe?" I laughed. A broken, desperate sound. "Nowhere is safe. Dimitri has photos of us. He knows we're working together. He knows everything."
"Not everything." Alexei's voice was calm. Too calm. "He doesn't know about the folder. He doesn't know about the evidence we have against him. And he doesn't know that I'm not planning to run."
I turned to look at him. "What are you planning?"
"To fight."
"You can't fight the entire Bratva alone."
"I won't be alone." His eyes met mine. "I'll have you. And Yakov."
"Two cops and a bodyguard against an army?"
Yakov glanced at us in the rearview mirror. "I'm not a bodyguard. I'm a former spy."
"That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"It should."
I pressed my forehead against the cool glass of the window. My heart was pounding. My hands were shaking.
This was crazy. All of it. The folder. The plan. The man sitting next to me.
I should have walked away. I should have gone to my father. I should have done literally anything other than what I was doing right now.
But I didn't.
Because despite everything, despite all the fear and the doubt and the danger, I trusted Alexei Volkov.
And that terrified me more than Dimitri ever could.
---
The warehouse was exactly as Alexei had described it.
Old. Abandoned. Forgotten.
Yakov parked the car inside the loading bay and killed the engine. The sound of rain echoed off the corrugated metal walls.
"This way," Alexei said, climbing out of the car.
I followed him through a maze of dusty corridors and broken machinery. The air smelled like rust and mildew. Every shadow looked like a threat.
Finally, we reached a small office in the back of the building. It had a desk, a couch, and a window that looked out onto the alley.
"It's not much," Alexei said. "But it'll keep us dry."
"It's perfect," I said. Because it was. It was dark and hidden and far away from the men who wanted to kill us.
Yakov pulled a chair to the door and sat down. His eyes never stopped moving. Watching. Waiting.
"I'll keep watch," he said. "You two get some rest."
Alexei nodded. Then he turned to me. "You take the couch. I'll take the floor."
"You don't have to..."
"Kira. Take the couch."
I didn't argue. I was too tired. Too scared. Too overwhelmed.
I lay down on the couch and pulled the blanket over my body. The cushions were old and lumpy, but I didn't care.
Alexei sat on the floor with his back against the wall. His gun was in his hand. His eyes were on the door.
"Alexei," I whispered.
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For not letting me go alone."
He didn't answer. But in the darkness, I saw him nod.
I closed my eyes.
And for the first time in days, I slept.
---
I woke to the sound of gunfire.
Three shots. Fast. Close.
I was off the couch before my eyes were fully open. My gun was in my hand. My back was against the wall.
Alexei was already at the door. Yakov was beside him.
"How many?" Alexei asked.
"At least six," Yakov said. "Maybe more. They found us."
"Can we hold them?"
"For a few minutes. Not longer."
Alexei turned to look at me. His grey eyes were calm. Steady.
"Kira. Listen to me."
I nodded.
"There's a door in the back of this office. It leads to the alley. I need you to go through it and run. Don't look back. Don't stop. Just run."
"I'm not leaving you."
"You're not leaving me. You're surviving." He walked toward me. Took my face in his hands. His thumbs brushed my cheeks. "I need you to live, Kira. I need you to save your father. Do you understand?"
"No." Tears filled my eyes. "I don't understand any of this."
"You don't have to understand. You just have to run."
Another round of gunfire. Closer this time.
"Go," Alexei said.
He kissed my forehead. Quick. Hard.
Then he turned and raised his gun.
I ran.