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“Oh, hi, Elena. He left a while ago. He said he had an important meeting. Is something wrong?” Luka looks at me. “I assumed the meeting would be with you.”
I take out my phone and phone him, but he doesn’t answer.
“Elena, what’s wrong?” Luka asks, taking me by the shoulders. “Is Arseny in trouble?”
I shake my head and then pull away from him, pacing up and down. “Probably not. I mean, he’s probably just doing business somewhere.”
Luka takes me by my shoulders again and shakes me. “Elena, tell me what happened.”
“My cousin Darius is the one who is ordering the hits,” I say.
Luka looks at me, panicked. “We need to go now. Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” I ask as I follow him.
“To my mother's house, where Kervyn is,” he says. Arseny didn’t want to tell anyone, but your father contacted him to arrange a meeting, and he was going to be honest and deal with everything up front.”
He opens the door, and I climb into his car. He dashes around to the driver's side. “If what you’re saying is true,” Luka says. “Then it must not have been Emery Sokolov who contacted Arseny via email.”
“No, my father would never. My father would send someone with a message, not just email a total stranger and ask them to meet somewhere to do business. I know how my father operates.” I remember the look in Darius' eye.
“Arseny is going to be ambushed, and I have no way to warn him,” I say, tears filling my eyes.
“It’s going to be okay. Kervyn will know how to track Arseny down, and we’ll get him for you. You’ll be safe at my mama’s house while we go.”
“I’m going with you,” I say. “If anything happens to Arseny, I’ll never forgive myself.”
Chapter 25 - Arseny
I should have told Elena what I was doing. She would have wanted to know about this decision and probably coach me on what to say to her father, but I feel like this is something I have to handle myself. I don’t know if this is the right decision, but if this feud goes on, someone’s going to die, and I’m terrified it will be Elena.
If Elena dies because I love her, or even if she just gets hurt, I will never forgive myself, and I would probably start a war because of it.
That laundromat burning down was the reality check I needed, and if Elena is right about her father being an upfront man, then this should go well.
I received an email from him last week stipulating the place and time. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and letting him choose the location: a bunch of warehouses near the outer rim of the city.
I arrive early to scope it out. I turn my phone on silent so that nothing distracts me.
I park quite a distance away, get out of my car, and walk around the warehouse. There’s one car parked there, and I don’t see anyone around. I can see someone is in the car, though. I scan for a possible ambush, but I don’t see any guards or any additional people, so I go back to my car and get a little closer, but still not close enough to be jumped.
I circle around the area. It takes me about an hour, but there’s no one here, just the empty warehouse and the car parked outside. Of course, there’s always the chance that there’s someone inside the warehouse, but I have to trust Elena that her father is the straight shooter he claims to be.
I drive onto the property and park in front of the other car. I get out of my car and stand in front of it, crossing my arms. “I’m here, Sokolov. What do you want to talk about?”
“How you are fucking my cousin?” a young voice says. I stand up straight as Elena’s cousin climbs out of the car.
“Darren? Darryl?” I muse. “Oh yes, it's Darius. Elena has told me about you.”
“I’m sure you know Elena very well, considering you’re sleeping with her,” Darius says. He leans against his car. “She’s a little blood traitor, and she’ll get what’s coming to her next.”
“If you harm her…” I growl.
“You’ll what? Kill me? I’m afraid we’re past that, Milov. You are going back to your family in pieces.”
“I’d like to see you try that,” I say arrogantly. “So you’re the one ordering hits on my family. Wait until Elena figures this one out.”
“She already has. I’m sure she’s running around panicked and looking for you. Tell me, do you think she would be stupid enough to approach your Pakhan about it?” What would he do?” Darius cocks his head to the side. “Not much, I reckon, since his enforcer is a little tied up.”
