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“No! I’m not leaving. Not before he helps me. He has to find my mom.”
A blistering pain wreaked havoc on his mind, as he fought unknown enemies, and tore down brick walls.
“What the hell did you say to him? And who the hell is your mom?”
A deep void was staring Viking right in the face. Old, nasty memories resurfaced from the sewers of his brain, gnawing at his bones like hungry rats. He couldn’t look away from the horrorfest that played out in his mind. The first time he’d caught his mom cheating on his dad. The second time. Then there was that morning when the cops showed up on their doorstep, announcing his father’s car crash. Fast forward to a year later: the time Erika brought over her dealer, Frank, to live with them. Then when he left home, angry. Images of Frank beating Sy. His regret for being a shitty brother to Sy.
He could hear someone crying, but he didn’t recognize the sound. It couldn’t be his mom; she was too cold to ever shed a tear for her boys.
“Elena. My mom’s name is Elena. And you have to find her.”
“Shit. I knew it. Yuri! Take her away.”
More curses followed. Slowly, the images disappeared and the fire blistering his skin turned cold, leaving behind a trail of ash. When his vision cleared, he was leaning against the wall, breathing harshly, hands on his knees. He lifted his head and stared right into Kristoff’s fist.
Stars exploded, and then he was out.
***
Viking woke up with a splitting headache, slumped against a wall. Once again, he stared into Kristoff’s face. This time, however, there was no fist involved.
Kristoff handed him a drink. Viking downed it in one shot, not even bothering to taste the brown liquid.
“You good?”
He grunted. No, he fucking wasn’t good. He looked around, only to discover his living room was wrecked. There was glass scattered across the coffee table, leaving a trail to the corridor. His daughter was nowhere in sight.
He sure fucked up this time.
“Where’s Vicky? Is she okay?” He couldn’t live with himself if he’d hurt her. He hadn’t known her for a day and already felt like he failed her. Just like he’d failed Sy when he’d left him with his mom and her boyfriend.
“At my place. She’ll be safe there, and Katya could use the company. You have a remarkable daughter. She didn’t cry or get hysterical when you went berserk on her.”
Kristoff tapped his fingers together. It was a habit he displayed when he was plotting and planning. The ruthless bastard hadn’t become number one on the West Coast without thinking everything through.
“I have a kid, Kris. How the hell did that happen?” He still couldn’t believe it.
“No one told you about the birds and the bees?”
“I’m serious. Her mother…she…fuck!” He took in a deep breath and tempered down his simmering rage.
“She kept her secret, I know. Deal with it.” There was a look in his eyes Viking couldn’t quite decipher.
“What?”
“Your daughter kept repeating that her mother is missing. The last she heard from her was a text. Some code that told her to run and find you.”
“I’ll find her.” And then he’d make her pay. Banishing her from the continent was no longer a satisfying option.
“You do that, and then get your head together. I don’t care how you handle your personal shit, but take care of it before Sokolov and his nieces arrive. I need you on them.”
“You want me to play house with Sokolov’s girls?”
“I don’t give a shit about them. But I need this deal to work. Sokolov is our key to Europe and beyond. He never leaves without them when he goes abroad; too many people who’d want to take the last remains of his family out when he’s out of the country. Just get it together. Lately, you’ve been unstable. I’ve given this a lot of thought and have come up with a solution.”
Viking scrambled up and cracked his neck. “Yeah, and what’s that? Are you sending me to yoga camp?”
Kristoff’s face darkened. “I’m giving you a week.”
