Page 40 of The Pakhan’s Heir

“Is there a problem?” I ask her.

“No, I just… You’re leaving with Rikki and Gedeon tonight?”

“Yes. I told you. We have business.”

She nods slowly. “Will you be back before breakfast?”

I tilt my head curiously at her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you sounded like a caring wife just then. Don’t tell me you’re suddenly interested in my comings and goings?”

She shifts her feet nervously. “No,” she says. “Of course not. As long as you come back alive, what do I care?”

Something’s on her mind. She’s probably wondering if she’ll have enough time to snoop around the house again. “Do I need to wake Yeva up to come over? I can trust you to behave tonight, can’t I?”

She narrows her eyes at me with offense behind them. “You don’t have to call your sister,” she says.

“What’s with the concern all of a sudden, then?”

She shrugs and says, “I was just… wondering, that’s all. Maybe I’ll wait up for you.”

I nod and wait for her to say more. She doesn’t. “I’ll be home later. Don’t wait up for me.”

As I step out of the parlor, locking the door behind me, Rikki appears at the end of the hallway. “Hey, man, you ready?”

Gedeon steps out next to him. His eyes drift to Nona, who looks away quickly. She turns to me and says, “Stay safe.” She gets on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek. It takes me by surprise, but I don’t show it. Not in front of Rikki and Gedeon.

Nona turns and walks away, back toward the staircase.

“Yeah,” I say to Rikki. “Let’s get out of here.”

We walk out of the house and as we hit the street in front of the brownstone, the hairs on the back of my neck raise up. I look behind me and up to my bedroom window to see Nona watching us leave.

The rain started as soon as we pulled up to the docks. So far, it’s just a light drizzle, but if it starts coming down, we might have to make some other plans for this whole thing. Nothing sours a meet more than having to do it in the pouring rain.

The three of us park near my father’s car in the lot next to the old shipyard. It’s closed now and will probably be that way until the weather warms up more. He’s already waiting for us when we get out, standing in the misting rain in his trenchcoat. He greets us three with a nod and a stony expression as we approach.

Gedeon’s boeviks are already in position around us, hiding in the shadows and rooftops, watching for our signal that something has gone wrong. With all my training and with everything my father ever told us about not being too trusting, for some reason, knowing they’re there isn’t doing much to shake that odd feeling I’ve got about this deal. On paper, though, one way or the other, it should be fine.

My father checks his watch. “Two to midnight,” he says. He looks up at the misting rain casting a haze over the nearest streetlight. “They’d better be here soon. This is supposed to turn into a storm tonight. I don’t know how long this weather is going to hold.”

“Spring in New York sucks,” Gedeon mutters as he pulls his jacket collar up. “I’m telling you. I ain’t doing it next year. I think I’m gonna split town right before the first rain hits. Maybe right after the snow melts.”

“Split town?” I say with an arched eyebrow. “To where?”

“And for how long?” Rikki chimes in.

He shrugs. “Cali’s nice this time of year. Not boiling hot like it is in the summer, no weird on and off cold like the winter. Plus, Liz’s never been to the beach. Might be nice to sit in the sun for a few days instead of standing in the rain waiting for these clowns to show⁠—”

He’s cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Gedeon jerks backward, blood shooting out of his chest. He stumbles, grabbing for his gun absently.

We all move automatically, ducking down and unholstering our guns. Shots ring out as we take cover behind my car. Bullets spark all around us, coming from the direction of the docks, pinning us down.

I look up at the rooftops of the buildings behind us. I don’t see or hear our guys. We’ve got no cover from the barrage of bullets coming at us.

There’s a pause and I hear the telltale sound of reloading. I nod to Rikki and Gedeon and we all return fire. As I take aim over the roof of my car, I see three men standing under the streetlights with their eyes down at their weapons. We shoot, and two of them duck down and take cover behind a parked car. I tag the third one in the head and he drops to the ground.

“What the fuck is going on?” Rikki yells.

“I don’t know.” I lean against the car, thinking about who we just saw. The three men were wearing trenchcoats and hats to hide their faces. No kuttes. No chains. No motorcycles. “What I do know is that those guys don’t look like Devils⁠—”