Chapter 154 159

Chapter 154 159
“Are we going to The Imperial?” Olivia asks.

“Yes,” I answer. “It’s time for a little family reunion, don’t you think?”

“It’s disgusting how calm you are right now,” she snaps. “I caught you red-handed being a fucking predator and you’re still looking down at the world from your high horse like you’re untouchable.”

I chuckle. “I expected you to be smarter than this.”

“You’re an asshole,” she hisses.

“I never pretended to be otherwise.”

“Demyan!” Olivia says, her tone turning imploring. “You have a kid. A daughter, right?”

He nods once reluctantly, white-knuckling the armrest.

“How can you be involved in something like this?” she demands. “The girls Aleks takes, they’re only children.”

“Olivia…” Demyan starts softly.

I can feel the explanation coming, but I stop him in his tracks. “She’s already made up her mind, Demyan,” I snarl. “What’s the point in trying to change it now? She wants to cast me as the villain, so let her.”

“I want to cast you as the villain?” she asks, sounding hurt. “Do you even hear what you’re saying? You have no idea how hard I defended you. I believed you, Aleks. I believed in you. But now, you’re asking me not to trust my own eyes. It’s too much.”

The monolith of The Imperial appears just ahead, blotting out the sun and casting shadows over the street below.

“Jesus,” Demyan mutters, leaning forward to look through the windshield. “That is one ugly building.”

I laugh viciously. “One would think the man who owns it has something to prove.”

We come to a stop. I get out of the car, open Olivia’s door, and unclasp her seat belt. “Get out.”

“You can’t just walk in there,” she says, looking uncertain.

“As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Aleks—”

“Come on,” I urge. “They’re expecting us.”

“Hargrove?”

I nod. “Among others.”

Before she can try to figure out what I mean, I grab her hand and pull her from the car.

“Demyan,” I call. He appears next to me and pushes the bulletproof vest into my hands.

I start to strap it on Olivia, who surprisingly lets me do it without a fuss. “What is this?” she asks, blinking in confusion.

“I would have thought it was obvious,” I drawl.

“Okay, but why do I even need it?” she asks, panic edging into her tone.

“If this gets ugly—”

Her face twists. “Oh, I see. You want to protect your child,” she finishes. “I’m just a vessel for the cargo.”

I stop what I’m doing for a moment and look at her.

I could argue back. I could tell her how she’s so much more to me than a vessel, a means to an end. That the child she’s carrying isn’t just beautiful in its own right; it’s beautiful because there are parts of her in our baby, parts of both of us, and we made that baby together, and my world is so bloodstained and ugly that these rare snatches of beauty are worth sacrificing everything for.

But I don’t bother.

She wouldn’t believe a word coming out of my mouth.

“Stay behind me at all times,” I say instead.

Then I grab her hand and march her into the hotel for the final curtain call.

36

OLIVIA

Aleks is walking next to me, his hand wrapped around mine. I expected him to charge into the meeting with Hargrove with guns blazing, the full strength of his men at his back.

But we left them all behind. Now, we’re navigating through the hotel alone.

“What are you doing?” I ask. “Why are we here?”

He ignores me outright.

I stare at my feet marching one in front of the other, no longer struggling or resisting. I let myself be pulled along, finding strange comfort in the warmth of his hand.

I’m not certain of anything anymore. But Aleks… Aleks has never been anything but certain.

Maybe I should feel guilty for taking comfort in the touch of a monster, and part of me does. Mostly, though, I’m overwhelmed by all the competing emotions surging through me. Sadness and fear and betrayal and denial.

Above all, there’s a sense of finality. That whatever happens next will be the end of it all. Win or lose, live or die—this ends today.

But as for what “this” is or who should be the one to end it…

As for what is right and what is wrong and who is lying and who is telling the truth…

As for those things, I have no earthly idea.

Jennifer appears from nowhere. She’s dressed like some femme fatale from a spy movie in a thin, form-fitting black turtleneck and thick-heeled boots that look like they could do some real damage. Her hair is tied back, one Viking braid tucked behind her ear.

“They’re in the North Tower,” she reports.

“How many?” Aleks asks.

“Hargrove, his men… Rob,” she says. Her gaze flits to me for a moment when she says my brother’s name. “Twenty in total, maybe twenty-five.”

Aleks doesn’t seem in the least bit concerned. He just nods and continues walking me towards one of the elevators. The three of us climb aboard and stand in an awkward circle.

The whole ride is silent. I stare at my reflection in the polished brass, wondering what the hell awaits us above. The whole thing feels like a bad dream.

When the elevator doors open, Demyan is standing on the other side.

“Took you long enough,” he grumbles.

I have no idea how he got up here so fast, but there’s no time to ask before Aleks is pulling me out of the elevator. He hasn’t dropped my hand once since we walked through the front doors of the hotel.

“Olivia?” Demyan asks, looking at me with concern. “Are you okay?”

I don’t answer. I have no idea how to answer a question like that. I haven’t known for a very long time now.

He exchanges a wary look with Aleks, but it’s Jennifer who steps forward. “Come with me,” she says gently.

“What are you doing?” Aleks barks.

“Look at her, Aleks,” Jennifer says firmly. “She looks like she’s going to pass out. And she’s pregnant. Or have you forgotten that?”

Her tone reminds me of Mia. Protective and authoritative at the same time.

“I don’t forget anything,” Aleks growls. His eyes are as sharp as daggers. If I stare too long, I’m going to be pierced through. Then he sighs and waves us on. “Go on. Take a minute.”

Jennifer grabs my hand and steers me down a large corridor lined with windows that overlook part of the city.