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Her gaze goes ice cold, and she clenches her jaw. “There’s more to it, isn’t there? Why did they go after me in the first place? And who is it? I deserve to know that much.” Before I can reply, her eyes narrow and she rushes out, “It was Timur Belov, wasn’t it? That disgusting snake.”

“He was one of them, yes.” Smart girl. “And he’s working with a man named Pasha Antonov, also known as the Bratva Butcher. He’s a dangerous assassin who is trying to expand his reach, and Timur Belov is the one he’s working with to try and take out your father and uncle and take over the territory. They run one of the largest human trafficking rings in the world, and your uncle is preventing them from expanding.”

“And what did that have to do with me?”

I try to bite back my irritation. She’s owed this much. “They wanted him to be distracted, and the easiest way to get to him, outside of your father, was you. You’re his only immediate female relative, and since he has no wife or children of his own, you were the next target.”

“But you made sure that didn’t happen. Does that mean they’re after you too?”

Muddy waters here. What the hell am I going to say to that?

“They will be when they realize I’m not on their side.”

Shit. That was a mistake. Her eyes widen, and her mouth drops in.

“Not on their side? You work with these assholes? No way! That’s not possible. Are you like a double agent or something?” She pales. “Oh, fuck, you’re a Fed or something, aren’t you?”

I glare. “There’s no need to be insulting. Jeeze, rescue a girl multiple times and she’s downright cruel.”

“Well, what the hell am I supposed to think? So who are you?”

“We can get into that later. I know the Bratva Butcher well, and that is exactly why he won’t see this coming. He has no idea I’m going to take him and Timur down and fix all of this. If he did, I’d be dead already.”

She blinks once, twice, and then her mouth drops open again. “Holy shit, you’re an assassin too, aren’t you? You’re his partner? No, wait, you’re too young to be a guy like that’s partner or wife or whatever. Daughter? No, that was Rori. You told me to tell her you sent me home.” She studies me. “And you don’t really look alike, so you’re not sisters.”

I try not to groan. “Fuck, yes, okay, I’m an assassin. I’ll explain the rest of it later. We’re losing time. Just know that you’re safe with me and⁠—”

“Well, duh. It’d be really stupid of you to spend all that time and money protecting me just to bring me back here and off me.” She rolls her eyes in the sassy way teenagers have perfected.

I battle my irritation, but there’s amusement in there somewhere too. Later, I’ll appreciate her sass. Right now, it’s just like when I pulled her out of that damn hole and she didn’t listen. “Just sit back and do what Mishka says. You don’t move, you don’t fucking breathe differently until he tells you, got it? To make this work, you need to follow directions. If anything happens to you, I’m going to be pissed.” I give her a sly smile. “I didn’t do all that for you to be a dumbass teenager and get your ass killed.”

“Oooh, look at you, making a joke. Fine, yeah, I’ll follow all directions.”

I glare at her. Why do I get the feeling she’s still going to find a way to be a damn pain in the ass?

Whatever, she’s going to be Mishka’s problem in a minute. She gives me a sunny, innocent smile.

“Practice that in the mirror, do you?”

“Every day. You’ve met my uncle. My father is ten times worse, and they’re already threatening to lock me in my room and never let me leave when this is over.”

“Lucky for you, I’m excellent at picking locks and can teach you.” I start to tell her everything will be fine but stop myself. I have no real idea how this is going to end—though I know how I expect it to end—and I’m not about to start lying now. Instead, I say, “This shit is about to get messy. You going to puke everywhere if you see a bunch of bodies lying around?”

It’s her turn to look insulted. “I live in the house of one of the most feared Pakhans in the country, and my father and Oleg are his top interrogators. You really think some dead bodies are going to bother me? I’ve been seeing them litter the house since I was a kid. And wasn’t it you who killed my uncle’s guards in front of me that night?”

“You were in the SUV, smartass, and I killed them cleanly so it wouldn’t traumatize you. That’ll teach me to be thoughtful.”

“Yeah, if you’re going to be around after this, you’ll have to accept that I’m not a wilting wallflower like my father wants me to pretend to be.”

I open the door but look back at her. “Darling, your father has taken too many hits to that giant head of his if he ever thinks that will be you. You stay exactly as you are, and anyone who doesn’t accept that will answer to me. Now, shut the hell up and get ready to leave. Misbehave, and I’m going to lock you in your room and ensure you’ll never get out.”

“Whatever. So which one are you going after exactly so I know what to call you when this is all over? I don’t think it’s my father.”

I snort. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised she’s figured out I’m interested in one of them. Teenagers can sniff that shit out faster than any bloodhound. “Your father will shoot me on sight if he gets the chance. And you don’t need to call me anything. Your uncle might not have me after this is all over, but I’ll be around for you no matter the outcome.”

I mean that. Even if Ilya refuses to have anything to do with me, I’ll never walk away from Mila. She’s far too important.

She groans. “Of course it’s my uncle. Oleg, I could understand, he’s hot.” She ignores my snickers. “Yeah, yeah, if my father finds out, I’ll be grounded for the rest of my life. It’s fine. I’ll tell him about the boy I kissed after school one day and that will distract him. As for my uncle, he’s way worse. I don’t know what the higher equivalent of bossy alpha male is, but that’s him. Just don’t come crying to me when he’s an asshole and tries to boss you around too and hurts your feelings in the process.”