His

  His

  Ties that Bind Duet, Book 2

  A. Zavarelli

  Natasha Knight

  Copyright © 2020 by A. Zavarelli and Natasha Knight

  All rights reserved.

  Cover Design by Coverluv

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Note from the Authors

  HIS is the second and final book of the Ties that Bind Duet. You must read book 1, MINE, first in order to follow the story.

  * * *

  Mine is available in all stores now. Click here to buy now!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue 1

  Epilogue 2

  Thank you

  Sample from Crow

  Sample from Collateral

  Also by Natasha Knight

  Also by A. Zavarelli

  About A. Zavarelli

  About Natasha Knight

  1

  Kat

  Blood splatters across my face, and I scream, turning my head away as I drop to my hands and knees again.

  I smell vomit, bullets, and blood, that sweet scent of marshmallow pancakes long gone now.

  Another shot is fired, and I fall flat, my hand sliding in something wet and slippery. I scream, and when my scream ends and the sound of bullets is an echo, I roll onto my back, my head heavy, vision fading as I realize something. The thing that terrifies me more than anything else.

  Josh has stopped screaming.

  The thought of why that could be twists my stomach, and I open my mouth to scream, but the sound that comes isn’t human. It’s ugly and hoarse and like that of a wounded animal. A dying one.

  “Kat?”

  I blink, seeing movement above me. Someone’s hands are on me, turning me. Instinct takes hold, and I fight. I fight him, but he’s too strong. He takes hold of my wrists and lays my arms at my sides.

  He mutters a curse. Another shadow passes over me and I’m lifted off the ground. My head hangs, my arms and legs useless as I’m carried through the living room. Two bodies lie on the floor, but I can’t make out who they are.

  “Lev.”

  Blood specks every surface, walls and furniture alike, and just before the icy air hits me, I see those muddy boots. Andrei’s dirty boots.

  I try to lift my head, my arms. Was I shot?

  “Just try to relax, Kat.”

  I’m pushed into the back seat of an SUV. My head lolls against the leather back, and it takes all I have to keep my eyes open. The door closes, and I feel myself slide down toward the opposite corner.

  A moment later, that door is opened. I blink, opening my mouth to scream, but it’s Lev. It’s Lev, and I want to cry.

  “Shh. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” He’s wiping my face with a wet towel. “I need to get Josh. He’s going to be scared, Kat. Do you understand?”

  “Josh.”

  “We don’t have any time. I need you to help me now, okay? I need you to help Josh.”

  I nod.

  “Good. We need to clean you up at least a little. Can you do that for me while I get Josh?”

  I nod again, unable to speak. I take the towel and look down at my bloody hands. I wipe them, but it’s impossible to get it all off, and I don’t need to see my face to know what it looks like.

  Lev is gone, the door closed, but a moment later, he’s back, and Josh is clutching Wally and clinging to him as he sobs in his arms. He stops crying when he raises his head and sees me, but then his face contorts, and my heart breaks as a look of horror distorts his features.

  His lip trembles as Lev puts him into the seat beside me, and I don’t think he can speak. I think he’s in shock.

  “It’s okay, baby,” I say, wanting to comfort him, but my voice sounding strange.

  Lev looks at us, his face one of utter regret. “I have to get Pasha.”

  He closes the door before I can ask if he’s okay.

  I tuck Josh into my side, and he curls into me, hugging Wally under his arm, thumb in his mouth, his other hand around a lock of my hair and I think he’s going to get blood on him. I think I shouldn’t let him touch me.

  Shit.

  “We’re okay, baby.” I try for a soothing voice as I pet his head and he closes his eyes. “We’re okay.”

  The passenger side door opens, and Lev helps Pasha in. I can see in the way he walks that he’s hurt, but he manages to turn the visor down and look back at us in the mirror.

  “Is Josh hurt?” he asks.

  I shake my head.

  “I shouldn’t...have left.” I see the effort it takes him to speak.

  “We’re okay.” We’re not, though. Not even close.

  Lev climbs into the driver’s seat and backs the SUV out of the driveway. As soon as we’re on the road, he’s making a call. It’s a video call, which surprises me.

  A man’s face comes on the screen, and I don’t know how Lev can sound so together, so calm as he speaks. I don’t think the man can see us, but I listen, and I think Lev is explaining what happened.

  Pasha takes the phone from his hand a moment later, and I think he’s attempting a joke, but I can hear that he’s in pain.

  Andrei must have shot him.

  Andrei. What happened to Andrei?

  Lev disconnects the call and makes an illegal U-turn at the next traffic light. He glances back at Josh and me, his forehead lined with worry.

  “He’s asleep?” he asks, eyes half on the road, half on me in the rearview mirror.

  I nod.

  “You’re hurt.”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “I’m sorry, Kat. I shouldn’t have left you.”

  “What happened to Andrei?”

  “I emptied my gun into him,” he says through gritted teeth.

  “He’s your cousin?” I remember him from the first night at the club, but I didn’t know they were cousins. And this thing between them, it goes beyond that. It’s very personal.

  “He was Vasily’s son. He murdered my mother. On my uncle’s order.” Lev’s knuckles grow white on the steering wheel as he merges onto the highway north. I remember the conversation he had with Andrei. I knew he was buying time, but they spoke in Russian, so I couldn’t understand what he was saying. It must have been this. Did he just find out?

  “Andrei is Vasily’s son?” I ask, just registering the information.

  Lev nods.

  Which makes Andrei a blood relation. Vasily is Lev’s uncle, and from what I understand, his boss. He’s also the man Nina’s father stole that flash drive from; the contents of which I’ve seen.

  A new panic takes hold of me.

  We’re not safe. We’re nowhere near safe. And that stolen flash drive that started all of this? It’s nothing compared to this. Compared to Lev killing Vasily’s son.

  “What happens now?”

  Lev takes a deep breath in, eyes fixed on the road.

  “We’re going to Boston. Pasha needs a doctor. One we can trust. Then…we’ll see.”

  2

  Lev

  “Levka.” Alexei opens the door to greet us, gesturing us inside with a solemn expression. This isn’t exactly the reunion either of us were expecting, but it is what it is.

  “Allow me to help.” He takes some of the burden off my shoulders as he slips his arm around Pasha’s right side, helping him through the entrance. “Dr. Shtein is upstairs.”

  I glance back at Kat, who is still in a daze but trying to hold it together for Josh as she cradles him against her chest. More than anything, I want to take them both into my arms and make them forget everything that happened today. But any comfort I might be able to provide will have to wait. The priority right now is ensuring their safety, and there isn’t much time.

  Magda, the housekeeper, enters the room, with Alexei’s wife, Talia, not far behind, and they quickly take it upon themselves to assist in any way they can.

  “You’ve been through quite the ordeal, I’m told,” Magda says. “Let me show you to the bathroom where you can clean up, and then I’ll fix you something warm to drink. Maybe a snack for the little one?”

  Kat looks at me, her eyes clouded and her emotions too raw to make any decisions right now. She’s functioning on autopilot, and I can’t blame her for that. Sometimes, I forget that most people haven’t witnessed the same level of violence as I have in my life. That isn’t what I want for Kat. I want her to stay human for as lon
g as possible.

  “It’s okay.” I reach out with my free hand to graze her face. “Magda will take good care of you. Josh is probably hungry. Let him have a snack, and if you want to see me, I’ll be upstairs, okay?”

  Her eyes are glassy as she nods. Though I don’t doubt she’s still uncertain, she’s aware that right now we have to focus on getting Pasha upstairs.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” I assure her as I continue toward the stairs. “One step at a time, alright? For Josh.”

  Again, she nods, and Magda leads her away with Talia beside them. I hope Kat will feel comfortable with them, but regardless, we won’t be staying here for very long.

  Alexei and I manage to drag Pasha upstairs to one of the spare bedrooms where Dr. Shtein is waiting. I don’t know much about her, other than she often assists with Vory situations such as these. Already, she has Alexei’s room set up with medical supplies, and she seems to be familiar with the place as she helps us navigate Pasha to the bed.

  “He has two gunshot wounds,” I tell her as she begins her physical examination. “One in the thigh and one in the shoulder.”

  Pasha is covered in blood, but I don’t know how much is his and how much is Andrei’s. Right now, he looks weak, but he’s still conscious, so I figure that has to count for something.

  “I will start my work,” Dr. Shtein answers briskly. “It is best if you go for now.”

  Alexei nods, but before we leave the room, I take a moment to thank Pasha for his help. I can’t be certain if he hears any of my softly spoken words until he offers me a weak smile.

  “I’ll be fine,” he rasps. “Take care of your family.”

  I squeeze his hand in mine and then take my leave, following Alexei down the hall to his office. As much as I’d like to stay and wait out the news of Pasha’s prognosis, it’s a luxury we don’t have.

  There is no telling how long we have before Vasily discovers Andrei is dead, but I intend to be out of here before nightfall. Alexei will be one of his first contacts, given that he is my cousin. And while I trust Alexei to honor our safety, he can’t do that if we are hiding out in his house. For now, the best thing he can do is extend some of his resources.

  “I have one of my men preparing a car for you,” Alexei says, taking a seat at his desk so he can face me. “I have provided food, some weapons, and secure phones for you.”

  “Thank you, Lyoshenka.” My voice feels fragile as I study him. This man is my blood, but I have never done anything to warrant such loyalty. I know it is simply because he understands better than anyone the complications of being connected to the Vory while trying to protect your family.

  “There is a brownstone set up in Boston,” he continues. “It belongs to a friend, but it is available for your family if you wish.”

  I consider his offer, but as much as I trust Alexei, I don’t want to place my family’s well-being in anyone else’s hands, friend or not.

  “I think it will be best for us to stay in some short-term accommodations for now,” I answer. “But I appreciate the offer.”

  He nods as if to say he understands. “Very well. Now I believe we must get to the business of what your plans are.”

  A caustic laugh chokes the answer from my lips. “Andrei is dead. Vasily will not accept this. He won’t let this slight go unpunished.”

  “So you could run.” Alexei shrugs. “But you are not a man to run.”

  “No,” I admit. “I’m not.”

  Alexei unfolds his hands and reaches down into one of the drawers of his desk, retrieving a brown paper folder. “I’ve been going through the names on the drive, and I found something this morning. I think you may want to take this into consideration while you are making those plans.”

  “What is it?” I ask.

  He slides the folder across the desk, and when I open it, I find the typical background reports, birth certificate, and health records. Things that Alexei can easily access, given his computer skills. But it is the name on the records that has captured my attention.

  “Kieran March?” I murmur, recognizing the similarity to the last name Kat had been using in Colorado. She had called herself Katie March, which is no coincidence. But it isn’t until I find a photograph of the woman in the file that it all begins to make sense. She has the same light green eyes. The same red hair. Too many similarities to ignore.

  “Kat is...”

  “Her daughter,” Alexei confirms. “Do you remember I told you her mother died in the car accident? This is her. For some reason, her name seems to be coded, at least partially. Her real name was Ciara March, and the accident that killed her is no longer looking like a tragic twist of fate, but something intentional.”

  His words sink into my gut like a stone as I flip through the records of Kat’s mother. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would her name be on that flash drive? And why would Vasily want her dead?

  “I don’t understand the connection.” I study the information in front of me. “How could Vasily possibly know Kat’s mother?”

  “Perhaps you need to ask Katerina.”

  “She isn’t aware.” I shake my head. “You said yourself she was only three when her mother died. But she was in the car that day. Do you think Vasily knows that Kat is her daughter?”

  Alexei shrugs. “I doubt it. She’s been using a different name for many years. It’s unlikely he’s made the connection yet, but it’s only a matter of time until he does. If her mother’s name was on that list, he wanted her dead for a reason. Now we just have to figure out what that reason was.”

  “Do you have any leads?” I ask.

  “I believe I may have found a fellow Vor connection,” he informs me. “You may remember him from your younger years. Does Maxim Sobol sound familiar?”

  “Maxim?” I echo. “The guy who used to run jobs for Vasily? He’s dead. He’s been dead for years. His name is on that list.”

  “But I think, perhaps, he is not so dead after all.” A smile curves Alexei’s lips. “I think that’s just what he wants Vasily to believe.”

  It seems like a stretch to bank on a former associate, but I do remember Maxim. He actually helped train me. I ran some of my first jobs with him, and I respected him. But Vasily told me that he killed him. He said Maxim had betrayed him, and I never questioned it further. Now, I wonder what he might have been hiding all these years if he really is alive.

  “He worked with Vasily for many years,” I note.

  “Exactly.” Alexei smiles. “One can only imagine the things he might know. Just give me a few more days. Let me see what I can do to draw him out.”

  I nod, accepting that this will take time. But right now, time isn’t on our side. And I can’t even begin to imagine how this news will go over with Kat when she finds out. It’s unlikely she is even aware of it yet, but at some point, it will need to come out.

  “There is something else.” I close the folder and tuck it into my jacket for the time being. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you, but I found my mother’s trinket box in Andrei’s garage. When I confronted him, he claimed he was the one who killed her.”

  “Do you believe him?” Alexei’s brows pinch together in uncertainty.

  “I do,” I confess. “But he claims my mother was going to turn on Vasily. That she was giving information to a neighbor.”

  “Perhaps the neighbor on the list?” Alexei ventures.

  “That was my first thought.”

  “I will see if I can make a connection.”

  “Thank you.” I reach out to shake his hand. “I don’t know where I’d be without you.”

  Before he can reply, Magda and Kat appear in the doorway, with Josh still tucked against her side. She must be exhausted from holding him, but I know there’s no prying him away from her right now.