Long Way Home by Carolyn Gray (41 page)

Karsonov. “What kind of monster are you?”

“The kind who’s taking care of what he should’ve years ago.” Karsonov pointed the gun at

Gev’s mother. “You’ve fucked everything up, Irini. I warned you what would happen if you left

me to the wolves, and you did it anyway.”

“No,” Gev’s mom whispered. “Don’t do this.”

“Don’t they know the story? Not the best mother, are you? And here I thought Stef was

telling me stories all these years.”

She covered her ears. “Stop it. Just stop it!”

Karsonov pulled Nina closer, his lips caressing her ear. Gev jerked forward, and the gun

shifted to point directly at him. “On your knees.” He dropped to the floor, hating this man, the

hatred roiling inside him, seething and helpless. Gev strained to hear sirens, anything, but there

was nothing. They were lost. The memory of Chad’s body slid into Gev’s mind, and he knew

then what would happen to them all. And he was helpless to stop it. Helpless to do anything at

all. He looked at his sister, held her gaze; no, there was something he could do.
Hold on, Nina
.

He willed her to understand. At least he could do this much, hold on to his sister so she would

know she wasn’t alone.

“Let me tell you a story, children. One your mother never did. About two ballet dancers,

new to this country, so young and so in love. They got married. They were so happy.” He kissed

Nina’s ear. “She was so beautiful, your mother. Just like you.” Nina wrenched away, but he held

her up, choking her harder before easing his grip. “Going to behave? Good girl. But then the

pretty ballerina got stupid. Stopped doing what she was told and left her husband and ran away

with the fucking janitor. Left her husband to look like a fool, left him with nothing, took all the

money, his family’s jewels, and his unborn child.” His face reddened. “She took his
son
and

thought she could get away with it.”

“Please, Pyotr—”

“Peter!” he said. “Shut up, Irini.”

“You got what you wanted. Just leave us alone. We won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

“Too late,
lyubimiy
. What’s it going to be? Your dear, precious Frank?” He pointed the gun

at Gev’s dad, still out cold on the floor. “Your precious ballerina?” He shifted the gun back

toward Gev. “Or your darling daughter?” He tightened his hold on Nina’s neck. “The choice is

yours. Which one is going to pay for what you did to me?” He eyed Gev. “Or maybe you all

should. What do you think, Gev?”

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185

Chapter Twenty-One

Lee finished reading the journal. It was weird, he realized, reading about himself as a kid,

and through another person’s eyes. It felt distant, so outside of the person who he was now. A

good reminder. Sometime in his life—thanks to Nick, really—he’d lost his awkwardness, his

shyness, and though he’d always kept himself slightly distant from the others, he nonetheless had

found something like family and acceptance. He realized too that he’d been a fool all those years,

thinking he didn’t want or need love, that he would never find it again.

That he didn’t deserve it.

Lee looked down the street at Gev’s parents’ house. There’d been nothing happening for a

while now. Maybe Gev’d gone in there, thrown the journal at his mother, told her the truth, and

they’d all had a big cry and hug, and that was that—Stefan would come back to the family, and

they’d be whole again. Lee hoped so, even as he realized that if that was the case, there was no

place for him there.

His earlier resolve to convince Gev otherwise was slipping. His inner demons were good at

that.

He started the truck. There was no reason to stay any longer; he could go back to Trish and

Drew’s house now and get his stuff while Gev was still here. And then he would head for

Durango, screw flying. It was too much of a pain in the ass nowadays anyway, and the thought

of a long road trip suited him, even if it meant driving through the Texas panhandle.

He threw the car into drive, started to pull out—and slammed on the brakes as something

flashed in the side mirror. Then Stefan was there, wild-eyed and scared-looking, banging on his

door.

“Lee! Let me in!”

Too stunned to do anything but comply, he unlocked the door. Stef threw himself inside

and slammed the door. “Get to the house, fast. They’re in trouble.”

Alarm raced through Lee. “What are you—”

“
Go
.”

Lee roared down the street and skidded the truck to a stop nose-to-nose with Drew’s car.

Stef was almost out the door when Lee grabbed him by the jacket. “Stop.”

“He’s back there, dammit. Don’t you get it? He wants to kill them. All of them.”

“What are you talking about?”

But Stef wasn’t listening. “There’s no time. I tried to stop him, but he knocked me out.”

Lee noticed then the bruise on Stef’s face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything—but he wants

them
dead
.”

“You can’t barge in there like an idiot. Does he have a gun?”

“Probably.”

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Carolyn Gray

Lee’s blood froze. He stared at this man he had once loved so fiercely.

Stef’s eyes filled with despair. “I didn’t know he was a killer until it was too late. We have

to stop him.”

The cell rang. Lee looked down—Ramirez. Still gripping Stefan’s jacket, unconvinced he

wouldn’t bolt like a fool anyway into a situation he was not equipped to handle, Lee answered.

“Karsonov’s got Gev’s family.”

“There was a nine-one-one call from there. We’ve got people on the way.”

Relief flooded him. “Stef says Karsonov’s going to kill them. He’s got a gun.”

“Stef’s there?”

“Yeah.”

“Stay put. Whatever you do, don’t get in the way, Lee.” She hung up.

Stef slipped out of Lee’s grasp and was out of the truck before he could react.

“Fucking hell, Stefan!” Hoping to hell Stef didn’t get them all killed, Lee followed. He

didn’t catch up until Stef had nearly rounded the corner to the backyard. Lee grabbed his arm and

yanked him back.

“He’s got Nina.” Stef collapsed a little under Lee’s grip.

Lee looked around the corner of the house and saw a scene that made him sick. The door

of the workshop was open, and Karsonov had Nina around the throat. A body—oh, God,

Frank
—lay on the ground. Irini was on the couch, frozen in place. And Gev… “Shit, Gev,” Lee

choked out. Gev was on his knees, his hands clasped behind his back. Only Irini would be able to

see them from where she sat, and if she reacted, all would be lost.

The cops would be there soon, now on high alert. But there might not be time to wait.

Pulling Stef with him, Lee backed away and turned Stef to face him. “He won’t shoot you.

I’m going to go around back, and you’re going to go in there and distract him. Wait until I’m in

place. I don’t think he’ll shoot them in front of you.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Buy us some time. I hope.”

Stefan searched his face, then put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, smiling sadly. “Be

careful. Gev needs you.”

Lee couldn’t have agreed more.

Stef straightened. “Talk with you soon.”

“Yeah, we will. You can bet on it.” Lee edged around the side by the fence, hoping to hell

that he was right and Karsonov wouldn’t shoot Stef. Once he made it to the back of the

workroom, ducking low so he wouldn’t be seen through the window, he waved to Stef. Stef

nodded and began to walk toward the front entrance.

Lee held still and waited. He couldn’t hear any sirens and hoped to hell they’d left them

off. Once he heard raised voices—Irini crying, Stef shouting at Karsonov to stop what he was

doing—Lee slid in through the back door. Karsonov couldn’t see him, but Lee could see Gev—

and Stef, talking urgently, begging Karsonov to stop. Then Lee saw Frank, his eyes open and

wide, staring right at Lee.
Thank God
. Frank’s gaze slid toward Karsonov and back to Lee.

Hoping to hell he was reading Frank right, Lee looked around the shop and saw virtually nothing

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187

he could use to attack a man with a gun. He grabbed a piece of wood that somewhat resembled a

future table leg.

What were the odds of hitting Karsonov between the eyes? None, but he had nothing else.

Lee positioned himself on the other side of the doorway, sucking in his breath, hoping to

hell he wasn’t about to die.

“You really think they’d want you back after all you’ve done?” Karsonov was saying.

“Let them go. I’ll stay away from them. I swear.”

“You said that before,” Karsonov snarled. “I warned you what would happen if you tried to

go back.”

“Please, Dad, let Nina go.”

Dad?

“Let her go, and we’ll leave, and I’ll never contact them again. I swear it.”

“Stefan,” Irini whispered hoarsely. “No.”

“Shut
up
. I’m sick of your whining.”

It all happened at once then. Karsonov aimed at Irini and fired; Frank kicked out and

knocked Karsonov off balance; Gev hurled himself at Karsonov, along with Stef. Lee joined the

fray, clubbing at Karsonov’s gun hand. Gev was punching Karsonov in the stomach, Stef trying

to pull the man off Frank. Karsonov started to bring his gun hand up toward Gev. Lee fell on

Karsonov’s hand, the gun going off again. Fire ripped past Lee’s shoulder, but he held on, his

right arm suddenly weak but his left hand still hard on Karsonov’s wrist. Gev’s hand came down

on top of his, holding tight as Nina socked Karsonov in the face with the table leg. Then all hell

truly broke loose.

“
Police! Drop the weapons! Get down!
”

Lee wasn’t about to let go. A strangled roar of fury burst from Karsonov, and he tried to

buck them off—until the barrel of a gun was shoved into his face.

Hands pulled at Lee, yanking him back, the sudden dizzying pain making him stumble.

Another hand wrestled the gun away from Karsonov.

Only then did Lee let go, and only then did the pain really rip through him as he was

hauled away from Karsonov. The workshop had filled with uniformed officers. Two were bent

over Irini, who lay limp on the couch. Lee looked wildly around for Gev, and then he was there,

blood drying on his face, suddenly holding Lee tight. Lee gripped him hard with his good arm as

the person behind him let go.

“You came back,” Gev wrenched out, and all Lee could do was nod.

Gev had hoped he would never see a scene like this again, let alone less than a week after

the first time. At least this time there were no bodies, though he wouldn’t have minded there

being one. Karsonov’s. The bastard had been hauled away, shrieking. Gev wanted to punch the

bastard again, but he hadn’t been given the chance. Paramedics had pulled him and Lee out to

the front of the house—where all the neighbors could gawk—taking them to different places to

be treated. Thankfully, the bullet had only grazed Lee’s shoulder.

They hadn’t been able to say a word to each other in the chaos, but Lee was there. He’d

come. He’d likely saved Gev’s whole family, and Gev ached to thank him, apologize for being a

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jealous fool. But he’d been told to sit on a lawn chair someone had pulled aside and not move

until the paramedic poking at him let him go. He winced as she turned his face to the side and

lightly touched his cheekbone.

“Hurts too?”

“Slightly,” he muttered. “Sorry. I was hit once already this week.”

The paramedic frowned as she cleaned the blood off his face. “That explains it.” She

straightened. “You’ll be fine. He hit you hard with that gun, but it didn’t go deep. Hard head.”

No kidding
. “No stitches, then?”

“Nope,” she said as she applied a bandage to his forehead. It throbbed dully. “Check with

your own doctor if you still have a headache tomorrow. Stay away from flying fists for a while,

okay?”

He fully intended to. “Where did they take my…friend?”

“Lee Nelson?” she said immediately, eyes dancing. Gev had to grin. Even in a situation

like this, Lee couldn’t escape his fame.

“Yeah. Him.”

She helped Gev to his feet, making sure he was steady. “Over there.” She pointed to a

group of people, behind which he assumed Lee was getting treated.

“Thanks,” he said. She walked off to talk with her partner, leaving Gev at a bit of a loss.

The ambulance carrying his dad had already left, his mom riding along. He spotted Nina, sitting

on a truck’s tailgate and draped in a foil blanket, talking to Detective Ramirez. He went over and

sat next to her, wrapping one arm—carefully—around her.

She buried her face in his shoulder, shuddering—but not crying. Not his Nina. After a

moment, she pulled back. “You okay?” She touched his bandaged face.

“Yeah. He barely grazed me. You got him good. I’m proud of you.”

Her eyes flashed. “Never piss off this Russian.”

A laugh escaped him. “You’re more like Mom every day.”

“Oh, shut up.” But she didn’t look displeased.

“Gev,” Detective Ramirez said. He grabbed her in a hug. “It’s over now, sweetheart.”