CZAR

Stupid.

That’s what came to mind when she entered the car without even looking at the driver. Too trusting. Too sure. Or maybe too desperate.

She walked out of a birdcage only to enter a lion’s den.

But her naivety made this plan easier, so I'm not complaining.

“That was quick,” Eiran commented through the earpiece.

“Don’t relax yet; we haven’t left Yekaterinburg,” Adonis said beside him. We left Alaric in Saint Petersburg to oversee things while we’re doing this.

“That casino was so tempting; I would’ve been richer,” Eiran dismissed Adonis's concern.

“We have casinos in our city, Eiran. Stop whining,” I said.

“I’m not whining, just pissed,” he replied. “You could’ve been less of a killjoy, Czar. You wanted so much to get her without fail that you won’t even let me break the rules. Lost your taste, man. I thought we enjoyed the thrill of getting caught.”

I frowned. I was getting annoyed with our distance. If he had been sitting next to me, I could have grazed him with my knife.

“Don’t make this about me, Eiran. This is for nothing but the La Archantes’ honor. We won’t let them be the victors.”

He hummed on the other line. “Really?”

“When I say something, what does that fucking mean? Or do you want a reminder?”

He chuckled. He was the only person in La Archante I couldn't scare.

“When you say something, it means that’s that. No more. No less.”

Good that he’s scared for his life and decided to give the right answer instead of whatever delusions he’s having.

But he couldn’t seem to stop his mouth and asked, “If the circumstances require it, you’ll kill her?” His tone was challenging. If he weren’t my brother, he’d be buried six feet under for questioning me.

I looked at her sleeping face in the rearview mirror. So what if she wrote poems for me in high school?

“This is not the first time I’ll kill, Eiran. What value does her life have over them? She’ll just be one of the many others.”

AVALINE

My peaceful slumber was disrupted by the chaos I heard. Had they finally noticed my absence and come for me? Did that woman betray me earlier, or was she just cornered and forced to speak?

Then I suddenly thought; my driver may not be skilled with this kind of violence. We won’t make it. Shit!

I jolted in my seat out of worry. But instead of a man fearing for his life, his shoulders were relaxed as if he were bulletproof.

A vehicle moved close to us and aimed at the driver’s side. I shrieked, but the driver reflexively shot sideways in a calm manner.

My eyes shot up to the rearview mirror to finally look at his face and ask if he was okay, but my voice got caught in my throat.

Before I had a chance to react, he cut me off.

“Move down!” he commanded.

On autopilot, I complied. Then the bullet hit the glass. But it didn’t penetrate; still, there was a crack.

My mouth went dry.

“Czar?!” I shouted. “Why am I in your car and what the fuck did you do to the driver of the car I was in earlier?”

I looked beside me and saw that the laptop bag was still there. How considerate of him to bother bringing that with him when he snatched me.

“I did not do anything, poet,” he said with a laugh.

“You and ‘did not do anything’ in the same sentence? Wow! It’s like an angel spoke!” I continued shouting while he was busy shooting back. I flinched every time he pulled the trigger and every time bullets hit the back of his car.

Czar broke traffic rules with how fast he drove. He still fought against those following us. But soon enough, his speed just hit the mark. Either he killed them all or just lost them.

“Fine, let me reword my statement,” he replied. “I did not have the chance to do anything because there was no other driver in the first place.”

I laughed sarcastically. “Yeah, and cows could fly.”

His brow went up. “Doesn’t that idiom go like ‘yeah, and pigs could fly’? Guess you’ve lost your touch, poet.”

I could feel my cheeks heating with annoyance. “It’s the same context, idiot!”

“I wouldn’t call me that if I were you, poet. I did not kidnap you for my entertainment. I could easily point my gun in your direction,” his voice darkened.

Mindlessly, I looked at his gun and felt fear rise to the surface. With the knowledge that I’m unarmed and a person from a different organization and that he had no reason to spare me...

And now the situation sank in for me. I’m not just a person riding in his car. I’m in here with him because he kidnapped me. My plans to leave and start anew won’t happen because I’m his captive now.

It made me shudder.

“S-so what really… happened?” my tone was not as demanding as earlier anymore. If anything, I sounded like I was muttering the question to myself.

“What I said. There was no other driver. You did not ride another car. You went straight here after you came out of the party. Without checking who the driver was, might I add. You brought this on yourself. But I’m not complaining, though.”

I smiled to myself. No. I swear I rode another car. The driver texted me, right?

Fuck!

I rushed to my bag and pulled out my phone. I thought he would take it from me, but he just let me be.

“Not scared I’ll ask for help?” I should take advantage of his generosity but couldn’t help but ask.

He shook his head confidently. “You’re running from them. Calling for help will be counterproductive. Besides, look at what happened to some of your people who followed us.”

Dead.

I rolled my eyes and checked on the message I hadn’t read when I went out.

Mavis:

I’m just getting in.

I used Mavis’s name just in case someone saw my phone while I was at home days ago. If they saw Mavis’s name, I could easily say she was my friend in high school.

So the driver wasn’t the one there because according to her text, she was just getting in then. Stupid, Ava!

The vehicle hummed. I see a plane outside the car. I don’t know which part of Yekaterinburg this is.

“What is your angle here, Czar?” I broke the silence. After our fight earlier, I hadn’t spoken to him. I sulked like a child in the backseat.

His eyes flicked up to the rearview mirror. It’s the color of the sea and the gloomy weather. It was supposed to be a calming color. But in Czar? They looked like swirling chaos. It pinned me to my seat.

“There is no angle here, poet. Maybe life just got too boring for me,” he shrugged.

I scowled at him. Boring? What does he think of me, ignorant? I know things.

“A war with the Montevals is boring, huh?” I mocked. “For sure, you lost a lot of your soldiers, captains, or underbosses. And you would risk another war with the De Greco?”

Then a smile appeared on his face. It wasn’t friendly. But one everyone should be wary of.

“You should work more on your mind play, poet. It sounds amateur,” he said. “You should actually celebrate that our enemies are increasing. Because that’s what will bring us down.”

He narrowed his eyes as if something just clicked.

“Ah,” he raised his index finger. “Do you really want our fall or the opposite?”

My pulse raced. Out of annoyance, anger, fear—who knows! What’s wrong with you, Ava? Of course, it’s annoyance!

He chuckled slightly. “Was that really a warning, Poet? Or are you worried for us?”

My brows furrowed.

“Stop putting words in my mouth! Of course it’s a warning. That’s what every enemy would do… Wait!” I laughed in disbelief. “Actually, we are not enemies at all! The De Greco aren’t doing anything to La Archante. I don’t know why you’re suddenly starting trouble!”

“My enemy’s allies are also my enemies, Poet,” he said.

Our fight was interrupted by a knock on the car door. Both our heads turned to the source of the sound.

I see some of Czar’s features in him. The difference is that while Czar’s features are rough, menacing, and a bit playful, the other man’s face is cold and calm. Czar’s violence is very evident when you look at him. But the man by the car window’s violence is subtle—subtle but you can feel it to your very core.

“All dead, boss,” he informed.

Czar only grunted in acknowledgment from his seat. Are they siblings? Or are their similarities just a coincidence?

The man smirked then poked his head into the car through the window. Then he waved at me.

"Nice to meet you, Miss De Greco. I've heard so much about you,” he greeted.

I gave him a plastic smile. “Had we met in a circumstance where I am not your captive, I would’ve said nice to meet you too.”

He peered at his brother through his lashes, gauging his reaction before turning back to me.