Ravage

“She was brave?” Zaal asked in a broken voice, pride filling every word. Avto nodded and Zaal’s lip twitched. “She always was. A true little warrior.”

Avto’s attention fell to the floor at Zaal’s words. “Day by day she grew stronger, until the day she finally woke up.” More tears fell down Avto’s cheeks. “She was so scared. So frightened. At first she did not remember; then, gradually, the memories returned in her dreams and she screamed.” Avto sighed sadly. “My wife tried to give Zoya comfort, but she wanted her mama and papa.” Avto’s sad gaze lifted to Zaal. “She wanted her sykhaara. She wanted you.”

A pained sound came from Zaal’s mouth and his head fell forward. “Where is she?” he asked roughly, “Where is my little Zoya?”

Although it seemed impossible, Avto paled even more. He said quickly and shakily, “We fled Tbilisi. We found a way to get into America and brought her here. But the guard that had been left alive at your home had told the Jakhuas that Zoya had survived. He joined their organization to save his own life.” Avto swallowed. “They knew we had fled to the United States, so Zoya’s hiding began. To protect her.”

Avto stepped forward to Zaal’s huge frame. “We kept her hidden, fearing that the Jakhuas would come for her if they knew where we lived. Then. Not long ago, we heard Jakhua had been killed.”

Avto stared off to the side and inhaled deep. “I went to her days ago to tell her the news.” Avto wiped his sleeve across his face. “And I told her … I told her even better news.”

“Which was?” I pushed when the old man didn’t continue.

Avto shook his head and looked at Zaal. “Lideri, our people, the clan that survived Jakhua, most moved here to New York. We are not the army we once were, but there are loyal men, many of whom have gone on to have sons. They have stayed close to Zoya, to honor the sole survivor of our family.”

Zaal shifted on his feet and tipped his chin for Avto to continue. Avto bowed his head and did as commanded. “Some of our men had heard rumors that Jakhua had you and Lideri Anri held captive.” Avto darted his eyes to me, then immediately looked back to Zaal. “They had heard that the Volkovs, the Tolstois, had captured you.”

“They saved me,” Zaal corrected sharply.

Avto froze. The old man quickly held up his hand. “Yes, Lideri. That became known when the men began tailing the Russians.” Avto looked over his shoulder to Talia. I could see the anger in his eyes. “And we saw that you were engaged to a Tolstoi.”

The air around us seemed to turn ice cold as I, Talia, my men, and, more important, Zaal took real fucking offense at his shitty looks. I had shifted to move when Zaal pushed me back and barked, “Talia will soon be my wife. And the Volkovs, the Tolstois, are my family. You do not look at any of them with disgust!”

Avto shuffled back in fear of Zaal. Mikhail caught him by the neck and threw him forward until he fell to his knees. Zaal cracked his knuckles, his expression livid. He bit out, “Where is my sister?”

Zaal walked over to tower above Avto and repeated, “Where is my sister?”

Avto shook his head. “I do not know.” Avto reached into his pocket and nervously held out something in his hand. I frowned, wondering what it was. When Zaal took it and lifted it, I saw it was a photograph. Zaal studied the picture and said, “It’s me and Talia.”

I peered over Zaal’s shoulder to see Zaal and Talia laughing in the shot. Zaal wiped at the picture, dried dirt coming off on his hands.

I frowned and, finally losing my patience, said to Avto, “You need to start speaking, because I’m starting to lose my shit with you.”

Avto’s lips trembled, and he confessed to Zaal, “I told your sister we had found you.” Zaal froze; then Avto continued, “She fell to the floor, the shock too much after all of these years alone.” Avto began to cry, his voice growing thick. “She asked about you, where you had been, what had happened to her brothers. I told her we had only found you.” Avto paused, then added, “I told her what Jakhua had done to you.”

“No,” Zaal hissed, and shook his head.

“She was so hurt,” Avto continued. “She asked where you were, what you looked like, if you were safe.”Avto pointed at the picture. “I gave her that picture. One of our men took it to verify you were alive.”

“What did she do?” Zaal asked roughly. I could hear him working hard to keep his emotions under control. He stared down at the picture. “When she saw this.” His thumb ran over Talia’s face. “When she saw me and my Talia?”

Avto blinked away his tears. “She cried.” Avto flicked a worried glance to me, then said to Zaal, “She asked who the woman was.”

Zaal maintained a stony silence as he waited for the man to continue.

Avto sighed. “I told her she was a Tolstoi.”

Zaal stiffened and I saw him wince. “What did she say?” he prompted cautiously.

Avto’s face filled with redness, and his head fell. “She did not understand how you could be with a Tolstoi.”

Zaal’s shoulders dropped, and he turned away.

“But she also loved how you looked happy,” Avto said quickly, making Zaal freeze mid-stride. He didn’t turn. Avto shifted on the floor and said, “We told her how they rescued you, and any dishonor she felt seemed to fade away.” Zaal still didn’t move. Avto looked around the room and slowly pushed to his feet. Swaying nervously on the spot, he said, “Lideri, I have watched her grow for over twenty years. Most days she was silent and sad.” Zaal’s hand fisted at his side, but Avto finished, “Until the day she found out you were alive. Until the day she saw your face. Your older face.”

Zaal turned his head and looked over his shoulder. “Where is she?” he whispered, defeated.

“She was meant to wait for me. We were to come to you in a couple of days when I had things in place, but she must have changed her mind when I left. I returned to find her gone.” Zaal turned, and Avto bowed his head. “I went to the Tolstoi residence where she knew you would be. And in the alley opposite was this picture … along with marks on the ground that looked like dragged feet.”

I tipped my head back and blew out a breath.

“I think someone has taken her, Lideri.” Avto’s voice broke and his tears came thick and fast. “We thought the Jakhuas were gone. We thought there were no more threats.” His pause thickened the tension in the room. “I must have been wrong. I told her she would be safe. After all of these years keeping her safe, I told there was no danger and she ran out to the waiting wolves.”