Where the Snow Falls (Seasons of Betrayal #2)(73)

“It’ll be fine, brother. No worries. I’ll send you the address.” Kaz glanced behind them at the house. “Take care of her for me.”

“You get an hour, Kaz. I don’t hear from you by then, she’s going underground, and I’m coming to find you.”

“Fair enough.”

“Watch your back, Kaz.”

Inclining his head, Kaz headed down the steps to his truck. The headlights briefly illuminated Rus’ concerned face before he was heading down the driveway and out of the neighborhood. At this time of night, hardly any drivers were out and even less because of the snow. Besides the occasional snowplow. The stars hung like glowing points in the sky, made brighter still with the full moon.

It was a beautiful night despite the ugliness of the day.

It was nearly an hour later before Kaz was cutting his lights; slowly creeping down the street, he parked at the very first available spot.

Killing the engine, he sat for a while, looking toward the brownstone where Vasily was hiding out. The light was on in one of the windows, and he thought he saw a shadow move in the room.

Pulling on a pair of black leather gloves, Kaz reached into the center console, retrieving the gun and silencer he had stashed there. There wouldn’t be any torture tonight.

It would be simple.

An execution.

Then he wouldn’t give his father another thought.

As quietly as he could, Kaz climbed out of his truck, keeping his steps light as he walked down the sidewalk to the building, his shoes crunching on the ice and snow. Glancing around for Boris, he didn’t wait to find him, going up the stairs instead.

Going up to the second floor, he picked the lock on the door, pausing a moment once he was finished. Very carefully, he twisted the handle and pushed the door open but didn’t take a step inside.

He just looked around.

Something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

Backing away from the door, Kaz started back down the stairs, his phone in hand, but as he was on the stoop, something caught in the corner of his eye. A foot, he realized, sticking out from behind a trash can and garbage bags.

From the direction he came, he hadn’t been able to see the body there, but now, he definitely could. Boris, he realized as he came closer, only able to see the tattoos that decorated his fingers.

Something was off …

Narrowing his eyes, Kaz tried to make out what it was when it finally hit him—his fingertips were blue. Which meant Boris had been dead for a while … maybe even since he had made the phone call.

The realization hit him too late as he felt the hands on him, one forcing his head back the other coming down, the glint of a knife flashing before it sliced across his throat.

Dropping his gun, his hands flew to his neck, applying pressure, even as he sputtered, feeling the rush of blood pouring down his neck. He was on his side before he even realized he was falling.

“I would have given you anything, Kazimir,” Vasily said in a calm voice, one he hadn’t used with him since he was a boy. “You were my boy, and I would have given you the world.”

With a sigh, he crouched next to Kaz’s head, unmoved by the red soaking into the snow at his feet. Brushing his hair back from his face, Vasily gazed down at Kaz fondly. “I’ll see you, son.”

Vasily didn’t linger much longer, disappearing out of sight.

As he lay there, the chill grabbing hold of him with strangling arms, Kaz could feel the warmth fleeing. This, he realized belatedly, was what numbness felt like.

Or rather ...

This was what dying felt like.