I rolled my head to face her and flipped my palm.
Talia squeezed my hand.
“Through the back door, Tal. Take the back way so we don’t have to face the crowd.”
Nodding, Talia helped me walk round the back of The Dungeon. Max, my papa’s head Byki, widened his eyes as he stood vigil by the door and saw us approach.
“Miss Volkova! What the hell has happened? Does Mr. Durov know this has happened to you?” he asked in shock, reaching out to help Talia take my weight.
“Max, please help me up to my papa’s box,” I replied, bristling when Alik was his first concern.
Alik was feared. Feared by everyone.
Max glanced to Talia, and she nodded her agreement. Together, they helped me through the narrow hallway, my papa’s men standing back, appalled at my state.
The sudden roar of the crowd made me stumble, and I looked up to Max. “How long has the fight been on?”
“About five minutes, miss.”
My heart began to pound again, and I looked up the stairs to my papa’s private box. “Quickly, I need to speak with Papa.” I looked to Max. “Who’s in there with him?”
“Just your father and Mr. Tolstoi, miss.”
I exhaled in relief, and Max and Talia helped me up the stairs. As soon as we reached the top, Talia opened the door and helped me inside.
Papa and Ivan were watching the fight, the overfilled crowd visible through the large bulletproof glass window.
“Papa?” I said quietly, and my papa looked over at me, a smile still on his face as he watched the fight. But as soon as his blue eyes fixed on mine, all happiness drained from his face. My papa shot out of his chair and ran over to me, Ivan doing the same. They ushered me to a seat, my papa’s face reddened with anger.
“Who did this to you?” he asked curtly. “We need to get you to the doctor.”
“She won’t listen. She insisted on coming here. And… it was… Alik,” Talia answered from beside me. “He beat her, and I had to pick her up at a shack he owns on the docks.”
“ALIK!” my papa roared, rushing to his feet and glaring out the window.I leaned forward and looked out onto the cage too. The floor was smeared with blood, Alik and Luka rolling around, grappling for dominance.
“Who’s winning?” I asked, and my father glanced to the cage and then back at me.
“Kisa—”
“Who?” I pressed.
“Raze gets the upper hand more than Alik, but right now, it’s anybody’s fight,” Ivan answered, and I pressed my hand on my head.
My heart raced with what I was about to do. “Is Abram cage side with Yiv?”
My papa looked at me like I was insane. “Yes, of course. Kisa! You need to start talking. Why did he do this to you? He’s a dead man!”
Taking a deep breath, never taking my eyes off the cage, watching my Luka face Alik, and trying not to cry, I said, “I have to tell you all something.”
I glanced to Talia and Ivan. “About… about Luka.”
Ivan paled and Talia’s eyes darted to her father. The pain flashed immediately across their faces. Talia then kneeled down and felt my head. “Kisa, does your head hurt? Are you confused? You’re worrying me.”
“No!” I snapped, but then I gripped Talia’s hand. My eyes filled with tears and my heart kept time with the quick stamping of the crowd’s feet below.
“Then what, Kisa?” Ivan said in a softer tone. “What of my boy?”
“He didn’t do it,” I blurted and immediately felt the atmosphere in the room change. I looked up at all three sets of eyes. All were looking at me like I’d gone insane.
Closing my eyes, I pictured Luka’s face and said, “I need to say something. Please don’t interrupt me. I need to get this out.”
Ivan, Talia and my papa nodded their heads.
“Luka didn’t kill Rodion all those years ago. Alik set him up. They were at the falls. Something happened and Alik stabbed Rodion and then stabbed himself to make it look like Luka was guilty.”
I caught Talia sucking in a sharp breath, but I kept my eyes shut.
“Abram had told Alik he had to kill Rodion so he would be next in line, that Rodion wasn’t strong enough to lead when they were older. And Alik placed the blame on Luka because…” I cleared my throat and felt the pit of guilt that lay with in me expand. “Because he wanted me to himself… and believed I would never choose him with Luka still around. He was right. I never would have given up Luka for anything. You all know that.