MARCH 2ND, 2135
Almost two solar cycles had passed since the betrayal.
Trix's eyes.
The barrel of I See You.
Rurik's gift.
Aimed at him.
Aimed at Hedeon.
Her father.
She wanted to rip their blood out with her bare hands.
Tear open their throats.
Stab their hearts.
Smash their faces with her fists.
Laugh as she stomped on them.
Trix activated Kiara's Cloakify.
Camouflage engaged.
No nanosystem could detect her.
Only Kiki could outsmart an Una AI.
She leapt from the hill,
slid through the snow toward the side walls of the Bratva.
Five minutes.
That was all the time she had between the guards' shift change.
Scaled the concrete.
Slipped inside.
Hid behind the castelito's warehouse.
Hedeon's territory.
She knew every weak point in that place.
Made her way to the office door.
A pressure gripped her arm.
She spun around, dagger drawn—
Yuri. Saymon's android, infiltrated in the Bratva, smiled at her.
"What do you want?"
He let her go.
"Need help?"
"Fuck no."
Trix sheathed the blade.
"Alright."
He raised his hands in surrender.
"But it might interest you to know the AI inside isn't disabled.
Cloakify isn't enough to fool the nanites in that room.
Once you—"
"Chert. They swapped again?
What do you suggest?"
The android widened his smile.
"You're going to be the next Pakhan."
"Not a fucking chance."
"Well then…"
Trix hated that he'd found that out.
She tightened her lips.
That hesitation was enough for him.
"It's that or—"
"Fuck it. Do it."
Minutes later, her eye's holoprojection blinked green.
The AI was down for five minutes.
The nanites inside would detect any unregistered movement,
triggering a lethal response within seconds.
But Saymon had prepped the field.
Somehow, he'd outplayed even Una.
Trix stood before the door.
Her heart pounded like a war drum.
Now or never.
And never wasn't an option.
She took a deep breath.
Swallowed any hesitation.
Didn't think twice.
Opened the door.
Rurik immediately drew his weapon.
But had no time to shoot.
Her dagger was already buried in his hand, pinning him to the wall.
Hedeon looked up at her—ice-cold.
"Moya dóchka…"
Her heart was going berserk.
Her steps toward him—
fast, precise.
Hedeon remained still,
as if testing her.
As if he thought she wouldn't do it.
He couldn't be more wrong.
Trix, in a slicing burst, grabbed his throat.
Her father's green eyes smiled at her.
Rurik yanked the blade from his hand,
lunged at her.
They rolled across the floor.
"Svoloch, you really thought—"
She drove her fist into his face.
His blood sprayed across the carpet.
Rurik set his jaw with one hand.
The other wrapped around her neck.
He tightened the grip.
She turned red. Then purple.
Trix managed to grab the blade hidden in her pants.
Drove it into his ribs.
Rurik loosened.
She punched the metal half of his face.
Sparks burst from the implant.
He lost composure.
Rurik grinned—bloody, deranged.
"Before I tore into that little throat of hers,
I had so much fun with her, I—"
She yanked him by the neck.
Wrapped her legs around his and choked.
Pressed the blade to his face.
Her aura poured rage.
Inflamed by damnation's fire.
She summoned the flames of the condemned.
Lava from hell burst from within her.
"Trix, stop this nonsense."
Hedeon's voice was calm.
He pointed a gun at her.
"Let's talk.
You just got back. You must be—"
"Now you wanna talk, papa?
How about watching the little masterpiece I'm about to carve into your konchalka's pretty face?"
Rurik's face was flushed.
He struggled to break free.
Her strength was unmatched.
She was stronger now.
Where the hell had she been all this time?
he thought.
She turned his face.
Slid the blade across his cheek.
A thin line of blood dripped.
She pressed harder.
Sliced his whole face.
Released him.
He tried to grab her,
but something drained his strength too fast.
Movements sluggish.
His eyes widened in shock.
"What the fuck…?"
He gasped. Stumbled.
"Is there poison in this blade?"
The surprise in his voice was unmistakable.
This wasn't something he taught her.
Wasn't Bratva standard.
Where had she been?
He didn't know where she'd been these past months,
but now, the poison burned like a secret he'd never uncover.
Trix walked toward Hedeon.
"I'm not one of you anymore."
Her voice—cold.
Frozen, like the blade in her hand.
Rurik collapsed to his knees.
Hedeon spun the gun in his hands, ready to fire.
"You've grown, Trix."
He looked at her with a strange light in his eyes.
A flicker of pride.
"You've seen nothing yet."
"No, Hedeon, she—"
Rurik tried to speak.
Too late.
She, without breaking eye contact with her father,
threw the blade into Rurik's throat.
Blood gushed up to the ceiling.
"I've been dying to wipe that fucking smile off your konchalka's face."
Her eyes burned.
Her smile—delirious.
Her hatred—unholy.
Hedeon laughed.
"Trix, forget the past.
Rurik just followed orders.
A Pakhan must never form bonds—
except with the Brotherhood."
He watched the blood drip from the ceiling.
"If it's any consolation…"
His gaze locked on hers.
"Your mother was just a fling.
Back when I was a rat in the army."
Her blood boiled.
Scalding like magma.
She snapped.
Grabbed the golden statue off the desk.
Slammed it into his forehead.
Pretended the sting in her heart didn't happen.
He dared mention her mamochka?
"You know, I've been thinking about how I'd kill you…"
Red dripped from his suit.
"You were always strong, Trix.
Stronger than your mother. Stronger than anyone.
Everything I did was to forge you, moya dóchka.
To make sure you became what I always knew you would."
He licked his bloody lips.
"Strong.
Unbreakable.
Ruthless.
Deep down, you know I'm right."
Before she could move again, he fired.
The bullet hit her shoulder.
Trix stumbled.
Fuck.
Same spot Kiki shot her.
She gritted through the pain,
ignored the blood trickling down her arm.
She saw nothing now—
nothing but that bastard in front of her.
"You'll always be my dóchka, Akilina.
No matter what happens, we can still fix this…"
She grinned—deranged.
Couldn't stand looking at his face.
Hearing that voice.
Akilina.
That name burned like magma in her veins.
A cruel reminder of everything he destroyed.
His words returned like a ghost.
Echoed in the silence.
Lies.
All of it.
At a distance, she sent the fire command to I See You.
The bullet pierced the nanoshielded glass.
Hit his ribs.
Hedeon collapsed.
She kicked his stomach.
Grabbed the dagger.
Pressed it to his throat.
Sweat dripped.
Mixed with blood.
Stained the face of the man who stole everything from her.
She hadn't been there to protect Darya.
A single mourning tear ran down her cheek.
Trix gritted her teeth.
Flipped the dagger.
Used the pommel to beat her father's face
until life left his eyes.
Those green eyes—
now soaked in sweat and blood—
seemed to waver.
But it was far too late for that.
Each strike, raw rage.
Never enough to erase her torment.
Hedeon's life had been gone for a long time.
Trix slammed his skull against the wooden floor
with all her strength.
A scarlet tide.
She laughed—feral.
"Mraz'nik, svoloch, ty zhalkaya tvar'!
I'll feed your guts to my wolves, sewer-ass!"
She closed her eyes.
Took a deep breath.
Rose—drenched in blood.
Gave one last look at Hedeon's mangled face.
His brains and guts smeared across the shining floor.
She felt a pulse of emptiness in her chest.
It wasn't relief.
Wasn't joy.
It wasn't enough.
It never would be.
Trix walked to Rurik's corpse.
Pulled the blade from his throat.
Wiped the blood off.
Stuffed it into her pants.
Grabbed the pack of cigarettes from his pocket.
Turned it over in her hands.
Frowned.
"Still smoking that Cuban shit, konchalka?"
Shoved the pack into his mouth with the revolver.
Pulled the trigger.
The fire consumed.