Chapter 16.

NIKOLAI VOLKOV. The drive back from the gym was usually my time to decompress. I couldn't shake the image of Nora's face from this morning. The way she had looked at me with hatred was so pure. Hate keeps you warm, I had told her. I gripped the steering wheel until the leather groaned. I had lied, hate didn't keep you warm. It burned you alive until there was nothing left but ash. I knew that better than anyone. As the gates of the estate came into view, I instinctively tapped the brake something was wrong. Usually, the guards at the perimeter were statues today, they were moving. I saw two men running across the north lawn. The gatekeeper was speaking frantically into his radio, his face pale. I didn't wait for the gates to fully open. I gunned the engine, sliding the car through the gap with inches to spare, and screeched to a halt in front of the main entrance. I was out of the car before the engine died. "Report!" I barked. Sergey ran toward me, breathless. He looked terrified. "Bo