Page 84 of Sinful Lord

“You’re not talking about…”

“Krol,” I finish for him.

“Krol is dead. Melina’s own brother killed him.”

“That’s what I thought too. But who else could it be? Who else would leave a message like that? For Drago…”

Maksim’s dark eyes dart back and forth as he tries to come up with an answer. “Someone could just be trying to lead you in the wrong direction.”

“Maybe,” I admit. “But when I heard about that message, it reminded me of something my dad said in the weeks before his death.”

“And what would that be?”

A whirlwind of conflicting emotions whip around inside of me as I remember that complicated past.

“He wanted his family back together. One last time. All of us.”

“Did you happen to remind him that Krol was already dead by that point?”

“I did.”

“And what did he say?”

I take a deep whiff of the crisp night air.

“He just tapped his chest, right where his heart would be, and said he’d take care of that.”

“He went a little mad in his final days, didn’t he?”

“He was trying to find redemption.”

Maksim considers that for a moment before replying. “Well, now, it sounds like someone is trying to find revenge for him.”

“Krol…”

The name swirls in the smoky air. But before either of us can break the curse it brings forth, the thick silence is shattered by the subtlest sound.

A ping from my phone.

My heart immediately jumps.

That’s the sound of an incoming email. And only one person knows the email attached to this phone.

Melina.

This conversation has gone on long enough. But how the hell do I get myself out of it?

“Listen,” I start, hardly knowing where I’m going. “I’ve got something for you. The more eyes on this case the better. I’m going to reach into my pocket and pull my phone out, promise not to shoot me?”

“Only if you promise the same thing,” Maksim cautiously replies.

“Deal.”

With a wary hand, I find my phone, as well as the velvet box Yasha gave me earlier. When I pull them out, I do my best not to look at the message that Melina just sent me. Whatever it says, I’m not sure I’ll be able to control my reaction. Maksim will be curious. I can’t risk him finding out. If this turns sour, one of us will die, if not both.

And I’m growing oddly fond of the old man.

“What’s that?” Maksim asks.