She says nothing as he asked nothing.
Matvei cocks his head to the side. “Who are you, Selene? What is your plan with Simon? Why did you reappear in his life?”
Selene takes a breath, considering the questions before she begins to talk.
“My reappearance in Simon’s life was not part of my plan at all…” She starts talking, and everyone is locked onto her.
I have to fight the urge to pull her away from them, to drag her out of there, to tell them they have no right to make her defend herself. I sit quietly, listening and watching my brothers’ expressions.
Selene speaks most about her father. She explains how he specializes in making people invisible—the reason people call him The Ghost. She explains how her family can make anything disappear: people, evidence, secrets… anything you need. Selene speaks more quietly when she tells them how her father has kept her and the twins captive for five years, how she refused to spy on our family when her father discovered she was dating me, and how escaping from the prison that was his home was her only choice in the end.
“Are you in contact with your father now?” Matvei asks.
She shakes her head. “I was trying to leave the country when I stumbled across Simon. Simon understood immediately that the children were his. It’s not something you can hide…”
“So, what? You went along with him and moved into his house. Isn’t that a coincidence?” Matvei is pushing her, trying to make her uncomfortable.
“Actually, I tried to go back to my motel because I know my father and I didn’t think that Simon had any chance of keeping me safe,” she answers, fidgeting with a sheet of paper in front of her.
Chapter14 - Selene
Matvei fires question after question at me, and I keep my chin up and my voice steady as I answer all of them. He makes blatant accusations, and I do my best to provide evidence and solid answers to show him that I have nothing to hide.
Next to me, Simon is fuming. I can see how much he hates this, and I can see how badly he wants to pull me out of the room. I slip my hand beneath the table and gently place it on his leg. His eyes go wide in surprise, and he looks at me with his head cocked to the side.
I smile at him, trying to tell him I’m okay with the calm look in my eyes. Then I turn back to his brothers.
They continue to interrogate me, and I continue to answer, question after question.
“I just have one concern, Selene,” Matvei says after an hour has passed.
I wait for him to tell me what it is.
He sucks in his cheeks, watching me. Then says, “How do I know you’re telling the truth. Everything you’ve said might add up, it might sound right, but for all I know, you could be working with your family in a heavy covert operation against us.”
I consider his words, taking a slow breath before I answer him. I speak from the heart because there is nowhere else the truth comes from.
“All of this bratva business… my father’s business… yours… I know it means everything to him and perhaps to you, but to me it is irrelevant. The only thing that matters… and believe me when I say this… is my children being safe. It doesn’t matter who my family is. It doesn’t matter who I fallin love with. It doesn’t matter what I want or what you want. The only thing I will base every single choice on is my children and how that decision will affect them. For five years, I lived under my father’s roof, and I hate myself for staying that long. I carry immense guilt for not taking them out of that environment sooner. I should have escaped years ago, but I was too scared. I’m not scared anymore. Now will die to protect them. You have to understand Matvei… my children are all that matters to me.”
Matvei presses his lips together.
He is studying me intently, weighing my words.
“There’s something else, though,” I say thoughtfully.
“What is that?” he asks.
“My father’s entire business, his existence, revolves around covert operation. Not being seen. Not being known. Sending a sniper is not his style. It’s loud, it’s abrupt. There is nothing secretive about it.”
“It was asniper,though. They are meant to shoot from afar and not get caught.”
“No,” I shake my head. “It’s too messy. If my father planned for him not to get caught, I assure you, he would not have been caught. And he would never have chosen a man who would so easily give up his name if he didn’twantyou to know it was him. It’s bothering me because it doesn’t make sense. The men following me—they are out in the open. Everything is visible. Why? Why is he changing his MO?”
“So, what do you think is going on then?” Adrian asks, tapping his fingers against the table as Matvei stands up and starts pacing the room with his fingers wrapped around his jaw.
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “But…” I say thoughtfully.
“Maybe your father just slipped up?” Egor asks.
