Page 121 of Beguiled

“Do you think that bothers me?” I tickled him playfully and he shook his head, his smile slowly fading.

“Maybe it should. Classic story. My birth father had an affair and I’m the product of that six-month relationship. He didn’t want anything to do with either one of us until his wife was murdered. Then suddenly, he wanted his entire family surrounding him. Within a couple months, my mother, who’d sworn she hated him with all her heart, surprised me with an announcement they were getting married.”

“Uh-oh. And you were unhappy.”

He brushed hair from my face, his expression reflective. “I was livid. To this day, there’s a slight rift with my mother still.Although I will say she was happy for a little while. Until he was murdered.”

“I’m sorry. However, mothers are important in our lives.”

“A dangerous occupation. He lost his first wife to murder and yet he remained very much in charge of the Bratva and there was no question his sons would follow in his footsteps. Kazimir is a good leader, a fair and reasonable man. He adores his family and would do anything for them.”

“Yet the world is still dangerous.”

Stash eased onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Yes, which is why I don’t want you involved.”

I scooted closer, resting my chin on his chest. “Apparently, I already am. Someone has already noticed we’re close.”

“Yes, Saige. They have. I think you were targeted at the club that night, but I can’t prove it.”

“Yet you have suspicions of who’s behind the attack.”

His shrug was noncommittal. “An old nemesis.”

“The man in the Chertov Revenge file?”

I risked what trust he’d placed in me, but I had to know the truth. Plus, I wanted him to know I wasn’t scared of what might happen. Foolish or not, I didn’t care. What I did care about was the man barely covered by sheets. “You are an insatiable brat. What do you know?”

“Only that you’re calculating his moves, which means you anticipate he’ll attack again.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“Who is he?” When he didn’t say anything immediately, I stroked his skin. “You can trust me.”

“It’s not about trust. It’s about… the anguish I feel even though I don’t really know him. He’s my other half-brother. He was a kid when his mother was murdered, Kazimir becoming his caretaker. Mikhail had cancer and Kazimir became his surrogate mom. So when Mikhail spiraled into hating his own brother, believing him partially responsible for their mother’s death, something snapped inside him. People want to believe he went crazy, but he orchestrated his own father’s death and planned and executed having his brother kidnapped and imprisoned. I call him cunning as fuck.”

I sat up, horrified at what I’d just heard. “My God. That’s terrible.”

“And Kazimir allowed him to live, banishing him as if that was punishment enough.”

“He tried again. Didn’t he?”

“Yes, here in New York. The bastard walked away from a horrific fire while Kazimir and his second in command along with the woman Kirill recently married almost died.”

The realization was terrifying. “You’re next.”

Stash grinned, but I could see true concern in his eyes. “Apparently. Your apartment was trashed, Saige. I think he’s planning on finishing what he’s considering a game.”

“What? That son of a bitch.”

“You left your notes, the pages you’d printed from the blackmail list on the coffee table. I suspect if Mikhail is behind the break-ins, he’ll use that information against us by warning those on the list.”

“Oh, shit. He’s out to destroy the company as well.”

“With the perfect opportunity. He won’t stop until he gets what he wants. The worst part is that I’d always wanted to have siblings. Isn’t that crazy?”

“No, that’s not crazy.” I thought about what he was saying. “Do you think it’s possible he murdered Tawny?”

“I know for certain he has people working for him. And if I had to guess, I’d say he’s been undercover all along, posing as someone else. He is a master of disguises. We learned that the hard way.”