Page 75 of Daddy Brigadier

“Now!” I growl. “Office.”

Robyn sighs, putting her paperwork aside, while Lacey pauses her task with the glasses. They both move toward the office.

I shoot a quick glance at Lev to ensure he stays put. He’s watching, but remains in his seat, an unsettling presence in the atmosphere.

The girls settle on the couch, but I can’t bring myself to sit. Anxiety is surging through my veins, driving me to pace back and forth in front of them, my fingers anxiously twisting as I tremble.

“What’s going on?” Robyn asks, her intuition sharp enough to recognize when something is off with me.

“Look, there’s something I need to tell you,” I say, my voice trembling. Taking a deep breath, I sit at the edge of the chair, my knees pressed together, my leg restless and shaking.

I pull my sleeves over my hands, consciously placing them on my lap to stop them from being rolled up into a ball. “The other night when I closed up by myself, Petrov’s men were waiting for me.”

Both their eyes snap to mine right as I raise my hand. “Valentin arrived just in time.”

“I assume Petrov’s men won’t be showing up anytime soon?” Robyn asks, her brows tightly knit.

I give a firm nod, a silent confirmation, and we all understand what it implies—they’re dead.

I settle into the chair, the weight of my secret pressing down on me, knowing it’s time to reveal it. “I didn’t tell you everything that happened that night.”

Robyn leans closer, fear flickering in her eyes.

“They hurt Ruby because of me,” I confess. My throat tightens, replaying Petrov’s words in my mind.

Lacey’s expression pales, her freckles standing out starkly against her skin, while her lips turn almost white. “So, it wasn’t just a random attack?”

I shake my head and wrap my arms tightly around myself. “No, they used Ruby to get to me.”

“Did he hurt you?” Robyn asks, her concern evident as she instinctively covers her mouth, searching my gaze for answers.

I need to share my story about that night, a secret I’ve been carrying for six long months. The weight of this burden is exhausting, and I can’t hold it in any longer. I want to release this pain so we can finally move forward and start living again.

I pull my eyes away from them, unable to look at them. “They forced me to my knees, and Petrov rubbed himself on my face,” I say, my voice hollow as I force myself to remember every detail of that moment.

Tears well up in Lacey’s eyes—genuine tears, not the phony ones we sometimes use to sway men to get our way. I actually can’t remember the last time I’ve seen her cry.

“He was interrupted when the maintenance man knocked on the door,” I say softly.

A tear drops down Robyn’s cheek, tracing a course all the way to her chin. “We’re so sorry, Lexi. We were so caught up in Ruby that we never questioned if something had happened to you that night as well,” her words stumble out, as if stuck in her throat.

Lacey approaches me, arms outstretched for a hug, dropping down on the couch next to me. I lean into her chest for a brief moment, then gently push her away. What I need isn’t their sympathy. It’s their understanding of why I’m with Valentin. He’s the only one who has made me feel safe since I arrived in New York.

“I need this to end,” I say, my voice weary. “It’s time for us to move on.”

After a tense silence, Lacey poses the question I’ve been dreading she would ask. “Why did Petrov go after you?”

“He knows who I am.”

“This is because of Elise,” Lacey emphasizes, but she’s not sayingI told you so.

We understood that as my sister’s power grew, the threat of anyone uncovering my true identity would put my life at grave risk. I am Elise Savin’s younger sister, and my connection to her makes me a target for ruthless men who want her dead. Being the sister of the most powerful woman in organized crime, she created a new identity for my protection, yet somehow, Petrov managed to figure it out.

Robyn offers a rehearsed smile that fails to reach her eyes—it’s hollow, seemingly meant to reassure me, even though everything is clearly falling apart. “What he did was wrong, and that’s all that matters.”

Her gaze darts nervously toward Lacey. “We need to keep a close eye on Ruby.”

“Isn’t she at the warehouse?” I ask.