Page 63 of Barinov

Ivan fucking Nowak.

The Black Book leader whose tip ended with the explosion we thought got Zeke killed in Chicago.

“Ivan?”

His eyes glitter like polished coal. “Surprised to see me, little girl?”

I gape at Zeke who’s carefully sliding the envelope behind my back. “What is going on? Why the fuck is Ivan here?”

“Bells,” Zeke pleads. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Oh, that’s okay, Zeke,” Ivan cuts in smoothly as his fat ass strolls into the room. “I’ve got time.”

He flashes a slow grin. “Why not tell your sister the truth? You know… about how you’ve been fucking my cousin for years.”

My fork clatters to the plate. “What?” I blurt out, heat rising to my face. “What the hell is he talking about?”

Zeke’s on his feet before I can even finish the question. He crosses the room and is in Ivan’s face in two very quick, very hostile strides.

“Drop it,” Zeke seethes.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ivan drawls, his beady eyes dancing with satisfaction. “Did you two not have the boyfriend talk yet?” He swivels his head toward me, voice feigning innocence. “Oops, my mistake. I thought you knew.”

“Ivan,” Luca’s voice snaps like a whip from the hallway.

“Hmm,” Ivan ponders, eyeing me up and down while tapping his index finger to his chin. “When exactly are you adding her to your little mix, cousin?” he calls toward the door.

“Cousin? What—”

“That’s quite enough,” Luca barks as he steps into the doorway. “Both of you, out.”

Ivan winks at me. “Don’t forget to ask your big brother about how you killed mine.” His thick Russian accent curls through his teeth as he heads to the door.

Zeke pauses at the foot of my bed. His eyes flick to mine. “I’m sorry, " he whispers, just loud enough for me to catch as he bends in to hug me.

“Play the game,” he breathes in my ear so quietly it could be my own thought.

Then he’s gone. Disappearing down the hallway beside Luca and Ivan like a ghost.

The second I hear their footsteps on the staircase, I reach behind me and pull out the envelope. I stare at it a second or two before ripping it open.

My dearest Bella,

If you are reading this, that means I failed you. It means he got to you. And it means I’m no longer here to protect you or your brother. For that, my sweet Sugar Bear, I’m so terribly sorry.

I want you to know—no matter what has happened and no matter how this ends—I will never regret what I did on that stormy Halloween all those years ago. You were the best thing that ever happened to my sister. To Henry. To this family. You brought us joy we never knew was missing.

I do regret him.

I regret not seeing the truth earlier. But I was young and in love, and by the time I uncovered the truth, it was too late.

I found the journal buried deep in his study. An old one, dusty and water-damaged, tucked beneath a false bottom drawer. It held everything. His hatred, his obsession, and his plans for you. When I confronted him, he knocked me unconscious. I woke up chained to a wall in a strange, damp basement. The ashes of the journal sitting in a pile at my feet.

But I remember what it said. Even the jumbled up parts when Jack’s sanity started slipping through the cracks.

Sweetheart, Uncle Jack isn’t who he says he is. In fact, Jack Donnelly doesn’t even exist. His real name is Luca Cassinelli and he was completely obsessed with your birth mother, Isabella (Izzy) ever since they were children. He hated your birth father, Roman Russo, for taking her away from him. He hated the world for not letting them be together.

When your parents started dating, something snapped deep inside Luca. He switched his major from finance to criminal justice, bound and determined to take down the Russo empire.