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She gaped at me. "He was involved in what happened on Sunday?"
"We were taken to Bratva territory, Inessa. And it wasn't with Lyanov's approval."
"Stepanov is trying to take over the Bratva?"
"I think so."
Her brow furrowed as she stared at me, but the doorbell rang. "Just give me a minute, Savvie."
"Of course."
I stared down at my wine, trying to piece all the parts of the puzzle together. Not really listening to Inessa, absently I heard her say, "Thank you for bringing it up, John."
When she stepped back into the kitchen, however, for all her voice had been calm and steady, she was as white as a sheet.
"Nessa?" I queried, straightening up with concern. "What is it?"
She swallowed as she stared at the box in her hands. "I've seen this packaging before."
"Eoghan?"
Her head whipped from side to side. "No. Maxim. Lyanov," she corrected with a croak.
"Why would he be sending you gifts? Jesus, don't tell Eoghan. He'll go crazy."
"It isn't for me," she admitted heavily.
"Who's it for then?" I asked in confusion.
"Victoria." She placed the box on the counter and stared at it like it contained a ticking time bomb.
"Why would he be sending gifts to Victoria? That's kind of creepy."
She shot me a glance. "There's a lot you don't know, Savannah. After Camille married, there was a lot of bad blood... Camille came home after Papa's knees were shot out. He was going to marry her to his Sovietnik, but Camille... Brennan." She shrugged helplessly. "To get to Brennan—" Somehow, I knew she'd skipped a ton of information. "—she killed Papa."
My eyes flared. "Camille? Camille killed your father?"
"He was a brute, Savvie. He was behind our mother’s death because she couldn’t give him anymore children and he needed a son to leave everything to." She clenched her fists at her side. "I don't blame her for doing it. I wish I'd been there. But afterward, his Sovietnik and his Obschak tried to take over the gang—"
"They're the ones Lyanov beat to take the role of Pakhan?"
"Yes. But they also tried to kidnap us. The Sovietnik, Abramovicz, he tried to, well, he wanted to marry Victoria."
"But she's a baby!"
"He didn't care about that. He'd have kept her with him until she was of legal age, so Camille stopped him too."
"That's when she bit off his dick?" I whispered, well aware of that story.
"Yes." Inessa swallowed. "Maxim took the head of the Obschak—"
"Why do I think you're being literal there?"
"Because I am. He packaged it like this, all pretty, and he had it delivered to us."
My eyes bugged. "He had a head overnighted to you?"
"To Victoria. What the hell has he done now?"
