AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He told me of his plans to save you,” she declares, her anger almost burning me. “He said he’d made a deal with those monsters to protect you and grant you safe passage back to America. In return, he agreed to be their little bitch.”
I close my eyes, wishing to black out the memory for good. But I can’t. I never will.
“I knew it was a death trap, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He said he’d be back.” When she scoffs, I open my eyes and focus on her tale. “Deep down, he knew their agreement wouldn’t stick. Which is why he had a plan B. I didn’t know how he expected to survive blowing himself up. And when he left his personal belongings behind, including the details of his fortune, he knew it too. But I couldn’t let that happen, so with ???????’s help, I followed him. She told me where to stay hidden so he wouldn’t know I was following.
“As I said, there is nothing grandmotherly about her.”
I’m beginning to believe ???????’s part in all of this was a lot bigger than I originally thought.
“On the night of the masquerade ball, I entered through the secret doorway.”
“That’s impossible,” Alek spits, challenging her story. “It was locked.”
It’s true. I saw him unlock the trapdoor in the kitchen with my own two eyes.
But when Zoey’s tsks him, I realize she isn’t referring to that one.
“Oh, sweetie,” she coos, patronizing him as she smiles sweetly. “I meant the one in your study. The one you thought I didn’t know about.”
A huff leaves Alek, and I don’t need to look at him to know he is seconds away from losing his shit.
“Anyway”—she flicks her hand, indicating it’s now her turn to talk—“I couldn’t stand by and watch him destroy his life. It was my turn to save him.”
“How?” I never thought one word could carry so much hate, but Alek’s wrath doesn’t faze Zoey.
“You know what the best thing is about having criminals at your disposal?” She levels Alek with an unbending stare. “They never say no to a little violence. Turns out the reason Saint knew ??????? was because you convinced her son to ‘work’ for you.”
“Who?” Alek seems limited to minimal wording, but it’s enough.
Without a pause, Zoey replies, “Pavel. I believe you acquired him because of his incredible knowledge of explosives and weaponry.”
A string of Russian leaves Alek.
My brain takes a moment to catch up to speed. “So itwasyou?” I gasp while Zoey stands tall. She just confessed thatshewas the reason the house crumbled down around us and not Saint. Could it be possible?
I never saw Saint die. Could it be that he never pressed that button after all?
She doesn’t answer my question just yet. There is more to her tale. “I knew your men were turning against you. Saint told me Max was going to help him, and that alliances were wavering. I knew it wouldn’t take much to convince Pavel to help me.”
I’ll give it to Zoey—she had everyone fooled.
“I planted the explosives with the help of Pavel and a few other men.”
“Disloyal bastards,” Alek mutters under his breath. “After everything I’ve done for them.”
Zoey recoils, appearing stunned by his ignorance. “Are you serious? You imprisoned us all. Pavel helped me because he wanted to go home. His mother was getting older, and you wouldn’t even allow him to visit her.Youare the reason for all of this, Aleksei. You only have yourself to blame.”
And for once, Zoey and I agree on something.
“The plan was to catch everyone unawares. Pavel would detonate the explosives around the house before Saint could detonate his. But then that bitch Astra shot him, which really fucked things up.”
Panic overtakes me, and I lick my suddenly dry lips. “So did Saint’s bomb go off?”
Zoey shakes her head. “No, thankfully it didn’t. Ours did, though. But Astra did shoot him. I saw it on the surveillance cameras. Pavel and I waited for the explosions to go off, which we planted away from the den so there would be minimal damage to all of you. The plan was to grab Saint, who would be most likely stunned thanks to the commotion around him. Then the cavalry would come in, saving you all. The result would ensure those three bastards never left that house alive.”
“Your plan was dangerous. What if he got hurt? What if he died in the explosion?” I cry, angered she would endanger his life that way. “Why didn’t you just tell him about your plan in the first place? It would have saved a lot of trouble.”
“You clearly don’t know my brother,” she sarcastically taunts. “He is always taking it upon himself to save others. He wouldn’t risk my life or Pavel’s. In his mind, this was the only way to save your sorry ass.”
