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None of us speak as Alexei takes her hand in his, and she squeezes his back in response. She’s going to be okay. Even after this revenge, it might take more time, but she’ll be okay.
Adrian looks at Arthur again, his gaze cutting. “Is this all of them? You don’t have any more cousins who might crawl out of the woodwork to come after one of mine again?”
Kai shifts beside me, his eyes focused on Arthur’s answer. He can read people better than anyone. I know Adrian counts on him to read when people are lying.
Almost wringing his hands now, Arthur doesn’t like to be cornered. “No. There is no one else. This is everyone who has a hand in the unsavory business or has been involved in plots against your family.”
Adrian flicks his eyes to Kai, who gives a small nod. Barely perceptible if you aren’t searching for it.
Arthur continues. “As for arguing over who will do the honors, there is no need. I’ve already administered a lethal dose of poison to each of them. They will breathe their last breaths in a matter of minutes.”
The tension in the room ratchets as we all face Arthur as one. He holds his ground, no doubt knowing we wanted to be the ones to kill them. Adrian shifts a little closer. “What the fuck do you mean you’ve poisoned them.”
“I mean, before you arrived, I gave them each a lethal dose of one of my drugs.”
Andrea explodes forward, almost reaching him before her brother catches her around the waist. “So you what, give them something to make them feel good before they drift off to sleep peacefully? You fucking asshole. Do you know what they did to me? I’ll kill you for this.”
Arthur doesn’t move, his eyes slipping between Andrea and Adrian. “The means of their death was never discussed. You told me to offer them up, and so I have. My extended family…” he pauses and glances through the window. “…is dead. Our business is concluded, and you all may go about your day and leave me to mourn my brother and his family.”
Another squeeze on my hand makes me look down. Cilla stares out the window, the only one who keeps her gaze on them. “He was a bad man, as was his family. I had no love for them, but I can’t believe he could just kill them all so easily.”
I don’t bother to pitch my voice low. “You don’t believe the man who let his guards rape you as punishment could kill his own family? Really?”
Everyone’s attention shifts to Cilla, except Arthur, who has turned to face the window now. But I know he’s listening.
Andrea shoves out of her brother’s arms and stalks to the door, leaving it to slam behind her. Adrian steps up to me and claps me on the shoulder. “There’s nothing left here to do. I need to tell Val what happened.”
Kai moves to the door leading into the other room. “Open it. I’m not stepping out of here until I feel all of their pulses. If they aren’t dead, you’re next.”
Arthur presses a button, and I watch as Kai checks each already paling corpse. I can see the death on their faces. They’re gone.
I step close enough to Arthur to be sure he can hear me. “I don’t care what Adrian promised you. I don’t give a shit if you think this makes us all even. I’ll slit your throat and feel your blood run across my hands if it’s the last thing I do.”
Then we leave Arthur to his mourning and Kai to finish the details.
29
CILLA
I’m quiet through the rest of the night. Every so often, I feel his eyes on me, but I keep from making contact and only answer when necessary.
When I crawl into bed to stare out across the city, he enters the room behind me, shouldering the door into the wall with a percussive bang. “What the hell is your problem?”
I don’t answer. It’s not that I’m upset about the truly twisted side of my family. No one will miss those assholes. My father and how he could murder his own brother without even a glimpse of remorse has me shaken.
The bed shifts as he climbs and shuffles to my side. “Answer me when I ask you a question.” His voice is a whip snap of annoyance.
I huddle under the covers further. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back to your sweet passive Cilla tomorrow. I’m not in the mood today.”
I barely have the words out when his hand grasps my chin and yanks my head toward him. “What have I told you about that mouth?”
When I glare up at him, he tightens his grip. “You won’t ignore me when I ask you a question.”
Some of the fight leaves me with the firmness of his grip. Like I’m free to let some of my anger go to him. “I’m upset because my father is a monster.”
