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“I’ve listed your information in an envelope for Mikhail. You’ll work for him. I hope he opens the letter, otherwise you’re all going down with me.”
He tries to make light of the situation, and I admire him for it. How can such a powerful man have a gleaming personality?
My eyes fall, and I bite down on the inside of my cheek. “What happens if I can’t convince him Giovanni isn’t an enemy? I’ve never even met my brother.”
“You can. But you need to make him believe it is his idea, otherwise he’ll see right through you. Mikhail is smart; he is calculated. That is why I want you to push him. Once his walls are down, you’ll see who he truly is.”
Mikhail’s hand wraps around my throat tightly while I sob an ocean’s worth of tears. My hands wrap around his wrists, and I feel the water rolling down my cheeks effortlessly.
“Pozhalusta...Misha, eto ya,”I whimper.Please ... Mikhail, it’s me.
He’s caught off-guard by the language—just another indicator I’ve fooled him. “Ty mne nikto,”he seethes.You are nobody to me.
His words hurt me more than any weapon ever could. I drown under his hurt.
“Tell me what you fucking know.”
I shake my head as fast as I can. I can’t tell him. Pavel wanted him to think it was his idea, and if I come clean, he’ll never side with Giovanni.
Mikhail brings the eye of the gun to my temple. I struggle to breathe through the sobs that crawl their way out of my throat. My entire face is drenched, and I can hardly see Mikhail through the water in my eyes. I never wanted to hurt him.
“Stop it,” I whimper with a shaky voice.
He brings his lips close to mine, but his face remains clear of any emotion. The sound of the gun clicking against my skull makes my entire body freeze up.
“I—” I choke back.
He just tried to shoot me.
“Tell me,” he demands again.
My heart pounds inside my chest, and I place my hand on his neck. I acknowledge the pain I’ve caused him, but I wish he would still see me. I’ve been by his side the entire time. I’ve been here to help him, to guide him. I’ve been here to love him.
The gun lifts from my skull, and he places it against his. “Tell me what I need to know, Sloane.”
My chest tightens as I stop breathing. “Mikhail!” I scream at him. I’d let him kill me before he found out, but now the gun is pointing at him, I can’t help the words that will follow.
He stares at me, the veins in his neck sticking out when his head falls back slightly.
“Your father,” I sob. “He wanted me to help you.”
“Help me with what?” he demands. There is nothing familiar about the man I’ve come to know. The person standing in front of me is unrecognizable.
“He wanted me to help you and Giovanni team together. To protect you both from the Clarkes,” I explain to him. There is so much more to say, yet I can’t seem to find the best way to describe any of this situation. Weeks went by quickly with Mikhail, and I got comfortable.
What Pavel wanted me to do wasn’t even my main thought or priority. I wanted to get to know Mikhail more. I found myself enjoying his company.
I take a step toward him, and he doesn’t step away. Carefully, I stand on my toes and grab the gun from his hand.
Just as I go to empty the chamber, I see there are no bullets inside. My mouth drops, and I look up at him.
He tricked me.
CHAPTER29
MIKHAIL
It’s romantic homicide.
