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Sergey stares at me. His expression is neutral, but that in and of itself is a clue. He should be curious. He should be asking me to explain myself.
Instead, he’s waiting. Like a man expecting the other shoe to drop.
“You killed her, Sergey. Didn’t you?”
He scoffs, waving me away with both hands. “You have fucking lost it. I know she was like a sister to you, but your obsession with her death has become concerning.”
“Shewasa sister to me,” I snap. “You wouldn’t adopt her because you didn’t see her value, but Emily was the only true family I’ve ever had.”
He gestures wildly at the ceiling and floors. “I give you this mansion and I’m not family? Goes to show how fucking ungrateful you are. If you’re going to accuse me of this, then maybe I’ll rescind my blessing. The men won’t treat you as their don if I don’t approve.”
“You’re too old to lead. That’s why you passed things on to me. The Bratva was failing under you. I’m the one who has given it new life.”
“You aren’t the only choice to lead,” he spits. “I have other options.”
I didn’t hear the footsteps moving down the hallway until they got close, so I know Sergey didn’t, either. It’s why he jolts when Rodion’s voice echoes through the room.
“How about your true biological son?” Rodion asks. “Is he an option?”
101
TIMOFEY
Sergey turns just as Rodion comes to a stop in the arched doorway.
Framed as he is in the threshold, he looks like a medieval painting. Chin raised, hands on his hips.
In this light, he also looks a whole hell of a lot like Sergey.
I’m not sure how I didn’t see it before. The resemblance between them is subtle, but obvious. They have the same square hairline and the same brawny legs. Rodion’s features are more elongated, but now that I’m looking for the similarities, I can see they have the same bushy brows and thin upper lips.
“My true son is the conniving bastard standing behind me,” Sergey says, hitching a thumb over his shoulder. “What the fuck areyoudoing here?”
“I called him right after I called you,” I explain before Rodion can answer.
Rodion didn’t hesitate to drop what he was doing and meet me at the mansion. When I presented him with my theory, the pieces fit together for him, too.
“When I asked why you hired an orphaned kid like me, you told me not to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Rodion says. “My mother never would tell me who my father was. She acted like she was scared of him. I couldn’t even find the answer hidden in the belongings she left behind. I always guessed he threatened her. Now… I’m sure he did.”
“You didn’t want anyone to know Rodion was your son,” I say to Sergey. “Why?”
Sergey laughs, but it’s a sharp, angry sound. “He isn’t my son. That’s why.”
“It’s because I was sick. I was born with a heart defect. The doctors didn’t think I’d survive childhood,” Rodion adds. “But I did. The small hole healed on its own.”
I think of Benjamin and his heart defect. The nurse suspected it could be genetic. It makes so much sense.
“Would you abandon your own child because of a health condition, Sergey?” I muse.
Sergey spins around, spittle flying. “He isn’t my son! You are my son—or you were. Not anymore.”
“I always knew I existed on thin ice. I guess I had no idea how thin.” I shake my head. “You abandoned your own child and adopted another, healthier one to continue your lineage. What kind of sick fuck—”
“The same kind of sick fuck who kills a woman so she won’t reveal his secret.” Rodion’s nostrils flare. He takes a dangerous step forward. I can see his hands shaking. “You killed Emily because she was going to tell me the truth. When I talked to her last, she told me she had something to tell me. Something important. But you didn’t give her the chance.”
Sergey leans in, his voice eerily calm. “I warned you about looking in the gift horse’s mouth, Rodion. You’re fired. You are no longer my soldier. Just as you are not and have never been my son.”
I’m about to remind Sergey that Rodion ismysoldier. Before I can, Rodion lets out a primal roar and charges towards Sergey.
