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I shiver in my robe, my skin pebbled with goosebumps, and they are most definitely not of the delicious variety.
These are the foreboding type.
“What if whoever came to me after the performance grabbed Bohdan, and that’s how they got the code to the house? That would explain the dead guy.”
“What if this whole thing was plotted by Malikov?” Malice shadows Petro’s expression. “He came here for revenge. He could have had Bohdan kidnapped or worse, thinking he’d get you alone. And it could have been his guys shooting up the place to give him an out when we showed up.”
I hang my head.
Petro could be right. He knew to find me here. Alone.
And as much as I don’t want to believe it, reality spits in my face, daring me to challenge it.
He lifts his eyes toward me.
I don’t need to hear his answer. I can see it scrawled all over his face because he knows the same thing I do — that we’re all screwed.
We just don’t know by whom.
My stomach clenches. “Is there anything I should know, Petro? Did you guys do anything this week while I’ve been away from you? Give anyone a reason to come here tonight and shoot up our house?”
He brings a hand to the back of his head, averting his eyes. But he says nothing.
My gut free falls to my knees like an elevator with a snapped cable hurtling toward rock bottom with no safety net, no cushion to brace the impending crash and burn.
Gigi whimpers and prays in Ukranian where she sits against the wall. Daniela clings to me, digging her tiny fingers into my shoulder.
The silence is deafening. White noise fills my ears, conflict assaulting my heart.
Did my brothers really put the final nails in my coffin?
Petro’s silence sure speaks volumes.
“Get the fuck off me.”
I peer around the edge of the wall in time to see Danil with his gun pointed at Hadeon’s head. He smirks at me. “You didn’t think I’d just leave without saying goodbye, did you, sweetheart?”
Hadeon grunts, his wrists tied around his back with a plastic zip tie. Blood drizzles out of the corner of his mouth, bruising around his swollen left eye already a deep purple color.
“What happened?” I use the wall as leverage as I straighten up.
“Fuckhead here killed the gunman. How convenient,” Hadeon spews at Danil.
“Was I supposed to let him shoot at me again?” Danil hits him on the back of the head with the gun.
Hadeon whirls around, his face beet-red. He shoves his shoulder blade at Danil’s chest, but my brother is about five inches shorter and lanky as hell compared to Danil.
“I could break you in half. And if you’re stupid enough to pull that shit again, I’ll show you exactly how.”
“He was one of your guys. That’s why you killed him. You didn’t want him to give you away. You didn’t want him to tell me that this whole ambush was part of your plan.”
Danil lifts an eyebrow, his eyes focused on me as he speaks to Hadeon. “My plan was to make sure justice was served. And it will be. Now.” He takes a few steps toward me, the gun barrel pointed between my eyes.
“Are you fucking serious? Are you just going to shoot me dead right here?” My voice rises, laced with panic and disbelief. “I literally have your daughter in my arms.”
My voice cracks, and I hate myself for it. I hate that I let him touch me tonight. I hate that I loved every second of his erotic assault on my body. And I hate that he’s taken every bit of control from me, putting me in a position where I can’t even protect my own child.
“She doesn’t look anything like me. You’re a fucking liar. You should die twice for that.”
