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Once he’s gone, Declan looks back at me. “Please,mo ghrá, put the gun down,” he pleads again.
“Stop calling memo ghrá,” I spit at him. “I hate you.” I don’t miss the flash of hurt that crosses his face, but right now I don’t care. Heknewhow important this was to me. Heknewthe identity of the man who abducted, tortured, and drugged me.
He lied to me.
Declan reaches out for the gun and I pull it out of his reach, stepping back again. “Was I just a power play?” I ask him, my voice shaking. “Did you hear me complaining about a husband and take the opportunity to strengthen the O’Connor Empire?”
“Natalia Raisa. Stop the bullshit. You know I didn’t do that.” He stands to his full height and limps over to me. “I would have married you if you were some civilian who didn’t know shit about our lifestyle. Do you know why?” He asks, pressing the barrel of the gun into his chest. “Because, I fuckingloveyou.”
“If you loved me, you wouldn’t have lied to me,” I counter, standing my ground.
Declan grabs the barrel of the gun in one hand and my wrist firmly in the other. He pulls my hand off the gun, disarming me. After he removes the bullet from the chamber, he puts the gun in the waistband of his pants.
“I lied to youbecauseI love you.” He sighs, exhaustion clear on his face. “If I had told you who it was, you would have gone charging head first to bring them down and you would have beenkilled. I needed time.”
“Time for what?” I ask, my patience is growing thin, and I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.
“I needed to take over before I could tell you because I needed the manpower behind me to go after them,” Declan explains, reaching for my hand and rubbing the back of it with his thumb.
Jerking my hand away from him, I back him against the wall. “Funny, I still haven’t heard you mention a name yet.” My hand slips into my back pocket and I pull my knife out holding it to his throat.
He swallows as I press the blade into the flesh, and a trickle of blood runs down his neck. “Natalia,” he whispers. “It’s my dad.”
The words echo in my brain. “Rian. Your father.” I repeat in utter disbelief. “Did you murder my brother?” I ask, scanning his eyes.
“What the fuck, Natalia?” Declan yells in my face. “Why would you think I would murder Dmitri? He was like a brother to me!”
“How long?” I ask him, pressing the blade firmly against his skin. “How long have you known?”
“Since Viktor said his name,” Declan admits, and I lower the knife before stepping back.
“Was that so hard?” I mutter and throw the knife across the room. I stare at Declan for a few minutes before I shake my head.
“I’m sorry, Natalia,” he says, looking down at me, his face blanketed with sorrow. “I didn’t tell you because I thought I was protecting you.”
“I don’t need your protection. I never have. I spent many years being put through rigorous training to be able to take care of myself.” I remind him and fist my hands at my sides. I raise my chin to keep the tears forming in my eyes from spilling and turn on my heel, walking out of the room.
Halfway up the stairs, Finn appears at the top. “What’s going on?” he asks and steps out of the way as I walk through the door.
“Did you know?” I ask stopping and turn to face him. “Did you know that Rian is the one behind all of this?”
“I did…” his eyes drop to the floor, and he rubs the back of his neck. “I’m so sorry.”
“Everyone’s sorry when they get caught,” I reply before continuing the walk to my car. On my way out of the kitchen, I yank my wedding ring off and sit it on the table.
Chapter thirty-five
Natalia
My first instinct is to go after Rian right then. However, my father taught me better than that. I needed a plan. I jump in my car and make the short drive to my parents' house. As I drive, I run through the recent events.
How was I so stupid? How did I not realize that he was right under my nose? Why did Declan betray me?
Putting my code in at the gate, I drive through once it opens and park in front of the house. A knot forms in the bottom of my stomach as I take in the scene before me. Half of my father's security is lying dead at the front door.
Grabbing my gun, I rush into the house and begin searching. Stepping over dead bodies, I grip my gun tighter and brace myself for whatever I’m about to find. Just as I round the dining room, I instantly become nauseous at the sight of my parents. Grabbing a nearby wastebasket, I empty the contents of my stomach. I walk over to them and inspect their bodies. Some part of me hoped they were still alive, but I knew there was no way my mother was. Her throat had been slit and her blood covered the perfect yellow dress she was wearing. At least she died quickly.
Judging by my father's position and the way they tied his hands indicates they made him watch as my mother died before putting a bullet in the back of his head. My heart clenches and I can’t stop the tears that run down my face. My father had been a ruthless bastard half my life, and my mother was overly obsessed with me being absolutely perfect. But they were still my parents. They were the only family I had left, well, besides Declan.
