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“It’s impossible that she didn’t exist until recently.” I was visibly displeased with the lack of information. “And her name isn’t helping me at all.”
Brianne Emmerson was twenty-two years old, according to the information from the lease, but aside from an address in a building that had been torn down a year ago, there was nothing else to find on her. Not her academic achievements, her medical records, or even her parents’ names. All we had was a picture of her, which was rather unflattering, and the fact that it was in her apartment that Davorin and I had met last night.
“Look, I’ll keep digging, but only if you tell me why the hell she’s so interesting? Aside from Davorin using her to sign a lease that is.”
I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Are you sure you want to try bribing me, Xenia?”
Most of the time, Xenia was tolerable, and her extreme intelligence in a field I found boring was helpful. However, no matter how much she denied it, Xenia’s loyalty was to Dominik, and Dominik only. It didn’t matter that he was the only family member I remotely trusted; he still wasn’t a man to be taken lightly, and I knew if it came down to it, Xenia would sell me out to save herself. Hell, she’d told me that herself.
She gulped. “Don’t be mad. I just want to know how the hell any of this happened.”
“None of your business.”
Xenia sighed. “All right. I won’t pry too much, but please, if you feel unsafe at any moment, tell someone. It doesn’t have to be me—just tell someone.”
I laughed. “I’m capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.”
“I know that,” she fired back. “But you get too… hot-headed, princess. And if you get in too deep, you’d rather drown than ask for help.”
“Every action has a consequence, and I always take those risks knowing how things might end up.”
Xenia released a breath of frustration, and I was confused as to why she was getting bothered.
“If something happens to you, how do you think the people that care about you will feel?”
“Why would I care about their feelings?”
She stuttered for a second, disbelief covering her face. “Because they’re your family, and you love them? I hope?”
“Love them?” A dry laugh slipped past my lips. “Absolutely not. I need them—that’s the difference. The moment they become an obstacle, I’ll have no issue getting rid of them.”
I didn’t mean killing them. That would be suicide, and at the moment, I had no desire to die. Xenia’s eyes bored into mine, searching for any hint that I was joking. Disappointed, she sighed and looked away.
To ease the awkwardness, she returned to the topic of Brianne. “What do you plan on doing to her?”
Xenia knew me too well. I hid my smirk behind a glass of whiskey and took a sip. Our eyes met, and I could see terror flash behind hers when my silence lasted too long.
“Don’t worry,” I told her. “Nothing—yet.”
“You need to be careful though. One of these days, the Pakhan will stop letting your killing spree go unchecked.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t call it a spree. More like… practice, to stay in shape, you know?”
“No, I don’t know, and I don’t want to know.”
Xenia’s response made me chuckle. Despite how long she’d been in the business, she still hadn’t grown used to all violence. It was amusing though, seeing her quiver.
Her comfort zone was her office. She used to never leave it, and had a bathroom and a kitchen built in, so she’d be able to keep away from everything else that was going on. It hadn’t worked out though, because things never worked out like you wanted in this world.
It was a world filled with venom, and the only antidote was death. No one left the Bratva alive, and the ones who tried met their maker at the hands of Aleksei himself. He dealt with traitors on an almost daily basis, and he had quite the temper.
Which was why I was getting anxious. Davorin wasn’t going anywhere, and I knew it must have been Aleksei who’d called Dominik—Xenia’s story about him seeing my search history in the database had made no sense. Dominik was a man of class, but Aleksei was a man of violence, and his involvement made the situation unpredictable.
Even so, I was pleased Dominik was coming, though I prayed I wouldn’t be left alone with Viktor, my twin. Physically, he was much stronger than me; mentally, he was a greedy bastard who only sought to further his own ambitions, and that made him the most dangerous of my three brothers.
There was no price he wasn’t willing to pay if it meant getting more recognition from our father. I felt chills at the thought of the lengths he’d plumb to drag me back home.
I could only pray that Davorin would change his mind and accept my offer. If not, I was on my own, and I was doomed.
