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Xenia quickly caught on. “You can’t go to the Pakhan’s house.” It wasn’t a statement—it was a plea. One glance at her desperate face told me I was right, and that I was headed in the right direction.
It was amusing. “Oh, please, do stop me.” I laughed at the terror on her face.
“Your father arrived unexpectedly last night. They’re having a meeting with him as we speak.”
Every single bone in my body felt as if it’d been lit on fire. The deeply rooted rage I’d hidden over the years resurfaced, twice as strong and twice as compelling. My breath shook, and my mind raced.
This man, the man I hated most in this world, the reason I’d become the person I was, had dared to show his pathetic face? His star might have fallen, but he was still well respected, and his death would cause an uproar. Though an uproar was on the horizon regardless.
My teeth ground together, my vision blinded by fury. If he was here, it meant that the entire situation with Aleksei was worse than they’d let on. But he hadn’t show up to help his children, to find out who was behind everything or to put a stop on it. No, he was here to watch it all unfold.
Bogdan Kalashnik was here to bury his son.
“Don’t be mad at me.” Xenia’s voice broke my train of thought. It was only then that I realized how afraid she was because I was driving like a maniac. I hadn’t done it on purpose though, and as soon as I slowed down, she relaxed.
“Why would I be mad at you?” I asked, not understanding where that nonsense had come from. I didn’t get mad at people, because when I did, I either cut them out of my life completely or buried them. Possibly both, depending on the severity of my anger.
The only exception to that were my brothers.
“Because I knew about this and didn’t tell you?”
Her question was unexpected. I shook it off. “You and I both know where your loyalty lies. There’s no need to pretend anything else, Xenia—it’s pointless and not worth my time.”
She was offended, potentially angry with me. I knew she viewed me as a friend, but to me, she was nothing but a tool I’d ship back to Dominik as soon as I was done with her services. And since she couldn’t refuse me, she had to keep her mouth shut.
“Get out of the car,” I told her when I pulled up outside my home and tossed her the keys. Slowly, she unbuckled her seat belt and, with doubt on her face, she opened the door.
“Where are you going?”
I blinked. “None of your business.”
I sped off immediately and picked up my phone. It didn’t take Rhea long to answer. The first thing I heard as the call went through was her yawning—loudly. I removed the device from my ear and put her on speaker.
“It’s early, Ekaterina.” Her tired voice cracked. “What’s up?”
“It’s not early—it’s ten in the morning,” I retorted. “And how are you doing with the task I gave you?’
Another yawn. “I have some things to check up on, nothing for certain yet.”
I cursed under my breath, and my heart rate picked up. “How fast can you get it done?”
Rhea paused to ponder before responding, “I can get you at least something by Friday.”
“That’s perfect.”
It was just in time. My suspicions needed to be confirmed before Aleksei’s celebration took place, because that was when I was going to take action if proven correct. My gut instinct had yet to fail me though, so I knew I was right. All I needed was proof.
“Why are you in such a rush?” Her voice stabilized slightly, though she kept yawning.
I swallowed. “My father arrived last night.”
“Oh shit.” Her reaction was immediate. “Are you okay?”
Genuine concern laced her tone. Perhaps it was because of the favor I was going to do for her, or perhaps it was because she didn’t want to be caught up in this family war. Somehow, I had trouble comprehending if her worry was honest.
“Of course I am.” She never recognized my lies. “I always am. Text me when and where once you get everything I asked for.”
I hung up without waiting for an answer. The phone fell to the floor of the car and stayed there for the time being.
