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Swallowing hard, I nod as I pick apart the napkin in my hands. “He always knew how to make me laugh.” A smile tugs at my lips as I think of the most recent art show he took me to. How we ended up getting kicked out for roughhousing in the middle of the showcase. I couldn’t stop laughing afterward.
That was Ben, reckless, carefree, and always determined to make me smile.
My eyes lift to meet Silvia’s, and I find my smile reflected there.
“A good memory?” she observes astutely.
I nod. “I hardly have a bad one when it comes to Ben,” I confess.
Though it seems the majority of my dark-tinged moments with him happened within the last few months.
“That’s what Pyotr says about him too.”
My stomach drops at the mention of Pyotr’s name, and the smile fades from my lips.
Silvia’s gaze catches the subtle shift, and her face turns sad. “Pyotr’s devastated, you know. About Ben. He wishes he could do something to help. He would love to see you, but he also wants to respect your space,” Silvia explains, and that’s all it takes to set me off.
I’m not ready to talk about Pyotr, but her words, he wishes he could do something to help, make my blood boil. “Well, he could have not killed my brother if he feels so bad,” I snap, my temper skyrocketing, causing me to lash out at Silvia, though she’s not the one I’m mad at.
Silvia looks taken aback, her body shifting in her seat as her fine brows press together in concern. “Dani, the Veles weren’t responsible for Ben’s murder. Though he and Pyotr grew apart over the years, Pyotr thought of Ben as a brother. I know he would never say anything to you about it because Ben’s your brother, but it hurt Pyotr deeply that Ben chose to side with the Zhivoder, when they used to be so close. But Pyotr could never kill Ben—especially when he knows how much you love your brother.”
Silvia’s conviction is shockingly persuasive. She doesn’t normally speak so vehemently, not about Pyotr and his dealings with the Veles Bratva. And though everything in me tells me that Pyotr’s the only logical answer for who would want Ben dead, I’m surprisingly inclined to believe her.
I’m confident of one thing. Silvia believes that Pyotr is innocent. Could he be lying to her as well? But what reason could he possibly have for doing that? I don’t see them as a couple that would lie to each other or keep secrets as big as that. Then again, I’ve had a good number of substantial paradigm shifts lately. So I’m finding it harder to trust my instincts.
“I’m sure you have a thousand questions about what happened to your brother and why,” Silvia says gently, her hand sliding across the table toward mine once again. But this time, she doesn’t touch me. “I just hope it might bring you a hint of peace to know that we would never betray you like that, Dani. Pyotr and I. It doesn’t matter what Ben did or didn’t do under Mikhail’s command. We love you like family, and we protect our own.”
Silence falls between us as her words settle deep inside my soul. And though my mind tells me I should doubt her sincerity, I want with all my heart to believe Silvia now.
She seems to read my doubt and gives a sad smile before rising from her chair. “I’ll leave you to eat your sandwich in peace,” she says. “But, Dani, just know, we are always here if you need us.”
Those words ring dangerously close to Efrem’s, and my heart throbs as my mind turns to him before I can stop myself. After listening to Silvia, I’m starting to wonder if Efrem’s insistence about his innocence might not be the truth after all. A twinge of guilt riddles me at the possibility.
I follow Silvia from the kitchen, joining her as she makes her way to the front door.
“Thank you,” I say as we reach the entryway, and Silvia turns to me.
“For what?” she asks, tilting her head.
“For everything. You’ve always been such a good friend. I’m sorry I’ve been such a terrible one lately.” Guilt gnaws at my stomach now over all the times I rejected her calls simply out of spite for her husband.
“Please. You have nothing to apologize for. You’ve had enough on your plate without worrying about me. But if you find it in your heart to come visit Isla, I know she’s missing her auntie.”
Overcome with appreciation and deep affection, I pull Silvia into a tight hug. “I will,” I murmur, tears stinging my eyes. I never knew how badly I needed this visit, but now that I’ve spoken with Silvia, I feel as though I’m starting to see things more clearly.
Silvia gives me a squeeze, refusing to let me go until I release her. Then she steps back with a self-conscious giggle and wipes a tear from her cheek. “I’ll see you soon,” she promises.
She exits onto the porch and climbs into the car that’s been idling on the curb, waiting for her. For a moment, I’m struck by the oddity of seeing her in a car when her house is just down the block from my parents’ house.
But I brush it off. She probably stopped by on her way home from running errands. The car pulls away a moment later, and I shut the door. Making my way back to the kitchen, I consider the meaningful conversation we just had.
The longer I think on it, the more inclined I am to believe Silvia would know and be honest about Pyotr’s involvement in Ben’s death. She and Pyotr are too close to keep secrets from each other. And she has no motivation to lie to me like Efrem might.
After all, I was still willing to talk to her before she said that. And I don’t blame her for what happened to Ben.
But if it wasn’t Pyotr, then who could possibly have wanted him dead? As far as I’m aware, the only conflicts my brother has had in recent months were directly tied to the Veles, which points right back to them.
I still don’t think Silvia was lying, though. I can’t see any possible reason she would go out of her way to make me believe a lie like that.
