“Fuck that motherfucker.”
I flinch.
Okay. This is a lot more serious than I thought. Yuri has always respected Kirill. He doesn’t consider it his life’s mission to protect him like Viktor and me, but he’s one of Kirill’s most trusted men.
“What happened?”
“We need to go before he gets rid of you after you so stupidly told him everything.”
“What…what are you talking about?”
“He’s sending people over to get rid of you, idiot.”
I shake my head. “You must be joking.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“That can’t be true because…because…Kirill and I are married!”
“You really believe that shit?” He hits me upside the head, and I freeze. Fuck.
This brings back old, rusty memories. “I thought you’d be better than this, or I wouldn’t have let you in.”
“What…” I look at him as if he’s an alien. “We really got married…” I lift my finger. “Look. I have a ring.”
“Oh yeah?” He taps a few things into his phone and then thrusts it in my face.
It’s a picture of the grand church where all the brotherhood weddings happen. There are familiar faces in the crowd—Damien, Adrian, Lia, the Pakhan, Igor, Mikhail, and a pissed-off Rai.
At the altar, Kirill stands with Kristina’s hands in his.
And Kristina is wearing a wedding dress.
“This was from earlier today,” Yuri comments. “He’s being named the Pakhan by Sergei as we speak because of this marriage. He made sure everyone but Rai and Vladimir would vote for him.”
“No…” I breathe out, my heart beating so loud, I can’t hear anything else. “He can’t marry her when he’s already married to me. It’s fake.”
“Your stupid marriage is what’s fucking fake, Sasha! Look at him! Do you see your ring on his finger? Did he give you that grand ceremony where the whole world knows you’re his wife?”
A sob catches in my throat, and tears splash on the phone’s screen. The more I look at them, the harder it is to breathe.
Oh, God.
I think I’m going to throw up.
Yuri snatches the phone from my hands and points upstairs. “At least change clothes. We need to get the fuck out of here before he eliminates the last person who knows about what he’s done.”
“That’s not true, right?” I take his hand in mine. “He…didn’t marry her, right?”
“Why do you think he sent you to the middle of nowhere? You obediently followed like a lovesick fool.” He sinks his fingers in my shoulders. “Snap the fuck out of it, Sasha. That man never loved you. He used you like you were supposed to use him for information, but you ended up telling him everything you weren’t supposed to.”
“No…”
“I started to believe he has nothing to do with this shit, too, but he’s Kirill Morozov. The motherfucker of all motherfuckers of manipulation. He almost got me, too. He surely got you.”
“What—” My mind is such a mess of emotions and thoughts that I don’t know what to think or say.
“He knows, Sasha. He knows everything about our fucking family. Uncle Albert was right. He plotted the whole thing for Roman, but unlike Uncle, I have hard evidence.”
My shoulders tense, but the tears won’t stop. “How do you know about Uncle Albert…who…who are you?”
He hits me upside the head again, and it’s like I’ve been struck by lightning. “Stop being a crybaby, Malyshka.”
Oh, no.
Oh, God.
“A-Anton…？” The word falls from my lips like a forbidden whisper.
Aside from Mama, he’s the only one who’s ever called me Malyshka, even after I grew up. And he’s definitely the only one who hits me upside the head whenever I’m being an idiot.
“Finally,” he whispers.
“But…but…you look and sound nothing like Anton…you…how?”
“Long story. Let’s get out of here first.”
“But—”
“We don’t have time. After you so stupidly told Kirill our last name, he and Viktor were able to link everything together. He already sent men to Babushka, Uncle Albert, and Mike.”
“No…”
He retrieves his phone and shows me a text exchange between him and Uncle Albert. There’s a surveillance video that shows men attacking one of the usual warehouses Uncle hides in.
Yuri…no, Anton pauses the video on one of the attackers and taps the familiar eyes visible through the balaclavas. “Who does that look like to you?”
“Maks.”
His lips lift in a snarl, anger and disappointment radiating from him in waves. “Fucking bingo.”
“Are…Uncle, Babushka, and Mike okay?”
“Babushka is injured.” He grabs me by the elbow. “We need to leave before he finishes the job with you.”
My steps are lethargic as everything starts to fall into place. Did…Kirill pretend to marry me only so he could get information from me?
I was supposed to be the one who used him, but did he use me?
My stomach churns, and I trip and then fall.
Yuri catches me—no, fucking Anton—my brother. He’s here. He’s been beside me for years, and I didn’t even recognize him.
“You need to keep it together,” he says in his hard voice. “This is not the Sasha our parents brought up. Get your shit together.”
“What if…what if he didn’t mean to and—”
My words are cut off when the sound of ticking reaches us.
The last thing I hear is “Lie down!” as my brother jumps on me.
And then…
Boom!
TO BE CONTINUED…
The story continues in the final book of the trilogy, Heart of My Monster.
You can check out the books of the characters that appeared in this book:
Adrian Volkov: Deception Trilogy.
Rai Sokolov: Throne Duet.