“I had no idea. I had an autopsy done secretly, and that was when I found out it was a medically induced heart failure. I realized someone made sure she didn’t leave alive.”
She pressed her hand into her belly. “Now I’m next.”
“No.” My voice cut through the air between us. “You’re not. Not on my watch. Not while I’m alive.”
She flashed a mirthless smile at me. “You saw it. They tried to kill me. I’m on the hit list already.”
“No, you’re not,” I repeated, this time softer. “I won’t allow it.”
The flush in her face didn’t fade, but her breath hitched just a little enough for me to see.
“You want truth?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Fine. I’ll tell you.”
I stepped closer to her, bridging the gap until we were only an inch away from each other.
“Someone in the Bratva poisoned your sister,” I told her. “I didn’t know who. Still don’t. But you’re right, I should have protected her, and I didn’t. I failed her.”
Zoella stared up at me, wordless.
“But I won’t fail you,” I told her. “I’ll track down whoever tried to shoot you. I’ll track down whoever killed her, and I’ll make sure they pay with their lives.”
“And what do you want in return?” she spat, furious. “Obedience? Silence? Control over me?”
I leaned forward. “Your loyalty. You don’t disappear again. You don’t lie to me, and you don’t run.”
She glared as if she had more to say, but fortunately, she didn’t retort or argue any further. She said nothing whatsoever.
And I took that as enough for the moment.
I turned and strode out, each step heavy with the gravity of all that still had to be done.
***
Down the hall, the doors of the study stood wide open. I stepped in without speaking, and they followed behind me. Rurik, Eduard, Isaak, and Damien.
The smoke from Rurik’s cigarette drifted up into the air, mixing with the smell of whiskey..
The door slammed shut behind us.
“Couldn’t this meeting have waited? It’s still morning,” Isaak said, sitting down in the chair across from mine.
“I did not have time to wait,” I said to them. “Because someone’s playing a game. One we didn’t see coming.”
They were silent.
“Yulia’s death was not natural,” I said. “You all know it. You’ve all heard the whispers, but I confirmed it.”
Rurik leaned his weight to one side. Eduard did not move an inch.
“Now Zoella’s been attacked,” I continued. “She was tracked to the house she ran away to. Shot at. Almost killed.”
“You couldn’t find her when you tried, so whoever attacked her had been following her for a while,” Damien said.
I nodded. “I think so.”
Isaak’s brow furrowed. “And you think the two attacks are related?”
I looked at him. “I do.”
