Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“You’re saying my father had me killed?”
He reached out and took hold of my shoulder. “Yes. Lev hired men to do it and killed the two who didn’t die in the crash. I’m sorry, moy malchik.”
I chuckled, and he jolted in surprise. “Come on, Sava, I knew that already. Who else would, or could, give that order?”
“But it looked like—”
“I was kidnapped by out-of-town thugs trying to make moves on the Lenkovs.”
“Yes.”
“And then, of course, with tensions running high and the men looking to avenge me, my father can send them after his enemies and clean up any loose ends.”
“You saw it all?”
I grunted. “Hardly.”
“But then, how?”
“In retrospect, it’s all clear as day, the plan to get rid of me was well thought out. That’s got my father’s fingerprints all over it.”
He was quiet for several moments. “How long did you know you were on your father’s hit list?”
“Oh no, you’re giving me too much credit. I had no idea.”
“But…”
“That night in the car, Stas said the old man wanted to make sure I was dead. That’s how I know.”
“Okay. Good.”
I shot him a look.
“No, not good like… Just good that you only knew then, not before.”
“Why?”
“Because if you knew the whole time, Maks, and took no precautions to protect yourself, then you’re a fuckin’ idiot, and I never took you for one.”
He was right. “Okay, so the bottom line is that my father had me killed because he’s gone into business with Constantine and knew I’d never approve.”
“Yes.”
It was the oddest thing, but the why didn’t shock me. I wasn’t overwhelmed with sadness over the patriarchal betrayal. My father’s regard for me—not love, never love—was conditional at best. What had broken my heart, days ago, was Lev. I’d counted on him, held him to my heart as closely as Pasha, only to find out he was the snake in the garden I never saw coming. My father turning on me was logical. I was in the way, so he got rid of me. He knew I would never make a deal with the devil that was Constantine. It was a valid business decision to leave me bleeding to death in a car.
“Who takes my job?” I asked, feeling cold inside, a hollowed-out husk.
“Lev,” he said simply. “He’ll become legitimate.”
How? “No, if Lev is stepping into my role, then—”
Sava scoffed. “Come now, why do you think Lev’s father killed his mother?”
I could only stare at him.
“Maks,” he whispered. “Use your head.”
There had been rumors. Always. That Lev was my father’s bastard. The whispers had been stamped down hundreds of times when my mother was alive, but resurfaced after her death.
“No,” I said quickly. “If Lev were really my father’s son, my mother—”
“Josephine never knew. When your father suggested to her that your family take in Lev after Marissa was murdered, of course your mother agreed. She had such a big heart. Little did she know she was taking in her husband’s bastard.”
“I thought it was my mother’s idea to take in Lev.”
He shook his head.
“So my father will what, announce that Lev is his son?”
“Yes. He already has. And he’s marrying him to Nara.”
That was smart. Our families were only distantly related. I called Vanya and Nara my cousins, but the bloodline was thin between the Lenkovs and the Krupins. The friendship, however, was solid and went back generations. Having Lev marry Nara gave him instant legitimacy in the family.
“Lev hates Vanya,” I said, thinking it over. “He’ll find a way to kill him, in secret, so Nara never knows.”
“No, not now. Not with the golden one watching over Vanya. Plus, Vanya and his treatment and his fight are now in the news. He and Pasha are everywhere. Lev wouldn’t dare strike at Vanya. That would be suicide.”
I exhaled deeply, relieved that Vanya would be safe. “And Nara, does she want to marry Lev?”
Sava looked pained. “She does, Maks. You missed your best friend romancing your cousin because your focus was on the business. You didn’t notice he stopped fucking anything that moved.”
“Okay,” I said, because I didn’t care. Not about Lev. Not anymore. If Nara had wanted nothing to do with him, I would have had to figure out a way to help her. My brother and my two cousins were all I truly cared about. But with Vanya set, Nara in love, and Pasha untouchable, I could embrace death without worry.
“So that night I went to find Vanya—”
“Lev knew then he was going to kill you.”
“And Adrian and Stas?”
He grunted.
All of it was so calculated, so cold and indifferent. Everything had been so normal, the same banter, the same back-and-forth. That they could talk to me and smile, while at the same time plotting my death, was beyond my understanding. My heart didn’t work like that.
“It’s business, Maks,” Sava reminded me.