The two former powerful and ruthless men remained quiet.
Mikhail slammed his fist on the table. “Tell us what the fuck is going on.”
Uncle Boris looked at my aunt lovingly, as if exposing the secret would end everything we’d known as a family.
Maybe it would.
Maybe the lies would finally tear us apart. That wasn’t of my concern. Not when the lives of two special people were at stake.
Yet my annoyance kicked in less than a minute later.
“You had Katerina Antonova killed.”
Silence.
“Didn’t you! That’s why Uncle Yuri decided there was a score to settle. Because you killed the woman that by marriage would have expanded his power and you would have been tossed aside. Isn’t that right?”
My father paled, a rarity. “You don’t understand, son. While Yuri was older and had every right to take our father’s place as Pakhan, he also had bloodlust like we’d never seen. He stuck a knife into our father in the middle of the night. He was prepared to kill his own flesh and blood to keep us from taking what he believed belonged to him. He had heinous plans to kill anyone who got in his way. There was already a war going on. You’ve never experienced anything like the period of famine and the rampant murders. People were dying on the street and all because of the wrong alliances made.”
“So you killed Katerina Antonova in cold blood to protect all those around you?”
My father nodded. “It’s more complicated than that, but we did what we had to do. Yuri threatened our families when we tried to convince him that destroying all those around him wasn’t the right thing to do.”
Uncle Boris didn’t seem comfortable with his answer. They were still keeping secrets. Goddamn them to hell.
Mikhail exhaled. “Understandable, but you should have told us.”
“Mikhail is right and I do understand what you were trying to do. To a point. You were trying to protect the family. You took out the weak link or I should say the strongest possibility that my uncle, your brother could take control. What you didn’t expect was for her sister, Elena, to whisk Katerina’s child from the country and provide her with a new life. A true commodity in the world of the Bratva.” Now my voice held all the disdain in the world.
“Is that true, Papa?” Nadia asked.
He could only nod.
“You knew Selena was Katerina’s daughter because they looked so much alike. Yes? Uncle Boris?”
“Fine. Yes. We tried to stop you from getting involved with her, but it was too late.”
His answer made me laugh. “You believed she was here to try and destroy us.”
“At first,” Uncle Boris admitted. “Then we realized she had no idea what had happened to her mother.”
“Because her aunt allowed her to have a better life.” Just as my father and uncle had done for us.
“How could you, Daddy?” Katya asked, already in tears. “How could you keep that from Sasha? All these years he’d suffered. We’ve all suffered with him. Then the attack on this family and you knew all along Uncle Yuri would seek revenge.”
I hadn’t heard my cousin so furious before. It was chilling to hear.
Much like the truth had left me feeling cold and dead inside.
“This will end here,” Mikhail directed. “No more lies. If Yuri has Nina and Lainey, they are in danger. Yes?”
My dad simply nodded.
“Nina is now considered valuable property,” I continued. “That’s why she was taken. Lainey will be nothing but collateral damage if the savages don’t try and sell her off to the highest bidder. The man who’d tried to steal my child at her own birthday party was a soldier for the Antonova Bratva. He was supposed to protect every family member including descendants. Now we won’t know for certain since the O’Learys had him killed at our suggestion, but it’s my belief that he was lured into the Russian side of our family. And why? To be a paid henchman since the Antonovas were attempting to regain power. Or maybe someone from the Antonova organization senthim to collect the prized piece of property that could eventually bring them back into power.”
“Son,” my dad started but I stopped him by raising my arm.
“Don’t, Dad. There’s almost nothing you can say to me that will make this right or acceptable. Do none of you realize that Emily was also a target? That a little girl who has nothing to do with the crazy Russians was almost kidnapped?”
