“And Dimitri all but told me you did it, so I would like to know why.”
“The grannies paid me to do it. I wanted him to suffer—happy?”
Ace frowned. “Grandmother and Nana are involved?”
My smile only grew. “Aren’t they always?”
Ace ran a hand down his face and groaned. “ Of course.”
“It seems they have a hit list of their own,” I sat on the corner of my bed and watched as my brother paced the room. His long legs ate the space between each stride quickly.
“Father is at my neck, wondering what’s going on,” Ace planted his hands on his hips. “I don’t know what to tell him.”
“Thankfully, he isn’t anywhere near here,” I muttered.
“No one knows where he is,” he frowned and whirled on me. “Since when have you been a good shot? I’ve seen the crime scene and all the files on it. They are saying it was an impossible shot. Who are you?”
I ran my tongue over my teeth. This was why I didn’t want them to know. I didn’t want the questions. I wanted the quiet life I’d known for the last two years. Why did they have to complicate everything?
“I found my hidden talent, I guess. Plus, I don’t know why you’re even here. He was nothing in the grand scheme of things.”
Ace frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I cut off one head and two grew back in its place. His two boys are just going to begin where he left off.”
“That’s why all of this is silly, even if it’s the grannies that put you up to it.” Ace shook his head. “I can’t believe we are even having this conversation. How many have you killed?”
There was no point in giving him a real number. “A lot.”
He swore. “Ivan.” He started pacing again. “Why?”
“Why not?”
“Please be careful.”
“I always am.”
He shook his head. “This is different. This isn’t just hits. This is a whole operation.”
“The grannies wanted people acting irrationally. They want people running scared.”
Ace’s lips thinned out. “Which means they aren’t done with you.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Good luck.”
I was definitely going to need it, but not when it came to all these goons. I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose. It was supposed to be one job, but I should have known better. Nothing was ever simple when it came to my family. I knew better than to come back.
Chapter Fifteen
Poppy
Abillionaire.
My father had left me a billionaire, and I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about it. I stared down at the account numbers in my hand and shook my head. None of this should have been possible. My father didn’t care about me. He wasn’t a family man, but the letters told a different story, one I wasn’t ready to face. It was easier to think of him as the villain in all of our stories, but with the letters now in our possession, I wasn’t so sure he was the real villain, which confused and frustrated me even more.
I didn’t want the money, but also I knew how much this money could change my life.
What I didn’t want was the forced and fake bravado that would come with it. The people who would flock to my side and pretend they’d always been there. I rubbed my temples before I yanked open the double doors to my brother’s firm. They did something in law, though they were always all overthe place when asked about it, and it seemed more of a front than anything else. They’d always been slimy, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they did illegal things behind the scenes.
My heels clicked on the tile with each step as I entered the lobby. Their blonde receptionist gave me a plastic smile as she stacked papers in front of her. “It’s so good to see you, Poppy. How are you holding up these days?”
