At the mention of Irina’s death, my eyes pinched shut in agony. The night Father had named Dima heir over me didn’t haunt me just for that reason. When Irina had found out what Father had done, she’d panicked and tried to escape with Dima and the others.
But Father had caught her.
And for her betrayal, he’d put a pistol to her forehead and shot her at point-blank range in the kitchen.
In front of my siblings.
In her agony, Mila grabbed a steak knife from the table and went to stab Father. He’d almost killed her that night as well. Whatever he might’ve felt for her died that night, the same as Irina.
“D-Dima, you cannot d-do this.”
A pause came over the line. “This is an order from mypahkan.”
“Fuck yourp-pakhan!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the clearing.
“Maksim–”
As I gripped the phone tighter in my hand, I desperately tried getting a hold of my speech. “T-Think, Dima. What will the Kavanaughs d-do in retribution if you kill Kellan? They’ll b-bring a fucking firestorm down on us. For fuck sake, t-through marriages the Kavanaughs are in b-bed with the Nerettis and the Carusos in Philly.”
“I’m aware of that,” Dima replied drily.
“Are you sure?”
An anguished sigh echoed through the line. “Look, Maksim, I have to show I can accept and follow orders. How will I ever expect my men to follow me if I don’t follow Father?”
“You’ll show t-them a true leader weighs t-the consequences of his actions. T-That he doesn’t give half-cocked orders to p-punish people.”
“Enough!” Dima blared. “I’mthe fucking heir, not you, remember? I’m second in command to Father, so I do his bidding.”
Hurt momentarily coiled in my chest at his words before being replaced with anger. “Is t-this what you’ll expect of me when I’m your second? Blind allegiance?”
A cruel chuckle came from Dima. “You keep checking my authority, and you won’t have a place in this organization, least of all be my second.
I recoiled back from his harsh words. I didn’t know what had happened to him in Russia, but he’d come back different. It was like he’d undergone some serious brainwashing.
At my silence, he snarled, “So get your ass back from wherever the fuck you are to be ready for Father’s next order.”
As defeat overcame me, Mila’s face flashed before my eyes. “If you listen t-to nothing else, hear me when I say she’ll never forgive you for t-this.”
The bond between Dima and Mila was unbreakable. Through their shared grief of losing their mother, they were closer than even he and I were. It went without saying that my mother hadn’t welcomed them into our home. At thirteen and sixteen, they’d taken over the raising of Lev and Kira.
When a few moments of silence passed, hope surged within me that I might’ve gotten through to him. But then he dashed it. “The plane is landing.”
I swept my hand over my face. “P-Please don’t d-do this.”
“You have an order, Maksim, as do I. Follow it.”
And then the call dropped.
CHAPTER TWO: SARAH
As I eyed the sandy-haired young boy wriggling in his seat across from me, I waved the felt puppet on my left hand. “And what game does Polly Positive say we should play when we get scared of stuttering?”
“The g-game of 3’s!” Lucas shouted enthusiastically.
“That’s right.” Slanting my brows in confusion, I tapped one of my free fingers against my chin. “Oh no. I think I forgot how to play the game. Should I ask Polly Positive?”
“N-Noooo!”
