“Amniocentesis.” Vale nods. “You can use it to test paternal DNA and for heteropaternal superfecundation.”
“Okay, Dr. Sex,” Ruby gently teases. “What does that mean?”
But Vale has a PhD in this. I trust her expertise. We need it.
“It means,” she explains, “the same mother but different fathers. Two eggs, two acts of insemination closely timed, but one pregnancy. It’s rare, but possible. And it results in twins who are half-siblings.”
My head spins. My world.Our world, whipping out of focus. “So, so… I have a twin?”
“We have a sister,” Axel decrees. “We all have the same mother, and in our hearts we know who our dad was, despite who our father may be. Either way, Sasha is ours. She’s Mom’s daughter.”
“Oh, Nadine.” Alena falls to her knees by my mom’s chair, reaching for her hand. “I’m so sorry. He took your daughter. I’msosorry.”
“I’m okay, dear.” My mom finally focuses, stroking Alena’s hair.
“I’m gonna fuckingkillhim.” But Jace is in a rageful trance.
“Hang on.” Wren waddles to her feet. Her fists land on her waist, her baby bump proud. “This puzzle is pissing meoff. Now we know who Sasha is. She’s Nadine’s daughter. Our family. And given what a big, Bratva asshole Ruslan is, he took Sasha, without Nadine knowing it. But whose daughter is she? His? Or Maxim’s?”
“His,” Axel reasons. “All Ruslan cares about ishisblood,hislineage. And Loch?” He looks at me, my gaze a blur. “I meant it. You’ve always had Maxim’s honor. You’ve always had his hero’s heart. You’re Maxim’s son, and Sasha is Ruslan’s daughter, so he took her.”
“And thenSheremetevtook her!” Sire jumps to his feet. “God have mercy, that’s it!”
“What’s it?” Ruby shakes her head. “This pregnancy has all my blood, not my brain. Explain it to me.”
“Don’t blame it on pregnancy,” Wren insists. “You’re a new mom to Lev, you’re not sleeping, but I get it. Sheremetev and Ruslan are sworn enemies. Ruslan took Sheremetev’s territory and trade, so Sheremetev took the one thing Ruslan couldn’t replace. His daughter.”
“Fuck me,” I mutter, fighting my shock. “Fuck me, that’s it. That’s the connection: Alena, Wren, Sasha, Ruslan, and Sheremetev.”
I jump to my feet, joining Sire’s sermon. “Remember when someone tried to take Alena? I bet it was one of Sheremetev’s soldiers.”
“Someone tried to take me?” Alena’s horrified.
“Yes,” Nash answers her. “You were a toddler. And me and your mom were working, and Nadine was babysitting you when a man broke into her house and tried to kidnap you.”
“What?” Alena’s eyes bulge. “That’stwicenow someone’s tried to fuck with me?”
“Yeah.” Nash nods. “Sorry, not sorry, sweetpea, for all the protection.”
“You know what’s so sweet?” Grant boasts. “Loch wasthere. He was just a little tyke who fought that fucker like a champ. He tried to protect you and Mom.”
“What?” Alena whips her stare from Grant to me. “You tried to save me?”
“Yes, he did.” Mom stirs, finally sitting taller.
“So, Sheremetev couldn’t take one of ours,” I explain to Alena—to the others. “He couldn’t extort us to work with him against our father. Whatever the fuck his plan was. But he’s a piece of shit trafficker, so while he waited, he tried to traffick Wren and other girls. Then he took Sasha and forced her to marry him so he could bring her here, out of Ruslan’s reach, but rubbing it in his face.”
“Ruslan led me to Wren,” Sire divulges.
“What?” Now Wren’s whipping her stare to Sire. “How did he know aboutme?”
“I mean.” Sire takes her hand. “Ruslan’s been sneaking me intel for years about different trafficking rings throughout the South. Really, he was sending us on missions to find Sasha, but thankfully, Angel.” He pulls her to him. “I found you.”
“ButIfound Sasha,” Alena adds. “And now, Sheremetev has her again. And Ruslan said yesterday, he wants me and Loch to find her. He said if we returned her to him, he’d leave us alone. It’s a truce. And Sheremetev is The Warden, known for trafficking in our area, the mountains, just as he did with Wren. So, Sasha’s right under our noses; we just have to find her.”
“Wewillfind her,” Mom snarls, surging to her feet. “So help me God, I will rip those mountains apart to find my daughter. She’s mine! Not his! I want those men, on their knees, so I can shove their bleeding balls down their throats. Do I make myself clear?”
She’s back.
