At the thought, her mother vanished, and the room filled with smoke.
Adria played with her mother’s cookbook as she went by. The mountain emblem running under her fingers.
The symbol meant something, but Adria found herself moving on.
Alexey had died in this kitchen, and Adria had to know why.
Moving to the pantry, Adria held no hesitation as she ripped the door open.
At first the closet was dark, but as Adria watched, the room started to take form.
She remembered Alexey. Remembered him tied to the chair.
As if on cue, he appeared in front of her, bleeding.
But who was in here with him?
Adria waited. Like magically the culprit would surface.
Then suddenly there was a voice.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
The voice.
It wasn’t Jonathan.
Adria pictured a white smile, full of teeth.
A face so sure of himself.
Maxim.
Adria woke up in Bryson’s arms. For the first time in weeks, the tangled mess of her dreams finally made sense. After the attack at the hotel, she had been sure her feelings about Maxim were correct. But this new memory surfacing put the nail in the coffin. Not only had he betrayed her, but he had betrayed her father.
Alexey had always been a kind man. He didn’t deserve to die like that.
Bryson was sound asleep next to her, and Kaydon and Seth were nowhere to be found.
She moved with gentle care, slipping free of his embrace. Adria pulled on a shirt and shorts, and padded down to the breakfast room.
Voices from her mother and Xander carried down the hall.
“Soph, I don’t like this line of thinking, and I don’t care for the way things were handled yesterday,” Xander said as Adria drew near.
“Everything is under control,” her mother replied.
“They could have gotten hurt,” Xander responded, and Adria stilled outside the threshold.
“But, as always, everyone is fine,” her mother said.
“If my organization is to be utilized for your vendettas in the future, I expect to be included,” Xander said, then softened his tone: “Soph, you promised—no more secrets.”
Adria stepped into the room.
“Sleep well?” Sophia asked, eyes on her phone.
Adria smoothed her tangled hair. “I did.”
