Page 48 of All The Darkest Truths (Second Sons Duet #2)

VESPER

“Alex?” His name tears from my throat, raw and disbelieving.

His head lifts at the sound of my voice. “Vesper.” Just my name, but undeniably his voice.

My body moves before my mind can process, lurching forward only to be caught by Mikhail's iron grip on my arm. “Not so fast, granddaughter.”

“Let me go!” I snarl, struggling against his hold as I drink in the sight of Alex—alive, breathing, standing before me. His face is bruised, one eye swollen nearly shut, his lip split and crusted with blood. But he's alive. Somehow, impossibly alive.

“Touching,” Mikhail observes coldly. “I thought you might appreciate this particular reunion. Consider it a gesture of goodwill. I had him fished out of the Atlantic despite how many of my men he killed with that stunt of his.”

My mind reels, trying to process the impossible. Alex is alive, standing before me, his body a testament to the violence he's endured. I force myself to think past the shock, past the overwhelming relief threatening to drown me.

“Why?” I manage to ask. “Why keep him alive?”

Mikhail's lips curve into that terrible smile. “Insurance upon insurance, my dear. I've found redundancy to be quite valuable in my line of work.”

I can see him cataloging every detail of my appearance, assessing for injuries, for signs of mistreatment. Even now, beaten and captive, he's trying to protect me.

“He's been rather...resistant to questioning,” Mikhail continues, releasing my arm but positioning himself between us. “Loyal to a fault. A rare quality these days.”

“Let him go,” I hiss.

"Let him go?” Mikhail shakes his head. “You misunderstand the nature of our negotiation. Mr. Rafner here isn't part of what's being offered. He's merely...additional motivation.”

I force myself to look away from him, to focus on Mikhail's face, my grandfather's face, with its terrible familiarity.

“You want me to help you take down Victor Petrov," I say carefully, buying time as I process this new reality. "In exchange for Luca's freedom. And Alex? What do you want in exchange for him?”

Mikhail glances over his shoulder at Alex's battered form. “He remains with me. Insurance that you'll fulfill your end of our arrangement.”

“No deal,” I say immediately, my voice stronger than I feel. “Both of them or nothing.”

Mikhail's expression hardens. “You're not in a position to negotiate, Vesper.”

“Aren't I?" I step closer, confidence in my stance. “You need me. If I'm truly the key to your grand revenge against the Petrovs, then I have leverage.”

“Don't,” Alex rasps, speaking for the first time since saying my name. “Vesper, don't do this.”

The guard behind him strikes him across the back of the head, sending him staggering forward. I flinch, a small sound escaping my throat as Alex catches himself on the edge of the desk.

“I admire your spirit,” Mikhail says. “But don't mistake my indulgence for weakness. I could kill them both right now and still proceed with my plans. It would simply be...less elegant.”

“Then why don't you? Why keep any of us alive if you don't need us?”

A flicker of something—respect, perhaps—crosses his face. “Because blood matters, Vesper. Legacy matters. The Vasilyev line continues through you...through your son.”

“Leave my son out of this,” I warn, ice in my veins at the mention of my child.

“Impossible. He is the culmination of everything I've worked toward, a Vasilyev, Rossi, and Petrov blood in one heir. The boy who will unite three dynasties under one rule. Under my tutelage.”

Alex makes a strangled sound, lurching forward only to be restrained by the guard.

“You’re never getting near my son,” I say, each word sharp and deliberate, laced with venom.

Mikhail smiles, unperturbed. “We shall see.” He gestures toward Alex. “Perhaps Mr. Rafner would like to share his thoughts on the matter.” He turns to address Alex directly. “Tell her what becomes of those who defy me.”

Alex's jaw tightens, a muscle twitching beneath the bruising.

“I've already told you my answer. Both of them, or no deal.”

Mikhail studies me for a long moment, his head tilted slightly as if seeing me anew. “So much like your mother. That same stubborn pride...”

He moves to the window, gazing out at the grounds. The silence stretches between us, heavy with unspoken threats. My mind races, calculating how much time has passed.

“Very well.” Mikhail turns his back to face me. “A compromise, then. Your cooperation, and the return of both your brother and Mr. Rafner at the conclusion of our business. In exchange, I won’t kill Petrovs in the tunnels. Mr. St James, I believe, is circling the property.”

My blood freezes in my veins. The twins. Talon. He knows they're here.

“What are you talking about?” I force confusion into my voice, but Mikhail's cruel smile tells me he isn't fooled.

“Please, Vesper. Did you really think I wouldn't know about the tunnels? About your little rescue team making their way beneath our feet right now?” He gestures casually, and a guard moves to a panel beside the bookcase, pressing buttons on a keypad.

A monitor descends from the ceiling, splitting into four separate feeds. My heart sinks as I recognize Z and Oz making their way through the narrow passageway, weapons drawn, their faces set with determination. Another camera shows Talon circling the perimeter as he approaches the greenhouse.

“I've let them get quite far,” Mikhail remarks conversationally. “It seemed prudent to see what you would do. Whether you'd honor our meeting or attempt something...foolish.”

Alex silently shakes his head, pleading with me.

“So what now? You kill us all and proceed with your plans regardless?”

“That would be wasteful,” Mikhail says, sounding almost disappointed. “No, I think a demonstration is in order.” He turns to the guard. “Flood tunnel section C.”

“No!” I lunge forward, but the guard restrains me with brutal efficiency, his arm like a steel band across my chest. On the monitor, a wall of water surges through the tunnel, rushing toward the twins who have no idea what's coming. They have seconds at most.

“Stop this! I'll do whatever you want!” My voice cracks with desperation. “Please!”

Mikhail raises his hand, and the guard at the panel pauses, finger hovering over the button. The water on the screen halts its advance, held back by whatever mechanism controls the flood system.

“Your word, Vesper. I want your sworn oath that you'll cooperate fully. No tricks, no attempts at escape. Swear it on your son's life.”

“I swear,” I relent, defeat washing through me like the water that nearly claimed Z and Oz. “I swear on my son's life. Just don't hurt them.”

Mikhail studies me for a long moment, searching for any sign of deception. Finding none, he nods once. "Release her."

The guard's arm drops away, and I stagger forward, catching myself on the edge of the desk.

“Call them off,” Mikhail orders, gesturing to the monitor where the twins have paused, sensing something wrong though they can't see the wall of water held in check just around the bend. “Now that you understand. Let’s discuss the details.”

"Your terms," I say, straightening my spine. "All of them. Now."

“You have seventy-two hours to kill Victor Petrov, his son, and your dearly beloved cousin, Bianca. Upon their deaths, you relinquish your claim to the Rossi family legacy and sign over your son to me. In exchange, your brother and Mr. Rafner will go free.”

“Is that all?”

“Of course not, granddaughter. You will marry a man of my choosing. Someone with the connections and resources we need. Someone loyal to me to preserve our bloodline. You and your future husband will build me an army of heirs.”

Alex makes a strangled sound of protest, earning him another brutal blow from the guard. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth as he glares at Mikhail with naked hatred.

I can't look at Alex. If I do, I'll break, and that will kill us all. Instead, I focus on the monster wearing my grandfather's face, the architect of my family's destruction.

“And if I refuse?” I ask, though we both know it's an empty question.

“Then I flood those tunnels with your friends still inside them,” Mikhail answers smoothly.

"I execute Luca while you watch. And Mr. Rafner...” He glances at Alex with clinical detachment.

“Well, I believe you've seen his handiwork.

Imagine those skills applied to him, day after day, until there's nothing left but meat and bone.”

My stomach lurches at the image his words conjure. I force myself to breathe, to think past the blind panic threatening to consume me.

“How do I know you'll keep your word? That you'll let any of us live once I've done what you want?”

Mikhail's smile is thin, reptilian. “You don't. But what choice do you have?”

None. That's the terrible truth of it. I have no choice, no leverage, nothing but the desperate hope that I can find a way out of this trap once I'm inside it.

“What you’re asking is impossible.”

“Then make it possible. Once you infiltrate the Petrovs, I will provide you with the army you need. Everything up until that point is on you, granddaughter. If you’re anything like your bastard father, you’ll figure it out.”

I swallow hard, mind racing.

“I want proof of life for Luca every day. Alex, too.”

“Reasonable requests,” Mikhail concedes with a slight nod. “I'm not an unreasonable man, Vesper. Just a determined one.”

“And my friends in the tunnel and outside, you let them go. Unharmed.”

His lips curve into that terrible smile. “I'll allow them to retreat. Whether they choose to do so is their decision, not mine.”

On the monitor, Z and Oz have stopped moving, clearly sensing the trap. They stand back-to-back, weapons ready. Talon has reached the greenhouse, crouched as he studies the entrance.

"Call them," Mikhail orders, nodding to a guard who produces a phone. "Tell them to leave. Be convincing."