Page 87 of Cinderella and the Daddy

Anna smiles, seeing his reaction. "My brother and I pledged our allegiance to the Kozlov Bratva months ago. And you know what that means."

I don't know what that means, but judging by Luka's expression, he does. This is probably not the time to pepper him with questions.

"And Dad?" I ask, trying to piece together the implications.

"He's not your fucking father," she snaps. "Just some sentimental old fool who took pity on you."

"He's also not dumb enough to hook up with Kozlov," Luka mutters.

Again, I don't know how he knows that, but the tension in his voice tells me everything I need to know about Yuri Kozlov.

He’s dangerous.

That much was evident, but they were both acting like he was the judge and jury. Like he was somehow the boss of the underworld.

Shit, was he?

I really needed to ask more questions about this whole Bratva thing. I thought ignorance was bliss, but I’m beginning to see that ignorance is dangerous.

"They were using me to bait you," I say, the pieces starting to fall into place.

"Very good,Cinderella." Anna's smile is all venom. "Though it took you long enough to figure it out."

"Yuri said you intercepted one of his shipments six months ago," I continue, keeping my gun trained on Anna even as my mind races through the implications. "Something worth about five million dollars. He wants it back."

Luka's jaw tightens, but he doesn't look surprised. "What else?"

"He said I was worth at least that much to you. That you would trade for me." The memory of that cold assessment makes my skin crawl. "There was a man at dinner once who offered to buy me. You shut him down."

"He was testing the waters even then."

Anna laughs. "You have no idea how long we've been planning this. How many pieces we've had to move into position."

"The necklace," I accuse. "You planted that tracker when I went to the pharmacy. You've been feeding them information about our movements, our routines, everything."

"Give Cinderella an A." Anna's smile is all malice.

My finger tightens on the trigger. The urge to put a bullet between her eyes is almost overwhelming. She violated my privacy, turned me into a weapon against the people I love, and now she's standing here gloating about it like it's some kind of game.

"The car tracker, too," I continue, forcing myself to stay calm. "You had someone plant it while I was waiting for you at that bar."

"Of course. Though I have to admit, I was hoping you'd run that night. Would have made things so much easier if you'd just disappeared on your own."

"But I didn't run."

"No," Anna agrees, her voice turning cold. "You came back to him like a lovesick puppy. Made everything so much more complicated."

"You know what the funny thing is?" I ask, my voice steady despite the rage building in my chest. "I actually felt sorry for you once. Thought maybe we could be real sisters someday."

Anna's face hardens. "We were never sisters. You were just the charity case our father took pity on."

"Maybe. But at least I know what loyalty means."

Her eyes flash with something dangerous. "Loyalty? Is that what you call fucking your kidnapper? Your baby daddy?"

I freeze.

My hand instinctively moves to my stomach. I see Luka's posture change and see the muscle in his jaw jump. For a moment, I think he might put a bullet in Anna right here and now.