Page 163 of Deceptive Vows

“I’m sorry to bring more bad news to your door.” It was the last thing I wanted to do. She needed to be aware of the danger, though.

Her guards are here, as are mine, along with the secret squad who are always with the Pakhan. They are all outside watching the place as we speak.

“You can’t apologize for that. Everything is just so bizarre. All of it.” She wipes away more tears. “Why didn’t you come to me before?”

“I wanted evidence. I wanted hard evidence against Ivan. I guess part of me didn’t want to believe it even though it was believable. Ivan is that wicked.”

“When I saw your father yesterday morning, he looked like he knew something and was holding back. I didn’t know he was on the verge of death. Maybe knowing his son was responsible for his wife and daughter’s deaths broke his heart.”

The coroner said the heart attack was brought on by an aneurysm. Because his body was already so weak, it wiped him out. He never stood a chance.

“Maybe,” I agree.

“He was happy about you, Mikhail. He told me his decision was always you; that’s why he decided on doing things the way he did. But he wanted it to be fair to Ivan, too. He knew the two of you would work hard and push for the position. He wanted each of you to have a fair chance, but his heart kept coming back to you.”

All that time, I never had anything to worry about.

“Thank you for telling me.”

“It’s okay, you should know.”

“I wish I could have done more. My men were trying to track Ivan, and we were so careful, but we couldn’t find anything. Now we don’t know which corner of hell he’s hiding in. It’s fucking draining me.”

She reaches across the coffee table and taps my hand.

“I know. Me too. It’s draining me, too. Have some tea, dear. I’ll grab us something to eat.”

She stands and walks out of the room.

I reach for my cup and down the contents of the tea that’s now cold then set the cup back down on the table.

My phone rings in that moment. I reach for it eager for news.

It’s Eric.

“Hey, have you heard anything yet?” I ask.

“No, nothing on Ivan. But something’s happened, Mikhail. Natalia never reached the airport.”

The moment I hear that, I bolt up.

“What do you mean? I saw her leave.”

“She never boarded the plane, and I’ve been calling Levka and the other guards, but no one is answering their phones.”

“Jesus Christ. Fuck! Maybe he got to her. How the fuck would he have known when she was leaving?”

“That’s not the only thing, Mikhail.” I hear him sigh, and my pulse skitters with anticipation. “My friend at the coroner’s office contacted me when he realized parts of your father’s initial postmortem report had been removed. When he checked it out, he found the original log made when your father was brought in, and he noticed the same poison that killed José was listed on there.”

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, exactly. It wasn’t the same lethal amount that was found in José’s blood, and there were no needle marks, but the dosage was enough to kill him within twelve hours. It would have caused the heart attack. He said the report suggest the poison was in his system from early that morning. I asked him to look into it deeper. I think we’re onto something.”

My mind wobbles then freezes. Something he said clicks in my core, and the truth dawns on me.

Early that morning.

That’s what he said.