Page 80 of Deceptive Vows

“They all banded together with Raul,” he sputters. “The plan was to take over the company so they can have control over the uranium production. That’s still the plan. I’m just writing the contracts. Barabbas brought his signed this morning, and I took it.”

So, that’s what’s happening. Motherfuckers.

“Who’s in charge, Tony?”

“That’s not how it works. It was all set up in secret, so neither Barabbas nor I know who’s in charge. We just meet to discuss the contracts. A message is delivered to my office with instructions, and I get my payment after the meeting. The last message informed me of Raul’s death, and I was to continue my work as normal.”

This is shit, but it’s the kind of sophisticated shit I’ll admit I expected. It’s just worse because it’s about me. I return my focus to Eric. He’s looking at me now.

This isn’t over just because this prick can’t give me what I need.

I look back at Tony, who’s shuddering now.

“How long has this been going on?” I demand.

“November. The end of November last year.”

Right when my father announced his illness and his retirement. I believe even more now it has to be someone in our brotherhood. Maybe one of the Brigadiers. They were the first to find out. But so were all our subordinates.

“Who else is involved, Tony?”

“Only Raul knew that, Mikhail. He never even told Felipe or his other lieutenants. He told no one because he signed an oath in blood and the price if he went against them was his daughter’s life. He would never risk Adriana’s life for anything.”

Now I glance at José. He nods at me as if to say he is telling the truth about Raul. I trust no one, though, until I have facts in my hands.

Fucking Raul.

That motherfucking dog. He would never risk his daughter’s life, yet he hurt her. It’s like I’m always talking about two different people.

“Let me go, please. I have told you all you need to know.”

“Let you go so you can run back and squeal bloody murder?” I taunt.

Eric steps forward and hands me the phone. “That’s his phone. I hacked it. I found the same code hiding some pictures. Nothing more.” He shakes his head in disgust. “You need to look at them. You’re not going to want to let him go after.”

Tony looks like death in that moment, and I’m almost afraid of what I’m going to see.

“I didn’t know she was your sister,” Tony blurts before I can even look at the phone.

I don’t meet Eric’s eyes. I just take the phone. The first image shatters my soul. It’s of Talia, naked and bound with ropes around her wrists and feet with five naked men surrounding her.

They’re smiling while she’s crying.

My sister went through all of this before they killed her, while I lay in a hospital bed.

I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t stop them from taking her.

This is what they did to my sister.

“She was a present—”

I cut off Tony’s words with a bullet to his head, then another, and another.

And another.

I don’t stop until I empty my gun.

And still, it won’t bring her back.