Page 23 of Nine Months to Love

9

STEFAN

The house feels colder than usual. Or maybe it’s just the ice churning through my veins as I descend the stairs.

Half my thoughts stay on the upper floor. Olivia is upstairs now, locked away, digesting whatever poison my mother fed her.

And I’m down here, about to face the woman who helped orchestrate this whole fucking disaster.

Mikayla’s exactly where I left her. She rounds on me the second I enter, eyes blazing. “Did you find them?”

“We found Olivia.” I close the door behind me. “Natalia got away.”

“That’s unlike you.”

“She had a head start.” I pour myself coffee from the carafe someone left on the side table. It’s cold, but right now, I don’t care. The bitter taste matches my mood. Besides, what I really need is vodka and it’s not the right time for that.

Mikayla’s hands clench and unclench at her sides. I notice they’re blotchy—red patches of eczema spreading across her knuckles. A nervous reaction that happens anytime she feels out of control. Eight years of watching her, and I know every tell, every weakness.

Just like she knows mine.

“The information you gave me checked out.”

She nods, eager for approval. “I told you. You could trust me.”

That gets a laugh out of me. “One correct tip doesn’t erase years of betrayal, Mikayla. Olivia is back, sure. But you still sold me out.”

She freezes. The color drains from her face. “What are you saying?”

“That you’ve got a long way to go before I trust you again.” I cross my legs and watch her squirm. “But you can earn it back. We can fix this. You just have to prove you’re loyal.”

She takes a step back, and I can see her mind working. Calculating. “How?”

“Honesty. That’s all I ever wanted from you.”

Her expression goes flat. Dead. “What do you want to know?”

“How did you meet Natalia? Who approached who? When did this start?”

She goes pale, swallows. “But that’s not all you want, is it?”

“I need to know how Iakov fits into this. Because he’s involved. I know that much. But I’m starting to think he’s not running the show. He’s just another piece on the board. Same as you.”

She flinches. “You’re using me.”

“I’m trying to fix what you broke.”

Her eyes go wild. Wounded and furious at the same time. “Liar! You manipulated me. You told me what I wanted to hear so you could get that bitch back. You don’t actually want me. You never did.”

Her lips tremble when she says it. First time I’ve seen her armor crack. It almost makes me feel guilty.

Then I remember she put Olivia in danger. She handed information to my mother knowing exactly what Natalia would do with it.

Just like that, all my guilt evaporates.

“That’s not true.” I get up and walk over to her, invading her space, lowering my voice to a croon. “I care about you, Mikayla. I just didn’t know you felt this way.”

She lifts her chin in defiance. “You knew. I approached you. More than once. I made the offer?—”