Page 124 of Savage Lies

“Katya,” I reply, tilting my chin up.

“I know who you are.” She tilts her head, eying me like I’m a museum exhibit. “Must have been quite the shock when you remembered who you were.”

“Something like that.”

“And you?” She turns to Anya, who’s been trying to blend into the background. “You’re not part of this soap opera.”

“Anya Sokolova. I was Katya’s therapist.”

“Was?”

“I’m also FSB. Long story.”

Sasha nods like this information doesn’t surprise her. “Of course you are. Because why would anything about this situation be simple?”

She stalks to the window and stares out at the city for a long moment before speaking again. “Do you three have any idea what you’ve done?”

“We’ve been trying to survive,” Dmitri replies.

“You’ve been tearing apart everything our father spent his life building.” She doesn’t turn around, but her voice carries enough venom to kill a horse. “Three generations of Kozlov men who understood that family comes first, and you decide to throw it all away over a woman.”

“Some things are more important than business.”

“Nothing is more important than family,” she snaps. “And right now, you and Alexei are destroying each other instead of protecting what matters.”

Anya clears her throat. “Maybe I should give you some privacy for this conversation.”

“Stay,” Sasha commands without looking at her. “You are a part of this mess, which means you’re a part of cleaning it up.”

“I don’t think?—”

“I don’t care what you think. I care about fixing the damage you’ve all caused.”

I’ve been quiet through this exchange, but watching Sasha tear into her brother like he’s a misbehaving child gives me a new perspective on family dynamics I never had growing up. Thiswoman is furious, but underneath the anger is genuine fear that she’s losing the people she loves most.

“What do you want from us?” I ask.

“I want you all to stop acting like teenagers and start thinking about consequences.” She walks to the center of the room, where she can see all of us clearly. “Dmitri, you shot your brother to protect a woman who was sent here to spy on us. Alexei thinks that proves you’re compromised beyond recovery. Neither of you is completely wrong, but you’re both being fucking stupid.”

“I wasn’t going to let him kill her.”

“So instead of finding a solution that protects everyone, you decided to have a gunfight in the hallway.”

Dmitri runs his hands through his hair, and I see the frustration building in his stance. “Alexei wasn’t interested in compromise.”

“You tried to explain while he was pointing a gun at her. Maybe the timing wasn’t ideal for a complex intelligence briefing. You should’ve told him the moment you found out. The second she got her memory back. Everyone’s been trying to protect someone, and look where it’s gotten us.”

I run my thumb along my crescent moon tattoo while I watch Sasha pace the room like a caged animal. She’s right, but I’m not sure what solution she thinks exists.

“What do you propose we do?” I ask.

“You’re going to tell Alexei everything. About Viktor, about Pavel, and about the corruption and the unauthorized operations. You’re going to explain why Katya isn’t the threat he thinks she is.”

“He won’t listen to me. Not after I shot him.”

“He’ll listen because I’ll make him listen. And because the alternative is watching our family destroy itself over misunderstandings and pride.”

Dmitri looks skeptical. “You think you can convince him to hear me out?”