Page 28

28

ANASTASIA

“ Y ou fired Erik?” Viktor’s bellow is so loud that the glass in my hand slips from my grip and smashes down against the sink, spraying little bits of glass into every corner.

“Fucking hell,” I gasp, whirling to see Viktor striding through the kitchen toward me.

“I’m right here, you don’t have to yell.”

“Is it true?” he snaps.

“You fired him?”

Interesting.

Viktor storms in here full of rage and he’s angry that Erik is gone, not that I killed Sergey.

Does he not know?

Did Erik not tell him?

“Yes, it’s true,” I say carefully, studying his face as I move away from the sink now filled with broken glass.

“Why?” he demands.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“You really think after his display the other night, I would keep him here?” I raise one brow, trying to appear as casual as possible.

“I don’t need a security advisor who goes around punching my own people.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I thought you would be pleased?” With my glass gone, I move to the fridge and take out a bottle of water while sending a quick text to get someone in to clean up the broken glass.

“Why on earth would I be pleased?” Viktor throws his hands up.

“I’m sick and tired of all your strange decisions and none of them making any sense. Don’t you have any critical thinking skills?”

“I’d be very careful about where you’re going with that thought,” I warn softly.

“I’m on edge, Viktor. The gala is fast approaching and I still haven’t settled on a color theme for the staff. I have three new business ventures primed for launch and I’m tired, so I don’t have time to coddle you and make you feel important. Yes, I fired Erik. That’s all you need to know. So if you don’t mind…”

Bottle in hand, I try to walk past him, but Viktor catches my upper arm in his hand and stops me.

“And the baby?”

My heart jumps into my throat while I fight to keep my face calm.

Turning to face him, I meet his gaze.

“What baby?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I caught the doctor leaving the other night and I didn’t let her go until she told me the truth. You’re pregnant.” Viktor doesn’t even attempt to hide the sneer of disgust as his eyes flick down my body.

“Whose is it?”

I grit my teeth.

Of course he knows.

It’s not surprising, but it highlights exactly how little privacy I have left in this place.

If I’m not careful, Viktor will discover the truth about Sergey without Erik’s help.

“No one’s.”

“Bullshit.”

“It hardly matters.” Twisting out of Viktor’s grip, I take a step back.

“All that bleeding the other night was me losing the damn thing, so it’s not a problem anymore.”

“Oh.” For the first time in a long time, Viktor appears to be at a loss for words.

His eyes linger on my stomach.

“Sorry.”

“It’s not a loss,” I say cooly.

“And if there’s nothing else?” With my head held high, I leave the kitchen and head out into the garden where Faina waits for me among the rose bushes.

With a book in one hand, she leans over a particularly voluminous bush and plucks out a rose as I arrive.

“Ew,” Faina sighs softly.

“I’m tired of greenfly.”

“Something messing with your roses?” I ask as I reach her.

“Yes.” She tosses the rose down onto the ground and nudges it back into the soil.

“Think I need a new pesticide.”

“Go for it.” The seal of my bottle cracks sharply as I open it, then I close my eyes against the warm sun and drink deeply.

“You okay?” Faina asks while we begin to walk deeper into the garden.

“Your phone call earlier sounded urgent.”

Drinking my fill, I wipe the corner of my mouth and gaze out across the garden.

Flowers bloom brightly in the sun, bees buzz nearby, and the hum of distant garden machinery reaches my ears.

We should be able to talk secretly here.

“We need to talk about Viktor.”

“Has he said something?” Faina’s tone is alarming and she clutches at my arm.

“Do I need to get you out of here?”

“No, no. Not yet. It’s been a couple of days and he hasn’t said anything, so either he doesn’t know or he’s playing the long game. Either way, we need to do something about him. With Erik gone, it’s only a matter of time before Viktor snaps and takes matters into his own hands, regardless of what he knows.”

“Do you think he’s dangerous?”

“He’s loyal to my father, even after all these months. I don’t think he has my best interests at heart.” We move from the gravel path to the thick grass, slowing our pace so I can admire some of the flowers.

“And it’s clear he’s been working against me. I mean, he was the one who hired Erik in the first place. He moved him from a grunt role to my security adviser not long after my father passed and I brought you up. If he’s been investigating me since then…” Puffing out my cheeks, I shake my head.

“Then he’s never been on my side.”

“I used to think he acted the way he does because he wanted to keep you on your toes,” Faina remarks.

“It all looks so different now, in hindsight.”

“Agreed. So, I think I need help.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“I need more help than you can provide, Faina. As much as I adore you, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“I can take care of myself.” Faina chuckles.

“And by that, I’m hoping the security team I’ve been paying will want to continue to get paid and thus keep me alive.”

“That’s one way to look at it.” We wander under a wooden trellis and I run my fingers through flower petals and soft leaves.

“But this time, I need something more. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Erik’s lies have made me realize that I’m actually quite alone.”

“You have me,” Faina offers, but the look on her face shows me she understands.

Me and her against the world?

We wouldn’t last five minutes.

“What about Tatiana?” Faina suggests.

“It would be in her best interests for you to remain alive. Otherwise, she’ll lose the deal the two of you have crafted.”

“True, but I haven’t fully secured that deal yet and I’m not even fully convinced of her legitimacy. I found no record of my father ever having done business with the Yegorovs, but that doesn’t rule them out of being his secret partner.”

“True,” Faina murmurs.

“And there’s hardly enough time to build that kind of trust.”

“Exactly.”

“What about the Irish?”

“The Irish?”

“Yeah.” Faina guides me toward the stone fountain in the middle of the garden where our words are swallowed up by the rush of water spouting from beautiful swans.

“You helped them catch Brenden’s killer. At least in some way. Surely, they owe you?”

“I…” Hesitation stops me.

Cormac is already helping me with medication and insurance for all the people we’ve rescued from my father’s schemes.

Can I really reach out for more?

Would that just make me look weak?

I sit down on the edge of the fountain, perching on the cold stone and dipping my fingertips into the water.

“Anastasia?” Faina joins me, crossing her legs at her knees.

“It’s not weak to ask for help.”

“But from another family? An outside organization at that.” A chill runs up my arm.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a family was swallowed up by the enemy.”

“True,” she replies.

“But we’re not at war. At least not an external one. It can’t hurt to ask.”

My attention remains down on the ripples moving through the water as I dance my fingers back and forth.

“You’re right. If I can’t trust Viktor, then I need to make sure I have someone on my side. Even if it’s just because I’m paying them. Maybe Cormac will grant me an alliance for the gala, and some security.”

“Plus,” Faina adds with a warm smile, “it will make you look good. You get on that stage and you can announce to all the other families about your plans to move forward while showing exactly what kind of leader you will be. Someone who makes deals and alliances, not someone who starts war and feeds on greed.”

“You think?” I lift my gaze to her.

She nods.

“I do. Besides, the worst Cormac can say is no, right?”

“Yes. True. Alright, I’ll reach out to him…”

“But?” Faina prompts, catching my further hesitation.

“Viktor. We need to get rid of him. Permanently. I don’t need him launching any more investigations into what happened that night.”

I find myself at a crossroads later that night.

It’s clear that Viktor’s age and wealth of experience dictate a lot on this estate.

Many of the people working under my name carry a loyal torch for Viktor due to his association with my father, and that’s not something I can shake.

It also means that if it came down to it, I’m not confident that my people would rally behind me.

Especially if Viktor were my opponent.

Sitting on the balcony outside my room, I gaze out over the estate and try to piece together how things crumbled so quickly.

Maybe they weren’t even secure in the first place.

Erik was never here for me.

He was just doing Viktor’s work for him.

And Viktor, it seems, was never even on my side.

He just respected the rules enough to let me step into power while waiting for my downfall.

Faina is loyal, but the two of us won’t hold up against the might of this family.

Have I failed?

Should a leader really be this concerned about loyalty?

It seemed effortless for my father, yet it’s a constant worry in my mind.

Did I make a mistake all those months ago when I slaughtered those generals?

Maybe that secured my fate.

My thoughts drive me to the files Faina brought me after dinner.

I requested all the details of every family that serves under the Remizova name.

A lot of them are smaller and they’re scattered all over the city.

It’s my only option, though.

If I can’t trust the people I have here with me, then I need some new blood.

I scour the files, cataloging family after family while sorting them into a list of who would be the easiest to bring under my wing versus those who would be most willing.

Without speaking to any of them directly, it’ll be impossible to know for sure, but it’s a start.

I’m neck-deep in family history when my phone rings and I answer it immediately, stuffing the device between my shoulder and ear.

“Yep?”

“Anastasia?”

My back straightens like a board.

“Cormac.”

“Sorry to call at this late hour.”

“No, you’re fine,” I assure him, moving files out of my lap as if that will help me hear clearer.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’ll keep it short. I can’t help you with your situation.”

My heart drops like a rock, alerting me to just how hopeful I’d been that he could help me.

“But,” Cormac continues, “I can put you in touch with someone who can. I trust them, and I’m certain you’ll be able to negotiate something that works for you.”

“Alright,” I reply cautiously.

“Who is it?”

“You’ll see,” Cormac replies.

“Just make sure you go alone if you want their help with everything.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not. If you’re serious about what you need, then go alone.”

“To where, exactly?”

Cormac reels off an address.

“Be there in an hour.”

“An hour?” I gasp.

“That’s at the other end of the city.”

“Then you'd better hurry,” Cormac replies, swiftly ending the call.

I can’t go.

I’d never make it.

Leaving here without security would be suicide. I’d be handing things over to Viktor without any kind of struggle. But the more I mull it over, the more my choices seem limited. Whoever Cormac wants me to meet clearly has some terms they’d like to set.

This has to be some kind of test.

Rising from my lounge chair, I head inside my room and cross to my jewelry box on top of my dressing table.

Inside the secret drawer, hidden right at the back, is the letter opener I used to kill my father.

Throwing it away felt like a bad idea, considering how good this family is at finding evidence, so I held on to it with the plan of getting rid of it later.

Much later.

But later never came.

The dried blood on the blade is dark brown now, and the scent of iron is sharp. Briefly closing my eyes, I’m suddenly back in my father’s office while blood spouts from his neck.

I have no choice. If I have any hope of surviving, I need to do this.

With the weapon secure in a plastic bag and my phone tucked into my pocket, I slip out of the estate.

I just hope I get there in time.