Page 81 of Thorns of Love

“Nikita?” Boris’ voice held a note of shock. He had been around for a long time. I’d never questioned him twice. “He betrayed us?”

“Yes.” My voice was cold. “The question is why.”

Boris’ brows bunched. “Maybe this family–”

“Trace his family tree,” I ordered, tapping my fingers on my thigh. “You have his blood sample?” He nodded. All my men were required to provide it. Boris and Nikita never had theirs run because they’ve been with me the longest. We just collected the sample and stored it away. I stilled the top of my forefinger on my thigh, remembering Tatiana’s words. That picture. “Have our guy run it against Adrian’s blood sample.”

He sent the request. The phone chimed, signaling it was being worked on. Five minutes passed in tense silence when the phone chimed again.

“He wants you to call him,” he read his message.

I retrieved my phone. The old man picked up after two rings. “Da?”

I got straight to business. “I need answers.”

“You’re very much like your father in that regard,” he retorted dryly. “Cutting straight to the chase.”

I didn’t have time to waste. “Now,” I gritted. “What do you know?”

“You won’t be happy,” he started. That was never a good way to start a conversation. I clenched my teeth, keeping my fury at bay. “Nikita and Adrian are related. I ran autosomal DNA testing. They are biological first cousins, sharing approximately 12.5% DNA. On mother’s side.”Motherfucker. When I got my hands on him, I’d strangle the traitor with my bare hands.

“There’s more,” he added, his voice almost fearful. I bet the old man was happy to be thousands of miles away.

“What?” I barked.

Two quiet moments passed. “You share DNA with Adrian Morozov.” That picture Tatiana told me about flickered through my mind, but before I could even form a thought, his next words confirmed Tatiana’s suspicions. “You share 25% of your DNA with him, which makes you half-siblings.”

I ended the call, staring at my phone. My cool tethered, ready to boil into a full, red rage.

“Get me the full file on Nikita and Adrian’s family tree,” I gritted, barking my demand. Boris nodded and got straight to work.

I clenched a fist, wishing I kept Adrian alive to beat the answers out of him. There was only one other person alive left who could give me the full story. Even if I had to torture him to get it.

It was time to find out the truth.

TWENTY-NINE

TATIANA

I’d like to think I wasn’t a coward.

But at this very moment, a part of me battled. To know or not to know the truth.

A part of me wanted to remain in this state of ignorance. Whispers in my head warned there’d be no coming back from this. However, my eldest brother taught me to never back down. He said closing our eyes to the truth eventually hurt us more than helped us. After all, it was what made him lose five years with Isabella. He trusted our mother blindly and it burned him.

It was just another betrayal layering our distrustful Nikolaev nature.

Goosebumps erupted on my flesh. Images of that accident flickered through my mind.

Kill him.

Two little words that changed the course of my life.

Or possibly my life had taken on a different course the moment I hooked up with Adrian, believing him to be the man from the gazebo.

The shadows on Marchetti’s sharp cheekbones gave him a darkened, lethal edge. It almost reminded me of an angry god.

But I came for answers. The truth would hurt as much as the lies, but I’d heal from it. I knew I would.