Page 12 of Unrequited (Bratva Kings #6)

She goes silent for a beat. Then, “All right. I need a few minutes. I’ve got a mountain of hay and a thousand needles buried in it, okay? But tell me, what did this Irish guy you know say to you ? What does he think you know?” she asks. She isn’t speaking sharply anymore. She sounds knowing… wise.

“He told me to go home,” I say quietly. “Said I’d be safe there.”

I want to cry.

“I see.”

Does she though? Fuck my life.

“I think you should probably do what he said and stay home. It sounds like the wisest choice, doesn’t it? ”

I swallow… hard. My throat is tight, feels like there's barbed wire wrapped around it.

“Yes,” I manage.

Aria sighs. “Stay home, Zoya.”

She whispers it like a secret she doesn’t want the world to hear.

I pull out the tracking app, my fingers trembling. It’s basic, but it works. We all have them, though Rafail’s is leagues beyond. His is wired into something ten steps ahead of the rest of ours.

I look for every one of them.

Yana, my sister, is in her home in South Africa.

Rodion and Ember are at their place.

And it looks like Vadka and Ruthie are together.

I track the rest of them—Rafail, Polina, Semyon, Anya, Matvei, and Anissa.

Then, a few minutes later, my phone rings.

It’s Aria.

My hands tremble, and my stomach bottoms out like I’ve just stepped off a cliff.

“Okay. All right,” Aria says. Her voice is flat now, not emotionless but controlled. Brutally steady.

“This is where the shit hits the fan, Zoya. The Irish rivals have ordered a hit on your family.”

The Irish rivals. The Irish fucking rivals .

I knew I shouldn't have been with Seamus.

I knew it. I knew it. But I still went. I still spoke to him, touched him, trusted him.

I still let myself fall in love.

And he never gave me a single reason to think he was my enemy. Not one.

But he got a message. A message that said he needed to destroy my family.

So what does that make him? My enemy? Or just another puppet in this godforsaken war?

Am I just lying to myself again?

I swallow, my belly plunging straight to the floor.

“Okay. All right. What are you telling me?” I ask her.

“This is what you need to do.” She’s all mission now. No hesitation. No apology.

“You’re right. If your brothers know there’s going to be an attack at the bar, they’re going to show up, guns blazing. But I’m telling you, this is bigger than they know. Bigger than they think . And you cannot hold them back. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

My skin feels clammy, my pulse a desperate thud against my throat. I’m shaking.

“Yes,” I whisper. “I think I know.”

“You’re going to lie to them, Zoya.” Her voice is steel. No room for discussion.

I nod to myself, swallowing .

“Have you ever lied to your brothers before?”

Only every Thursday night , I think bitterly. But I don’t say it.

“Yeah,” I say truthfully. “Not… often.”

“Then you're going to have to give it your very best shot. Best if you do it by phone. Or text. Don’t let them see your face. Don’t let them read your body language. You hear me?”

I nod again, even though she can’t see me. “Yes.”

“You’re going to send them to the warehouse near Anya’s bakery.

It's empty. Vacant. But they won't know that. You're going to tell them that’s where the danger is. You're going to make it real. Undeniable. You cannot suggest it. You cannot hint at it. You have to make them believe it’s the only option. Do you understand?”

My stomach is acid. My throat feels like it’s closing. But I whisper, “Yes. Yes, I do. Please tell me what to do.”

“You’re going to get them the hell out of their houses. All of them. Send them to the warehouse. It’s far enough from the Wolf and Moon. Then you’re going to stay. Let the Irish do whatever the fuck they’re planning at that bar, but your family will be nowhere to be found. Got it?”

“Yes,” I whisper. My nerves are threadbare.

“All right,” she says. “I’m going to do what I can from here. And you, Zoya, you be very fucking careful. Do you understand?” she repeats.

“Yes. Okay. Thank you,” I stammer. “What do I owe you? ”

“Just stay safe,” she says. Her voice softens and cracks just a little. “I know how bad these stakes are. I know what’s at risk. Please, Zoya—stay safe.”

And then she hangs up.

I’m staring at my phone.

I choke on a dry sob. My chest heaves, then I draw in a deep breath.

I call Rafail first.

Her words are still ringing in my head. Make it compelling. Don’t suggest. Don’t hint. Make them know.

I’m crying by the time he answers, which honestly helps.

“Rafail.” My voice is broken. Ragged.

And I lie. Through my goddamn teeth, I lie.

I make up the best fucking story I can. The one that will get him out.

“They’re gone,” I whisper. “ Gone. There was an attack on the warehouse. You have to go. Please. They’re all gone. All of them, Rafail. Rodion. Semyon. Matvei. All of them.”

I’m begging, whimpering… pathetic. But I have to make him believe me.

And he does.

He questions me, of course. He’s not stupid. But eventually, he says he’s going. He promises he’s going.

Thank fuck.

Then I call Semyon .

Rodion.

Matvei.

Vadka.

And I lie to every one of them.

I make it believable. I make it sound real. And one by one, they say they’re going.

My time is running out.

And I can only pray that it’s enough. That the distraction will hold. That it’ll work .

Because right now? Right now, all that matters is that they go.

I walk around the house. I feel like I’ve betrayed everyone. My brothers, my family—every single person who ever trusted me.

And worst of all? I’ve betrayed the only man I’ve ever loved.

I don’t know what the hell to do with myself now. I walk around like a ghost, every step heavier than the last.

My first call is to Mia. My voice is broken when I whisper her name.

“Mia,” I say, barely getting the words out. “I’ve never needed you to lie for me like this. Never. But I need it now. I need you to lie like your life depends on it. Please.”

I tell her as little as possible—just enough to get her on my side. I don't want her to be in danger. I don't want anyone else dragged into the mess I created. But she gets it. She always does .

“Yes,” she says. “Of course. You were here the whole night. What happened, Zoya? Are you okay? Are you safe?”

“I am now,” I lie. Or maybe I don’t. Am I? I’m not sure anymore. But I reassure her anyway. “I think I am.”

The sob tears out of me before I can stop it. I’ve betrayed them all. Will Seamus find out? God. What happens if he does? Why is that what terrifies me more than even my own brothers finding out? Why is he the one I’m afraid of?

He had that message on his phone. Because he was hiding something big. He was in league with someone who wants to burn my family to the ground.

No wonder we rarely left the bar. No wonder everything’s always on edge. He’s been lying to me. Keeping things from me. Playing a game I didn’t even know I was in.

Has he been seducing me this whole time? Was I just another part of the plan?

I sit in the quiet, waiting for the fallout. And it comes faster than I imagined.