Page 35 of The Bratva's Hostage

There was only one explanation for all this, and it made sense to me. Elena had been deceived and manipulated by someone in her own family. It was no wonder she couldn't tell me what she was looking for when I asked her. She didn’t know if she could trust me or not, since I could be the one who had ordered the hit on her brother. But one thing was clear: no one in my family was responsible for the killing.

I’d sent a quick message to Fyodor to comb through old data files again and I’d researched the elusive Moretti heir. Unfortunately, nothing could be deduced from this, except what she clearly did not want to hear.

I swept the files from the table, my frustration growing with every unanswered question. She could be in danger.

The orchestrator was most definitely someone within the family. Elena had murmured that she had gotten the information from her father and Lucas, two of the few people she trusted to protect her and always be honest with her, which meant they were the ones to watch since they had pointed to the Bratva family.

Don Armando was a ruthless and calculating man, however, I couldn’t fathom a motive why he would kill his son, especially after bringing him into his family.

If Don Armando were out of the question, there was only one other person who could benefit from Marco’s death. Lucas was the only one who had a real motive for his death. Since Marco is out of the way and Elena is a woman and therefore not eligible for the role of Don, this would mean that he is next in line.

I frowned, reaching for my phone to dial Elena’s number to tell her what I suspected. I tapped impatiently on the table as the phone rang, and I waited for her to answer.

“Come on, Elena. Pick up,” I ground out, my brows furrowing when the call ended without her picking up.

I called her again and was frustrated when my call went to voicemail again. With each unanswered call, my concern for her grew even more.

She went out early this morning and said she needed to clear her head. If she was reckless enough to sneak into my office twice looking for answers when I could have easily killed her, then she must be doing something she really shouldn’t be doing right now. Goddammit! If I only could knock that stubbornness out of her!

A gnawing worry spread through the pit of my stomach. Although I had my suspicions, it was impossible to know if Lucas was responsible or if someone else was involved. She didn’t know who she could trust and that meant she was very vulnerable. She had a fighting spirit and certainly was skilled, but I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, if she would get hurt.

Chapter 18 - Elena

I stepped into Lucas’s office; my mind locked on the dead-end I’d met last night after such a long time searching for answers.

“Ah, Elena. How are you? I didn’t think I’d see you today,” Lucas said, smiling as he saw me. His brows furrowed with concern as he looked up from his desk when I didn’t say anything.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” he asked me, walking over to me.

“Yes, zio. There’s been some sort of misunderstanding and I don’t know what to do,” I said, angry and worried.

“Come on,” he ushered me to the sofa and sat beside me. “Tell me, what happened? What misunderstanding?”

I wiped a hand over my face, tired after the night I had. “Last night, I had a chance to search for Vadim Koslov. Maksim caught me and thought I was finished. After I explained everything to him, he promised to help me. He went through his database, but there was no one by that name. It seemed like the man never existed and I don’t know what to make of it.”

Lucas got up, walking to his chair behind the desk. He sat down heavily and ran a hand down his face, looking as worn out as I felt.

“You’re certain he ran the name through his database? You saw him do it?” he asked me calmly.

I frowned, confused by how calm and composed he looked. I shook it off. “Yes, I was there and watched him. There is something I need to know. How did you get the information that Vadim Koslov killed Marco and that he worked for the Bratva?” I asked. “Perhaps you were being misled to draw the attention from the real killer?”

“Oh, well. Let’s see. I received the information from an anonymous source,” he said, his eyes looking everywhere but at me.

“But isn’t there anything you can remember? I don’t think you or Dad would so easily accept an anonymous tip without confirming it yourselves.”

He nodded. “Your father checked it out himself. You’ll have to ask him when he feels better but I don’t know when that’ll be,” he said, his hand reaching underneath the table.

I followed the direction of his hands and watched the flicker in his eyes. My eyes widened as the truth dawned on me. I didn’t know whether he was the one who killed Marco or if he was simply protecting the killer, but one thing was obvious, he was hiding something from me.

“What are you hiding?” I asked, my hands reaching into my bag for the gun I brought with me.

Lucas drew out a gun, pushing his chair back as he pointed it at me. His face transformed from the loving and concerned uncle I’d always known to a stranger.

I stood up, drawing my gun as the tension escalated, our eyes fixed on each other. My heart jackhammered loudly in my chest, the feeling of betrayal settling deep.

“How could you do this? We trusted you,” I spat, my voice slicing through the charged air in the room.

He remained silent but his eyes had hardened showing that my accusation wasn’t farfetched.

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