Page 64 of Shattered Empire (Shattered World)

“Look,” he sighed. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed his eyes for a moment to regroup. “I’m not going to give you the highlight reel of why I’ve done what I have. But I am sorry for some of the things,” he admitted. “I never should have involved Ava, and for that I am sorry, brother.”

Brother.

I had brothers. Vasily, Roman, Maksim, Leon, and Nikolai were my brothers. Even that shithead Dima. They had been for years. But there was something in the way Ivan uttered that word, with reverence and respect, that stirred the shattered parts of my soul.

“Why did you?”

“Because she meant something to you,” he sighed with regret. “Even before you realized it yourself.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“The LondonBratvahas been hemorrhaging money,” Mark droned over the video chat. He was briefing Ivan on everything we had learned so far. I searched through the new images Mark had sent over. My brilliant wife managed to break Libby’s code and obtain at least a terabyte of new information we never had before. We’d been in London for nearly two weeks, and we still weren’t any closer to bringing Kirill down.

I frowned. Thoughts of Kenzi popped into my mind. We’d left her with Leon at the airport, but that was the last thing I had wanted to do. Kenzi could easily take care of herself. The training the Dollhouse had provided her with was extensive. I was worried she would be blindsided by her relationship with her brother. Afraid she wouldn’t see the killing blow coming because she underestimated him.

Libby had been the gentlest and sweetest girl I had ever known. Vas fell head over heels for her kindness and love for others, and Christian killed her for her perceived betrayal. She stood in the way of what he wanted.

Ava.

“What’s that?” Ivan leaned forward for a better look at whatever Mark was showing him. “Her cane, can you zoom in on it?” Mark snorted.

“Can I zoom in on it?” he mocked Ivan. There was still salt in the wound. “Of course, I can zoom in on it. An ape could zoom in on this.” He paused, his eyes flitting to Ivan. “Well, most apes.” If my brother caught the insult, he didn’t respond, too focused on the photo in front of him.

“Ava was curious about the cane as well,” Mark added. “Especially this.” The photo grew larger, focusing on the small crest etched into the wood of the cane, just below the silver cross.

“That is odd,” Ivan murmured. “I recognize the cane.”

“How is that odd?” I asked.

“Not odd in the sense that he has the same cane,” Ivan explained. “But this is the Eye of Providence.” He pointed to the lidless eye in the middle of the symbol. “And this is the Seal of Solomon.” His finger swept around the rest of the symbol, which was depicted as a pentagram inside a perfect circle.

“Isn’t the Seal of Solomon a legend?” Mark inquired. “An alchemic symbol thought to control demons and such?” Ivan nodded.

“It has had many meanings throughout history,” he breathed. “Same as the Illuminati symbol. It all depends on who you ask and what time-period you are sifting through. The Eye of Providence, as it is attributed to the Illuminati, is the all-seeing eye. Meaning that they have eyes everywhere. Can see everything.”

“Big brother is watching.” Mark smirked.

“Something like that,” Ivan agreed. “In other parts, it means wisdom and protection. Some believe it is a variation of the Eye of Horus in Egyptian Mythology, which is restoration and protection.” I listened intently, pride spreading warmly through my chest at hearing my brother’s depth of knowledge. He was smart. Obviously well-educated, and the passion he exuded caught me up and held me hostage.

“You know a lot about this.”

Redness crept up Ivan’s neck. He shot me a small, bashful smile. “I’ve always had a passion for history and symbolism.”

I nodded and smiled at him.

“Do you have other pictures of people with this cane and symbol?” Ivan questioned, turning his attention back to Mark, who nodded.

“A few,” the hacker confirmed. “The cane itself is rather common, but there were very few I found that had that exact symbol. The first one is this lady.” An image of a woman they’d identified as Madam Therese filled the screen. “From what we’ve gathered, she’s a buyer for the Dollhouse.”

Ivan took a moment to study the picture before announcing that he knew her.

“I have seen her meet with Kirill on several occasions,” he admitted. “That explains a lot, actually.”

Puzzled, I asked, “What do you mean?”

Ivan swallowed, his throat bobbing as a slash of anger cut through his features before disappearing. “Kirill has that same cane. With that exact symbol carved into the wood.”

Crickets.

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