Page 2 of House of Lies

I try to focus on the task, but I am too distracted. It’s an old habit. She got me through too many unbearable nights in prison, even though she has no fucking idea that I exist.

“I didn’t get where I am by begging others to do things for me, Kolya. But then again, you know something about what that’s like. Instead of asking for money to pay off your gambling debt, you took what was mine.”

Nikolai twists his arms behind his back, keeping him in a chokehold. I’ve decided to kill him ever since I found out that he’s the one who’s been stealing money from the casino. There’s nothing he can say or do to make me change my mind.

“Please don’t do this, Kazimir.”

“Never beg, Kolya.” I remind him. “Never show fear.”

“I’m not afraid,” he claims, his voice trembling, contradicting his words.

“You’re not a very good liar,” I say as I retrieve a knife from the top drawer of my desk and step closer to him.

The sight of a grown man trembling with fear and pissing their pants at the sight of a knife in my hands disgusts me. Vanya, or Ivan, as he’s known outside the family, would argue and say that this would happen regardless of the weapon in my hands or its absence. I’d say it happens every time he’s nearby. We have different opinions, but he’s more intimidating at the first glance than me. We’re similar in stature, but he’s bigger than I am, with a nasty scar crossing the left side of his face, tattoos running from his neck down on his body, and his face betraying no feelings. If my cousin is capable of any. But sometimes, having everyone fear you is not enough. There will always be someone who is willing to betray you. Someone who places no value on human life.

“Hold his hand,” I ask him.

We’re more than cousins. We’re brothers. Blood. Family. And he calls me out on my bullshit if he thinks I don’t analyze the consequences enough before making a decision, even if he knows it’s pointless. Tonight is not one of those moments. He complies, forcing Kolya to stretch his hand on the desk.

“Please—” He tries again.

His pleas are ignored. He struggles to break free from Nikolai’s hold. I wouldn’t even try if I were him. Vanya holds his wrist in an iron grip. There’s resistance as the blade hits the bone. I press harder, a shiver running down my spine as his fingers detach, blood spilling all over the desk and dripping on the ground. The sight is beautiful. Almost as stunning as the woman who’ll soon be mine. Kolya screams out in pain, tears running down his cheeks and snot coming out of his nose. My mind is not entirely here tonight. I block most of it out, not feeling the usual thrill that used to go with taking a man’s life. I often wonder where this leaves me since I can’t seem to enjoy anything. It’s like prison snuffed the last spark of life inside me.

“Hold the other one.”

I’m not entirely focused on what happens next. I hear his pleas, the cries, the swearing, and the begging. His screams echo loudly. I just don’t care. I feel nothing as I detach the other fingers or when I wipe off the blood from the blade of the knife. I carve an upside-down M on his forehead, claiming the crime. We’ve always used an inverted M to remind people that we can disrupt and turn their lives apart. It’s a perversion of our identity, reminding us there’s a lot of darkness behind the façade of the Mordvinov family.

I feel nothing when I give Nikolai the order to kill Kolya with a simple nod. I’ll save the fingers and send them to his family as a warning. They should consider themselves lucky. I don’t hold them accountable for Kolya’s crimes. I’ll send his body to my uncle as a reminder to be more careful in the future about the men he hires.

“What’s wrong with you tonight?” Vanya asks me when we’re left alone.

“Nothing.”

“Is this about the plan?”

“Is everything in motion?”

“Our men have landed. They’re on their way to pick up Mattia.”

“Good,” I nod. “They know not to touch her, yes?”

Vanya frowns. He doesn’t understand why I insist on keeping Mattia’s wife alive. She’s a weakness. She's a vulnerability I can’t afford to have, so it will be my dark, guarded secret. I’m great at keeping those. There’s no need to tell him that Caelia became mine the first time he sent me her picture in prison. She wasn’t his focus. There were not enough pictures with her, and too many with my twin brother. At some point, I was so focused on her that I lost sight of the plan.

“Just answer the question, Vanya.”

“They know. I don’t understand what’s going on in your mind.”

“Well, you’ve never been very bright, so I don’t expect you to understand,” I smirk.

“??? ?? ???. Let’s go over the details of the plan.”

I know the details by heart, but I agree to go through them again. I need to make sure he knows them, too.

I am not afraid, Father.

CHAPTER 1

Caelia

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