Page 64 of Ruthless Reign

“Goddammit!” I snarl, breathless. My pulse races, rage boiling.

If someone has a message for us, they should deliver it like actual men. Make your presence known rather than staging an anonymous drive-by shooting in the dark of night.

Viktor is on his phone, barking orders to his hackers to use satellite imagery to track the van speeding away. When he hangs up, he looks at me for directions.

I roll my neck, tension knotting in my shoulders and down my back. “We find the bastards who did this,” I command through clenched teeth. “And we kill every single one of them.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

LIZA

“Sofiya, finally!” I say when my sister picks up the phone.

She’s been impossible to get a hold of for the last week, and although that happens sometimes, I’m still uneasy after everything that went down while I was in London.

“Sorry, Lizka. I was at a dress rehearsal. It’s been exhausting.”

I put my phone on speaker and place it on the bathroom counter while I hover the eye pencil near my lashes, attempting a smoky eye.

Roman may be taking Katerina as his date tonight, but he won’t be able to take his eyes off me. I’m going to look my best. Roman Vasiliev can eat his fucking heart out because I’m not going to spare him a second glance.

“As long as everything is good?” I pause, pencil in mid-air, and take a breath. “If something is bothering you, you know you can talk to me. About anything.”

She sighs. “I know. You really need to stop worrying about me. I’m not a kid.”

I give up on smoky eyes and press the phone to my ear, leaning on the bathroom counter. “Listen, I don’t want to keep bringing this up, but I’m still feeling uneasy about the night Anatoly dragged you to that business dinner.”

She’s quiet for a minute. “What about it?”

“I just… Who were the men he introduced you to?” Anatoly has refused to discuss the dinner with me, warning me to mind my own business, but for my own sanity, I need to know the details. I need to understand what happened.

“I dunno. Some businessmen from St. Petersburg. The only name I remember is the guy who seemed to be the boss, Sergey. He was nice enough, asking me questions about school and the things I liked to do. My plans after graduation.” She gives a little laugh, and I can tell she was flattered by his attention. “But he’s, like, in his thirties or something. He wasn’t flirting, just being polite. I mostly scrolled on my phone because the whole thing was boring.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Was he the one who gave you the wine?”

“Ugh, this again?” she mutters.

“I just need to know.”

“I … I can’t exactly remember.”

Something about her confusion makes me feel sick. One drink shouldn’t wipe a person’s memory. Then again, as much as she claims her friends drink, I don’t think she does.

“I’m pretty sure it was Anatoly, but it’s hard to say. The drinks were flowing. I didn’t want to make it an issue.”

I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming in frustration. “Okay.” I release a tight breath. “I’m not happy he did that, but it’s not your fault. Just don’t go anywhere with Anatoly again.”

She sounds tired when she finally says, “Nothing happened.”

“I know, Sofiya, I know. But you’re my sister, and my loyalty will always be with you. Anatoly and I are working out a few issues at the moment.”

“But the wedding is so soon!”

I press a finger into my temple. She has no idea how aware I am of that fact.

“It’ll be fine,” I tell her. “Time heals all.”

What I really mean is, if luck is on my side, I won’t be walking down that aisle.

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