Page 2 of Wicked Heiress

It was my fault.

I followed them to the dining room and took my place at the table. Bastian sat beside me, his smile warm and friendly, but he was sneaky and a thief. My cousin had guts and didn’t tolerate our grandfather’s attitude. He gave it back to him, and I wished I had the same nerve.

We barely spoke more than five words and ate in silence. Midway through dinner, the phone rang. Grandfather answered, barked at the person on the other end, and left the room.

I stuffed my face with meat, potatoes, and bread because I didn’t know when I would eat like this again.

Bastian laughed and patted my back. “I know what it’s like to live with him. But I promise your life will get better soon.”

I glanced up from my plate and swallowed, my stomach rumbling from eating so much. “I have seven more years with him. And he gets meaner every year.”

“Tomorrow, you’ll move in with a friend. His name is Jonathan Hale. He’s a colonel in the Marine Corps. He will take good care of you.”

“What?” I stammered. “Why would I?—”

“Because you’re not going to be Katarina much longer.”

My eyebrows pinched together at his confession. “What are you talking about?”

He swiped a strand of hair away from his forehead and sighed. “You’re in danger here.”

My mouth fell open in shock. “Because of my father?”

Bastian nodded.

Ice rushed through my veins, chilling me from the inside out. I hadn’t seen my father in two years, not since he killed my mother.

“Is he back?”

Another nod. “You leave in the morning.” Bastian plucked the key from his pocket and opened his palm under the table. “Katarina, I need you to hold onto this for me. It’s your birthright as much as it is mine.” He placed the cold metal in my palm. “Guard it with your life.”

“But it belongs to him,” I said in a hushed tone, nerves shaking through me. “What if he finds it? He’ll kill me.”

“You’re finally getting out of this godforsaken place.” He forced a smile. “When we meet again, I’ll show you what to do with the key.”

“Why are you doing this?”

My grandfather’s Berluti oxfords tapped on the tiled floor in the hallway, coming closer to us. The food rose from my stomach, settling into the back of my throat. I could barely breathe. My heart pounded so fast, the anxiety clawed at my insides.

Bastian must have heard him because he leaned closer and spoke faster, “I wish I could help you, Katarina, but my hands are tied until he releases my trust fund. This is the best I can do for now.”

“You came here for me?” I pressed my lips together to stop them from quivering. “To give me this key?”

He nodded. “One day, this key will buy your freedom. It’s the only thing that will keep you alive.” He kissed the top of my head. “Good luck, cousin. Don’t lose it. And don’t get caught.”

Chapter One

GRACE

Ten years ago, I died, replaced by someone else. Katarina Adams Romanov was a distant memory of the past. A girl who laughed and loved life. Someone who didn’t know the real monsters of the world were wealthy men in suits.

Someone knocked on the door. Chills raced down my spine. No one ever came to our house, not even my dad’s work friends. I pushed up from the couch and looked through the peephole.

It was my grandfather.

Shit.

I hadn’t seen him since he sent me to live with Colonel Jonathan Hale, my adoptive father. The man who gave me his last name and a new life, one that was the closest to normal I’d ever had.

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