Page 175 of Cashmere Ruin

It has to be a nightmare.

But no matter how hard I stare, the image doesn’t change. No matter how hard I bite my tongue, I don’t wake up.

And no matter how hard I wish I was wrong, Yuri’s eyes don’t change.

“It was you,” I rasp. “All along, it was you.”

I’ve been so blind. So, so fucking blind.

The mole was someone from the inner circle. Someone who knew our every move, who could keep Carmine one step ahead of us at every turn. Someone who could access the logs, manipulate the reports, keep the search off-course.

Someone who had my full trust.

I kick back my chair and grab him by the collar. “Tell me it’s not true.” Because even now, with all this damning evidence in front of me, a part of me wants to believe in him. My little brother—my family. My blood.

Yuri kills that hope with two words. “It’s true.”

BAM!

I watch him reel from my punch. I’m breathing heavily now, nostrils flared, my vision red. Blood trickles from Yuri’s cheekbone, and all I can think is that I should’ve picked a better spot to hit: snapped his nose in half, blinded him in one eye.

“You betrayed me,” I spit.

He wipes the blood away calmly. “I’m gonna let you have that one because you’re upset. But if you don’t get your hands off me in the next five seconds, we’re gonna have a problem. Or rather,theyare.” His eyes flit to the picture to make his point.

“You’d do this to them? Tome?!” I yell, uncaring of all the other guests staring at us. “Your own blood?!”

Unexpectedly, Yuri laughs. It’s a crazed, manic sound, clashing with his personality like nails on a chalkboard. “Blood?” he scoffs. “We’re not blood, Matvey. We’ve never been blood.”

I fall silent.

What does that even mean?If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s the tie that binds us:blood.Thicker than water, thicker than anything.

“Explain yourself,” I order.

“Gladly.”

And he begins.

It was the day of the DNA test.

Back then, you didn’t trust April as far as you could throw her. You didn’t know her, didn’t know what she wanted from you. So you entrusted me with the most important task you’d ever given me.

Determining if the child was truly yours.

I don’t think you realize how much I looked up to you then. I don’t think you ever did. You were this big, strongpakhanwho could conquer every country he set foot in. Russia killed so many of us. If it hadn’t been for you, it would’ve killed me, too.

I wanted to prove myself so badly.

But something went wrong. The hair sample you gave me—by the time I got to the lab, I realized I’d lost it. It wasn’t the end of the world, but it was the end of the world to me. Because I’d made a mistake, and you didn’t tolerate mistakes.

So I improvised. I took a few strands of my own hair and gave them to the technician. I thought, why not? The match wouldn’t be as high, but it would still be there. If the kid was yours, that is.

Then the test came back negative.

I didn’t even think to question it, you know? I was so sure April had lied to you. I was about to tell you as much.

Then I got a call.

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