Page 71 of Sinful Betrayal

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NINA

Anton doesn’t come backfor hours. I’m sitting on my bedroom floor, wide awake, when he stumbles past.

He curses as he crashes into something, and I have no doubt that he’s been drinking. Whatever that call was, it must have been bad.

But I don’t have the capacity to go and comfort him, not when my head is so full of dark thoughts.

My father threatened to kill an innocent woman and her unborn child.

His blood runs in my veins.

He is a part of me.

I barely make it to the toilet before I hurl my guts up.

My head is poundingas my alarm buzzes the next room. I must have eventually fallen asleep as I wake up curled in a ball on the bathroom floor, though I feel anything but rested.

My stomach aches from throwing up so much, and my limbs are heavy and weak.

It’s going to be a long day.

Thankfully, Anton doesn’t appear in the kitchen as I’m making myself a coffee to take with me on the drive to the city, and for once, I’m grateful that Yakov isn’t a talker. I need time to process all that Anton told me.

The Koslovs know about Lev.

My father would no doubt want to hear about this, but he is thelastperson I want to talk to.

How can he have the audacity to call Anton a monster after the things he’s done?

The fact that Anton told me about his own past shows meexactlythe sort of person he is. Hewantedme to know the truth. He didn’t want to trick me or blindside me by letting me fall for his charm and wealth. He wanted me to see him for who he really is.

“Yes I’ve killed, but only when it’s absolutely necessary. To protect those I love”.

There’s no way he killed Maxim in cold blood. It must have been in self-defense or to protect someone, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to prove it.

After my classes break for lunch, I head to the cafeteria with the girls to get some food. They’re all busy dissecting their night out atEspionagelast Friday, but I’m barely listening.

“Nina? Is everything okay?” Bea glances at my untouched tray of food.

“Yeah, um… I think I just need to use the bathroom. I’ll just be a sec.” I catch Yakov’s eye at the next table, and he gets up to follow me.

After ducking inside the girls’ bathroom checking that all of the stalls are empty, I lock myself in the one farthest from the door, in case Yakov is listening, and dial an old friend from back home.

“Mila? It’s Nina.”

“Hey, Nina! Haven’t heard from you in a while. How’s New York?” Mila’s father and boyfriend both work for my father, so we sort of became friends, but I wouldn’t call us close.

“It’s good. Um, I don’t suppose you’re with Pyotr right now?”

“Yeah, he’s right here. Why?”

“I need to ask him some things about the target I’m looking into.”

Mila is quiet for a moment, but then I hear some muffled talking and then her boyfriend Pyotr’s deep voice sounds down the phone.

“Nina?”

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