Page 74 of Sinful Betrayal

My heart is racing in my chest.

I can’t afford to waste this chance to speak to my father as I’m not sure when I’ll get another.

“Okay, fine.” Allie sighs, reaching for her pointe shoes. “But you’ll need to catch up.”

“You’re a great friend, thank you.”

She waves me off, and I quickly gather my things and hurry toward the door.

It seems the next class’s choreographer hasn’t arrived either, so I quickly dart across the room, ignoring the puzzled looks from my classmates, and duck out the emergency exit.

The brisk fall air hits my skin as I step outside, scanning around for a car. My eyes land on a blacked-out Range Rover that flashes its lights as I look in its direction.

“Oh, thank god,” I breathe.

My body is a bundle of nerves on the drive over to my father’s house. The man he sent to pick me up is quieter than Yakov, if that’s even possible, so I spend the twenty-minute drive rehearsing what I’m going to say to my father when I see him.

He is not a reasonable man, so my best option is to try and convince him that I have information that will make him question his plans regarding Anton.

Once we arrive at my father’s estate, my driver escorts me to his office.

I know where it is, but it seems he’s under strict instructions not to leave me alone.

I find my father sitting behind his enormous desk, nursing a glass of scotch and barking at some poor guy on the phone. He doesn’t glance my way as I walk over to the couch and take a seat.

The room is dark and lifeless, a stark contrast to Anton’s place.

For a moment, I feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of one day not living there with him. In the short time I’ve been there, it’s felt more like home than anywhere else I’ve lived.

Eventually, my father hangs up the phone and turns his attention to me.

I try not to shrink under his intense gaze.

My father is an intimidating man, even when sitting behind a desk.

“What is this about, Nina?”

“I have some information for you that I didn’t want overheard.” I try not to fidget. I don’t want to give him any reason to suspect that I’m lying.

“Well? Spit it out.”

“I overheard Anton talking with Alexei.” I try to keep my voice even. “They are expecting you to retaliate soon. They think the planned attack on me outsideEspionagewas your way of reminding them that you haven’t forgotten what happened with Maxim. Anton believes you’ll take something he cares about as payment.”

“They don’t suspect who you are, then?” He narrows his eyes at me.

“No.” I sink my nails into my palms as my pulse quickens.

“Good.”

“They’re ready for an all-out war against you, and they will fight dirty. They’re going to target all of your clubs and businesses. They want to destroy it all.”

The best approach is to attack the one weakness my father has—the fear of losing power. If he believes the Koslovs are planning on taking him down once and for all, it should be enough to turn his attention away from Anton specifically.

“I’ll look into it.”

My stomach sinks.

If he looks too much into it, he’ll learn that I’m lying, and then all of this will have been for nothing.

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