Page 28 of Sinful Scars

My father sent my siblings to the best schools in the country, and I was left behind, locked away in that hell hole that I was supposed to call home. While my brother and sister got to learn mathematics and history, I learned how toreset a dislocated shoulder and how to stitch up a wound with a paperclip and some dental floss.

Everything I learned, I taught myself from the books I was able to steal and read at night.

That is, when I was allowed to have a light.

My eyelids grow heavy despite the triple espresso I just consumed.

I really need to get some sleep. Elle is likely to spend the night in her apartment, which is in one of the safer neighborhoods in the city. Maybe I could catch a few hours tonight…

My current burner phone buzzes in my pocket, and I quickly pull it out, glancing at the screen to see Pyotr’s name flashing across it.

Without taking my eyes off Elle, I answer the call and bring the phone to my ear.

“Igor’s on the move. He was spotted visiting the hideout of the gang that was behind Elle’s kidnapping.”

I tense. While I’m not surprised that my father is up to something, the knowledge that he is involved with this gang is unlikely to be a coincidence. I’ve never trusted my father, and his previous disagreements with the Conti mafia aren’t exactly a secret.

I need to make sure that he was not involved in what happened to Elle, but if he’s been seen entering the hideout, then I can’t rule it out.

Frankly, anything is possible when it comes to Igor.

“I need you to keep following him,” I mutter under my breath as I watch Elle fiddle with the end of her ponytail as she reads.

The sunlight streaming through the window brings out the slight red and gold tones in her hair, and I don’t miss the way a few of the male customers glance in her direction.

I sink my nails into my palm to try and kill the urge to slam my fists in their jaws.

“I’ll keep you updated,” Pyotr promises me.

“I appreciate that. And what of Alexei Koslov?”

Having Pyotr trail the eldest Koslov brother isn’t unusual, considering the fact that the Bratva Pahkan has been trying to find me for years. He’s come close a few times, which is why I never keep my apartments in the city for longer than a few months.

I can’t risk him finding me, because I know if he does, I won’t live long enough to tell him my side of the story.

The story in which I murdered his parents.

“Nothing to report there, I’m afraid.”

Elle glances around, and I stiffen.

She’s closed her book, and I know in a few minutes, she’ll be getting up to leave.

“And what about the brother?” My voice goes even lower. “The one that broke into my old apartment?”

“He’s not gone back. It seems like they might have given up for the time being.”

I know better than to think the Koslovs have given up on their search for me. They’ll want revenge, and they will stop at nothing to get it.

“I appreciate this,Pyotr.”

“Be safe, Lev,” my friend says before the phone goes dead.

Letting out a sigh of frustration at the knowledge that my father might be somehow involved in Elle’s kidnapping, I tuck my phone back into my pocket and pull out Elle’s necklace that I’ve been holding on to for the past few weeks.

As I sneak a glance at her, I see her hand absentmindedly rub at her neck, a habit I’ve caught her doing many times. Except, the delicate gold chain that she normallyfiddles with whenever she appears anxious is currently in my possession.

Over the years, I’ve often wondered what Elle kept inside the pendant that she keeps so close to her heart. So, when I found the necklace on the back seat of my car, I gave in to my curiosity and opened up the pendant.

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