Page 16 of Sinful Embers

“That doesn’t sound like Uncle Gunther,” I say, shaking my head. “I just can’t see it. He was a ruthless, evil bastard, but he was lazy. If it wasn’t for my father, he’d never have gotten the Mirochin Bratva to where it was before Oleksi took over.”

“I’m sorry, Radomir, but it’s all in here.” Nikolas pats the journal and then looks at Sabrina.

“Let me guess, there’s something incriminating in there about my dad?” Sabrina asks, crossing her arms.

“Not just your father, Rina,” Nikolas replies with a small, grim smile. “But your mother, your sister, and you.”

“What the fuck?” Sabrina’s eyebrows knit together as her voice rises in disbelief.

“But we can’t get distracted by what’s in here now,” Nikolas cautions, his tone firm. “We need to focus on finding Leigh and putting a stop to Carlos and his Russians’ plans.”

“Let’s start with the night in the dungeon,” I say, pulling the conversation back to where it began.

“I contacted Galina to come and read the journals because she needed to know what Vivienne and Gunther were planning,” Nikolas continues from where we left off. “Sol was already at the cabin. Sabrina had asked him to bring her and Leigh there.”

“The cabin you blew up the other night?” I glance at Sabrina, who nods.

“What I didn’t know was that Vivienne had somehow found Sol’s cabin earlier that same day,” Nikolas says grimly. “And she’d seen your mother there with me.”

“What?” Shock hits me like a freight train. “What the fuck were you doing with—” I hold up a hand before he can answer. “You know what? Forget it. I don’t want to know.”

“Good, because I wasn’t going to tell you,” Nikolas admits, his expression dark. “That’s your mother’s choice. What matters is that Vivienne told your father the moment she realized I was alive. We didn’t know she’d found out until the day of her death—when all hell broke loose.”

“So Vivienne and Leigh weren’t in an accident?” Sabrina’s voice is soft, almost hesitant.

“No,” Nikolas says flatly, his gaze distant. “I wasn’t there when it happened, but by the time I got there…” He trails off, his jaw tightening with suppressed emotion. “I knew I should never have let Sol take her home. Something didn’t feel right.”

“That’s why you left me with Sam at the cabin,” Sabrina says, the realization dawning on her.

“Yes.” Nikolas nods. “I told Sol to take Leigh and wait at his house, but it was too late. Vivienne had already taken her. It was Leigh’s birthday, and Vivienne told Sol she wanted to take her shopping for a present.”

“That should’ve been the first red flag,” Sabrina mutters. “That bitch never did anything unless it benefited her.”

“While I was on my way to Mark’s house, I got an urgent message from your mother, Radomir. She said Vladimir knew I was alive and that we’d been together at the cabin. She was afraid of what he might do.”

My gut twists at his words. “You said you tracked Leigh to the dungeon.”

“Yes,” Nikolas says. “I tracked Leigh’s phone to your dungeon beneath the Diamond Hotel. Sol and Sam wouldn’t let me go alone, so I waited for them to back me up. I shouldn’t have. If I’d gone straight there—”

“You’d have been killed,” Sabrina interrupts. “Don’t do that to yourself, Uncle Nik.”

“When I arrived,” Nikolas continues, his voice heavy, “your father, uncle, and Vivienne were already dead. Leigh was lyingon the cot, delirious, with a poison arrow from Vivienne’s handheld crossbow lodged in her arm.”

“You told me she got that in the accident,” Sabrina accuses, her voice trembling. “You said the crossbow accidentally went off during the crash that killed Vivienne.”

“Honey, you were twelve,” Nikolas says gently, his expression softening. “It’s bad enough you’d read part of those journals. We told you what we could.”

“Yeah, a big fat fucking lie,” Sabrina snaps, glaring at him.

“So Leigh was in the dungeon where my father and uncle were killed?” My heart pounds like a war drum. “She saw who killed them?”

“She was delirious,” Nikolas admits. “But, yes, Leigh was there.”

“And my mother?” My voice is sharp, demanding.

“She was locked in the dungeon next door,” Nikolas replies. “When I let her out, she was badly beaten—your father’s handiwork—but all she cared about was Leigh. Vivienne had dragged Leigh into her cell, shouting that this was what happened to people who stole and lying, cheating whores—her words, not mine.”

“That fucking bastard,” I grind out, my stomach churning. “It wasn’t the first time that he’d laid hands on her like that.”

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