Page 95 of A Devious Arrangement

My brother narrows his eyes on Bash, lifting one brow before glancing around the space. He may not know our plan, but he knows I’m working with the youngest Everette brother.

As expected, there are guards posted on either side of my grandmother, at least ten in total surrounding the perimeter. She’s smart enough to realize this isn’t a friendly visit.

My earpiece crackles as Xander’s voice comes through. “We’re all set. We’ll follow your lead. Just leave your mic on.”

“I know.” It’s all a part of our plan.

“Take care of yourself, Anastasia,” Damon says, a command in his voice. He’s used to getting what he wants, and it’s no different in this situation. Besides Bash, he’d been the one most resistant to our idea.

A shudder rolls through me, thinking of what happened to Misty and what that must have done to the eldest Everette brother. It’s no wonder he’s not happy about this.

“There’s nothing to worry about. We’d never let our sister get hurt,” Matthias chimes in. “Get going, Anastasia. We’re right behind you.”

Two guards are slumped over on either side of the front door, the path cleared for me. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs and doing my best to calm my racing heart. You’d think after severalbreak and enters, this would be easy for me, but the very real risk of being killed tonight has me on edge.

The door’s heavy as I push it open, my boots loud against the marble tile as I make my way toward them. This is it.

I straighten my shoulders and shove my way into the greeting room. The only person not surprised to see me is Bash. He’s rigid, hand tucked into his jacket where I know there’s a gun, and appraises the room. It’s clear now how hard it was for him to let me risk this. I’ll have to thank him properly later.

I wink at him, and he smirks in surprise.

“What are you doing here?” Nikolai rushes out. I feel bad, but there was no way I could give him the heads-up beforehand.

Where my brother looks panicked, my grandmother’s expression is as cold as ice as she scans me from head to toe, stopping at the top of my head. Her lips curve down, not the expression a woman who’s been waiting for this item should have.

I take the tiara off and twirl it on my finger. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Now, let my brother go.”

She looks down at me, giving me the distinct impression she sees me as a pest to stomp on. “You didn’t think we’d just let him go once you atoned for your mother’s mistakes. All you’ve done is recover what you owed us.”

A buzz of electricity tingles under my skin. Her not pretending to play along is exactly what I need to erase any hesitance.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” My hand fists the delicate jewelry as I stare her down. The longer I’m near her, the more pissed I get. She’s disgusting, hardly worth calling human. “The only one here that needs to atone for something is you. You killed your own daughter.”

“What are you talking about?” Nikolai sucks in a breath. I’m going to owe him a long explanation after this.

Right now, I have something more important to take care of. “You didn’t think I’d find out you sent men to kill her, did you? It turns out dear old dad had security cameras everywhere.”

My grandmother’s lips pull back, revealing her teeth. She looks like the monster she is. “She got what she deserved.”

“You killed my mother.” My voice breaks. Emotions swirl through me as I stare her down. My eyes sting from tears while rage courses through me. “You should know that, unlike her, I have backup.”

The sound of shattering glass fills the air, and shards rain down around us as the Everettes’ security team forces their way in. Bullets are flying everywhere, but I refuse to look away from my grandmother’s ashen face, twisted with malice. My hands shake uncontrollably as I lift my gun, aiming it at her chest.

I expected this moment to be harder, to hesitate at taking a life, but all I feel is pure rage toward the woman who took everything from me.

The years of self-hatred I endured for something she’d done fuels me.

She robbed me of my childhood. Of my mother’s love. The anguish from losing her and the blame that’s been building my entire life blinds me to anything but my hatred for her.

My lips curl at the corners as I fire into her chest, the recoil from the gun vibrating up my arms. As I catch my breath, gray eyes glint from across the room. Bash wears a matching smile. No judgment for what I’ve just done. Instead, he looks at me with pride.

He takes a step toward me, but the whistle of a bullet speeds by, so close it lifts the ends of my hair. The reality of my situation sinks in, and I run for cover, my heart pounding in my chest.

I check myself for any regret, but all that’s left is satisfaction that the bitch is dead.

Chapter 46

Bash

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