Page 58 of The High Priestess

Slowly I tilt my head as I frown at Michail. “Convenient?” Anger pours hot into my chest. “Is that what you call having my entire family slaughtered and taking four bullets?” My tone drops low until my words sound like a threat. “None of you were anywhere to be found, so I called on my alliance. They were there within the hour to have my back while you all scurried into a hiding place.”

In the midst of my anger, I don’t realize I’ve lowered my weapon.

Michail stalks closer to me, rage cutting deep lines into his face. “We were all attacked!” he practically spits at me. “Because your father kept fucking taunting the bratva and decided to make you, a woman, the next in line.”

Chills spread over my body, and I become aware of the fact that Knight hasn’t returned yet.

How long has it been since he started searching the house?

Should I call out to him?

I raise my weapon again and order, “Back up, Michail.”

He remains standing close to me, his hands opening and closing into fists.

“You come in here and accuse us of betraying you,” Michail growls while taking another step closer to me. “Who’s to say you’re not the one who betrayed us? Everyone knows you were fighting with Ilias. You didn’t like the way we ran the organization and wanted to change things.”

As I stare at the man who’s been a constant throughout my life, the sense of betrayal that shudders through me fractures everything I ever knew.

My voice is a mere whisper as I ask, “Was it you, Michail?”

Disappointment fills his eyes, and he shakes his head at me. “That kind of thinking will get people killed, Cassia. The organization will turn its back on you if you choose to treat us like the enemy.”

I stare at Michail, thinking how much my family loved him.

I loved him.

My anger turns into rage as I shout, “Was it you?”

He lifts his chin and moves another step closer. The next second, his arm darts out, and he grabs hold of the barrel of my machine gun in an attempt to disarm me.

My lips part to tell him to stop, but the words turn into a gasp when a shot rings through the air, and Michail’s body drops to the floor.

Jesus.

Intense shock seizes me in a death grip, and I can barely breathe as I watch the pool of blood forming beneath my father’s right-hand-man.

It all happens in a matter of a second.

No.

I shake my head slowly as the horror of what just happened sinks in.

NoNoNo!

In absolute disbelief, I turn my head to where Knight is standing with the smoking gun in his hand, then I look back at Michail’s body.

He killed Michail before I could get my answer.

“What?” Savvas breathes in horror. “What have you done?”

My chest rises and falls with heavy breaths as my mind races to catch up to what just happened.

“Michail would never betray your father,” Savvas cries as he sinks to his knees beside Michail. “Gamóto.”

Jesus.

I blink and look at Knight again before turning my eyes back to Michail and Savvas.

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