Page 112 of Unhinged

My fingers curl tighter. “Because if there is, I’ll make sure they don’t for much longer.”

I let the words sink in.

She swallows, and for the first time, I see it.

Not fear. Not horror.

Hope.

I press on. "Scar tissue comes from two things, Anissa." I pause. "Surgery or injury." I wait. “Did you have surgery?”

She exhales, then shakes her head. “No. But I won’t be the only one spilling secrets, Matvei. I’ll tell you what happened to me”—she tilts her head, studying me—“if you answer a question ofmine."

I nod.

I have nothing to hide.

"I want you to tell me all about the night you had to kill your brother."

Her voice is steady, but her eyes… her eyes hold something deeper.

"I know you want to understand me," she continues, “but I need to understandyou."

I wasn’t expecting that.

Wasn’t expecting that at all.

"Fine." My voice is rough. "I’ll tell you anything."

She tilts her head, considering. "I’ll even go first if you want me to," I add.

She nods. "I’m going to take you up on that."

I draw in a breath.

I’ve never told anybody what happened.

The only people who needed to know… were there with me.

If my parents knew, they would hate me even more than they already do—if that’s even possible.

They know he died.

They know he was punished.

They know I was there.

They don’t know why I was the one who pulled the trigger.

"My brother betrayed the Bratva." My voice is steady, cold. Detached. "We have a code. A sacred code. He broke it. And because of that, he faced the ultimate consequence.Vorovskoy Mir, the Thieves’ Code.”

The Bratva comes before all else.

Never cooperate with the authorities.

Never, ever betray your brothers.

She exhales softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

---