Page 3 of Beautiful Deception

Fuck. I’m off my game tonight. I’ve been distracted with this war I’m now a part of.

I pick up my speed but by the time I round the corner, Gleb is gone. I see a taxi driving away up the road.

I used to be a powerful man who no one would even think to cross.

The fact that Gleb Petrov, some lowly Bratva man, thought he could cross me speaks to a bigger problem. One I need to face.

I call one of my men to come clean up the bodies of the guards before I head home.

My home in question is a large gothic mansion on the outskirts of New York. It provides me more space. More quiet. Just the way I like it.

I find my younger sister in her room, packing a suitcase.

“I am not happy about this, brother,” she says. Despite her mood, she still folds all of her clothes with a delicate nature. Her brown hair is tied up into a simple bun and her dress is elegant and sophisticated. She’s always reminded me of Audrey Hepburn in the way she moves and talks.

“I know you are not. But this is for your own safety. It’s not safe here in New York. Not when I’ve been attacking Erik’s gun supplies and he’s been going after my own. I don’t want you to get hurt in the process.”

“You really think he would hurt me? He has a daughter of his own now, from what I’ve heard.”

“Julia.” I take her hands in mine, forcing her to stop packing. “Just because Erik loves his wife and daughter, doesn’t mean he won’t hurt you to get to me. He’s still a Bratva man and we’re all ruthless.”

“You never should have started a war to begin with.”

“My pride was wounded. That couldn’t stand.”

“Your pride.” She huffs and pulls away from me and resumes placing her clothes in the suitcase. “Your pride is going to leave you all alone. Case in point. You’re sending me away.”

“Just to live with our cousins in France. Just until I know it’s safe for you to return.”

“I’ve only ever known this house.”

I raised Julia from when she was a child. At a mere twenty to my thirty-six, I had to be a father figure to her after our parents died. I took over my duties as a father to her when she was only five and I was twenty-one. Only a year older than she is now.

I’ve kept Julia in this house for her safety. Rarely do I allow her to attend functions or meet other people. It’s to keep her alive.

But right now, I have to let her go so I can keep my promise.

“I thought you would be happy to leave,” I muse. “Finally get out of this house.”

“I thought I would be too but not under these circumstances. Not when you’re at war with Erik Koslov. I don’t want to return one day to find out you’re dead.”

“I won’t die. I’m too powerful to kill.”

She frowns. “But you’ll be here all by yourself. Won’t you be lonely?”

“I have the staff.”

“No. Mrs. Colson retired. You need a new maid. New housekeeper. You’re going to be alone without me.”

“I like my privacy. I am content with it. Now, you don’t want to miss your flight tomorrow morning. Finish packing.”

“Viktor,” she calls out when I reach the doorway. “I’ll miss you when I’m in France.”

A lot of people think I hold my sister hostage. I’ve heard the rumors people have said about me – how I torture her, or keep her locked in a cage, or starve her. None of that is true.

I’ve taken care of my sister. We have a bond that can never be broken.

But for now, that bond has to break for me to keep her safe.

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