Page 82 of Beautiful Deception

“Then let’s get you food. How was wedding dress shopping today?”

“I found a dress.” I don’t mention Natasha or what just happened with Finn. If Viktor questions me about Finn, then I might crack and spill all of my secrets.

Mrs. Green is in the kitchen, preparing lunch.

“Inessa needs food right now. She’s feeling lightheaded.”

“Of course.” She quickly assembles a sandwich for me.

“Thank you,” I whisper then take a bite. The food doesn’t help me at all. My stomach is too anxious to actually eat but I force the sandwich down.

“You’re all right now,” Viktor says. “You’re all right.”

I give him a smile because that’s what he needs from me. But inside, I’m a mess and I’m not sure I see a way out of it.

Viktor

Finn struts into my home office like he belongs to the fucking place. He doesn’t.

“I did what you asked,” he says, plopping into the chair across from me. “Me and a few of your guys stole Dante’s incoming drug shipment. Now we just have to sell it.”

“Good. Thank you. You know, I don’t like you, Finn, but I can’t deny that you do good work.”

“I aim to please.” He sits there, tapping his fingers together, and looking at me expectantly.

“What?” I snap.

“There was just something I wanted to tell you. Something I realized that I figured you would find interesting.”

“What? I have work to do. I don’t have time for mind games.”

He leans forward. “Inessa is lying.”

My heart constricts for a second. “What? What are you talking about?”

“I remembered where I recognized her from. Elena’s birthday party last year.”

“Don’t talk about Elena,” I growl. “Not after what you did to her.”

He waves a dismissive hand. “So I killed her dad. She can get over it.”

“You’re such a fucking asshole,” I growl.

“Don’t you want to hear what I have to say? It involves your precious Inessa. I saw her leaving the hotel that day. I know it was her. She was there, Viktor, at a Bratva daughter’s birthday party. Why would a maid be there at such a thing like that?”

“You saw her at the party? Or just leaving the hotel.”

Finn hesitates, then says, “Leaving the hotel.”

“So, you didn’t actually see her at the party?”

“No,” he admits.

“Well, she could have been at the hotel for a number of reasons. Not everyone who was at that hotel that night worked for the Bratva.”

“True. I just find that strange, don’t you? I see her leave the hotel the night of Elena’s birthday party. Now, she’s your maid, working for a man who works for the Bratva. Isn’t that suspicious?”

“Or pure coincidence. Finn, I have work to attend to. I don’t have time for your tin-foil hat theories.”

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