Page 56 of The Russian Retribution

In our time together, she’s never struck me as a cold or vindictive person and of all four of us in this room, they are the only two who share the same pain.

I watch as her face pinches slightly and she presses her lips flat together.

She doesn’t say a word about the Yegorovs.

Instead, she shifts in her seat and her brows pull slightly together before she speaks. “I’m not concerned, Viktor. I understand that you are, but I’m not, okay? Erik, who you appointed, by the way, is doing an excellent job at keeping me safe.”

The glare Viktor shoots at me tells me all I need to know about how he feels. He thinks I’m blinded by her, which just isn’t true. I see the truth far more clearly than him.

“My plans for this family are all in motion. We’re on our way to greater things and the money will be flowing sooner than you think. And like I said, there hasn’t been an attempt on my life in months. Frankly, I don’t want to give them the attention. If they’re still watching me, then they aren’t going to watch me run away scared, cancel the gala, and lock myself up in here like some kind of eighteen-forties maiden.”

“Anastasia—”

“No, Viktor.” She stands abruptly. “Enough of this! You have been loyal to this family for more years than anyone cares tocount, and I am deeply grateful for that. Your knowledge and wisdom in the day-to-day running of the businesses have helped us keep afloat even as we’ve shut down every disgusting source of income my father treasured so much. But you need to stop whatever this is! I see you approaching this through concern for my safety, but I see right through you!”

My heart begins to race. What does she mean by that?

“You don’t trust me to lead. You don’t believe that I’m capable. I don’t know if that’s because we’re from different generations or because you don’t think I can do it because I’m a woman. Maybe it’s because you’re stuck in the same backward values that my father believed in. I don’t know. But I am tired of your questioning me. I am the Godmother of this house. I am the leader of this family, and it’s about time you show me the respect I deserve.”

Silence falls.

I watch Viktor like a hawk, praying he will say the right thing and tell Anastasia the truth. If he told her how much pain he was in over the loss of Sergey, then she would understand. I know she would.

But as always, Viktor acts like a bull charging through a crowd and does the exact opposite.

“Because you don’t deserve my respect,” Viktor hisses. “You’ve been in charge for what, eight or nine months now? And all I have seen is the finances plummet, morale crash, and don’t even get me started on the sheer disregard for the murder that occurred here. Your father died, for fuck’s sake, Anastasia, and what have you done to find the killer, huh?”

“What more do you want me to do?” Anastasia suddenly yells. “I have every assassin we have scouring for clues. I have all our minimal contacts in the police ready to hand us information as soon as they have it. I’ve waited for someone to make a move and scoured his files for clues or hints as to who could have done this, and I have nothing. Do you want me to bring the entire family to a halt to look for his killer? Do you really think all these sharks you’re afraid of will stand by and let us remain on top while we do nothing but scour the lands for his assassin?”

“It’s better than what you’re doing right now! We’ve had to dip into our savings to pay wages. You’ve shut down seventy percent of our empire.”

“Shut up about the fucking money!” she screams, throwing her hands up. “Money is coming, okay? The Yegorovs you’re so worried about? I don’t know how you found out about them, but surprise! They’re going to be our allies. Do you understand? They will be our friends. I know my father never once allowed alliances—believe me, I checked—but they came to me with a good offer and I’m taking it. We’re going to work together on the condos and the penthouses. I build them and they’ll provide the clients. We’ll be making real money, decent money, Viktor, and?—”

“You can’t be fucking serious,” Viktor yells back.

But something is wrong.

Anastasia’s stance wobbles and despite the anger burning in her eyes, there’s something else too. Pain. She stumbles slightly and her lips part, then she takes a step forward and prods Viktor on his chest. “Not every dollar needs to come from selling someone. We can make money in other ways. We can grow in other ways. There’s plenty of fucking crime in this city, Viktor. It’s New York,for crying out loud. We expand and grow with the times. We’re in a city full of reckless gamblers and nepo babies desperate for the hottest new apartment to show off how well they are doing. That is our market!”

“Loans and debt? Gambling? We’re not the fucking tax man,” Viktor roars.

“Hey!” I snap, striding forward. “Maybe we should take a step back and calm down—Anastasia?”

She gasps softly and her hand latches onto my back, curling into the fabric of my shirt. She gasps again, and when she looks up at me, there are tears in her eyes as she cradles her abdomen.

“Anastasia!” Faina is suddenly on her feet, gripping Anatasia’s arm and helping support her.

“Something—” She gasps. She stumbles back with a pained cry, her face contorting in pain. Then she looks at Faina, and something passes between them. “Faina?—”

“I know,” she says. “I know.”

“What the fuck is that?” Viktor snaps. I follow his eyeline down to Anastasia’s bare legs, where a few streaks of crimson roll down the inside of her leg.

My blood turns to ice.

“What the fuck?” The argument flies out of my mind and all my focus hones in on her. “Shit, we need to get you to a hospital.”

“I’m fine,” she gasps, her voice trembling. “I just need—Faina, I need?—”

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