Page 70 of Vengeful Embers

“Do you know why I wasn’t there when the raid happened in the early hours of the morning?”

“Alisa said you had gone out early on business,” Irina answers.

“No. I wasn’t there because the night before, I discovered who Alisa really was.”

“I don’t understand?” Irina looks at me, confused.

“The night before our daughter's first birthday. My wife of two years told me she was sent by Boris to get close to me, our family, the villagers, and manipulate me anyway he wanted her to.” I give a harsh, mocking laugh. “But she claimed to have fallen in love with me. She wouldn’t say, but she begged me to take her and Eva and leave that night. Just run away, she said. Away from the pressure of the village, my job as an attorney and the Mirochins.”

“Alisa was a spy?” Irina’s voice cracks as she looks at me, stunned.

I nod slowly and take a breath. “I left the village that night enraged, hurt, betrayed by the woman I loved. I got in my car and just drove.”

“I’m sorry, Rus.” Her voice is soft and wobbles with emotions while her eyes fill with tears.

“When I got back to the village, there was chaos.”

Tears slide down Irina’s cheeks. I’ve never seen her like this.

“I was running, calling for Alisa, for you and our siblings.” I swirl the liquid and stare into the glass, and it’s like I can see the images playing in its depth. “She came out of nowhere. Screaming, he’s going to kill us, he knows I know. I wasn’t sure what she meant. The place was chaotic. But as I turned, I saw Gavriil. He was aiming in our direction. The gunshot rang out. Alisa lurched forward, pushing me out of the way, and the bullet went through her and into Eva. I held them both as they died in my arms. When I looked again, Gavriil was gone, and no one believed me that he’d killed my wife and my one-year-old baby girl.”

Irina covers her mouth. “Oh my God.” She walks to me slowly, hesitates, then throws her arms around me. Her shoulders shake with sobs. I hold her.

“I’m sorry, Rus. I knew you were there with them when they died. I was the one who eventually got you to let go of them.” She takes a shaky breath. “But I didn’t know the rest of it.” She squares her shoulders and steps back. “I’ll help you and stick to our plan.”

We talk for twenty minutes more before Irina leaves. When she walks out the door, I know my sister loves me, but I also feel that even after my confession, her loyalties still lean to her murdering husband.

The phone rings again. The screen says: The General.

I answer. But the voice is female. Russian and ice-cold.

“Mr. Dragunov.”

“Who is this? Where is the general?”

“The general is busy. I borrowed his phone.” She tells me.

“What the fuck do you want?”

“The same thing you do,” she says. “Tara Craft.”

My blood chills. “Why?”

“Why do you want Tara Craft, Mr. Dragunov?” she counters.

“I want to protect her, and as you’re not calling on your phone or giving me your name yet, I presume you’re the opposite of my goal.”

“On the contrary, I have no intention of causing her harm. In fact, I’m the one who has ensured she remains hidden all these years. I’m sure you can’t say the same. You’ve known her for almost two months already, you’ve unraveled twenty-four years of work.”

I tense. “Who the hell are you?”

“Someone who has had to stoop to asking you for help.” She pauses. “Someone in your team or close to you wants you dead and they’re framing me for it.”

19

RUSLAN

“There is always someone trying to kill me,” I tell her. “But I’m pretty sure all the people in my inner circle are loyal to me.”

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