Page 19 of Thorns of Lust
Locking eyes with them, I finally uttered those keywords, “I need help.”
Stage three… bargaining.
A fleeting shared glance between Aurora and Isabella. “Anything,” they said at the same time.
It would have probably been better if I was sober for this, but I didn’t want to delay it.
So I swallowed the lump in my throat and readied to say his name. I had yet to say it out loud since his death. At least not when I was awake. It was an echo in my brain, a shadow following behind me. But something about saying his name out loud felt final.
“I want to know what got A–” His name faltered on my lips, struggling to be uttered. But I was determined. I needed to find out what happened if I wanted peace. “I need help finding out what got Adrian killed without my brothers being all over it.”
The silence that filled my penthouse was so loud, I could hear our heartbeats. I waited, holding my breath, waiting for an answer. Thunder rumbled across the sky and the three of us jumped at it.
“I have contacts in the FBI,” Aurora answered with determination. “I can run some data and see what I can get my hands on.” Aurora’s eyes darted to Isabella. “Do you have any contacts at the hospital that Tatiana was taken to after the accident? I still don’t get how they have no record of someone bringing her in.”
Isabella shook her head. “I know a few nurses there. But none of them were on duty that night. It’s just bizarre that they let that happen. A complete stranger dumping an unconscious woman, and they have no damn record of it.”
“That’s bullshit,” Aurora grumbled, chasing the voices away. “There’s protocol about that stuff.”
“Do they know if it was a man or a woman?” I asked. A deep voice played softly in my head.You’re going to be okay. Because our story has barely begun.
Bella shook her head. “Considering the chaos of an emergency room, it could have gotten lost in the mayhem but it still seems really strange thatno onenoticed. A woman was dumped that night and yet, there’s no record of it.”
The silence expanded with each breath until it became a living, breathing entity between the three of us. Right along with the shadows of the unknown.
Isabella chewed on her lip. “I’ll check Vasili’s office and see what information he has.”
“Thank you,” I choked out. Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. Maybe after I learned what happened to Adrian, I’d find peace.
Or at least answers.
* * *
Konstantin
Christmas morning. Russia.
Two months since that prick, Adrian Morozov, met his death. Two months, and the goddamn chip was still missing.
I watched my sister rip the packages open.
She might be approaching her twenty-third birthday, but she still reminded me of that little girl who’d eagerly try to stay awake all night to catch Santa bringing gifts. She used to write him a letter every year. It was easier to fulfill her wishes back then. Now she kept her wants and needs close to her heart.
Turning my head, I stared out at the snow covered horizon. I couldn’t see past the castle yard thanks to the snow storm, yet I knew it stretched for miles. For the last few years, we celebrated in Paris where my sister attended college. While growing up, we alternated between Russia and California, where she attended boarding school.
“Thank you, Brother.” Isla’s voice pulled my attention away from the window and back to my sister. “You always get me way too much.”
I shook my head. “I need to do more for you.”
She sighed and picked up a gift, then padded over to me with her bare feet.
“This is your gift,” she said. “I have one for Maxim too, but I guess he won’t make it.”
My twin brother was fucking up. He was crossing the line from a casual drug user to a regular one. He was a liability. It had been years since his woman died. Years to come to terms with it. And all he’d done was years of fucking it up worse - starting with going after Branka Russo and against Sasha Nikolaev. It didn’t matter that our father had made a deal with Branka Russo’s father.
The deal was for Maxim to marry one of his daughters. Maxim decided he wanted his whore instead, so Russo killed Maxim’s woman to get her out of the way after he used her for his own depraved pleasures. My brother hadn’t been the same since. He became reckless and set his sights on Branka. Russo’s daughter’s life for his whore’s life. The only obstacle Maxim didn’t plan on was Branka being the obsession of that insane motherfucker, Sasha.
“Yeah, Maxim won’t make it,” I replied dryly. He was probably high as a kite somewhere.
