Page 102 of Deadly Secrets
The brush of Roman’s fingertips brought her back to reality. First, she needed to find out what she could about where they were and if there was any way to get out. That much she knew.
Then she could go digging for information about her family—if Mikhail actually knew what he was talking about.
He called me his sister. He claims to know my birth mother.
The realization that the man in front of her might hold the key to her past made her heart trip over itself. Was it possible she could find out the truth about her biological parents? That she might walk out of here knowing who she really was?
That was crazy, but…
Was Mikhail really her brother?
It was like a second blow to her head. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it. “You sniffed my camisole!”
For a second, he looked perplexed, then Mikhail laughed. “You saw that, huh? I thought that’d freak you out.”
“Freak me out? It disgusts me. Especially if you think I’m your sister. You need serious help!”
A figure appeared behind Mikhail in the doorway. He cleared his throat and Mikhail moved aside. “Meet your uncle,Brooke.”
There was the derision she’d expected earlier. He spat her name like it was a curse.
Maybe it was to him.
“Uncle?” Brooke forced a sneer. “Sorry, but I’m not buying that either of you is related to me.”
“I am Uri Zion.” The man stepped into the room, eyeing her with something akin to a hunter eyeing a trapped animal. “Head of the Zion family.”
“Wait,” Roman said. “The Russian criminal organization?”
Uri’s chest puffed and Brooke’s stomach dropped.
“Where is your mother?” Uri asked.
“My mother?” Her voice came out shaky. Was he talking about her adoptive mom or her birth mother? Did it matter? She didn’t know where the one was and she wasn’t giving up the whereabouts of the other. “What do you want with her?”
“To kill her.” His accent came through on the wordkill.Keel. “Why else?”
Whoever they were and whatever they wanted, Brooke knew she couldn’t tell them anything. They were cold-blooded murderers and apparently part of some Russian mafia.
The villain monologue!It happened at the climax of every good book. When all was lost and the bad guy had you in his clutches, you kept him talking, played along, hoping to buy time until the hero showed up or you found a way to free yourself.
Unfortunately, her hero was tied up with her.What would Julia do?“Look, I don’t know who you are, but I think you have me confused with someone else. I don’t have any siblings and my mother is in a nursing home with early onset Alzheimer’s. Why would you want tokeelher?”
His lips twitched in a bemused smirk. “Do you work for CIA?”
Brooke sputtered. Playing stupid wasn’t as hard as she’d expected it to be. “I’m an anthropologist. I know nothing about the CIA or spies.”
Except that you never ever cop to being one.
She gave him her best innocent look.
The man cocked his chin at Roman behind her. “Homeland has trained you, then?”
He knew Roman was Homeland. Mikhail and Uri had done their homework.
Her stomach flip-flopped. She didn’t like where this interrogation was going and she had no idea how to get out of here.Buy time.Keep him talking.Roman would come up with a plan, and if he didn’t, she would.
Riiight. The demon on her shoulder was back and laughing hysterically.
