Page 88 of Ruby Mercy

I’m still staring at that picture when I call Lana after putting Yuliana to bed. I tried Natalia, but she was on a date. Harmony was asleep—yet another strike against the eight-hour time change.

I have a lead weight on my chest and an anvil hanging over my head. I need to unburden myself more than I’ve ever needed to in my life.

“I was just about to call you,” Lana says as soon as she answers.

“I guess I beat you to it.”

“I’m shocked.”

I frown. “Why?”

Lana chuckles humorlessly. “Come on, Rayne. You never call me.”

“We talk a lot!” I argue. “I talked to you just a couple days ago.”

“Yeah, because I called you. You never call me first. Unless you have something to tell me. Even then, you usually talk to Harmony or Natalia before me. Are they busy tonight or something?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t call them.” The lie tastes bitter in my mouth, but it’s better than admitting Lana is right. She was my last resort, and I only called because I do have news to share. Will the guilt never end today? “I’ll call you more often, okay?”

Lana sighs. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to guilt trip you. It’s just been a long day.”

“Freaking tell me about it,” I groan. Then I catch myself. It’s only been a few seconds and I’m already trying to squeeze my drama into the conversation. “Why did you have a long day?”

“It’s actually why I was calling you. I wanted to talk about what’s going on.”

A dark cloud of dread hangs over me. I’m not sure I can handle anything else in my life right now.

I also can’t say that to my sister. So instead, I say, “What’s going on?”

“Have you talked to Dad recently?”

“Just the other day, actually. First time in a while. Why?”

“Did he say anything?” she asks. “How did he seem?”

“Fine. Normal.” I shift forward to the edge of the couch. “Lana, what’s going on? What’s wrong with Dad? Did something happen to him?”

Even as I ask the questions, I expect her to talk me down.Don’t be so dramatic, Rayne. Dad is fine. Relax.

But she doesn’t say that. She doesn’t say anything.

“Lana?” I check to make sure the line is still connected. Then I hear her sniffling on the other end. “Oh my God, is he… is he… dead?”

“He’s alive.” She sniffles again. “He’s alive, but… I don’t know for how much longer.”

33

KIRILL

When my office door opens, the last person I want to see standing in the doorway is Leonid Kozlov.

“I already agreed to come to your little party, Leonid. There’s no need for the house call.”

He closes the door and turns to face me, his hands folded behind his blue suit jacket. “There would have been no need for the house call if you had bothered to pick up when I phoned you.”

After I left Rayne’s yesterday, I wasn’t in the mood to talk. Not unless Rayne was suddenly feeling chatty.

Even now with Leonid standing in front of me, the only thing I can think about is that I have a child. A daughter.

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