Page 91 of Deceitful Lies

Eva presses her hands together. “Andrushka, please let’s go inside and talk.”

“We talk here!” I bellow and look at Igor again. “What about Paige? Were you going to kill her too?”

“The photographer?” Igor nods as he slowly walks out in front of my mother. “At the time, it was part of the deal with Gleb Novikov and the cop. He offered to help with a few cases pending in court. He also offered to return my money if I had her killed. Your wife was lucky to have you there.”

“Don’t you fucking talk about her!” I shout. “I’ll kill you!”

“She’s not Bratva, Andrei Vasilyevich. You ignore your own code to be with her.” A flash of lightning outlines Igor as he steps toward me.

His hands are lowering.

Thunder claps, but not from the sky.

I’ll never know if he was reaching for his gun.

Chapter 51

Paige

I can’t tell what happens first, the loud rumble of thunder or the bang of the gun. Eva throws back her head as she embraces Igor tightly, shielding him from the blast. His arms reach protectively around her while his eyes widen, staring at the sky.

Intertwined, they slump to the wet ground as Sonya appears in the edge of my vision. How long has she been there?

She walks slowly into the maze and stares at the two people lying at her feet as Andrei drops the gun.

“What have you done?” she asks. “Andrei, what have you done?!”

“Sonya!” Andrei shouts, but she runs away.

Realization finally hits Andrei and he staggers toward his mother, reaching her limp body as if he can put the life back into her.

The lightning flashes again, illuminating the trees in the woods. For a second, I can see the greens and the browns light up in the dark. The smell of wet soil reaches my nose, and I turn, running away from him.

Chapter 52

Paige

I can’t face what Andrei has done. I know they are both dead because I hear an awful howl as I run toward the house. He’s ruined all our lives. Emma is gone, and I can’t leave this place. He’ll never let me, not after what he’s done.

Sonya hurries down the staircase, carrying a suitcase from Eva’s room. Her breathing is labored as she hurries toward the door. She’s in no state of mind to drive, especially not in this rain.

“Sonya, don’t leave.”

“Why?” She scowls at me. “So Vasily’s son can shoot me too?”

Vasily’s son …It’s the only time I’ve ever heard her refer to Andrei like that.

“You can’t drive in this,” I explain. “You can hide here.”

“He has keys to all the rooms.” She pauses by the door. “I warned him he would turn into his father. But this? Even Vasily would never have donethis.” Her lips tremble as she starts to cry, but when I try to touch her, Sonya yanks away.

“I do know what it feels like,” I try to explain. “I lost my mother. She died thinking I thought she was a terrible person.”

Sonya swings open the front door. “Is that supposed to make me feel better? Does that make it okay? It happened to you, so I should be okay with it? He murdered my parents in front of me. He is Vasily’s son, through and through.”

“Sonya.” I follow her outside. “You’re too upset to leave.”

“Is that what you tell yourself?” She glares at me. “He does something unspeakable, but you make excuses so you have to stay? I’m not waiting for him to come in here. And if you had any sense, you’d leave too.”

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