Deceitful Lies by Brook Wilder

 

Chapter 18

Andrei

Days later

 

The office door flies open while I’m mid-meeting with Dmitri.

 

Only one person would dare enter without knocking. Sonya tumbles through the doorway, pushing a box almost as big as her. Straining, she drags it into the room, and I quickly move to help her, leaving Dmitri on the couch. I glimpse a bold green and white logo emblazoned across the side of the box—deluxe baby car seat and stroller.

 

A smirking Dmitri looks up briefly before returning to his work. I easily take the colossal box away from Sonya and push it into the corner farthest from my desk.

 

“Indulging in your favorite sport?” I ask her.

 

My sister spends so much time at the baby store, buying things for her little nephew or niece. I’m untroubled as long as she’s buying it for someone else.

 

“I helped Paige with her online registry.” Smiling sweetly, Sonya looks around the office. “You won’t have a place to sit when all the gifts arrive for the baby shower.”

 

So that’s what the women have been up to. I noticed Sonya and Mother a day ago in the kitchen, speaking in excited whispers with the chef.

 

“I won’t keep the gifts in here,” I state firmly. Dmitri chuckles, and I ignore him. “You can keep them in the ballroom.”

 

“No, silly,” replies Sonya. “Paige likes to relax in there.” Sonya opens the door. “I’ll find Vanya, and he can help me find a hiding place.”

 

“No, I will help you,” I reply firmly, blocking her exit. “Paige rarely goes into the dining room. We can keep the door locked.”

 

Sonya gives me an odd look but says nothing. I retrieve the box and head out into the hallway. Without a fuss, she follows me as we head into the farthest wing of the house, a part of the mansion where history and secrets are stored. She opens the double doors leading into the dining room.

 

Instead of a bright and airy room, it’s entirely mahogany furnishings, gilded wainscoting, and heavy leather seating. On the walls are paintings of ancestors—portraits of powerful men in the Barinov Bratva. The chandelier flickers and illuminates the long, polished table beneath it. I can still feel my father’s presence in this room when he preached to his top men. As a boy, I concealed myself underneath the table and listened to talk of power, money, and deals struck in the deep hum of voices.

 

Sonya purses her lips together and places her delicate hands on her hips. “It’s a bit dreary in here for a baby shower. We can hide the gifts here, but we’re definitely not having a party in this crypt.”

 

I nod my agreement. The grand room isn’t as enormous as I remembered it. But I feel each of the ancient portraits watching and judging my decisions with brooding, disapproving stares.

 

“Where’s Paige’s sister?” Sonya asks, heading for the door. “She can help me pick up the bassinet.”

 

“No, her sister is confined to the grounds.”

 

Sonya’s expression reveals her disapproval, but no surprise. “What do you mean by that, Andrushka? She’s Paige’s sister. Why is she confined to the grounds?”

 

“It’s Bratva business, Sonya.” I tilt my chin, but my authority doesn’t deter her.

 

“And what exactly am I?” she challenges.

 

“We haven’t discussed your position in the family since my father’s death,” I reply coolly. “Perhaps it’s time we did.”

 

Sonya drags one of the ornate chairs away from the table and sits. I do the same. We’ve never had a serious discussion about our family, preferring to keep our interactions lighthearted and almost superficial. I’ve always been the older brother who’s protected her secret and indulged her financially behind my father’s back.

 

But she will always be my half sister, and by extension, not truly of the Bratva. Her claim is through my mother, and Eva has no claim.

 

Sonya’s father remains unknown to all of us, save for Eva.

 

“You weren’t raised in the Bratva, but you are under our protection,” I tell her straight. “Therefore, I am entitled to your respect and Eva’s, and I expect you not to question what I do as far as the Bratva is concerned.”

 

Her sharp gaze conveys her thoughts better than her words. “In other words, Mother and I are expected to not see anything, hear anything, or say anything.”

 

I nod. “For all our sakes. Perhaps you and Eva should consider your future plans. Now that Vasily is gone, you could travel together.”

 

Sonya laughs, shaking her head. “Mother will never leave her first grandchild. So, making us disappear won’t be easy, Andrushka. If you don’t want me involved, then just say so.”

 

She stares as if daring me to voice my suspicions, but I decide against it. Confirming it would only make her push harder for it.

 

“Do you consider Paige a member of the Bratva?” she finally asks.

 

I nod. “She is my wife.”

 

Sonya flips her hair over her shoulder and asks, “Is it true you killed a man for your wife?”

 

“Who told you this?” I ask angrily.

 

“Paige is as much Bratva as I am, Andrushka.” She ignores my question. “Neither one of us possesses that mentality.”

 

“What mentality?”

 

“That of a cold-blooded killer.” Sonya lowers her tone. “And if you keep acting like this, you will turn her into something you don’t want, like Talia.”

 

I scoff. “Paige could never be like Talia.”

 

But as I say it, I recall Paige’s expression when she opened the box. I had expected Paige to recoil from the contents, and for a moment, I thought she would. But something shifted, and she acted like a Bratva wife would be expected to act. She was pleased with a trophy that was worth more to her than diamonds.

 

She acted just like Talia would.

 

“She’s been having nightmares since that day,” I reply.

 

“Are you surprised?” She asks back. “You gave her a box with a man’s severed finger.”

 

I don’t respond because she’s not wrong.

 

“You’re more like Vasily than our mother, Andrushka,” she sighs, “and it worries me.”

 

My anger rises again. “And I will remind you that I am a pakhan. That requires me to act a certain way. I cannot let emotions sway me away from making the right decision.”

 

“It’s a neat trick that you’re doing right now,” she says in a small voice. “Where you’re moving your lips, but Vasily’s words fall out.”

 

I eliminate the harshness in my voice. “I do what I can to shield Paige, but she is a part of something larger and more powerful than us. We all are, and to act as if it doesn’t exist would be fatal.”

 

Sonya looks down at her hands, and I leave my chair to stand beside her. She looks up, and I place a soft kiss on her forehead.

 

“Of course, you know best how to handle the situation. But …” she pauses.

 

“But what?” I smile tightly, encouraging her to finish her thought.

 

“Don’t be afraid of letting go of control every once in a while, Andrushka. You might be shocked that you don’t have to do what others expect. Vasily was a tyrant, and no one expects you to be his stand-in. You are you, and you’ve always had a good heart, no matter how hard you hide it. You will be a good father.”

 

We leave the room and step out into the hallway. As I lock the door, I notice the air heating my body as we walk down the hallway. It’s not easy to leave my father’s ghost behind.

 

“Do you know what you want, Andrushka?” Sonya asks. “A boy or a girl?”

 

“A little girl to spoil,” I answer, grinning.

 

“Like me?”

 

“Exactly like you, Sonichka.” I match Sonya’s large smile with my own.

 

Sonya pecks my cheek before dashing out the front door toward her car. Her convertible BMW pulls out of the driveway with its top down, and the wind catches her blonde hair as she races out the gate.

 

Yes, I want a daughter. I want her to have the choice Paige and I will never have. I want her to be able to choose if she stays or goes.

 

But at the same time, a dark chill runs through me at the thought of having a daughter.

 

What if she encounters a monster like me?