Deceitful Lies by Brook Wilder
Chapter 19
Andrei
The tall gates shut soundlessly, and I return to my world in a full rage. I stalk into the office and slam the door with an ear-splitting bang. Natasha is now sitting with Dmitri on the couch. I glare at them both, my gaze intense and filled with anger, as if I could pull them to pieces mentally.
“Who told my sister about the hit?” I demand.
Natasha seems taken aback by the question, but Dmitri’s composure doesn’t waver. I direct the full force of my rage on him. He watches me with a guarded expression, knowing he must answer my question. Dmitri must learn to follow my spoken and unspoken orders like the rest.
“I didn’t know Sonya wasn’t to be informed,” he says calmly.
“Why would you take it upon yourself to inform her of that?” I demand. Natasha also gives Dmitri an inquisitive look.
“Sonya could be a liability if she’s kept in the dark,” he points out in a reasonable tone. “Now that Vasily is dead, why exclude her?”
The two of them look at me, expecting an answer. The reason is apparent to me. I don’t know my sister’s paternity. Eva has kept it a secret, and it will probably stay that way. Sonya’s father could be a friend or foe. I’d rather keep everyone guessing that I have no clue.
I quickly change the subject. “Has anyone said anything yet? Have we learned anything more about Cynthia Reyes’s murderer?”
They both look away, ashamed they cannot give me results. The silence adds to the weighty atmosphere, and I walk over to the window, letting in some needed fresh air. My back to them, they can’t see the relief washing over me as the conversation turns away from Sonya. Later, there will be another talk with Dmitri about his interference, but I will focus on the task at hand.
Natasha remains graceful despite the tense atmosphere. She uncrosses and crosses her long legs elegantly before replying. “The second hit claimed to know nothing, and the next on the list has disappeared. They seem to have gotten wise to us, but someone will break eventually. They always do.”
I let out a heavy sigh, my voice growing harsher as I speak. “Keep searching.”
Natasha doesn’t flinch from my harsh tone, and she stands tall, meeting my gaze without an ounce of emotion. “I will do as you please, Andrei Vasilyevich.”
“Wait, Natasha.” I regret my rash harshness but can’t show it. “How did target practice go?”
Natasha slowly smiles. “Your wife needs some more practice. But the little one, she’s a natural. The girl could become loyal with guidance. And she has fire,” Natasha continues, despite my attempt to cut her off. “In her position, Emma could find out things others can’t.”
Dmitri shakes his head. “Paige Geraldovna would never allow us to turn her little sister into a mirror image of you, Natasha.”
Natasha shrugs her shoulders. “So, don’t tell her. Husbands and wives always have secrets, Dima.”
I don’t like hearing the truth, especially when it applies to me. Since speaking with Gerald, the secret I keep has grown bigger than what we might have together. If I had told Paige initially, maybe she would accept what I have to do. But too much time has passed, and Paige hasn’t found her place though she’s tried. I hope she will take what will happen next and find peace with it. But her nightmares are relentless, and when I shake her awake, her eyes are full of fear.
Only she can give me what I want, but I’ve yet to figure out what she really wants. I know everything Paige doesn’t like, and she would never want her sister to become a pawn.
But Natasha is right; using Emma could speed up the process.
“Remind me. The night nurse is one of ours, yes?” I ask.
Natasha nods. “Inessa. She was keeping an eye on Paige Geraldovna in your suite at the wedding.”
“Brief her, Natasha. Let Emma think she’s getting away with something.”
She nods before leaving the room.
Dmitri tosses his phone down and tugs back his hair, revealing his scar. “Natasha has been out there, Andrei Vasilyevich. Searching hard in every corner and crevice she can find. But she cannot do everything.”
“Natasha always does what I ask, even before I ask it.” I pause, letting my face communicate my displeasure. “You are not like her.”
His icy look doesn’t put me off. “Did I do something else to displease you?”
I scoff. “You would’ve taken a different approach after Vasily’s death. You made it clear that you disagreed with my priorities. But you’ve never undermined me before.”
“By telling Sonya about the hit?” He expresses his confusion with his uplifted hands. “As I said, she can be a liability if kept in the dark. She has access to the grounds. She is friendly with the guards …”
I turn quickly. “What does that mean?” Too late, I reveal too much.
Dmitri narrows his eyes, unsure of what he’s just seen. “About what?” he asks cautiously.
“Did you also tell her about Emma being confined to the grounds?”
He nods. “Sonya didn’t understand why the girl couldn’t leave the estate with her.” He pauses. “Are you uncomfortable with your sister knowing how you treat your wife and her family?”
“Careful, Dmitri.”
“Perhaps I went too far.”
In an icy-calm tone, I reply, “Perhaps.”
Vasily treated Eva brutally, and I swore I wouldn’t do the same to Paige, but she’s suffered nonetheless. All without knowing why. I may not have touched Paige in anger, but mentally and emotionally, she has taken many blows.
I didn’t give a shit when she was a means to an end, but now, I care.
Our wedding may have been fake, but she has become a very real wife to me. And I’m unsure just how much more I can put Paige through, especially now that she’s carrying my child.
I’ve tried to be open with Paige, but I know I’m still not saying what has to be said.
I motion toward the bar, and Dmitri joins me as I pour two glasses of Vasily’s oldest scotch. We can talk and clear the air without emotions burying too deep, waiting to reappear as festering wounds.
“Sonya is more perceptive than I give her credit for,” I tell him. “She offered me good advice.”
He lifts his glass to me, and I to him. “What about?” he asks.
“Being in control.”
“Do you intend to take her advice?” He laughs while I grin.
I nod. “Each day, I think I’m closer to finishing what I’ve started. But the end hasn’t come in sight.”
Dmitri looks me in the eye, not scared of the facts. “It will when Gerald Reyes dies.”
“And then his secrets die with him,” I reply, finishing my drink. “You do realize if I hadn’t taken his family in, Igor probably would have.”
He nods. “They’re better off here, even if they don’t realize it. But in the end, may we all benefit from Gerald Reyes’s greed.”
I doubt it. Money will never change Paige, but fear might.
