Deceitful Lies by Brook Wilder
Chapter 43
Andrei
Paige’s words hit me like a brick to the head. My mind tumbles as I try to comprehend a situation I never expected or imagined. Why would Kenney take Emma? “None of this makes any sense,” I whisper to myself.
Paige is dressed down in jeans and resembles the woman I first met instead of the Bratva wife she’s become. Her face is clean of makeup but flushed from crying. Motionless, I stare at her, recalling the way it felt when I first saw her at the wedding. A woman I couldn’t have because she was too good for me. I tried anyway, a little relieved when she turned me down. I thought we were wrong together until Paige patched up my arm.
She wasn’t the innocent angel I thought she was. It turned out the wholesome surface concealed a darker story.
Paige doesn’t run away from me now. She leans heavily on my arm as I help her back into the house.
Eva races down the stairs, and her voice trembles with each step. “It’s horrible, Andrei. Emma knows nothing. Why would anyone do that to her? She’s not involved.”
Paige wasn’t involved at first either. But someone’s lies changed that. I glance upstairs, thinking about that selfish man lying, unaware of the hurt and distrust rippling outward in his wake.
Eva hurries over to Paige and grabs hold of her other arm. Her tight grip turns Paige’s skin red. “They took her, Andrei,” she continues. “You have to get the girl back.” Deep creases line her forehead, and her eyes stare intently at me as if I can snap my fingers, and Emma will appear.
“Let’s get her into the office,” I reply sternly.
We both help Paige to the couch as Natasha and Dmitri enter the room.
A low whimper escapes Paige’s mouth. “Kenney kidnapped Emma,” she repeats to herself. Paige stares off into the distance, and then her eyes focus on me. “Where were you, Andrei?”
I’m too stunned to respond, as if she’s twisted a knife in my gut. I brought her family here for my own purposes, but I also promised them safety and protection. Now, that promise means nothing, and her sad eyes accuse me of betrayal.
She’s right: I wasn’t here.
“When did it happen?” I ask, not answering Paige’s question, but holding tightly onto her hands. I need the connection as much as she does. I need to be reassured that she hasn’t given up on me. “Did he take her from the house?”
Natasha fills in the details quickly. “According to the guards, Emma and Kenney were at Cynthia’s apartment. He was looking for something, and when Emma tried to alert Paige, he grabbed her.”
“Do we know what he was looking for?” I ask. Natasha shakes her head.
I’m bewildered but not entirely surprised. Her cousin isn’t as clean as he plays at being, and now he has Emma. We’re all in the dark. It’s then I notice the unusual quiet in the house.
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
Natasha replies for Paige. Her confident poise returns. “She sent them out to look, but not engage.”
That was a smart move, and I’m proud of her quick thinking in a bad situation.
No matter what she faces, Paige is levelheaded. “Has he contacted you yet?” I ask Paige gently. “Are you sure he kidnapped her?”
The lost sadness in her eyes disappears instantly and is replaced with rage. Paige stares at me as if she can’t believe I’d ask such a stupid question. “The guards saw her kicking and screaming as he carried her out of the apartment and then shoved her into an armored SUV against her will and drove her away.”
I swallow hard, releasing her hands. The allusion to her own kidnapping is clear, and she looks away, angrily wiping away her tears. Paige still doesn’t understand if I had left her at her apartment, she wouldn’t be alive right now.
“I’ll get her back, Paige.” Standing up, I look over at Natasha. “Take her to the suite and make sure she lies down.”
“No!” Paige shouts, jumping up to face me. “She’s my sister, and I will be involved. Not shut away in my room for your convenience! I know the people Kenney knows, and they know me. I can ask questions. There has to be something I can do.” A sob slips out, and her expression is grim. “We can’t just let Kenney get away with this.”
I grip her shoulders in my hands. “We have to figure out why first. What else happened? You must know something without knowing it.”
Her expression reveals her lingering fear toward me, and Paige grimaces under my tight grip. What am I doing? I release her quickly and regain control. She’s not the enemy and never was. It’s always been the people around Paige. What do they know?
“He’s always been shady,” she replies, hugging her body. “But I never thought Kenney would turn on us. He hates Dad, barely talked to him after Mom left. I always assumed Kenney had sided with her.”
Paige is right. Kenney took Emma for leverage. He won’t ask for money. He wants information he thinks we have. And I have a strong feeling that Kenney isn’t going to let Emma go if I threaten him.
Someone clears their throat for our attention, and Viktor stands in the doorway. His skin is paler than usual, and his mouth is slightly agape. His eyes dart from person to person, searching for words as his hands clench and unclench in nervousness.
I break the unbearable silence. “Do you know something, Viktor?”
Viktor looks at Paige and takes a deep breath. His words come out hesitantly, as if he’s afraid he might say something wrong. But there’s a determination as he speaks. He must know something vital to solving Emma’s disappearance.
“The party that Emma and I snuck off to a month ago,” he says. “Gleb Novikov was there, bragging.”
“I thought you were sent by my wife to go find Emma.” I approach him. “Did you lie to me?”
“I did it to protect Emma on Paige Geraldovna’s orders.” Viktor sighs with regret. “I’m sorry, Andrei Vasilyevich.”
The young man has run out of second chances. I start to reach for Viktor, but he backs away. Quickly, my hands circle his throat as anger fuels my brain. Eva lets out a yelp as I shake the boy like he has no spine.
Paige moves quickly to stop me, but she cannot pry my fingers off Viktor’s throat. Only when Natasha and Dmitri intervene do I manage to finally let go.
“Andrei, I told him not to tell.” Paige places her hands on my chest to keep me back. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to get Emma into trouble. I didn’t want you to know she had snuck out. I thought I could handle this.” She presses her soft hand against my heated face. “Please, no more.”
I hold Paige in my arms and bury my face against her neck, ignoring the looks of shock and reproach that I would try to kill Viktor with my bare hands. I hold her tighter, feeling her heartbeat against my chest, and she holds me close, calming me with her presence. They have to think I’m mad. One second, I’m ready to kill with my hands, and then the next, I’m quiet as a baby in her arms.
“What did Gleb say exactly?” I ask Viktor.
“He said, ‘I want to make a toast to my brilliant new future!’ And then he said, ‘When I’m the king of the Bratvas, heads will roll.’”
Paige frowns at Viktor as if she’s never heard this before. “What else did he say?”
“He was laughing when he said he couldn’t believe how easy it was for that dumb bitch to die.” Viktor sighs. “That’s when the party got shitty. Igor’s man was hanging out with Gleb. He stumbled over to Emma and tried to talk to her. Telling her it was her turn next.”
“Enough!” I bark. “Get out.”
I hear them shuffling out the door. Dmitri is in the hall giving orders, telling the men not to loiter. Viktor coughs to clear his throat. I smell the smoke from Natasha’s cigarette from outside. Eva’s hand gently touches my back for a second, and a chill freezes me.
Did she see a shadow of my father just now? I keep my eyes shut until the door softly closes.
I lift my head and look into Paige’s eyes. Despite the havoc, I see she isn’t judging me. The heat leaves my brain as I pull her closer. Her softness against me is like kindness and forgiveness touching me. Paige relaxes into me, and I need her to stay with me. But that means telling her the truth, no matter how destructive.
“We need to speak in private,” I whisper.
***
“I don’t understand why Kenney would do this.”
I don’t answer Paige, but she’s the only one who doesn’t suspect what’s obvious. Someone has bought Kenney, but who? My guess is Igor, but there are others, the Novikovs among them. Or maybe no one owns him, and Kenney simply saw an opportunity. He must’ve learned about the money. Gossip is currency, as the saying goes, especially to law enforcement. Any good lead is valuable, and this one is gold.
Kenney has to know about the money. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
In our suite, Paige and I sit in the living room around a small table obscured by plates of food. I insist she eats, and when she brushes it off as unimportant, I remind her of the baby. She relents, picking at a plate of pasta and snow peas covered in garlic butter.
After a few bites, we return to figuring this mess out. I can tell by Paige’s confused expression that Kenney doesn’t have her completely fooled. She knows more than she lets on, but will she reveal to me what she really thinks?
“My father will know why Kenney did it,” she says softly. “He’s mentioned something to me when I saw him.”
I place my fork down and lean forward until Paige has to look at me. I search her face for any signs of deceit. “He mentioned the money?” I ask.
And then I realize my mistake. I’ve never mentioned the money to Paige before.
“So, we’re ready to talk about this now?” Paige shoots back. “After all this time?”
Will admitting the truth after so long end our tentative trust? Will our marriage turn back into a complete fraud? I decide to take a risk and tell the truth.
“Yes,” I say. “The money that your father stole. I don’t know any of the details, but I’m certain a lot of Bratva money is deposited in a number of offshore accounts.”
“And you know where they are?” she asks, her voice wavering slightly.
Watching her closely, I shake my head. “No, I don’t.”
“But you think I do,” she replies quietly.
Paige looks away and holds her mouth shut tight. She tries to hide her relief, but her shoulders sink slightly. She’s never spoken about the money before, and the doubts I’ve had in the past surge to the surface again. My heart beats loudly in my ears.
“How did you find out about the money?” I ask casually, picking up my fork.
Paige watches me, her eyes alert to my movements.
“Talia told me.” She inhales deeply, as if letting a secret out. “She said that’s why you brought me here. That’s why you wanted to get close to my father.” Her gaze doesn’t leave my face as she challenges me. “That’s the reason why you married me. Why my family is here, and why you’re using me.”
“And why didn’t you ask me about that when you first returned?”
“Would it have done us any good?” she replies. “You would’ve denied it and reminded me that your businesses are yours, and that this is all part of your plan.”
“So you believed her?” I ask simply. “You believe Talia?”
“Did you always know about my father and the money, Andrei?” Paige scoffs, pushing her plate away. “Is that why you danced with me at that awful wedding?”
“I didn’t know who or what you were when we met,” he replies. “And I had no idea that your father was the thief I’ve been looking for.”
Suddenly, a new thought enters my head, switching on a light and making me feel like a fool fumbling in the dark.
“Did the Novikovs hire you for the wedding?” I ask. “Or was it the bride?”
Paige stares at me, a puzzled expression on her face at why I should care about that right now. “The Novikovs. They paid for it all. Why?”
“You met with no one else?” I ask.
“No. Andrei. Why?”
“It wasn’t chance.” I say as the strength seems to drain from my body. “You were always supposed to be at the wedding. You weren’t supposed to leave there alive. I kept wondering why they’d also go after you, someone so ordinary. But now, all the pieces have fallen into place.”
I place my face in my hands, frustrated and shamed by my ego.
“This …” I breathe. “This isn’t about the Bratva,” I continue. “This is about your family. It always has been. The Bratva are players in your father’s game. We have to talk to him if we want answers and to find Emma.”
Paige bites down on her lip. She looks at me with wide eyes, looking guilty as hell. “Yes, we have to talk to him. But it might be better if you did the talking.”
“Why?” I lean across the table and grasp her hands firmly in mine. “What other secrets are you keeping from me, my darling wife?”
She slips out of my grasp and stands. “Let’s go talk to him before it’s too late.”
