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He flicks his nose. “A shallow knife wound. It’ll heal.”
I jump out of my chair. “What the fuck? From who? Only I’m allowed to stab you.”
“Sit,” he commands.
I warily look over my shoulder at Clay. River’s tone is lethal, and I know if ever the time comes that I have to instruct one of my guards to shoot him, they will. Though it’s more likely I’d pull the trigger myself.
I do as he says.
“Last night, three men broke into my home. They’re obviously dead now. They were sent by Rick Cansis.”
“Rick?” I ask in disbelief. He usually sticks to his own internal fights. “Why?”
River makes a pointed look at the file. “Let’s just say Rick won’t be attending your auctions anymore.”
“You took down Rick Cansis last night?” I’m shocked. Honestly, I never liked the guy or his trade—I enjoy willing participants in my auctions. It’s not to say I haven’t dabbled in other things, but I didn’t like it as a full-time income. But I certainly wasn’t going to judge any of the crooks in this business. “Is this because you were jealous?” I breathe out.
A dark, haunting laugh escapes him. “Not my jealousy, Red.” He flicks open the folder for me. Images of me and Alek as children come into view. My eyes grow wide at the two people sitting behind us. The woman has the same red hair and porcelain skin as me. Beautiful. The man looks like a slimmer version of Alek.
I know who they are without even asking. “How did you find these photos?” I see their names. Date of births. Birthplaces. Everything.
“It’s not a coincidence Meredith ended up with you and your brother, Anya. She knew your parents. Well.”
I flip through the images that show Meredith in her younger years, stoic-looking as she sits with my father and mother. My eye catches on the gold-dragon-engraved lighter. The same one Meredith always carries.
“Your parents were only here for a year and were neighbors to Meredith Fork. For an unknown reason, even before selling their house, they purchased four tickets to return to Russia. But they never made the flight.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “Are you saying Meredith has something to do with their disappearance?”
He shrugs. “You tell me if it looks from those photos like they’re two parents who want to abandon their children. You might not understand love, Anya, but that’s what it looks like.”
My stomach drops. There’s pain in my chest as I try to wrap my head around this information. “You’re lying,” I whisper.
“Am I?” he says without remorse. “Then why did Meredith have a sex trafficker put a hit out on me last night? The same day she tried to have him make a move on you?”
My eyebrows furrow. “Meredith is good at many things, one of them being manipulating men and curling them around her finger. But this is a stretch.”
“I haven’t removed Rick’s body from his home yet. I didn’t want to tip Meredith off. So this is a courtesy to you. Either you deal with Meredith or I will.”
“You can’t just—”
“My mother was at home, Anya!” he snaps. “I do not forgive those who threaten what and who I love. And that includes you. Either you deal with this or I will.”
I feel numb, but a wild, unrelenting pain stretches from my stomach. All these years, she told me we were unlovable. Abandoned. A nuisance. We could only become important if we learned how to lie, murder, and grow an empire.
So we did.
I’ve been so blind this whole time. But wasn’t this some form of love? That you expect the people closest to you to be the ones to protect you… not hurt you instead.
I stand at the end of the table and take the folder. “Don’t call me,” I say to River.
“Anya,” he says behind me, but I have Clay stand between us as the numbness slowly drains from my legs, and I find my strength again.
I had literally been holding that gold dragon lighter last night.
All this time…
All these years…
