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He rolls his eyes, “Seriously. I’ve denied it at least a dozen times. I have no idea where Volkov’s brother is.”
“If it’s not anyone in the Cosa Nostra, then it has to be another organization. Someone powerful enough to keep him hidden for this long,” Nico says thoughtfully. “Even the Shadow can’t find Alexei. It’s suspicious. And I really don’t like it.”
“Exactly who is the Shadow?” I ask, confused.
“He’s a ghost,” Aurora replies. “Or at least that’s what Nico tells me whenever I ask about him.”
Nico smiles. “He’s a man. But his existence is something only a few people are allowed to know,mivida.”
“He knows,” I state, gesturing at Adrian.
“He found out on his own,” Nico says on a frown.
“Exactly how do you do that? You always say you know everything but with what resources?”
“Well-paid spies. I have them everywhere,” Adrian admits with a shrug.
Oh yeah, that makes sense.
“Was it also these spies that told you that Ivan was responsible for your mother’s death?” I question.
He shakes his head slowly. “Actually, no. I received that information through an anonymous tip.”
The silence after that statement is deafening. If looks could kill, I swear Adrian would be six feet under right now. Nico and I both glare at him, coming to terms with the implications of that sentence.
“You’re telling me you started this whole thing because of information that came from an unverified source?” I grit out.
Adrian blows out a breath. “The facts check out. Ivan’s the only man in the Bratva who fits the bill. He was already working for the Bratva when my mother died, had been for almost a decade. At the time it happened, he was the enforcer. He took on all of the dirty jobs for the higher-ups, killing whoever they asked him to.”
“He doesn’t like unnecessary murder,” I state defensively.
“Would you stop saying that?” Adrian says on an eye roll. “It doesn’t even make any sense. Wholikesunnecessary murder? Are you trying to say my mother’s murder was necessary?”
“No! I’m saying Ivan wasn’t responsible. Whoever killed her was sadistic, Adrian. Ivan’s not that person.”
I might as well be speaking to the wind. He pretends not to hear me. Nico speaks up next.
“Regardless of what Lucia believes, you still based your entire plan on a source you can’t exactly trust.”
“It has to be him, Nico,” Adrian says quietly, and we can all hear the exhaustion in his voice. My heart aches for him because I really do understand how it must feel. It’s been more than a decade since she died. Not knowing the reason for it must be hell.
He practically falls down onto the couch beside me, and I rub his back in a comforting motion. I don’t blame him for what happened with Ivan. I’m a big girl; I made my own choices.
“You could have come to me,” Nico says, frowning. “We could have looked into him together. Instead, you acted recklessly as always. You not only put Lucia in danger, you put the entire family in danger.”
“I already apologized,” Adrian grits out.
Nico’s expression softens. “We’re going to find out who’s responsible, Adrian.”
“Sure,” he mumbles, leaning back and shutting his eyes.
We eventually disperse, each of us going to our rooms while Adrian goes home. When I open my bedroom door, a pang of disappointment shoots through me. Because I would give anything to be back in Ivan’s home.
It’s funny. I tried so hard to get away from there, and now that I’m gone, there’s no other place I’d rather be than in his arms.
The look on his face when he realized what I’d done still haunts me. I climb into my bed and look up, no longer comforted by the sight of the stars on the ceiling. All I want is Ivan’s warmth.
Like always, I send him a text. I don’t know if he reads them. For all I know, he’s blocked my number, but I’m hanging on to the hope that he’s a busy old man. Surely, he’s not into blocking people.
