Page 28 of Brutal Truths

The shadowy figure backs away and settles into the tall leather chair opposite me. With a weary sigh, he reaches for his glass. The soft click of ice breaking the silence as he takes a sip.

“Are you sure you want to know?” He swirls his glass, watching the ice instead of me. “Will this finally make you see reason and accept the truth I know? A truth others have kept from you?”

Do I? I’m not sure.

He’s a stranger, and I don’t trust him or his motives. What makes him so sure he understands anything about my life? How the hell does a brief encounter with me in a lift convince him I’m his long-lost daughter?

I have no reason to believe him.

Will I tell him that? Hell no.

I’ll tell him what he wants to hear, even if it’s a lie. He needs to believe I’m willing to sit here and listen with an open mind. The need for answers gnaws at me, pushing me to play his game—for now.

But I refuse to forget that he took me against my will.

“I’ll listen.” I unscrew the cap, hear the soft click before taking a sip. The cool water soothes my parched mouth, washing away the bitter taste left behind from my upset stomach. “Why do you believe you’re my father?”

His claim, while shocking, doesn’t hit me as hard as it should. I’m skeptical he’ll tell me the truth, but I want to know why he believes I’m his daughter. Sitting here and listening to him shed light on the past won’t be easy, but maybe it will help give me answers to questions I’ve been asking myself for a while now.

“First, let me introduce myself.” Extending his hand, he holds it out for me to take. “My name is Rurik.”

I lean in just enough to accept it, giving him a quick shake before pulling away. “Just Rurik, no last name?”

“I have one, obviously.” Leaning back, he reaches for the canter beside him and refills his glass. “We can save that minor detail for later.”

An icy dread grips me; the question forming in my mind threatens to unleash a storm I can’t control.

“Did you kill my grandfather?”

He doesn’t answer right away. He just stares at me with cold, dark eyes while the fire crackles, breaking through the unease hanging between us.

I refuse to make this easy for him. He brought me here. I expect him to do most of the talking. If he wants me to trust him, then he needs to confirm what I already know.

“I could lie, tell you no.” The lines around his eyes grow deeper. “But that does me no good, you already know the truth.”

After a slow sip, he speaks, showing no remorse. “I did.”

Hot tears trickle down my face, muddying my vision as I choke out, “Why?”

“Because he left me no choice.”

A bitter scoff escapes me. “There’s always a choice. You didn’t have to kill him. So why did you?”

The slight lift of his left shoulder pisses me off, and what he says next doesn’t help. “Maybe you’re right. I could’ve let him live, but honestly, I didn’t want to. He annoyed me. Acting like he was the one in charge, making demands while refusing to give me what I wanted. I don’t like being told no.”

Now it’s my turn to just stare, trying to keep my cool, but it’s not easy. And honestly, why should I? Everything he’s said and done should piss me off, giving me every right to be angry. So I don’t hold back.

“That’s your reason for killing him? Because you don’t like being told no?”

He shrugs again, and I lose my ever-loving mind.

“Well, fuck you! You can go straight to hell!”

Recapping my water bottle, I stand a little faster than I should have. A dizzy spell hits hard, but I don’t care. I’m beyond pissed at this point.

“What you have to say, I’m no longer interested in hearing. If you and my mother were once involved, I now understand why she dumped you and married someone else.”

“Sit down!” The heavy timbre of his voice echoes off the walls.