Page 90 of Brutal Truths

The slight stillness. The way the air around him seems to tighten.

But he recovers, then decides to goad Mr. Doyle. Enjoying himself while he does.

“Give it time. I’m sure it’ll come to you.” His eyes don’t leave Mr. Doyle, and he remains steady and patient. “You probably don’t remember me. Why would you? When you sent my mother back to Russia, I was still growing inside her.”

Mr. Doyle growls, the sound low and vicious as his face flushes a deep, angry red. “I should have killed you before sending that Russian cunt back to the motherland. Figured your uncle would finish it once he realized whose child his sister was carrying.”

Something cold slices through me. The weight of those words settling in a way I don’t like.

Rurik is a Doyle and a Del Markov. The thought makes me sick. Another person caught up in lies. Seems he’s taken the vindictive path, which is reckless and dangerous when you’re dealing with these men.

“The best revenge is raising the bastard to seek it.” Rurik’s eyes land on me again, brief but deliberate, and that’s when I know I’m right. He turns to face Mr. Doyle, his focus solely on him now. “It started with your precious Sofia. I saw what you did to her, saw my chance to do to her what you did to my mother. Wonder what Sofia would think after learning she’d slept with the bastard eldest son of the man she thought she loved.” His lip curls. “The cunt got around, didn’t she? Silas. You. Me. No wonder the DNA test was so easily manipulated.”

“You sick son of a bitch.” Trent’s fist slams into the table hard enough to make it rattle. “Mark my words. You will die. And it will be painful.”

Rurik’s voice is quiet and controlled, which somehow makes it worse. “You don’t look like a man in a position to be throwing out threats.”

Aiden’s gun hasn’t wavered, his aim steady, locked on Rurik. “How did you find us?”

Relief cuts through me at the shift, thin but there. If I let myself stay where Rurik just took my thoughts concerning my mother, I won’t be able to stop my need to kill him.

Plus, it’s a reasonable question. How did he find us? We’ve stayed hidden for eleven days. And today, two arseholes show up uninvited. Coincidence? Unlikely.

The sharp click of his tongue bounces off the walls. “It was all too easy. Think about it. Did you even bother to check the women after you saved them?” He watches all of us as he speaks, far too amused. “Don’t look so disappointed in yourself. The first thought after something so memorable is to check for injuries, not trackers. The three ladies weren’t even aware they’d been planted on them. They were more concerned with the razor wire being wrapped around them.”

As he talks, Aiden moves me without making it obvious, guiding me a step at a time until he’s between me and Rurik. I’m not even sure the other man notices. It’s too smooth and subtle, something he’s been doing since this entire shitshow began.

The house is quiet. Not empty—quiet. The kind that presses in, wrong in a way I can’t explain. The small, familiar sounds I’ve become accustomed to are gone, and their absence settles deep in my chest. My first thought is that Rurik is the reason. It would make sense. He wouldn’t come without an army of men with him. Not again.

“The razor wire was innovative.” Aiden’s voice is so damn calm, a steadiness I assume he learned during his days in the SBS. “Good thing I had my Leatherman on me.”

Rurik’s face shifts, a gleam in his eyes that reveals how dark his soul truly is. “I was counting on you coming prepared. A man with your training wouldn’t let a little razor wire stop him.”

He tilts his head, studying Aiden, measuring the outcome of something he’s already set in motion. A chill works through me at how certain he sounds.

“I wasn’t sure you’d actually get them all out in time, though. Figured it didn’t matter.” His gaze drifts, calculating. “I only needed two. Figured you’d go with the youngest first… then pick the one who meant more to you than that little slut.” A faint smile tugs at his lips. “An extra pair of hands, and capable ones at that, came in handy.”

“Luck was on my side.” Aiden clenches his jaw, the only thing giving away the tension he’s trying to control. “Too bad it wasn’t on the side of the guy you shot before we got there.”

“He served his purpose. Sanders thought he could take me down; tried to act like a real copper. The last mistake he ever made.” The way he shrugs it off is deeply unsettling. “He shared some interesting theories with me about you, Aiden.”

“Trusting someone who has so many irons in the fire isn’t very smart. Desperate men say stupid shit.” Aiden nudges me behind him, more firmly this time, putting his body fully in front of mine.

“Maybe, but it seemed only fair to hear him out.” Rurik’s attention drifts down the hall toward the bedrooms, his expression tightening as if expecting something or someone. “To test one of those theories to see if it held water.”

“So, you set me up. All this was a setup.” Aiden’s hand squeezes mine twice, and it clicks. He’s not reacting; he’s confirming. My man is smarter than anyone would ever dare give him credit.

“And it worked out better than I’d hoped.” Glancing down at his watch, he narrows his eyes. “Never underestimate a Del Markov.”

Aiden’s phone buzzes in my hand, pulling my attention down. I don’t even remember him giving it to me, must have been when he moved me behind him.

There’s a message from Lane.

LANE:

When Bear barks, hit the deck.

What the actual fuck?