Page 52 of The Pakhan’s Heir

I pull up in front of the house, and she looks up and smiles the moment she recognizes my car.

“Hey,” she says as I get out of the car. “You’re back. That was fast.”

“Let’s go inside,” I tell her.

Her smile falters. “Is something wrong⁠—”

“Now, Nona.”

She regards me for just a moment, then utters a soft, “Okay,” and we walk into the house. The moment I close the door, I ask her, “Wednesday morning, where did you go?”

She stares at me with what looks like confusion. “I… Wednesday? That was three days ago⁠—”

“Where did you go, Nona?”

She blinks, confusion ruling her expression. “That was the day I went out to breakfast. I told you about it⁠—”

“Were you there alone?”

“Alex—”

“Did you meet with anybody on Wednesday?”

She doesn’t say anything for a second. Then her eyes narrow a little. “What’s this about?”

“You tell me. Who did you have breakfast with?”

“Alex—”

“Just answer the fucking question, Nona.”

She takes an involuntary half step back from me. “No one,” she says. “I just went for coffee.”

Her eyes dart around the room for a second. She’s lying to me.

“Nona, you know that I’ve been looking for a rat in this Bratva,” I explain. “You know everything that I’ve been going through over the past month to find him… and you also have to know that no one is above suspicion⁠—”

“So, you think I’m a rat?” she says defensively.

“I don’t know. Did you have coffee alone?”

“I already told you⁠—”

“Stop lying to me,” I say through clenched teeth.

She stiffens her back, holding herself despite the fear I can plainly see in her eyes. “I haven’t ratted on you or this Bratva,” she says. “I have been loyal.”

“Then why are you lying to me right now?” She doesn’t answer me. She just stands and stares. “I was just with Kostya. You know what his job is in this Bratva? How he makes his entire check? The thing I pay him for?”

“I know what his job is⁠—”

“Good. Because I pay him good money for what he does. My father paid him good money. And he’s the best that I’ve ever seen. He has eyes all over this fucking city⁠—”

“Fine, Alex,” she barks at me. “So, he’s a good spy. Every Bratva has eyes all over this fucking city. If you think he’s doing such a good job, why don’t you just do whatever you have to do, then?” Her bottom lip trembles as she pauses, daring me with terror behind her eyes. “Take care of your rat problem.”

We just stare at one another, my anger stalled. She’s calling my bluff, and if I were the man I’d been when we were first married, I’d pull out my gun and call it.

But I’m not. I can‘t follow through with it. I don’t think I could bear having to watch her die and know that I’m the one who did it. Everything that’s happened between us just won’t go away. It’s all still there in the front of my mind.