Page 35 of Echoes of Sin

“The rumors are not rumors, Brooke. It is true. My father and my uncle, my family,” he specified, “they are, we are bratva.”

“The Russian mafia.”

“My father was the head of the Kuznetsov Group, that is my family’s legitimate business, but he was also pakhan of the Kuznetsov bratva. We came to America the first time because he wanted me to have a good quality American education to take our organization in a different direction, one that would carry us into the future. But he was killed on New Year’s Eve and my uncle, Oleg, became the new pakhan.” Ilya scrubbed a hand down his face and let out a heavy sigh. “Oleg forced me to stay in Moscow to finish my education there and begin training to become one of his loyal soldiers.”

“What have I done to warrant my murder? I don’t know about your businesses. I don’t even know you.”

His jaw clenched. “You do know me.”

I laughed. “No, I don’t. I never did.” The more I learned about him, the more I realized that I had spent eight years fooling myself, lying to myself. Ilya wasn’t just nice, charming, and sophisticated, like I’d thought as a naïve teenager. He was a snake, a chameleon capable of being whoever he needed to be to achieve his goals. “That’s clear now.” I tucked my knees against my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs, staring at the man who had kidnapped me.

“You let me take this job. No,” I shook my head because that wasn’t accurate, “you demanded that I be in charge of your accounts knowing how dangerous it was, knowing that this very thing could happen.” He’d put my life in danger just because he could. I’d put my child’s life in danger. I had a sudden thought. If he was asked to kill me, what about Karina, did he know?

“No!” He shook his head and began pacing back and forth. “I never would have put you in danger. You were never in danger.”

“Yet you had to kidnap me instead of killing me, as you were ordered to do. What did I do?”

“Nothing,” he stated. “There is more going on, you clearly uncovered something, but I haven’t figured it all out yet.”

“Wow,” I shouted sarcastically. “So you’re part of an organization that just randomly orders innocent people be killed for no reason? Good to know.”

“Somehow, they know you’ve been asking questions about the books. Like I said, I haven’t figured it all out yet, but that’s what I have so far. You were correct, someone is stealing from me.”

I blinked and scoffed. “That’s what you want to tell me so far,” I corrected him with an attitude that probably wasn’t wise when my life was literally in his hands. “Whatever I’ve done, just tell your people that I’ve already forgotten it, quit my job, and moved to a small village in Montana that no one has ever heard of. Your family business is none of my business.”

“Brooke, just listen. Please.”

I wasn’t in a listening mood. “No, Ilya. I’m tired of listening. I’d like to make a phone call.”

“I can’t let you do that. Not until I can be sure your phone isn’t bugged.”

My eyes widened with shock. “You think my phone is bugged?” I looked around in panic, “Then let me use your phone, I have to make a phone call.” Luckily, with Karina away, there was no one to notice my absence. They might even be out of cell phone range if they were on the boat. But if I didn’t at least make an attempt to call and leave a message, knowing my older brother, he would send out his police buddies to do a welfare check.

“I can’t.”

A sliver of worry slid through me. This could all be some elaborate plot so that he could kill me, but I had to trust him, and if someone was after me, then alerting Winter Valley PD might not be the best option. I had to speak to Ryan. “There are people who will worry if I don’t come home.” I couldn’t say more without telling him about Karina.

His brows dipped into a frown. “You are a grown woman, surely you are allowed to spend the night with a man if you choose.”

I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t make people who give a damn about you not worry. I don’t just stay out all night, and never without telling someone.”

His brows crinkled, but I saw the minute he decided that I wouldn’t be able to make a call. “It’s too dangerous. Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”

“One way or the other,” I murmured.

“You’re safe with me, Brooke. I would never hurt you.”

“Again,” I shot back with a hint of venom.

“What?”

His confusion caused another bitter tasting laugh to bubble up out of me. “Again. You would never hurt me again. Right?”

He hung his head in something that looked like guilt or shame.

It was something, but it wasn’t enough. I turned away from him and focused on the dark sky just outside the window, staying in that position for hours until my eyelids grew heavy, and sleep claimed me against my will.

Chapter Twenty-One

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