Page 42 of Sinful Promise

Nina nods, and I take another sip of my drink, trying to hide my wince as it burns my throat.

“How pissed is he?”

“Oh, I am not getting involved in whatever is going on with you two. With a teething toddler who won’t sleep and a summer showcase to rehearse for, I have enough to deal with. Whatever is going on with you and Anton, I suggest you fix it sooner rather than later.” She takes Lev by the arm and leads him over to the bar cart to fix him a drink.

Just when I think I might have a moment of peace before Dimitri and I come clean to the family about this situation with Emily, Mikhail slaps me on the shoulder.

“Long time no see,brat.”

I swear every time I see him; he has another addition to his tattoo collection. Soon enough, there’s not going to be an inch of skin that he hasn’t inked.

I shake out of Mikhail’s grip. “I’ve been busy.”

“Who’s the girl?”

“There is no girl.”

Mikhail narrows his eyes at me, but thankfully, Alexei interrupts before he has a chance to grill me further.

Out of all my brothers, I’m closest with Mikhail, which means he can read me like a book. He might be quiet, but that’s only because he’s paying attention to every tiny little detail.

It’s a miracle he hasn’t worked out that I have a huge crush on Emily, but it’s only a matter of time.

Alexei settles himself in one of the armchairs and crosses an ankle over a knee. “What’s this about, Dimitri?”

Dimitri glances at me from across the living room, and I nod.

Here goes nothing.

I lean forward. “There’s been a situation with Emily.”

When all eyes turn in my direction, I stand up straight and set down my glass.

Alexei frowns. “What kind of situation?”

The room is silent as I recount the events that led up to Emily’s attempted kidnapping the other night. From the hostess job and the gifts that have been left in her apartment, to what Isaak admitted to us the other night in the warehouse before I killed him.

Alexei stares at me. “And you didn’t think to mention this at the time?”

I envy how Alexei can always look so calm and collected. Don’t get me wrong, he inherited our father’s temper, but he manages to keep it in check for the most part, even when shit hits the fan.

Dimitri crosses his arms over his chest. “I wanted to wait until I could confirm that it was truly Igor behind all of this.”

Alexei glancing back at me. “And?”

Dimitri nods. “Isaak’s story checked out.”

I run my hand through my hair. “We just don’t knowwhyhe’s looking into Emily specifically. It doesn’t make sense.”

Mikhail hums. “Usually, when Igor goes after someone, it’s because he’s using them as bait.”

Anton nods. “But Emily’s only linked to us through Zara. It seems like there would be easier avenues for him to take if he wanted to get to us.”

“Perhaps.” Mikhail eyes me closely, but I keep my expression neutral.

No one knows how I truly feel about Emily, least of allIgor. If he’s coming after her, it’s not because he’s trying to get to me.

Lev shifts in place. “Maybe it’sbecauseshe’s not directly linked to any of you that makes her an ideal target,”

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