Page 21 of The Cute Psycho

I should have trusted my instincts.

"But..."

"No one else could have ordered those Bratva soldiers to come after us. Think about it, B," I say when she seems unconvinced.

Misha must have promised them something in return for helping him overthrow my father. He's always been dissatisfied with his role within the organization, mostly because he knew Father didn't trust him as much as he should have, being the firstborn and the heir.

Our ongoing conflicts, though, must have only strengthened his resolve to take matters into his own hands.

I should have known that someone like him would never be satisfied with not beingimportant. But regardless of what he's doing to take over the Bratva, my utmost worry is for Elena and Katya.

Fuck!

If he's gotten rid of Father and his loyal soldiers, then there's nothing standing between him and doing whatever he wants to them.

The thought of that, coupled with Vanya's cries in my ears, only serves to make me hit the accelerator harder, speeding down the highway in hopes I might make it in time.

"He'll kill them," Vanya keeps chanting next to me, her words not helping my already tense headspace.

I barely take my eyes off the road for a moment to get Bianca to load the camera feed from the compound.

The moment the screens flare to life, I'm not surprised when I see blood everywhere, my father slain by his own son, his body lying in the middle of the great hall.

Misha has his men move Father's corpse to the exhibition area—the place reserved for traitors and enemies of the Bratva.

"Fuck," I mutter, realizing I may have underestimated Misha. He's notasdumb as he's led me to believe.

And the fact that he's displaying Father's body in such a manner in the great hall is a warning for everyone thinking of going against him.

We reach the compound in record time, and Bianca offers to use her skills as a sniper to have my back and get Misha.

Once we split, her heading toward a good vantage point and me moving toward the hall, I turn to Vanya.

"See, it won't be by my hand," I joke, and she gives me a brilliant smile. Knowing thatIwon't be the one to put the bastard out of his misery seems to be doing wonders for Vanya's mood.

A few guards get in my way, but I'm quick to split them in half, my blades running smoothly across their stomachs.

The alarm goes off, and I know it's only a matter of time before I'm surrounded. Smiling to myself, I just wait.

Sure enough, quite a few soldiers come out of the great hall, all surrounding me. I let myself be caught because I know Bianca should be almost at the south tower now, which should give me a few uninterrupted minutes of conversation with my dear brother.

A couple of kicks and the men think I'm down, holding me by my arms and dragging me inside the room.

Misha is standing in the middle of the hall, his hands behind his back as he gazes at Father's corpse.

A quick glance around the room and I don't see anyone else here - not Mother and not my sisters either.

"Brother," he spits at me when the guards stop in front of him.

"Such a welcome," I drawl.

"You should have been dead already," he continues, clearly put off by my sudden presence.

"And you should have learned by now that I'm not that easy to kill," I retort.

"Ah, but don't worry. This time you will, and by my hand too," he says, pacing around in front of me.

Jittery. A little too jittery.

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