Page 64 of Broken Embers

Sabrina’s hand slides into mine. “Well, shit.”

At the bottom of the stairs, two figures wait.

One, I recognize instantly—General Ergorov.

The other is a woman. Tall. Regal. Icy. Every line of her face screams superiority. She’s older than Carla, but there’s no mistaking the resemblance.

Yelena Zorin.

“It’s a full house,” Yelena says, eyes sliding over me, then Sabrina, then Carla. “Delightful.”

“Good,” Ergorov sneers. “Now we don’t have to look for the others.”

He lifts a hand.

“Take the three of them. Kill all the rest.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I say coolly. “You might want to check your messages first.”

“I don’t have time for games, Mirochin,” Ergorov growls.

Bing. His phone dings.

So does Yelena’s.

They glance down.

And freeze.

It’s footage from the collection Nadia and Valenska left. The one of Ergorov and Yelena fucking like animals in the lab.

“I think that’s a company policy breach,” Sabrina says sweetly. “And a pretty solid case for breach of marital contract too.”

“This?” Yelena sneers. “You think this will stop us?”

“Where is my daughter?” Ergorov cuts in, glaring at Sabrina.

“You have a daughter?” she asks innocently. “God, I hope not with my darling maternal aunt.”

“Where. Is. She?” Ergorov growls.

“Why don’t you ask your son?” Sabrina’s smile turns razor-sharp. “Maybe he’s got her chained up again, waiting to dole out another round of abuse.”

“Has Valeska been spewing lies again?” Ergorov snarls. “Mikhail would never harm his sister… her mother, on the other hand.”

“Talking about Mikhail…” Sabrina taunts.

Bing. Another message.

Yelena’s face drains of color.

She turns to Ergorov and hisses, “I told you to keep your son away from Sabrina.”

He snarls. “That video is fake.”

“Then you’ll love the next one,” Sabrina says, holding up her hand. “I wonder if this one is fake, too?”

A monitor on the lawn flickers to life, its large screen displaying a brutal video—the one of Evelina being chemically sedated by her husband and his lover while they plot to end Evelina’s life.

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