Page 26 of Sinful Union

“You and Pavel are leaving soon?” Vlad asks.

“Yes. Not sure when exactly, but I know Pavel wants to be out of here within the next few hours.”

“Alright. Stay safe. Keep me in the loop about everything, and I meaneverything. We need to execute this plan sooner than later. Emphasis on sooner.”

Something in his tone makes my throat tighten. It’s almost like he’s warning me. Maybe I’m just being paranoid. Vlad is the brother I can trust.So does that mean there’s a brother Ican’ttrust? The thought is like a punch to the gut.

“I will. You won’t be left in the dark.”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I doubt their sincerity. I’m only telling him what he wants to hear.

Just as I’m about to end the conversation, wanting to get away from it before it makes me think too much, Vlad speaks again.

“Kat.”

“Yeah?”

“Piotr wants to talk to you. Stay safe, sister.”

“You too.” My pulse pounds in my ears, drowning out the sound of the ocean just outside the window. I should have known this was coming.

I hang up, and the phone immediately rings. I answer the call without saying a word. Piotr’s voice comes across the line, cold and cutting.

“Why is your husband still alive?”

I close my eyes for a second, take a deep breath, and force my voice to remain steady. Calm. Controlled.

“There are bodyguards with us at all times. I haven’t had the chance to slip it into his drink or food with all those eyes on us.”

It’s a weak excuse, and I know it. He knows it.

“This never should have gone this far,” he says, anger edging his tone. “He was supposed to die on your wedding night.”

“Well, it didn’t happen that way. And considering I’m the one doing the deed, you could give me a little leeway.”

He chuckles. “Sister, if only you knew the things I’ve done to keep this family safe and secure, things way more malicious than slipping a little poison into a cocktail.”

I suppose he has a point there.

“I’m waiting for the right moment, Piotr. Pavel rarely lets me out of his sight, and I’ve already mentioned the bodyguards.”

Silence stretches for half a beat before his response slams into me like a whip crack. “Are you fucking him?”

I freeze. My pulse roars in my ears as fury surges through me, white-hot and immediate. “Don’t talk to me like that,” I snap, my voice sharp, biting.

He doesn’t acknowledge my response. His voice only grows colder, sharper, and more ruthless. “Then do your duty. Kill that bastard.”

I clench my jaw so hard, my teeth ache. My fingers dig into my palm, nails pressing into flesh as I grip the phone, my rage barely contained. I feel nothing but hatred toward him at this moment.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Katerina. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for him again.”

I exhale slowly, trying to maintain my fury before responding. “My feelings for him ended when our parents died.”

Obviously, that’s a lie.

Piotr doesn’t say anything for a moment. He just lets the silence stretch, his cold presence reaching me through the phone.

He delivers his final words, clipped and cold before the line clicks off. “Remember where your loyalty should lie.”

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