Page 42 of Filthy Lies

I take a sip of coffee. “Are they… attacking?”

“Not yet. This is a show of force. A message.”

“What message?”

Vince’s eyes meet mine. “Grigor wants to meet you. And Sofiya, too. He’s given us three days to arrange it, or he’ll consider our refusal a hostile action.”

My breath catches. Three days to decide whether to meet the man who fathered me—the man who, until now, didn’t even know I existed.

“Rowan…” he starts. Seeing that I’m teetering, Vince takes the mug from my trembling hands. “This changes nothing. We increase security, we refuse the meeting, and we wait them out.”

I gawk at him. “That’s your plan?”

“It’s the only plan that keeps you and Sofiya safe.”

“You don’t think he’d hurt his own daughter and granddaughter, do you?”

Vince’s laugh is short and bitter. “You don’t know Grigor Petrov.”

“Neither do you.” I push away from the counter. “Not really. Not as my father.”

“He’s not your father.” Vince’s voice hardens. “He supplied DNA. That’s it.”

“But don’t you think it’s strange that he’s not attacking yet? If he just wanted leverage against you, he’d have tried to take us already.”

“This is what he does. He plays games.”

“Or maybe he genuinely wants to meet me.”

Vince runs a hand through his hair, exasperation etched clear on his face. “And you want to meet him, too? The head of a criminal organization that’s been at war with my family for generations?”

“I’m curious,” I admit sheepishly. “Wouldn’t you be?”

“Not enough to risk your life. Or Sofiya’s.”

I take a deep breath. “What if we negotiate terms? Meet on neutral ground, with security for both sides?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Vince—”

“This is not up for discussion, Rowan.” His voice rises, then he checks himself, glancing toward the bedroom where Sofiya sleeps. “I will not gamble with your safety.”

“It’s not gambling if we’re careful.” I step closer to him. “And it’s not your decision alone.”

His eyes narrow. “What does that mean?”

“It means he’s my biological father. So it’s my choice whether I want to meet him.”

“Is it your choice alone to expose our daughter to danger?”

That’s a slap in the face. “Not fair.”

“None of this is fair!” He slams his palm against the counter. “We’ve barely recovered from your kidnapping, Rowan. Sofiya isn’t even a month old. And now, Grigor fucking Petrov shows up demanding an audience?”

“He didn’t kidnap me, Vince.Yourfather did.”

The moment the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve hit below the belt. Vince goes deathly still.

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