Page 68 of The Watcher's Bride

Tatiana sniffs, looking at me with a hint of admiration. “My loyalty is to Nikolai and Leonid, I would never betray them.”

“But not your Pakhan?” I ask.

“On the surface, of course, I am a loyal member of this Bratva, but I will rejoice the day Leo takes his place and the old man is in his grave,” Tatiana replies.

“Why?”

“Because he killed my mother,” she replies simply.

“Tatiana was the result of an affair,” Nikolai explains, gently stroking his wife’s hand. “Dimitri killed her mother in a fit of rage when he learned of her unfaithfulness. No one knows how he found out only a short time after Tatiana was born. Tatiana was sent to live with relatives in Russia until we were married.”

I think back to the way Dimitri flirted with her the other night, and my stomach turns at the thought.

“I’m sorry,” I say to Tatiana, softening a little toward her. “My father killed my mother when I was eleven.”

Tatiana nods once at me in response, an understanding of our shared trauma. It’s a truce of sorts.

“Can I see the letter from Nadya?” I ask Nikolai, who nods and hands it over. I read it in silence.

Nora,

Words cannot express how sorry I am for betraying your trust. While it’s true I became your friend at your father’s request, I did truly grow to care for you deeply. You were my only true friend. I was just nine years old when I was sold to the Bratva. A year later I was trafficked from my home in Ukraine to America to become your father’s slave. I won’t go into details about what happened, because I think you can probably guess, but by the time I was told to spy on you, I was grateful to do so if it meant an escape from the hell I was living in.

You were the first person to show me kindness and love. I did what I could to protect you, to postpone your inevitable reunion with your monstrous family, but it wasn’t enough. I am told that Leonid and you are happy, I hope this is true.

I don’t expect you to believe me, but if you give me a chance, I can share some information with you that I believe your husband would be interested to hear.

I wish I had been brave enough to tell you everything sooner. You could have escaped or changed your fate if I had. I was a coward who didn’t want to lose the only happiness I’d ever known. I know forgiveness is too much to ask for, and I don’t expect to be rescued, but I need to speak to you face-to-face. I will tell you everything I know.

Your friend,

Nadya.

A teardrop smudges the ink on the page as my tears fall. Poor Nadya. How could I possibly blame her or stay mad at her when she is as much of a victim as I am? I know in my heart that she’s telling the truth. Leo wordlessly takes me into his arms and holds me as I sob for my friend, handing the letter to him to read to the others.

Leo cups my face in his hands and kisses my tears away. “What do you think?” he asks gently. “Can we trust her?”

“Yes, we can,” I reply wholeheartedly.

Leo nods, trusting my word. “Nikolai, Tatiana, do you think you can get her here without arousing suspicion or Dimitri knowing?”

“There’s no way we can take her without him finding out about it,” Nikolai says with a shake of his head.

My stomach plummets at the thought of us having to leave her there.

“But I can request to borrow her,” he suggests. “Tatiana and I can pretend we’re interested in having some fun with her. I see no reason why he would refuse the request, especially if it meant we owed him for it.”

Tatiana nods in agreement. “It’s the best plan we’ve got to get her out of there with minimal fuss or risk.”

“Can you do it now?” I ask, desperate to get her out as soon as possible.

They look to Leo for his approval. “Do it. Take her to a club tonight. If he has someone follow you, it will line up with your story. We can meet you there.”

***

“Is this get-up really necessary?” I ask Leo as I walk down the stairs in the outfit he picked out for me.

It’s a skin-tight leather catsuit, made only slightly classier by its cream color as opposed to red or black. The matching boots I’m wearing are so high that I can almost see eye to eye with Leo.

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