Page 70 of The Watcher's Bride

Nadya fixes her attention on me. “Do I have your word that you won’t shoot the messenger? You aren’t going to like what I’m about to tell you.”

I can tell she’s sizing me up, trying to work out if I’m trustworthy or just like the rest of the men in her life. Nora moves to stand next to me, taking my hand in hers and pressing herself close in a show of solidarity that softens Nadya slightly.

“Leo would never punish you for sharing what you know with us,” she declares confidently.

I don’t point out that she’s not one hundred percent correct. It depends on what she’s about to reveal and her involvement in it. Sometimes you have to shoot the messenger to make a point, especially if that messenger is a snitch who would turn on you so fast you get whiplash. Telling Nora that right now would only serve to upset her, though, so I keep it to myself.

“I won’t shoot you,” I reply calmly.

Nadya doesn’t flinch as she meets my gaze with understanding in her eyes. I won’t hurt her for Nora’s sake, certainly not in front of her right now, but I won’t make solid promises until I know more.

Nadya takes a deep breath, steeling herself before speaking. “As you know I’ve belonged to Eamonn Quinn since I was young. I won’t pretend that I’m his confidant, far from it, but over the years I’ve kept my head down, and done as I’m told. Because he thinks I’m so afraid of him he speaks freely around me. Dimitri seems to share the notion that I’m a brainless nobody. Or he believes I am so broken I wouldn’t dare cross him.”

The muscles in her jaw tense as she speaks about the men who have wronged her so badly. I’ve no doubt the bruises are Dimitri’s handiwork.

“Since I’ve been with Dimitri, I’ve discovered two secrets that neither man wants getting out. The first is that Dimitri Belyh is infertile. That’s why he killed his wives—not in some fit of rage, but because it would soon become clear that he couldn’t produce an heir.”

“So that’s how he knew I wasn’t his child and my mother had an affair, because there was no way I could have been his,” Tatiana says.

“But this is hardly something he needs to kill to hide. He has Leonid to carry on the family business,” Nora points out.

“For him it definitely is. There would be some who would favor replacing him with me if they knew. I am younger, well respected, and now I have a wife. There is even more risk that people might support my claim over his. My father was the Pakhan, after all, it was never meant to be Dimitri,” I explain.

Nikolai nods in agreement. “Dimitri is in a difficult position. He risks Leonid taking control himself, but if he were to remove him as a rival, he would be left with no heir at all andthe whole empire could collapse. Better to leave Leonid in the dark and keep him close.”

“That’s where the second thing I have to tell you comes in,” Nadya says. “I know the truth about why Quinn and Dimitri allied, and it has nothing to do with finally deciding to share assets. Quinn was finally calling in a favor he was owed.”

Nadya looks at me with an apology in her eyes. “There’s no easy way to tell you this, Leonid, so I’m just going to come right out and say it. As you know, Quinn sent his men to murder your father, mother, and sister. You were there and witnessed the whole thing, and then Dimitri and some others turned up just in time to save your life. What you don’t know is that the whole thing was orchestrated. You were supposed to survive and be a witness that it was your father’s enemy who had killed them. No one would doubt your word.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Quinn want to keep the heir alive? Surely his mother or sister could have served the role of witness without leaving a potential rival and future Pakhan alive,” Nikolai says.

“Because Quinn wasn’t acting alone. He was following Dimitri’s orders,” Nadya reveals.

“Dimitri had my family killed?” I ask.

Nadya nods. “Yes, I’m sorry. He wanted to be Pakhan, and the only thing standing in his way was your father.”

I suppose I should feel shock, disbelief that my uncle could do such a thing to his own brother, but I know him well enough to be aware that he would do anything for power. Nora squeezes my hand, offering her wordless comfort.

“But he needed to keep Leonid alive because he already knew he couldn’t have children,” Tatiana points out.

“Yes, exactly. He knew that Leonid was young enough to be molded into what he wanted and that no one would question his authority as the new Pakhan while Leonid was still a boy, too young to take his rightful place,” Nadya replies.

My mind drifts back to the night of my family’s murder. How my father ordered my sister and I to hide when we heard the men coming. The sounds of gunshots and my mother’s screams as they killed my father before raping and murdering her. The cries that came from my little sister when they found us, how I had tried to fight but had been helpless, just a young boy not yet ten fighting against a grown man. I’d begged and pleaded for them to spare my sister when I saw the bloodied corpses of my mother and father. One of the men threw my sister over his shoulder, ready to carry her away to do unspeakable things. Another saw this and put a stop to it, the only small pity she was offered. She was looking right at me when the bullet entered her forehead. Her sightless eyes still haunt my nightmares.

“So my father and Dimitri were allies this whole time? Why wait until now to form this fake alliance?” Nora asks when I stay silent.

“Dimitri couldn’t risk suspicion surrounding his brother’s death. If he allied too quickly with Quinn, people were bound to ask questions. It suited them both to act like enemies in public, but behind closed doors they were working together. It also suited Quinn’s agenda to wait until now. I don’t know too much, but Quinn didn’t just give me to Dimitri as a kind gesture. I’m a spy of sorts, and he wants me to report back as much as I can.Quinn has allied with the Chinese, and he plans to take down Dimitri’s organization from the inside,” Nadya reveals.

Realization dawns on me. “That bastard knew what Dimitri would do if he married Nora,” I hiss, clenching my fists. “He knew he was sending her to her death, and he didn’t care. He needed her to die so that he had an excuse to go to war with us.”

Despite everything he’s done to her, Nora seems genuinely shocked by the suggestion. “Did my father know? Did he know Dimitri is infertile and would kill me eventually to hide it?” she asks Nadya, her face pale and pleading.

“He doesn’t know about Dimitri’s infertility, but he is well aware of his track record and that it is very likely Dimitri would eventually kill you,” Nadya replies sadly. “If I’d known, I would never have let him take you, I’d have died to protect you,” she says determinedly, almost begging Nora to believe her.

“What about Leo? Who tried to kill him the other day?” Nora asks.

“I don’t know, I’m sorry,” Nadya replies with a shake of her head.

---