Page 35 of Devious Truth

I’m safe.

Blow out for five.

But the words of the text light up in neon over and over in my mind while Max, Nelle, and Nicolette work on chiseling off my ordinary life and replacing it with something straight out of a fairytale.

Need another favor.

Lev’s confirmation that his sister and her assistants left Vivienne’s apartment ten minutes ago hits my phone as I pull up to the building.

“We’ll be down in ten,” I inform my driver.

The bolt on the front door of the building is busted, and the glass with the crack in it hasn’t been changed since I was here last. If she’s going to insist on living here, I’m going to have to set up a meeting with the landlord. A fucking lock isn’t too much to ask.

I answer my phone as I step onto the stairs. There isn’t enough money in the world to make me get into that rickety elevator.

“We found the location of another pleasure house; this one’s on the riverbank. South of where we’re scouting for a new casinoresort.” Kaz informs me. “Alexander wants to meet tomorrow to discuss options. Are you going to be around?”

“I can be. Late afternoon.”

“Works even better for me.” A feminine giggle comes through from his end of the line.

“I thought you were taking Elana to her mother’s grave today?” I pause at the top of the stairs. Kaz fucks around a lot, but not when it comes to our little sister. “Did something happen?”

“She ditched me.” He covers the phone and says something to his guest before coming back to the line. “When I came home to pick her up, she said she’d already been to the cemetery, and had plans for the rest of the day. Didn’t even let me take her to lunch.”

“Did you at least ask her about school? Her apartment?”

“I didn’t get a chance. She just breezed out of the house. When Artem gets back, I’m going to ask him where he dropped her.”

“She’s not going to like you prying.”

“I don’t like all this secrecy bullshit. Something’s going on with her, and like it or not, she’s a Volkov. We need to know what’s happening with her.” Kaz’s voice hardens.

Of the three of us, Kaz is not only the closest in age to our little sister, but closest in relationship as well. They’ve always had the most fun together. Alexander had to play big brother bordering on father figure thanks to our bastard of a father shirking his responsibilities after getting Elana’s mother pregnant. And I’ve had my nose in schoolbooks and business ledgers since I could read. She’s always leaned on Kaz the most.

“All right, you handle her, then.” As I step up to Vivienne’s door it slowly opens.

My chest clamps down on my heart, trying to keep it inside my ribcage at the sight before me.

“I have to go.” I end the call as Kaz tries to reply.

I can’t hear him. All I can do is see the gorgeous woman before me. Time has paused, keeping me locked in this moment. Her beauty isn’t loud and flashy. It’s a whisper that still manages to silence everything around her.

Uncertainty flashes in her eyes when I remain silent, and she runs her hand delicately over her hip then over her stomach.

“Is it too much? It’s too much, right?”

“No.” I swallow, wetting my throat. “It’s beautiful. You’re—beautiful.”

When Lev suggested letting his sister and her makeup crew spearhead getting an appropriate dress over to Vivienne’s place, I had no idea it would be such a good idea. I’d given Nicolette my credit card, thinking she’d pick out a simple dress, but what stands before me is a hundred times better than anything I could have imagined.

The dress hugs her body perfectly. Thanks to having her size in her employee file for her uniform, giving Nicolette her exact measurements had been easy. All of our uniforms are tailored to fit the girls like a glove, but this dress surpasses what our own tailors have done.

“Thank you.” A hint of a blush colors her cheeks.

She presses her hand to her stomach, drawing in a deep breath, and closes her eyes. Silently, I count to five with her—although I don’t think she realizes her lips move when she does this. When she opens them again, the flush is gone, and her shoulders are more relaxed.

A sparkle shines from the diamonds dripping down from her earlobes. She hasn’t secured one of them well enough and it’s slipping from her ear.

---