Page 92 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

I stare at her in disbelief. “Phoenix brings them here? All of them?”

Anna nods. “He does.”

“Wow…” I don’t mean to say it out loud, but out it comes anyway.

Anna gives me a knowing smile. Then her eyes flicker to Theo. I wonder if she’s putting two and two together. Or maybe she’s already deciphered the truth. Still, I’m not going to be the one to confirm anything.

“Such a handsome boy,” she coos in a voice laced with sorrow. I wonder if she’s thinking about her own little ones.

“You know, I don’t mind if you’d like to babysit him sometimes,” I offer tentatively.

Her smile gets wider. “Do you mean that?”

I nod. “Definitely.”

“Thank you, Elyssa. You’re a sweet girl.”

Something inside me twists when she says that. I feel like a fraud. A con artist.Sweet girl?It sounds good.

But it doesn’t fit. Not with me.

I may look like a sweet girl. But sweet girls don’t do the things I’ve done.

I tamp down the guilt and give Anna a half-hearted smile. I let her see what she wants to see.

Or maybe I’ve just been lying so long that I’ve forgotten how to tell the truth.

We reach the landing that leads to our room. Anna and I are walking towards the door when I hear it—sharp. Distinct. Unmistakable.

The sound of trouble ahead.

The sound of a gunshot.

20

Phoenix

Fifteen Minutes Earlier

I pace back and forth in the anteroom outside the cell. Matvei stands to the side, leaning against the front-facing wall.

“Stop it,” I growl.

“Stop what?”

“Watching me.”

He smirks. “It’s my job to watch you.”

“Since when?”

“Since you decided to go after one of the most powerful fucking organizations on the planet.”

I stop short and turn to Matvei. My eyes drift towards the closed door of Murray’s cell.

“I wasn’t the one that started this, you know.”

“Of course not. You would never. You’re as pure as the driven snow.”

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