Chapter 173 173
Chapter 173 173
It was my family’s.
So I don’t care what you think of me. I don’t care if I’ve become a monster. I don’t care if you understand why I did it.
Because the truth is, I did.
Every word out of Yuri’s mouth fills me with horror. The past few months come flashing in front of my eyes: the lies, the betrayals, the changes.
That’s when I realize something else.
I can’t remember the last time Yuri called me “brother.”
When did it stop? When? I rack my brain for an answer and come up short. When did this nightmare begin? When did my Yura become this stranger in front of me?
After the failed wedding, something inside me whispers. Think back. Remember.
Yes. It all started then.
It’s uncanny how quickly the dominoes fall into place. All it needs is the right push—and Yuri just gave a giant fucking shove.
Once. Only once did he call me his brother after that: the day he begged me to save Petra.
To use you. To manipulate you.
I slam my fist on the table and hear the wood crack. “You filthy traitor.”
“Don’t make a scene,” Yuri warns me. “We’re not done talking.”
“Yes, we are.”
“No, we’re not. So stay put or I’m gonna have to make you.”
The worst of it, though? I fucking knew it. I knew he was acting strangely. The guilty looks, the sneaking around, the reluctance to so much as meet my eyes. I chalked it all up to his clandestine relationship with Petra because it was convenient, but fuck me, I should’ve kept looking.
You wouldn’t have seen it. You didn’t want to see it.
That’s right: I didn’t want to see it.
And now, April and May are in danger because of it.
“You’re threatening me?” I hiss. “You? When I’m the one who taught you how to hold a fucking gun in the first place?”
“Yes. And you taught me well, so don’t make me take it out.”
“We both know I’m the faster draw.”
“And we both know I’m not dumb enough to come alone.”
I grit my teeth. He has me. God fucking dammit. Of course I didn’t think to bring reinforcements—I thought I was meeting my brother. My own flesh and blood.
But it turns out I didn’t know who I was meeting at all.
“Fine. If you’re gonna talk, then talk.”
I dig my nails into my thigh until I can feel them through the fabric of my suit. All I want right now is to grab him again and punch him until he sees sense. But I can’t. No matter how badly I want to teach him a lesson, I can’t do it while cornered.
And I certainly can’t do it at the expense of my family.
He has them hostage: my woman, my daughter. And my hands are tied. If there’s even the slightest chance we’re being watched, I have to play by the rules.
His rules.
For now.
“Release my family,” I growl. “Do that and I’ll spare your worthless life.”
He clicks his tongue in distaste. “‘Family.’ How quickly you crossed me out of that. So I was right all along.”
“After what you did? You’re lucky you’re still fucking breathing.” I glare at him with all the hatred I feel. “You lied to me. You manipulated me. You made me kill a friend and now, you kidnapped my woman and my daughter!”
“I didn’t make you do anything,” he replies curtly. “And the girls will be fine if you do as I say.”
Carmine is here. Finally, the true meaning of Ivan’s last words dawns on me. It wasn’t a threat—it was a warning.
He knew. During our fight, he must’ve realized what truly happened. He used his final breath to warn me.
And I killed him.
“You have three days to surrender yourself,” Yuri says. “If you do, no harm will come to your family. They will be released and provided for.”
“I can damn well provide for my own family.”
“No, you can’t,” the traitor replies. “But you have my word. They will lack for nothing.”
“Some fucking word that is.”
“And yet, it’s all you have. So take it or leave it.”
He rises. I immediately regret not punching him harder when I had the chance to. But there’s something else I regret, deeper and sharper, buried under the fire of my rage.
The fact that it had to come to this.
“Here’s the address.” Yuri slides over a business card. “In three days’ time, at dawn. After that, I can’t protect your family anymore.”
“You never protected them,” I spit. “You sold them out.”
For a moment, Yuri’s eyes cloud over with emotion. It’s too quick to grasp, but in that split-second, he almost looks like he’s back to his old self again. Almost.
“I did what I had to do.”
Then it’s gone.
“Three days,” he repeats as he fixes his shirt. “Don’t forget.”
“You’re dead to me.”
“I know.”
When he passes me by, he hesitates. Just for a second. Just enough to make me wonder if his hands are really shaking. “Goodbye, Matvey.”
Then he walks away.
I wait for his steps to fade. For his presence to disappear. Afterwards, I tap my earpiece. “Did you get all that, Grisha?”
“… Yes. I did.”
“Good.” I rise. “Gather the vory. This ends now.”
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Ever since I saw the third man, I’ve been pacing like a lion in a cage. Not just because they took my daughter—the thought alone is unbearable—but because of what they’re using her to do. Who they’re using her to get.
Which is why I have to warn him.
Matvey will never see it coming. I have to get to him before they do— before they manage to blindside him. This conspiracy runs so deep, he’ll have no idea what hit him.
Not until it’s too late.
Think. I force myself to breathe, to calm down my body and mind. Right now, I can’t afford to lose my head. I need to focus, to find a way out of this.
For my family.
So I think. I take in my surroundings. The cell isn’t too small, but there’s nothing in it. Certainly nowhere to hide. It’s a smart move on their part, I’ll give them that.
That just means I have to be smarter.
What can I use? I rack my brain to find something, anything I can turn into a tool.