Chapter 137 Chapter 137
Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Seven
Irina's POV
I watched Dimitri's face as he listened to the voice on the phone.
His expression changed from
confusion to hope to suspicion.
"Why would you help me?" he asked into the phone.
I moved closer, trying to hear.
But the voice on the other end was too quiet.
"What did she take?" Dimitri asked.
His jaw tightened.
"Who was your sister?" he demanded.
His eyes closed briefly.
"What do you want?" he asked finally.
I could see the tension in his shoulders.
"How do I know you are telling the truth?" Dimitri said.
Then his expression changed.
"Wait," he said. "Tell me now. I am not playing games."
But whoever was on the other end must have said something that made him listen.
"Where?" he asked.
I grabbed his arm.
He looked at me and I shook my head.
Do not agree to anything.
"I need proof first," Dimitri said into the phone. "You want me to believe you? Then prove you have real information."
I nodded approval.
"What kind of proof?" Dimitri asked.
He listened for a moment.
"Fine," he said. "Send it. You have my number. Send me something that proves you know where Lucia is."
Another pause.
"I will wait," Dimitri said. "But if this is some kind of trick, you will regret it."
He hung up.
"What happened?" I asked immediately.
Dimitri ran his hand through his hair.
"It's a woman who claims to be Maria's sister," he said. "She says Lucia killed Maria for trying to betray her."
"Do you believe her?" I asked.
"I do not know," Dimitri admitted. "But she says she has evidence. She is going to send me proof."
"And then what?" I asked.
"Then we decide if we trust her," Dimitri replied.
I sat down on the edge of the bed.
My mind was racing.
"This could be a trap," I said.
"I know," Dimitri said. "That is why I asked for proof first."
"What if the proof is fake?" I asked.
"Then we do not follow up," Dimitri said simply.
His phone buzzed. We both looked at it. It’s a message from an unknown number.
Dimitri opened it.
It was a photo of Lucia. She was sitting at a table in what looked like a cafe. And she was not alone.
"Who is that with her?" I asked, squinting at the screen.
Dimitri zoomed in on the photo. The person sitting across from Lucia was partially hidden.
But I could see enough.
"No," I whispered.
Because I recognized the jacket, the watch. And the way they sat.
"That is impossible," Dimitri said. But we both knew who it was.
It was Viktor.
My heart stopped.
"Viktor is working with Lucia?" I asked.
"No," Dimitri said firmly. "There has to be an explanation."
"What explanation?" I demanded. "He is sitting with her. Right there. In that photo."
"The photo could be fake," Dimitri said. "Or old. Or taken out of context."
"Dimitri," I said. "Look at it. That is Viktor. And he is with the woman who tried to kill us."
Another message came through.
This time it was a video.
It was only ten seconds.
Dimitri played it.
It showed Lucia and Viktor talking. The audio was muffled but we could hear fragments.
"...the baby..." Lucia's voice said.
"...safehouse..." Viktor replied.
"...tomorrow night..." Lucia said.
Then the video ended.
I felt sick.
"Tomorrow night," I repeated. "She said tomorrow night."
Dimitri replayed the video. We listened more carefully.
"This cannot be real," he said. "Viktor is my cousin. He would never betray me."
"Then how do you explain that video?" I asked.
"I cannot," Dimitri admitted.
His phone buzzed again with another message.
This time it was text.
"Viktor has been working with Lucia from the beginning. He is the one who told her about the punishment cells. He is the one who helped her plan everything. And tomorrow night, he is going to let her into the safehouse to kill Nikolai."
I read the message three times.
Each time, my chest tightened more.
"We need to confront him," I said.
"No," Dimitri said immediately.
"What do you mean no?" I demanded. "If he is working with Lucia, we need to know."
"If we confront him and he is innocent, we lose his trust," Dimitri said. "If we confront him and he is guilty, we lose the element of surprise."
"So what do we do?" I asked.
"I will watch him, carefully" Dimitri said. "C And we prepare for tomorrow night."
"We need to tell Alexei," I said.
"No," Dimitri said again.
"Dimitri, he deserves to know," I argued.
"We do not know anything for certain yet," Dimitri said. "If we tell Alexei and he confronts Viktor, everything falls apart."
"And if we do not tell him and something happens to Nikolai?" I countered.
Dimitri was quiet.
"Fine," he said finally. "We tell Alexei. But only him. No one else."
I nodded.
We went to find Alexei.
He was in his room, staring out the window.
"We need to talk," Dimitri said.
Alexei turned.
"About what?" he asked. His voice was tight.
"About Viktor," I said.
"What about him?" Alexei asked carefully.
Dimitri showed him the photo. Then the video. Then the messages.
Alexei watched without saying a word.
When it was over, he looked up.
"Do you believe it?" he asked.
"I do not want to," Dimitri said. "But the evidence is there."
"Evidence can be faked," Alexei said.
"That is what I said," Dimitri replied.
"But you are not sure," Alexei said.
"No," Dimitri admitted. "I am not sure."
Alexei handed the phone back.
"So what is the plan?" he asked.
"We watch Viktor," Dimitri said. "Tomorrow. All day. If he does anything suspicious, we confront him."
"And if he does not?" Alexei asked.
"Then we assume he is innocent," Dimitri said. "And we find out who is really behind this."
Alexei nodded slowly.
He stood up and walked past us toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Dimitri asked.
"To check on my son," Alexei said. "And to make sure he is safe."
He left.
Dimitri and I looked at each other
We went back to Nikolai's room.
The baby was still sleeping. He looked peaceful and innocent, unaware of the danger around him.
"We should move him now," I said.
Dimitri nodded.
I picked up Nikolai, carefully.
He stirred but did not wake.
We carried him to a guest room
on the other side of the house.
One that was smaller and less obvious.
I laid him down in a makeshift crib.
"He will be safe here," Dimitri said.
"Will he?" I asked. "If Viktor really is working with Lucia, nowhere is safe."
"Then we are not sleeping," Dimitri said. "We will take turns watching him."
"All night?" I asked.
"All night," Dimitri confirmed.
There was a knock on the door.
We both tensed.
"Who is it?" Dimitri called.
"Viktor," came the reply.
My blood ran cold.