“I’m glad to hear that from you, Anton. Especially in light of what I am hearing from others.”
And there it is. A direct statement that I can’t possibly ignore. “I’ve heard the rumors just like you have. They don’t bother me. I am more concerned that you’re taking them seriously.”
“Should I not?”
“Not unless you like swallowing lies. I had nothing to do with Marina’s death.”
He tuts. “The thing is, Anton, I knew my daughter better than anyone. She was not the type of woman who would ever take her own life. She was far too strong for that.”
He isn’t wrong on one front: I remember just how strong she was. It had taken an iron will to cow that woman. Even then, I couldn’t truly break her.
“She killed herself. Accept it.”
“Or it was made to look that way,” he says. “Not that I can say so definitively. After all, I never saw her body.”
“I was her husband. It was my job to bury her, not yours.”
A shadow flits over Lev’s face. Deception upon deception. And I’m the puppet master of them all.
“Considering the state of your marriage,” he growls, “I would have thought you’d be happy to pass along that responsibility.”
“The responsibility of burying my own wife?” I ask. “No, Rodion. I take my duties seriously. I don’t delegate the things that are mine to uphold.”
Even as I say it, I recognize the irony of the statement. I squash that thought as soon as it arises.
“Very honorable, Anton. I’ve always thought that of you, you know. That you are a man of honor.”
“Then I hope you’re not giving any real credence to these filthy rumors.”
“Who would hope to benefit from them?” Rodion asks.
“Isn’t it obvious?” I ask. “Someone who wants to drive a wedge between our Bratvas. Someone who seeks to divide and conquer.”
“We both have enemies,” Rodion says thoughtfully.
“Exactly.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “My Bratva was promised to you, Anton.”
“I remember.”
“But the condition was that you would be my wife’s husband, my son-in-law, the father of my grandchildren,” Rodion says. “Now, I have no son-in-law. I have no daughter. I have no grandchildren.”
“Pity.”
Lev’s eyebrows rise. I can tell from his face that I’m not displaying the appropriate amount of regret. If that’s anyone’s fault, it’s the bitch who took her own life just to spite me.
She made it hard to love her.
She made it impossible to mourn her.
“You can understand why it would be hard for me to pass over my legacy to you now.”
I tense. “Are you calling to tell me you have another successor?”
Rodion hesitates. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m going to need to be sure before I decide.”
“I told you I didn’t kill her, but you’re saying I did. Which means you’re calling me a liar, Rodion. I don’t like being called a liar.”