“Night and fucking day.”
Yulian still looks completely blindsided. It’s almost like he’s the one who just found out he’s going to be a father. “Pregnant… wow.”
I don’t have time for this shit, though. He needs to catch up or fuck off. “Did anyone speak to Jessa after I left her?” I ask.
Lev and Yulian both shake their heads.
“She was alone when I left her,” I remind them.
“With her phone,” Lev says after a moment.
Yulian frowns. “What does her phone have to do with anything?”
Lev looks irritated. “It’s a device used for talking to people who may otherwise be far away.”
“Fuck off,” Yulian says. Then he frowns. “You think someone called and talked her out of staying? Maybe one of her friends?”
“Whoever is doing this isn’t a friend,” Lev says softly.
I turn to him. “You think that the person trying to undermine me is the one who got to Jessa?”
Lev nods. “What other explanation is there?”
“Nah, c’mon,” Yulian protests, looking between Lev and me. “There are tons of other explanations. Also, who is trying to undermine you?”
“Grow the fuck up, Yulian. Rodion didn’t get suspicious of me on his own.”
“The hell he didn’t! He knew about your problems with Marina. Papa Bear got mad. Simple as that.”
“Yes, and every time I managed to convince him that I didn’t have anything to do with her death, he came back, his suspicions stronger than ever.”
“Because someone was stoking the rumors,” Lev adds. “Putting fuel on the fire.”
“This is all just a theory, though,” Yulian points out. “Right? No hard evidence?”
“Think about it,” I tell my brother. “The rumor was circulating through the underworld from the moment Marina was found dead. Someone was fanning the flames.”
“And why would this person choose to include Jessa in their schemes?” Yulian asks skeptically.
“I don’t know yet. But I guarantee you one thing: I’m going to find out.”
Yulian grunts in acknowledgement, then pulls out his phone and starts hitting keys manically.
“What are you doing?”
He barely glances at me. “Trying to see if I can find any leads. See if maybe we can close in on whoever it is that has it out for you.”
Lev meets my eyes and shrugs. “It’s not a bad idea…”
“No, it’s not,” I admit. But my focus is not really on the shadow enemy I’m fighting at the moment.
It’s on the woman I love who’s carrying my baby.
Lev seems to sense the same thing. He moves next to me and says softly, “We’ll find her, brother. I swear to you.”
But I don’t need reassurance; I need answers.
“I have no doubt,” I tell him. “But in what state of mind? Whatever forced her out of here was convincing enough to make her do a one-eighty on me. On us.”