And he worshiped the man.
“I didn’t believe you.”
I nod. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“What the hell do you expect from me, Anton?” he blurts. “You hated her! Things between you two got so violent, so fast. You fantasized about killing her all the time. So when she turned up dead right after that huge fight when she crashed your meeting… what the fuck was I supposed to think?”
“She sent the note,” I point out. “The one that said to meet her at the hotel. Did you think I had something to do with that, too?”
He looks lost for words for a moment. “Well…”
“Jesus.”
Yulian slumps forward. “I thought you wanted to make it look like a suicide so that you’d have an alibi to tell Rodion.”
“Why wouldn’t I tell you or Lev my plans?” I ask.
He glances at Lev, almost as though he’s asking for help. But Lev is too smart to get in the middle of this.
And honestly, Yulian should know better than to expect or ask for help. But if I’ve learned anything in the last twenty-four hours, it’s that my brother is not the caliber of Bratva man I once thought he was.
“I don’t know what to say, Anton,” he says quietly. But I can still hear the hint of defiance in his tone. He still feels that his lack of faith in me is justified.
“I am your brother,” I remind him. “As well as your don.”
“You don’t need to remind me.”
“Apparently, I do. Because my word was not good enough for you that day, and now, it’s cost us. Cost me.”
“What was I supposed to think?” he asks again, somewhat pleadingly.
“You were supposed to believe me,” I hiss. “You were supposed to trust me.”
He sighs. “I know. Fuck me, I know.”
“If you hadn’t acted without thinking, we wouldn’t be in this mess,” I say. “And Marina wouldn’t have come within a hair’s breadth of killing Jessa and my baby.”
“How is Jessa?” Lev cuts in.
Yulian looks at him gratefully. The change of topic couldn’t have come soon enough for him. Not that we’re remotely done with it.
“She’s resting,” I tell them. “She’s weak and paranoid. But who can blame her?”
“How did Marina get so close to her?” Yulian asks quietly.
“She posed as a neighbor who lived in the apartment below Jessa’s. She must have introduced herself days after Jessa and I met.”
“Which means she’s been watching you,” Lev points out. “Keeping close tabs on everything you’re doing.”
“I suppose that’s why faking her death appealed to her. She could become a ghost, observing everything without anyone else being any the wiser.”
“She really is a psychopath, isn’t she?” Lev spits with distaste.
Yulian flinches noticeably, looking as if her existence is his personal fault. I’m inclined to agree with that assessment.
“What do we do now?” Lev asks. “Rodion is dead.”
“Rodion is dead,” I repeat, turning my gaze towards Yulian.