“Yeah.” My eyes drop to my plate, and I push another potato around with my fork.
I wish Dirk had stuck around a little longer. These sisters are not going to be happy when they find out what I’ve been doing for the last several weeks.
“Were you going back for a post-baccalaureate degree?” Only Blake would ask something like that.
“Not exactly.” I lift my eyes to see both of theirs fixed on me, eagerly waiting for me to explain myself. “I, uh…well, Natasha sent me to get the book Andre Bertonelli stole from Simon.”
Both sisters recoil and glance at each other. Blake places her knife and fork carefully beside her plate, but Hana asks the million-dollar question. “Are you sayingyou’rethe person who broke into Hugh’s study?”
“Guilty.” I try to say it in a joking way, but it falls flat.
Blake is not amused. Her accusation is sharp. “So you’re still Natasha’s little minion.”
“No, I’m really not.” Shaking my head, I lose the casual approach. It’s not working. “I only did it because I didn’t have a choice.”
Blake crosses her arms. “In my experience, you always have a choice.”
“Your experience is nothing like mine.” It sounds like a challenge, so I quickly add, “I literally didn’t have a choice, but I had a plan.”
“Which was?”
“I planned to come here and get the book, but I wanted to use it against them. I had hoped Dirk could help me, because he’s so good at finding things on the Internet and tracking down information.”
“He really is.” Hana’s tone gives me courage.
I can tell she wants to believe me, which twists the knife in my stomach. Dirk said she’s the sweetest person he knows, and I’m realizing I never knew her at all.
“Scar caught me with the book, and he didn’t believe me at first…”
“But he believes you now?” Blake still has her side-eye on me.
“I don’t know about Scar, but as Dirk and I were listening, he realized I was telling the truth. Natasha has a much darker plan than getting that book. She wants to finish what Simon and Victor started. Then she wants to take over everything they left behind.”
“What did they start?” A note of fear enters Hana’s voice, and knowing about her past, I don’t blame her for being afraid.
I’m afraid, and I was never abused—physically.
“The heir to the Petrovich fortune, all the land, the money, the power, was their oldest brother Zander. He was my father, and they murdered him for it.”
“Does she want to murder you?” Hana’s eyes are wide.
“Definitely.” I nod, not even surprised. “I don’t know why she waited so long. I guess she thought I was too weak or too stupid to figure it out, but now I know.” The tension at the table is at an all time high, and they watch me silently. “That’s not all, though. I have an older brother, who she confirmed is still alive.”
“They want to kill him, too?” Hana whispers.
“It’s why Dirk went to Gibson’s. To stop it from happening.”
Hana’s slim hands fly to cover her mouth, and Blake stands from her chair, going around behind her. “Who is your brother?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I’m pretty sure it’s Scar.”
The back door bursts open, and we all jump out of our seats. Hana lets out a little yelp, and Blake’s arms go around her protectively.
“Somebody get me a drink!” A woman with bright-red hair storms into the room followed by a sulky teenager.
“Carmen!” Hana sighs, covering her face and starting to laugh. “Oh, my God, you scared the pee out of me.”
“From what I understand, that’s one of the hazards of getting pregnant.” Carmen’s at the cabinet, taking down a glass.