Page 30 of Ruined By Sin

"Kira Belova. I told him I was Sergei's niece so he wouldn't kill me." I chew my lip, listening to the water running in the kitchen. It's been long enough that I should’ve been back by now. If Dryden checks his hip, I'm fucked.

There's a pause. I can almost hear Victor deciding what to do with this information. He's always been the strategist. My father is the heart of our family but Victor is the brain, and right now, I need the brain.

"That was smart," he says. "Listen to me carefully. The man who took you is named Morin."

"I know," I say with a lot more disgust than I've felt in weeks. "We've met." I hope that man dies in a fiery wreck or chokes on his pelmeni or something. I hate him.

"He's been working for the Kuzins for years, but what they don't know is he's been playing both sides. He's been feeding information to anyone who'll pay for it, and now he's gone on a rampage. He's been killing our men in cold blood systematically."

My stomach drops and I splay my hand over it to stop the nerves from making me shake.

"The Kuzins think they're at war with the Mirovs," Victor continues. "And they are, partially. But Morin is stoking it. He's escalating the violence because he doesn't want us to rat himout... Playing both sides." His grumbling to my father in the background is so obvious, as is my father's sobbing. If it were him, they’d be on the way to get me right now, but I have a feeling Uncle Victor is going to want me to do something for him first. "Does Timur know?"

"I doubt it. Morin's his closest friend. From what I've gathered, Timur trusts him completely." If Timur knows about his friend, he's covering for a maniac who is mercilessly killing my family.

I close my eyes and press my forehead against the mirror. The glass is cool against my skin and I stay there for a second, trying to keep my thoughts organized.

"But I could tell him," I say. "If I pass this information to Timur quietly, he might?—"

"Absolutely not." My father's voice cuts through. He's back on the line, or maybe he's been listening the whole time. "You're not getting involved in this. You stay quiet and you stay safe, and we will find a way to get you out."

"Dad—"

"No. I lost you once. I am not going to lose you again because you decided to play spy."

Victor's voice comes back, calmer but firm. They have to have me on speaker. "Let her talk."

The line goes quiet, my father taking his place as second in command to our Pakhan. I can do this. Whatever it is he wants me to do, I will do it for our family.

"If she has access to Timur and he trusts her," Victor says, and I can tell he's speaking to my father but loud enough for me tohear, "then she's in a position none of us can replicate. We don't have anyone inside the Kuzin organization."

"She's my daughter, not an asset."

"She's both. And she's smart enough to handle it." Victor's voice comes closer to the phone. "Kira. If you can pass information to Timur without exposing yourself, do it. Carefully. If more intelligence surfaces on Morin's activities, I will find a way to get it to you."

"How?"

"I'll figure that out. For now, keep doing what you're doing. Stay close to Timur. Keep the Belova story intact. And don't take risks like this phone call again unless you absolutely have to."

"Okay, yes, sir," I tell him, feeling tears welling up at the prospect of having to stay here longer. Hearing my dad's voice made me want to go home.

"Your father wants to say something."

There's a shuffle and then Dad's voice comes across the line. "I love you, sweetheart. Please be careful."

"I love you too, Dad. I'm okay. I promise."

I end the call before I lose control of my voice and start sobbing, then I stand there shaking like a leaf in the wind. I give myself fifteen seconds to calm down, but that's all I can afford. I have to put it away and walk back out there like nothing happened.

I open the call log and delete the entry. Then I check recent calls one more time to make sure it's clean. The number's gone with no record to suggest this phone was used for anything other than whatever Dryden uses it for.

I stare at the screen for a second longer. Part of me wants to call my sister. Just to hear her voice. But Victor said don't take risks like this again, and he's right. Every second I spend holding this phone is a second closer to Dryden noticing it's gone.

I flush the toilet for the sound of it and run the sink. Then I unlock the door and step out. Sonya's waiting with her hands folded in front of her.

"Everything alright, dear?"

"Fine. Just needed a minute."