26. Anton

26

ANTON

My day has been a whirlwind.

Nina left ridiculously early for class, and I can’t help but worry that something’s wrong. She’s barely eaten, and her complexion has been almost gray. She assures me it’s just how she gets during her cycle, but that doesn’t stop me from being concerned.

I suggested perhaps she should stay home and rest today, but she shut that suggestion down immediately, saying that she can’t afford to take any time off.

I appreciate that her ballet is important to her, but I wish she didn’t have to choose between her health and her dream.

But I won’t be the asshole who tells her what to do, so I put Yakov under strict instructions to bring her straight home if she starts looking unwell. So far, I’ve heard nothing from either of them, which I’m taking as a good sign.

My mother, on the other hand, has been putting poor Jen through the ringer, and I already have had to turn the car around twice on my way into the city to go and help calm her down.

By the time I got to my meeting at the Russian Tea Rooms, the men I was meeting to discuss opening a second bar were already on their fourth drink and were more interested in the waitresses than profit margins.

It was a complete fucking waste of my time, but I try my hardest not to be annoyed. Ultimately, my mother needed me, and she always comes before work.

One day, she won’t be around, and I’ll have nothing but work to focus on. Except maybe Nina…

I finish the last of my drink and say goodbye to my colleagues after picking up the tab. As I’m waiting for the valet to bring my car around, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I smile at the sight of Nina’s name flashing on the screen.

Nina: Are you coming home soon? I need to talk to you about something

My smile falters.

Why do I have a feeling that whatever it is she needs to talk about isn’t good…

Me: On my way, lapochka, be home in 30 x

I’ve barely made it out of Midtown before a call comes through from Mikhail.

“You need to get your ass over to Alexei’s place,” my cousin orders before I even have a chance to say anything.

“In Queens?” I glance at the time on the screen.

“Yeah, we’re all here.”

“Can’t this wait?” I groan. “There was something I needed to do.”

“No, it can’t. This is urgent, Anton.”

“It always is,” I mutter.

I hang up on Mikhail and dial Nina to let her know I’ll be home later than planned, but my call goes to voicemail. I try not to worry.

It’s likely she’s in the shower, so I leave her a message and vow to get back home as soon as I can.

The drive over to Queen’s is long. I hit rush hour traffic and every minute that passes feels like an hour. Whatever this meeting is about, it better be worth stealing my time away from being with Nina.

I park up alongside Dimitri’s BMW and what looks to be a brand-new Porsche Cayenne.

“Seriously, Danil?” I scoff as I eye the top of the range model.

He goes through cars like Dimitri used to go through women.

I check my messages one last time to see if Nina’s gotten back to me, but there’s nothing, so I reluctantly shut my phone off, rather than leaving her another message, and climb out of the car.

“Hey, Anton,” Bianca greets as I walk through the front door.

She’s carrying a squirming Leo on her hip who sticks his tongue out at me as I offer him a smile.

She frowns at him. “No, Leo, we don’t do that.”

I stick my own tongue out at Leo when Bianca’s not looking, and the toddler grins at me.

He looks so much like Alexei, it’s scary, with his dark hair and brown eyes. It’s weird to think that one day he will take over from his father, and the next generation of Koslov’s will be by his side, including my own children, hopefully.

“Where is everyone?”

The house seems eerily quiet, considering I was told all the brothers are here.

“They’re upstairs in Alexei’s office.” Bianca tilts her head toward the stairs.

“Any idea what this is about?” I reach out to tickle Leo under the chin.

“Not a clue. But Mikhail didn’t look very happy when he arrived.”

“Mikhail never looks happy.”

“That is true.” She chuckles. “Anyway, I should get this little man in the bath. Say goodnight to Uncle Anton.”

“Sweet dreams, little man.” I ruffle Leo’s hair before heading up the stairs toward Alexei’s office.

The mood of the room is somber when I enter, and I instantly go on alert as I look at each of my cousins in turn.

The four of them are sitting opposite each other on the two couches, each one nursing a drink.

“I take it that Igor's made a move?” I look at Alexei.

He goes to respond, but then he glances at Mikhail, and I frown when no one speaks.

“What the hell is going on?”

Mikhail sets down his glass on the table and gets to his feet. “You might want to sit down, Anton.”

“I’d rather you just tell me what the fuck is going on.” I feel like I’ve walked into an intervention from the way that both Dimitri and Danil are refusing to meet my eyes.

Bianca wasn’t kidding when she said Mikhail looked unhappy.

There’s always a certain air to him that is cold and aloof, but there’s something else lurking in his eyes as he approaches me.

Pity?

Disgust?

“Mikhail?” My hands start to shake as I watch him reach into his jacket pocket and pull out a crumpled photograph.

“This is one of the photos I found in Lev’s apartment the other day.” He hands it to me.

I frown as I look down at the picture of Igor standing between two teenage boys. I spot Maxim immediately on the right. He looks to be around fifteen, and he’s already the spitting image of Igor, except for his mass of dark hair. He has the same sneering smile and wicked gleam in his eye as his father, and I feel a smug sense of satisfaction at having put a bullet right in his chest.

My eyes flick to the other boy, and I figure this must be Lev. From the way he’s cowering away from Igor, whose tattooed hand is gripping his shoulder, it’s clear that the two boys were treated far from equally.

Despite Lev looking exactly how each of my cousins did in their early teens—tall and lanky, with untidy dark hair, the dark shadows under his eyes and slightly grayish complexion make me wonder about the demons he’s fighting, both on the inside and outside.

But then my attention turns to the final person in the picture. A young girl, around ten, who’s hovering slightly behind Maxim, with dark brown hair, big blue eyes, and a smile that lights up the room?—

“Nina,” I breathe.

For a moment, the rest of the picture disappears, and I lose myself in her smile.

She’s wearing a pink leotard and tutu, and she’s clinging to Maxim as she balances on pointe.

She’s clinging to Maxim.

“So, it’s definitely her?” Danil asks.

I blink, looking away from the photo to find all my cousins staring at me.

“What the hell is this?” I wave the photo in the air.

“That’s what we want to know.” Alexei gets to his feet. “Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That Nina is Igor’s daughter?”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I stumble backward a step.

“Of course, I didn’t fucking know !” I roar as I ball my hands into fists. “This has got to be some sick fucking joke.”

“I wish it was, Anton.” Mikhail reaches out to grip my shoulder, but I push his hand away.

I shake my head, my stomach twisting as the dots start to connect.

“Y-you’re wrong,” I choke out

“It looks like Igor perhaps sent Nina as a way of getting revenge for Maxim. Which means, you need to watch your back because he’s planning something.”

My entire body is shaking with rage as reality sets in.

She fucking played me.

“I have to go.”

“Anton—”

I don’t bother sticking around to hear what Mikhail has to say.

I’m suffocating, and I pull at the collar of my shirt, which feels uncomfortably tight as I storm out of the office.

There has to be another explanation for this. There’s no way the last few weeks have been built on a lie because I’m not sure I can survive the heartbreak.

I find Nina sitting at the kitchen table with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her cheeks are stained with tears as she pushes her food around her plate.

She’s still dressed in her dance clothes, with her hair pulled back into a ponytail to show off her long neck.

She looks so delicate and fragile. No one would ever assume that she would be working for one of the most dangerous men in Russia.

“You’ve got some fucking explaining to do,” I growl as I storm into the kitchen and toss the picture down on the table beside Nina’s plate.

She jumps at the sound of my footsteps, dropping her legs down and leaning forward to take a look at the picture.

I fold my arms over my chest, waiting for her to deny it’s her. But then I notice her body tense, and I know it’s all true.

“I fucking knew it.” I run my hands through my hair. “I’m a fucking idiot.”

“Anton…” She turns the photo over, as if she can’t bear to look at the evidence of her betrayal.

“I want you out of my house.” My voice shakes with rage. “ Now !”

Nina shakes her head, her eyes welling with tears as she looks up at me.

“Please, l-let me explain?—”

“I think this picture explains it all, don’t you?”

“Anton,” Nina sobs.

The sound of my name on her lips has me swallowing bile.

“I-it’s not what you think…”

“Please, tell me what I think, Nina.”

“He… Igor is…” She swallows, shaking her head.

“Tell me the fucking truth!”

Nina flinches.

“He’s my father,” she whispers.

I swallow the laugh that builds in my throat.

None of it had been real. What Nina and I had was nothing more than a revenge plan, and I had blindly fallen into her trap.

Nina gets to her feet, and I automatically step backward.

I don’t feel guilty at the flash of hurt in her eyes, not when my heart feels like it’s being cracked in two.

“He sent me here to seduce you,” she mumbles, wrapping her arms around her body as she nervously chews on her lip.

“He’ll be very proud of how well you did.” I fold my arms over my chest.

I was nothing more than a game to her, a way to seek revenge for her brother.

“If the whole ballet dream doesn’t work out, perhaps you should apply for an acting scholarship at Juilliard.”

“Anton, please…” Her voice cracks. “It’s not like that. I-I’m in love with you.”

She sobs, reaching for me, but I shake her off, not registering her words.

I’ve wanted to hear them for so long, but now they just sound empty.

“Get the fuck out of my house.” My voice sounds cold.

“Anton—”

“Get out!” I yell, slamming my hand down on the table, causing the glasses to rattle.

Nina jumps, her hands going to her stomach as her face crumples.

“I-I’m pregnant.”

My blood turns cold as I stare down at Nina.

Her face is completely drained of color, and she looks like she’s on the verge of breaking down.

But I can’t bring myself to comfort her, not after what she’s done, not just to me but to my family.

Was I really that naive to fall for the big blue eyes and comforting touches without bothering to look into who this girl really was?

I should have known better. I knew it was too good to be true and yet, I never once questioned why I felt that way.

Igor must be having the time of his life, having me as such a willing pawn in his twisted game.

“You really think I’m going to fall for that?” I scoff. “You might have played me for a fool, Nina, but that stops now. I’m fucking done.”

Nina flinches at my words, her hands not moving from her stomach as her entire body trembles.

“I-it’s true. Please, you need to hear me out,” she sobs, but I hold up a hand to silence her.

“I’ve heard plenty. I want you gone within the hour. Danika can help pack up your things.”

I stalk from the kitchen without a backward glance.

Yesterday, hearing her tell me she loves me and that she’s carrying my child would have been like a dream come true. But now, it’s like I’ve walked right into my worst nightmare.