Then again, Igor wouldn’t lie. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be trying to take down his own father.
It’s happening all over again. I want to believe he’s a good person, just like I wanted to believe with Igor that I was in love.
When I want something, I convince myself it’s true.
I wanted Valerian to be a good person. But I wanted itsomuch that I started to lie to myself.
I remember the way he snapped that man’s neck. I watched it all from his bedroom window. He killed a man with his bare hands, and he was just… standing over him.
Most people see a dead body and run.
Valerian kneels beside them and runs his finger over their face. Like he’s admiring his work.
“I leave the property most nights to take care of… some things.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. Tears begin forming in my eyes from how disturbed I feel about all of this.
“You already know the truth deep down, Joy,” says Igor. He rises from the lounger, looking down at me. “I don’t have to go into detail. But youdoneed to get out of here.”
I glance up at my ex-fiancé with teary eyes. I feel my heart splitting in two. It’s like Igor sliced right down the middle with his knife.
He probably wouldn’t go that far. But Valerian would.
Igor offers me his hand. “Valerian and Nikolai are in Rodeo Drive. His guards out here in the courtyard are all down. Now’s the time to escape. Before the other guards find out I’m here.”
I’m about to take that escape. And then a bullet explodes.
Igor ducks as it sails overhead. It ricochets off one of the palm trees, causing sparks to fly.
I gasp. Throw my arms over my head, in the brace position. Terror fills my chest. I look between the gap in my hands and see a long pair of legs make their way over.
I sniffle. Tears are streaming down my cheeks. I even have snot on my hands as I stay crouched. It’s disgusting.
But my heart is pounding way too much for me to care about the rest.
“Congratulations on your four kills,” begins Valerian. “Where are your other puppets?”
“They have busy schedules,” says Igor. His shoes scrape on the ground as he walks over to Valerian. “They left ages ago. They’re in high demand.”
I peek between the gap in my hands.
Valerian stops in front of his son, takes one look at him and rips the mask dangling from his neck. “What’s this?” He takes one look at the mask and throws it away. “Fancy dress?”
“No,” says Igor. He tips his chin. “It’s the end of your dynasty.”
Valerian laughs. “Chilling.” He slots the gun back into his suit jacket. I can see his biceps flexing under his clothes. “You’re lucky you ducked.”
“You wouldn’t have shot me,” says Igor. “And it wouldn’t have made a difference.” He takes one last look at his father and walks away, heading for the side gate.
I watch, terrorized, as Igor steps over the two dead guards, leaving via the gate.
Nikolai enters the courtyard, jogging to a stop. “What the fuck happened here?”
“My son.” Valerian sighs, exhausted. “Apparently, a man can’t shop for suits in peace anymore.” He rakes a hand through his hair, addressing the other guards that are filtering out of the stone cloister, joining them in the courtyard. “Someone give the cleanup team a call before the vultures get here. We don’t want to cause even more of a scene.”
I remove my hands a little, still watching Valerian between the palm trees.
“Four dead bodies,” counts Nikolai. “That’s a lot to get rid of at once.”