Chapter 32 #2
“I could do it and no one could prove it, but the old hyena isn't stupid.
His will clearly states everything comes to me only if his death is natural.
Only one person handles his food, so poisoning is complicated because that man is completely loyal to the maniac.
He's had the same doctor for thirty years, equally hard to replace, and believe me, I've tried to infiltrate his inner circle.”
"Max, did he ever abuse you?" Her voice is so quiet, I almost miss it, but I know what she means. I know what kind of abuse she’s talking about. Suddenly, I can’t block out the six-year-old version of myself, the one who used to cry when the bedroom door creaked open.
The one who begged, even as the belt came off.
The one who finally learned there was no use in begging or crying, not when his cigar was being stubbed out on my skin.
Even without saying a word, she must see it all on my face. Because in the next breath, she says, "I'll do it. Give me the name."
?
For the next hour, I watch her and Julia working side by side, breaking into the ErestonLabs database and deactivating Ivan’s device.
Luna’s hands fly across the keyboard, and for a second, I consider offering her a permanent spot in the organization.
But Roman would probably start a war, and the last thing I need is another feud with my brother, especially once he gets here.
"Message Akim," Julia says suddenly, and for a moment I freeze.
This is it, the moment I’ve waited years for.
I thought I’d feel more, maybe even relief.
Instead, there’s just a flicker of jealousy that Akim will get to see the fear in his eyes.
Because for once, Ivan will be alone, powerless.
For a man used to feeding on everyone else's fear, that’s a fitting end.
I shoot Akim the green light and wait.
"Done," I tell them, as Julia leans back in her chair, a tired smile on her lips.
While we wait for Akim’s confirmation, I sense someone behind me and don’t have to turn to know it’s Julia.
"It hardly feels real," she whispers.
"No. But we’re free, Juls. Finally, we’re free."
We sit there in the quiet. Her pinky finds mine, and for a while, that's all we do—just exist in the relief of knowing we finally have a chance to help all those kids fighting monsters, kids who thought no one would ever save them.
"Go talk to her," Julia urges, slipping away to our tiny kitchen.
I turn to Luna, the woman who tamed my brother, and see the worry etched across her face. She doesn't even notice me approaching, and something about that irks me. Roman should really teach her to keep her guard up.
I’m not great with conversation, except with Akim or Julia, but I remember the way she looked around that field when we pulled her out, searching for anyone left.
"The driver is fine," I offer.
That gets her attention.
"And the other one?"
Notifications from the drone confirm only one made it out. So I don’t sugarcoat it. "No."
She slips right back into her head, and it hits me that these aren’t just soldiers to her.
"You care about them," I say, the words rough, awkward.
"They were there because I wanted to have coffee with Victoria outside the house," she says, her voice tight. "It's normal to care and feel guilty."
I want to tell her it’s not her fault the Irish came after her, that she’s done more than enough just by staying alive. But nothing comes out.
"Can I leave now?"
I’m about to answer when one of the guards at the door murmurs there’s a car two miles out. He doesn’t need to tell me who’s driving because I already know. And due to the look on my face, Luna must know too. She bolts for the door, a new light in her eyes.
"Will you stay here when he comes?" she asks, voice low.
She probably thinks I’ll run. But I'm done keeping Alexei Borisov's secret.
"I've never hidden from him, Luna.
It’s true. I’ve always been nearby even if he never realized it. If he’d only checked the shadows, he might have seen me more times than I’d care to admit.
Maybe I always watched him because I wanted to see what life could have been if my heart had worked right from the start.
Luna practically vibrates in anticipation of seeing him, and I think about my twin rallying an army to reach her.
"Never thought I'd see him this soft for anyone. He's completely gone over you," I admit quietly.
It’s true. For years, I had Julia and she proved my heart could still feel. All this time, I wondered if Roman’s was just as broken, only in a different way. Maybe he couldn’t love the way most people did. But looking at Luna now, I know his heart beats for someone, too.
"Have you kept up with everything that's happened to him?"
I hear the genuine curiosity in her voice, and I feel a little surprised she even asks.
He’s my brother. Even if he never knew I existed, even if we spent our lives on different continents, I always needed to know he was okay.
Since the day I found out he was alive, I couldn’t stop myself from watching.
"Of course," I say, and she can probably hear the protectiveness I can’t hide. "I was hoping for an opportunity to catch you alone and ask for your help, but when I saw those cars running you off the road, Julia was already loading the machine gun."
She turns toward me, wanting me to keep going, and suddenly, I want her to understand why I’m telling her all this.
"Julia says that in my subconscious I chose you precisely because of the connection you have with him, and I suppose she's right."
"Why haven't you tried to contact him until now?"
Good question. I could have, at some point. But that would’ve dragged the whole family into a bloody war that would’ve left casualties on every side. Ivan would have had a new weapon to control me, and that’s something I never needed.
I catch her watching me, and with a crooked smile, I tease, "You’re staring."
She looks a little surprised by the smile on my face when she responds.
"I'm thinking about how identical you are yet so fundamentally different."
I’m not saying Roman’s life was easy, but compared to the horrors I saw in Russia, his soul came away cleaner than mine. Alexei Borisov wasn’t father of the year, but compared to Ivan, he deserves a damn trophy.
The sound of the gates rumbling open signals a car speeding up the drive.
Luna nearly jumps with joy. When the SUV halts in front of us, Roman leaps out and sweeps her into his arms, checking her over like I might have left bruises, while Niko climbs out of the passenger side.
I don’t know much about our little brother, but the shock on his face is almost funny.
I’d swear he’s gone a shade paler in the last minute.
After the initial shock fades, the man who shared my world for the first nine months lifts his gaze and almost spits the words at me.
"Who the fuck are you?"
All right then. Not exactly a warm start. His tone is almost funny—almost—if I weren’t the supposed enemy here.
Luckily, Julia chooses that moment to throw open the door, cutting off my twin before he can try to rearrange my face.
"Let's go inside. It's cold and Luna's been standing out here for quite a while," she calls.
I watch Luna pull Roman by the hand, motioning for them to follow. At least she gets that we’re not the bad guys.
"I'll go prepare coffee for everyone, and, Roman, you might want to radio your boys before they decide this place needs redecorating with explosives," Julia says, disappearing into the kitchen.
She knows how much this moment means to me and wants to give me space to decide how to tell my story.
But looking at them, the brothers I always wished I’d had beside me when I was hungry at the orphanage, when I was getting my latest bruising, or when I was forced to kill others as punishment, I feel something twist tight in my chest.
They’re the family I had to watch from the shadows, keeping them out of the hell that owned me for twenty-seven years.
Roman immediately relaxes with Luna at his side, so I finally gather the courage to speak up, the tension thick in the room.
"Well, I suppose it's my turn to talk," I begin, seeing my twin bristle at the sound of my voice.
"You’d better," he grumbles. "Niko, contact Anton and tell him to stay on standby. If he doesn't get a call from us in fifteen minutes, he can unleash the mother of all apocalypses in this forest." There’s a threat in his tone he doesn’t bother to hide.
I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing because he actually thinks he’d stand a real chance against us.
"Niko!" Roman barks, snapping our younger brother out of whatever trance my appearance put him in. I guess I did drop in out of hell, not out of the sky.
"Go ahead," Roman says, already getting under my skin.
I glance at Luna. She gives me a subtle nod, urging me to give them answers. I owe them nothing, but I hear myself speaking anyway.
"My name is Maksim Rastovski, and I'm your brother."
The resemblance is obvious—he’s probably pieced it together already, but I can see the reality land like a punch.
"How have I not known about your existence until now?"
Julia returns, carrying mugs of coffee, and I relax a little at the sweet aroma filling the air. She always wanted this for me, this connection. For years, she urged me to reach out, but she understood—her story’s not so different—why I couldn’t risk painting this family with Ivan’s target.
"Thirty-two years ago, Maria Borisov found out that one of the children she was going to have had a heart defect.
Alexei Borisov decided he couldn't have a child with such a weakness, so he placed me in an orphanage in Moscow and returned to his wife and healthy child," I say, my voice flat, mechanical, because there’s nothing left to feel about any of it.
I made peace with my fate a long time ago. Having Julia in my life feels like fate’s way of apologizing for every bit of hell it threw at me.