too powerful. My plan would have shifted the balance. That is all.”
“ I am a Domnin! Your plan was to have me murdered and then profit from my death,” Kira snarled. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
“Don’t believe what they tell you, Kira.” Berezin crept closer, his hands outstretched as though in supplication.
Kira stared at him with surprise. He looked older, as though his misdeeds had worn on him. The lines on his face gave him an almost craggy appearance. He was a pathetic excuse for a human being. That was what she knew. “What do you want? Why did you come here? I won’t believe for a minute that you didn’t have some ulterior motive for seeing me.”
“Kira, how can you say that about your papa?” He drew back, obviously surprised.
She was not the same Kira. It was time he recognized that. “How can I say that? How could I not?”
Now he looked shifty. There was a tiny part of her that died at that moment. Perhaps she had wanted to believe that he was sorry, and that he had loved her just a little bit. His expression told her otherwise.
“I need your help,” Berezin said stiffly. “The council believes what that bastard Nicholas Domnin is saying about me, and about the murders.”
Kira scoffed. “Surely you don’t expect me to believe that you didn’t leave yourself a way out of that .”
“My men were responsible for the murders. It was not I,” Berezin said firmly.
“But you’re responsible for the acts of the men under your command.” Kira could not believe she was having this discussion. “So what Nicholas Domnin is telling the council is true. If you think I’m going to go before the council and plead for you, you’re out of your mind!”
Berezin only smirked. “You have no idea what you are talking about. You think you know what is going on, but you know nothing .”
A chill slipped down Kira’s spine. “What do you mean?”
“You think I was the one who wanted you out of the way? You believe my men were doing my bidding in these attacks? Have you forgotten who wanted you married to Viktor Domnin just as much as I did? Who stood to profit from that marriage?”
“Nobody,” Kira said angrily. “You and Nicholas Domnin came up with this plan to hold the balance of power within the organization. Nobody ever explained what that meant or how it would work. The lot of you are liars and cheats.”
“The lot of us,” her father sneered. “How high and mighty you are in your belief that Viktor Domnin is a good man. Ask yourself who had the most to gain in this? Now that I am blamed and they are free, who was it who played a game with you?”
Kira swallowed, but her mouth felt as though it were filled with cotton.
VIKTOR WAS NOT pleased to see his brother walking down the hallway toward him. Nicholas dodged the other dancers, sidestepping even as he looked at them with barely disguised interest. Viktor could not imagine what would bring his brother out to the ballet on a Saturday night. Surely Nicholas had more important things to attend to.
“Hello, brother,” Nicholas said with a smile.
It was as if their last confrontation had not happened. The effect was eerie.
“What do you want?” Viktor asked quietly.
“I came to clear the air, so to speak.” Nicholas looked almost contrite. “I have said things that I know upset you. But you must understand that the things I have done, I have done in service to our family.”
Viktor decided to let this go for the moment. “I know that you believe that.”
“You could have done so much better for yourself than that cold Berezin woman.” Nicholas slapped Viktor on the shoulder. “Elena was warm and filled with laughter. I have never seen you so happy as when you were with her. Many men were jealous the day you were wed.”
“Elena and I had loved each other since we were children,” Viktor admitted. “It is impossible to simply put that sort of history behind me.”
“You will always love
“ I am a Domnin! Your plan was to have me murdered and then profit from my death,” Kira snarled. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
“Don’t believe what they tell you, Kira.” Berezin crept closer, his hands outstretched as though in supplication.
Kira stared at him with surprise. He looked older, as though his misdeeds had worn on him. The lines on his face gave him an almost craggy appearance. He was a pathetic excuse for a human being. That was what she knew. “What do you want? Why did you come here? I won’t believe for a minute that you didn’t have some ulterior motive for seeing me.”
“Kira, how can you say that about your papa?” He drew back, obviously surprised.
She was not the same Kira. It was time he recognized that. “How can I say that? How could I not?”
Now he looked shifty. There was a tiny part of her that died at that moment. Perhaps she had wanted to believe that he was sorry, and that he had loved her just a little bit. His expression told her otherwise.
“I need your help,” Berezin said stiffly. “The council believes what that bastard Nicholas Domnin is saying about me, and about the murders.”
Kira scoffed. “Surely you don’t expect me to believe that you didn’t leave yourself a way out of that .”
“My men were responsible for the murders. It was not I,” Berezin said firmly.
“But you’re responsible for the acts of the men under your command.” Kira could not believe she was having this discussion. “So what Nicholas Domnin is telling the council is true. If you think I’m going to go before the council and plead for you, you’re out of your mind!”
Berezin only smirked. “You have no idea what you are talking about. You think you know what is going on, but you know nothing .”
A chill slipped down Kira’s spine. “What do you mean?”
“You think I was the one who wanted you out of the way? You believe my men were doing my bidding in these attacks? Have you forgotten who wanted you married to Viktor Domnin just as much as I did? Who stood to profit from that marriage?”
“Nobody,” Kira said angrily. “You and Nicholas Domnin came up with this plan to hold the balance of power within the organization. Nobody ever explained what that meant or how it would work. The lot of you are liars and cheats.”
“The lot of us,” her father sneered. “How high and mighty you are in your belief that Viktor Domnin is a good man. Ask yourself who had the most to gain in this? Now that I am blamed and they are free, who was it who played a game with you?”
Kira swallowed, but her mouth felt as though it were filled with cotton.
VIKTOR WAS NOT pleased to see his brother walking down the hallway toward him. Nicholas dodged the other dancers, sidestepping even as he looked at them with barely disguised interest. Viktor could not imagine what would bring his brother out to the ballet on a Saturday night. Surely Nicholas had more important things to attend to.
“Hello, brother,” Nicholas said with a smile.
It was as if their last confrontation had not happened. The effect was eerie.
“What do you want?” Viktor asked quietly.
“I came to clear the air, so to speak.” Nicholas looked almost contrite. “I have said things that I know upset you. But you must understand that the things I have done, I have done in service to our family.”
Viktor decided to let this go for the moment. “I know that you believe that.”
“You could have done so much better for yourself than that cold Berezin woman.” Nicholas slapped Viktor on the shoulder. “Elena was warm and filled with laughter. I have never seen you so happy as when you were with her. Many men were jealous the day you were wed.”
“Elena and I had loved each other since we were children,” Viktor admitted. “It is impossible to simply put that sort of history behind me.”
“You will always love
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