THREE HEARTS, ONE SIN

CHAPTER 2

I stared at the words on the back of the photograph.

YOUR FATHER IS STILL ALIVE.

My fingers went numb.

For seven years, I had believed my father was dead.

Seven years of silence.

Seven years of questions.

Seven years of people telling me I was better off without him.

Now some stranger had dropped a photograph in my apartment and told me everything I believed was a lie.

“No,” I whispered.

Adrian crouched beside me.

“What does it say?”

I quickly turned the photograph around.

He saw it anyway.

His smile disappeared.

Roman took the photograph from my hand.

His eyes moved across the date.

Three months ago.

His face became hard.

“Where did you get this?”

I stared at him.

“It was in the envelope.”

“Who gave you the envelope?”

“I don't know!”

Roman looked at Nikolai.

Nikolai was still watching the broken window.

“Someone was watching this apartment,” he said.

My chest tightened.

“Watching me?”

“Yes.”

I stood up too quickly.

The room spun.

Adrian caught my arm.

“Easy.”

I pulled away.

“Don't touch me.”

He immediately stepped back.

“Okay. Message received.”

I looked around my apartment.

Everything suddenly felt different.

The curtains.

The windows.

The hallway.

Even the stupid little plant sitting beside my television.

What if someone had been watching me for months?

What if they had been inside my apartment before?

I wrapped my arms around myself.

“I want you three to leave.”

Roman looked at me.

“That isn't happening.”

I frowned.

“Excuse me?”

“Someone just tried to kill you.”

“And you think staying here is safer?”

“Yes.”

I stared at him.

“You really enjoy giving orders, don't you?”

“Yes.”

Adrian laughed.

Roman gave him a look.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Adrian said. “Just enjoying the conversation.”

“This isn't funny.”

“I know.”

For the first time, Adrian looked serious.

He walked toward the broken window.

“The shooter wasn't trying to kill us.”

I looked at him.

“What do you mean?”

He pointed at the wall.

The bullet had missed me by inches.

“It was a warning.”

A cold feeling moved through me.

“A warning for what?”

Nobody answered.

That scared me more than anything.

I turned to Roman.

“What did my father do?”

Roman's expression changed.

“Your father made enemies.”

“That doesn't answer my question.”

“He built an empire.”

“What kind of empire?”

Roman didn't speak.

I laughed bitterly.

“Of course.”

I walked toward the kitchen.

“My whole life, everyone has treated me like I was stupid.”

“Elena—”

“No.”

I turned around.

“My father disappeared. Nobody told me anything. Then he supposedly died. Nobody told me anything about that either.”

My voice cracked.

“And now three strangers show up at my door and suddenly my dead father is alive?”

I pointed at the photograph.

“I'm done being kept in the dark.”

Roman watched me for several seconds.

Then he said quietly, “Your father wasn't the man you thought he was.”

I felt tears burn my eyes.

“You knew him?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Roman looked away.

“I worked for him.”

Silence filled the room.

My heart sank.

“You worked for my father?”

“Yes.”

Adrian sighed.

“So did we.”

I looked at him.

“All three of you?”

He nodded.

Nikolai finally turned away from the window.

“We were sent to find what Victor left behind.”

“What did he leave?”

Roman's eyes met mine.

“You.”

I froze.

“What?”

“You're the last person connected to him.”

I shook my head.

“No. No, that makes no sense.”

“It does.”

“What exactly do you want from me?”

Roman stepped closer.

“Your father stole something.”

“What?”

“We don't know.”

I blinked.

“You don't know?”

“No.”

I almost laughed.

“So let me understand this. Three dangerous men come to my apartment because my father stole something, but none of you knows what he stole?”

Adrian shrugged.

“When you say it like that, it sounds bad.”

“It IS bad.”

“Fair.”

Despite everything, a tiny laugh escaped me.

I hated that.

Adrian smiled.

“There. You smiled.”

“I didn't.”

“You did.”

“Don't make me regret it.”

“Too late.”

Roman cleared his throat.

“Enough.”

Adrian rolled his eyes.

“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Roman ignored him.

“We need to get you somewhere safe.”

“I have nowhere to go.”

“You do now.”

I stared at him.

“Where?”

“My house.”

My eyes widened.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“Because you look like the kind of man who has bodies hidden in his basement.”

Adrian covered his mouth.

Nikolai looked away.

Roman stared at me.

“I don't have a basement.”

“Oh.”

I paused.

“That doesn't make me feel better.”

Adrian laughed.

For the first time that night, I almost forgot I was terrified.

Almost.

Then my phone rang.

Everyone went silent.

I looked at the screen.

Unknown number.

Again.

My hand shook as I answered.

“Hello?”

Nobody spoke.

Then a man's voice came through.

Low.

Calm.

Familiar.

My entire body went cold.

“Elena.”

I couldn't breathe.

I knew that voice.

I had heard it every night when I was a child.

The voice that used to tell me everything would be okay.

The voice I had cried over when they told me he was dead.

“Dad?”

Roman's face changed.

The voice chuckled softly.

“My little girl.”

I covered my mouth.

Tears filled my eyes.

“Where are you?”

A long silence followed.

Then he said:

“Ask the three men standing beside you.”

The call ended.

I slowly lowered my phone.

Roman looked at me.

Adrian stopped smiling.

Nikolai's expression was unreadable.

Then my phone buzzed again.

One new message.

HE LIED TO YOU ABOUT WHY THEY CAME.

I looked up at the three men.

And suddenly, I didn't know which one of them I was supposed to trust.