“My brother. Aleksei, the one I told you about.” Bastian’s voice is still flat, but with every new syllable, it starts to fray at the edges and expose something raw and bleeding underneath. “He has Sage.”
I don’t move. My hand stays where it is, wrapped around the doorknob, more for balance than anything else now.
“He implied that if I didn’t do exactly what he wanted, he’d hurt him,” Bastian continues. “So I did. I did everything. The killing, the hits, the whole f*****g show.”
My hand slips off the doorknob.
“The funeral was staged,” he says. “It was my only option to get away from him and buy some time. As far as the world knows, Bastian Hale is dead. Which means I can’t go to the police. I can’t go to anyone. Because if Aleksei finds out I’m still alive and not under his control, S
