Page 62 of The Wrong Brother

“Thanks, Rus.”

The nickname is sweet and soft. I close the office door behind me, determined not to look back.

Somewhere in Denver, my brother has made a very serious mistake.

* * *

The next morning, I wake-up on the couch with a crick in my neck and murder still simmering pleasantly beneath my skin.

Not ideal.

The suite is quiet. Pale autumn sunlight spills across the carpet through the windows; the city already murmuring down below. For a brief moment, I forget where I am.

Then I remember.

Colorado. Andrei. Emma. The bruises.

A sharp knock echoes through the suite before I can reach for my phone. The bedroom door opens first, and Emma emerges wearing a white hotel bathrobe, curls still damp from a shower.The sight catches me off guard for one irritating second before she pads toward the entrance.

“I’ve got it,” she mumbles.

A hotel employee stands outside holding a cream-colored envelope.

“Delivery for Mr. Smirnov.”

Emma accepts it with a suspicious look and closes the door. By the time she turns around, I’m already standing.

“What is it?”

“No idea.”

The envelope is expensive. Thick paper, an embossed seal.

I know what it is before she even hands it over.

My thumb cracks the seal, and Emma leans closer as I unfold the card. Her scent is intoxicating, distracting, and it takes me a moment to focus.

Then I laugh.

Because there it is, an official invitation to Andrei Cheney’s wedding. It’s addressed specifically to me and accompanied by a handwritten note:

Family should celebrate together.

Emma reads it over my shoulder and slowly lifts her gaze.

“What?”

My smile widens.

Across from me, she suddenly understands exactly what this means. Andrei isn’t hiding anymore. He’s responding.

The game has officially begun.

Chapter 15

Emma

Friday,the day of the engagement party, arrives far too quickly.