"The Six's rules are sacred," he says slowly, each word measured. "What's done is done."
"So we understand each other," I say.
"Oh, we understand each other perfectly." He takes a step closer, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "You've won this round, Morozov. But don't mistake my compliance for weakness. I will not forget this."
“I don’t imagine you will.”
The voice comes from the top of the stairs.
Every head in the room turns.
Holly stands there, her hair loose around her shoulders. Her face is pale but composed, her chin lifted in defiance.
She looks like a queen.
My queen.
"I'm Nikolai's wife," she says to Yuri, her voice steady. "You must be the asshole who wants me dead."
37
HOLLY
I descend the stairs slowly, my hand trailing along the banister. Every eye in the room is on me, but I only look at one person.
Yuri Orlova.
The Wolf.
My asshole grandfather.
He's older than I expected. Crueler. His eyes are chips of ice, cold and merciless, and when he looks at me, I see nothing but calculation.
"You look like her," he says finally. "Like Katerina. Tell me. Are you as weak as her?”
His words drip with contempt.
But they light a fire in me.
"Oh, I have a feeling I'm just like her."
And then I slap him.
The crack echoes through the room like a gunshot.
Yuri's head snaps to the side, his cheek reddening. His wife gasps. The bodyguards tense.
But I'm not done.
"That's for trying to kill my mom," I say. And then I slap him again. My palm connects with his other cheek, and the force of it sends a shock up my arm. "And that's for trying to kill me."
Yuri's face contorts with fury. He raises his hand, and I see the blow coming. But Nikolai stops the blow from landing.
His gun presses into Yuri's temple, his voice a low, deadly growl. "I’ll kill you before you make contact."
Time freezes.
Ivan moves, his gun appearing in his hand, aimed at Nikolai.
