"Get away from her." His voice could freeze blood.
Roman turns, and now he's smiling. "How convenient. Saves me the trouble of finding you."
"I said get away from her." Maksim moves forward, positioning himself between us.
"Or what?" Roman's laugh is ugly. "You'll defend her honor? After you just fucked her in my house days before our marriage?"
The crude words hit like bullets. He knows. He knows everything.
"How did you—" I start.
"Cameras." Roman gestures around the hall. "You think I don't monitor every inch of my compound? I watched the whole sordid display. Very touching. The dead heir and his former fiancée, rutting like animals."
Horror crashes over me. He watched. He saw everything.
That’s when it dawns on me—there are cameras in our rooms.
I’m going to be sick.
"You're sick," Maksim snarls.
"I'm thorough." Roman's smile sharpens. "And you're predictable. I knew you'd go to her eventually. Knew you couldn't resist. That's why I put her room next to yours. That's why I arranged all those private moments. I wanted to see if you'd betray me."
"You set us up," I realize. "All of it.”
"Testing loyalty." Roman shrugs. "Maksim failed spectacularly. Repeatedly, from what I saw. The creek was particularly entertaining."
He watched us at the creek too. The violation makes me want to vomit.
"You're insane," Maksim says.
"I'm pragmatic." Roman straightens his cuffs. "I needed to know if you were truly with me or if you were weak enough to be swayed by a pretty face and old feelings. Now I know."
"Know what?" Maksim's hands curl into fists.
"That you're useless to me." Roman signals, and suddenly guards appear from nowhere. Six of them, all armed. "I kept you alive because I thought you'd help destroy her organization. You did that beautifully. But now that job's done, and you've proven you can't be trusted."
"Roman—" I try to stand, but my head is still spinning from the blows.
"Stay down." Roman doesn't even look at me. "This is between men."
Maksim lunges.
He's fast—faster than Roman expects. His fist connects with Roman's jaw, snapping his head back. Roman stumbles, and for a second, I think Maksim might actually win this. Logic doesn’t factor in. Even if Maksim overpowers Roman, we’re in his compound. We can’t escape.
The guards intervene.
Three of them grab Maksim, hauling him back. He fights—God, he fights—landing blows that would drop normal men. But there are too many of them.
"Maksim!" I'm on my feet now, trying to reach him.
One of the guards backhands me casually, sending me sprawling again.
"Don't touch her!" Maksim roars, fighting harder.
"She's mine to touch." Roman wipes blood from his lip. "Or shewas. Now she's just a problem to solve."
He pulls a gun from his jacket. Points it at Maksim.
