My scream died in my throat, muffled against skin that smelled like cedar and something wild. An arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me slightly off the ground as I was yanked backward. Wild panic exploded through my veins, making everything go sharp and immediate.
Sebastian.
He’d come to finish what he started. Come to make good on his threats. The gun would be next, pressed against my ribs, and this time he wouldn’t just threaten. This time—
I thrashed, elbows flying, trying to break free. Trying to scream. Trying to do anything except die in my own bedroom like some stupid girl in a horror movie who should’ve known better.
The arm around my waist tightened, and I was spun around, my back slamming against the wall hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. The hand over my mouth stayed firm, preventing any sound from escaping.
Then I saw his eyes.
Blue. Furious.
Not Sebastian.
Kirill.
Relief hit me so hard my knees buckled. He caught me, held me up against the wall, his hand finally leaving my mouth now that he knew I wouldn’t scream.
“What the fuck—” I started, but he cut me off.
“Why?” The single word came out like a growl, rough and dangerous. “Why did you send your punk-ass boyfriend after me?”
My mind went blank. “What?”
“Don’t play stupid, Barbara.” He leaned in closer, his body pinning mine to the wall, his breath hot against my face. “Your boyfriend. Bass. He attacked me tonight. In a fucking parking lot. Told me to stay away from the mansion, to stop meddling with the cameras.”
Ice flooded my veins. Sebastian had gone after him. Had actually attacked Kirill. “I didn’t…I didn’t send anyone….”
“Bullshit.” His nostrils flared, jaw clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping. “You think I’m stupid? You think I don’t know what’s going on here? You’re fucking both of us,playing some kind of game, trying to distract me from doing my job—”
“No!” The word exploded out of me. “I swear, I didn’t know he would. I didn’t send him.”
“Then why?” Kirill’s hand slammed against the wall beside my head, making me flinch. “Why is he so desperate to keep me away from those cameras? What are you two hiding? Are you trying to start a new war in Chicago? Is that what this is? Using Bratva resources to cover up your boyfriend’s criminal activity?”
“He’s not….” I stopped myself before the truth could spill out. Couldn’t tell him. Couldn’t explain. “It’s not what you think.”
“Then tell me what it is.” His voice dropped, going dangerously soft. “Make me understand why you’re putting yourself at risk. Why you’re putting my life at risk. Are you out of your fucking mind?”
I shook my head frantically, tears burning behind my eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t want any of this. I never meant for anyone to get hurt—”
“But they did.” He was so close now I could count his eyelashes if I wanted to. Could see the fury and confusion and something that looked almost like hurt in his eyes. “He came at me with a knife. Would’ve killed me if I were alone. Is that what you wanted? Me dead so I’d stop asking questions?”
“No!” The tears spilled over, hot tracks down my cheeks. “God, no. I never—I would never—”
“Then what?” He searched my face like he could find the truth written there. “What kind of hold does this bastard have on you? What could possibly be worth all of this?”
I couldn’t answer. Could only stand there with my back against the wall, trapped between Kirill’s body and my own secrets. The weight of everything—five years of blackmail, ofterror, of living in a prison of my own making—pressed down on me until I couldn’t breathe.
“You want to know the truth?” My voice came out broken, defeated. “Fine. You’re right. I have a beautiful face.” I forced myself to meet his gaze, to let him see the mess underneath. “And an ugly soul.”
The words hit the space between us like a physical blow. I watched something flicker in his eyes, surprise, maybe. Or confirmation of what he’d already believed.
“Yeah.” The agreement hurt more than it should have. “You do.”
I nodded, my vision blurring with fresh tears. “I know. I’m damaged. Broken. I come with baggage that would sink ships. I’m exactly what you think I am, a cheater and a liar.”
“Barbara—”
