“A month?” She stuttered, sitting back, barely comprehending.
“Morozov,” Maxim sighed. “Stop acting like you’re disappointed. Be real with me. Please.”
Kira let all her emotions dissipate. She was numb before him. She was tired of trying to prove herself. “Have a good trip.” She tapped her spoon against the egg, breaking the shell, then simply stared at it. It’s everything she was, sitting on a lonely plate.
He cackled. “How many acting classes did you take in this school of yours?”
She picked at the shell, peeling it open. “Twelve,” she lied. It was her first real lie, and it felt freeing. How many things could she make up? “I also swam with the mermaids and fed the sharks.”
Maxim shifted toward her in amusement. Now, this attitude he could appreciate. “Any of them bite you?”
“I lost three fingers, but my father was able to sew them back on.” She wiggled her fingers to show them off.
“What happened to the shark?”
“He’s hanging up in my father’s office.”
Kira sat back, daring to meet his gaze, surprised to find them lit with humor. In this moment, she felt they were on equal ground, and perhaps foolishly believing there was something just starting to brew between them. She had witnessed his sense of humor once before and longed to see it again. “I wish you wouldn’t leave.”
His stare broke, and he took a sip of his coffee. Kira noticed the tension sprang right back up, and she didn’t understand it. Why couldn’t they be cordial? Disappointment was a common factor these days. “You always think I’m lying. But what if I’m telling the truth? Didn’t I tell you about the Italians?”
“You knew I would be able to double-check.”
“Did I? Why would you invite me if you were just going to record it?” The question lingered for only a second. “It was a test.” She scoffed. “Not to see if I understood Italian, but to see if I would lie.” Kira grit her teeth. How did she get through to this stubborn man? What the hell did she have to do? “Do you know out of the two of us, you are the biggest liar?”
Maxim sat back and took a sip of coffee, staring at her with interest.
“Your first lie, you told me how pretty I was. But all you do is look at me with disgust or as if I’m some form of entertainment. The second lie was how excited you were to meet me. All the wonderful things you heard about me. I knew it was a lie because no one ever speaks well of me. Not even my so-called friends. But I gave you the benefit of the doubt, because that’s what I do. I let people walk all over me because I am constantly hopingthey’ll like me. But all they do is pretend. Because they are scared of my father, and you are no different. I am a fool.”
“You have pretty speeches, Morozov. I expect nothing else with how well read you are.”
Kira stared at him as a thought pierced her, and at first, she didn’t think it was true, but as his words bounced around in her head and more examples came with them, she found she couldn’t fight it. “You are intimidated by me.” She watched the amusement flee from his gaze and knew it to be true. She hadn’t believed it, that a man as decorated as he could feel inferior to her. But now it all made sense. “I’m glad I know now. That is a flaw within you. I won’t dumb down for you. I won’t be penniless for you. I won’t weaken myself for you. I am shamelessly myself.” Kira stood, but dizziness met her, and she slapped a hand on the table. Not wanting to appear weak just after her triumphant speech, she added, “Thought I married a real man.” She spun around, going for the door, ignoring how his chair scraped against the ground, and she could hear his footsteps chasing after her.
Kira reached for the doorway, but her knees trembled and a panic took hold as all strength left her limbs and consciousness fled.
Chapter ten
Trick
Maxim caught her just before Kira’s head hit the ground. She was a rag doll in his arms, unmoving, so light she almost felt like air. He kneeled on the floor and stared at her, waiting for her to bounce up. “Is this a trick of yours, Morozov?” He slapped her cheek gently, thoroughly confused about what she was doing. She was pale, like all the blood had drained from her face. “Don’t play around like this.” Fingers went to her throat to search for a pulse. It was light against his fingers and so ridiculously fast.
“Lydia!” He called through the house, standing. Kira weighed no more than paper, and for the first time, he realized how skinny she was. He could feel the bones in her ribs and back. When Lydia darted into the room, he snapped, “Get Rutner.”Maxim climbed the stairs two at a time and went into Kira’s room, where he lay her down on her bed. She still hadn’t woken, and he didn’t know if he should take her to a hospital or not. What could cause her to pass out?
Maxim paced in front of her bed, watching her. Kira never appeared so small before. Nor so weak. He thought he despised how big and bold she was, but now, without those traits, he couldn’t stand it. He wanted her to fight him. He wanted her to wake up and tell him he was a piece of shit.
One of the servants was a physician, and Rutner popped into the room with his medical bag and got to work. Maxim watched over his shoulder as Rutner set up an IV and took her blood pressure, but the bruise on her upper arm caught his attention, and he stopped Rutner to get a better look. It was clearly a handprint despite its fading and it could belong to no one else, but him. Lydia and Rutner both looked away, and he grit his teeth in shame. He backed up, letting Rutner take over. The doctor poked her finger to put her blood on a little disc that he plugged into a small handheld device. “What happened?”
“We were arguing and she just passed out.” Maxim didn’t stop moving. He was trying to outpace the blame. Part of him pushed it on her. If she only told the truth, they wouldn’t be fighting. They wouldn’t be enemies. He didn’t mind her as much as she thought he did. The first day he met her at that chaperone dinner months ago had always stayed on his mind. She had been funny, nervous, and full of positive energy. Marrying her wasn’t as daunting as he believed it was.
But Trina changed his perception. She reminded him how easy women can lie. That’s when he started having Kira followed, to check her history and find out what kind of woman she really was.
“Do you want me to wake her?” Rutner asked.
“She’s just sleeping?”
“I believe so. I won’t know what’s wrong till the blood work is ready.” Rutner felt along her wrists and moved to her feet, feeling along her legs.
“What are you doing?” It sounded possessive, and he chastised himself for it. Rutner was fifty years old, gay, and had been with his family for the last fifteen years. He cared for victims, keeping them alive longer if only so Lazar could get more information out of them.
