Igor doesn't react. "Try." That's the last word he says before turning his back.
Saint wraps a hand around my waist, stopping me from going to Igor and scratching his eyes out. He presses against me so hard, I fear he is going to crush my ribs.
"Don't, Gemma. Let's go."
I try to pull away, but I feel something against my other side. Hard, cold metal. A gun. "Don't fucking test me right now," he growls.
I whirl on him, filled with anger. "You aren't going to kill me."
He snorts, and that dull look in his eyes makes me shiver. Saint has never looked at me with so much apathy. "Don't be so sure."
Saint practically throws me through the door. I stumble into the alley, turning as the lock clicks, leaving us alone. He marches out, and I press myself against the brick wall. Not because I'm scared, but because I need the cold of the brick to ground me for whatever comes next.
"Care to explain, why my wife is working with the Russians?" he asks, marching toward me.
"Not really."
Saint moves with predatory grace. "How long?" His voice is low and deadly. I know what he's asking. How long had I been doing this? There's betrayal in his tone, and I want to scream at him. How fucking dare he pretend that he's angry at me for doing anything more than out-thinking him? How dare he look at me like I broke something.
"Don't pretend to be the victim, Saint, it doesn't suit you."
He snorts. "No, Gemma, that's your role. The poor princess who never gets what she wants." His words sting. "What was the plan here, Gemma? Were you planning to give him everything? All the Nero intel you've been hoarding? Or were you going to start with my family's secrets?"
"How did you even know where I was? You've been locked in with Antonio."
Saint glares. "Adrian paid me a visit. Had an interesting theory about a traitor with inside knowledge. Showed me camera footage of Morozov soldiers hitting his operations." His eyes are cold. "Funny thing is that they were indeed Morozov soldiers, and they were using intel only someone with knowledge of Nero security would have."
I remain quiet. That seems to be my best defense.
"They knew too much. How to hit, when, and where to apply pressure. Your brother's men caught one, and he started singing like a canary."
I almost vomit at the idea of Adrian knowing what I'd done.
"Luckily, he doesn't know who is feeding information to them."
"Alexei is the only one who knows."
"And Igor," he counters. He holds up the phone Igor gave him. "He did me a solid by calling me and telling me what the fuck you've been up to."
"Why?" Igor is Alexei's man. Why would he put his ass on the line like this?
"Because he knows what Alexei likes to do to women," he snarls. "You've clearly never heard the rumors about his first wife."
I swallow. I hadn't. I didn't even know Alexei had been married before.
"You should be thanking me for saving your ass."
"Fuck you," I snarl, pointing my finger into his chest. "You put me in this position in the first place."
Saint slams his hand into the brick wall behind me, and I try not to jump. Instead, I flatten my body as close to the bricks as possible. "Fuck, Gemma! I ended our partnership to protect us. Are you fucking insane, going to Alexei?"
I should throw myself on Saint's mercy because he looks ready to strangle the life out of me, but I'm fucking angry. Too angry to have sense.
"You promised Antonio you'd get rid of me!" The words explode out. "I heard you. Both of you. Calling me cursed, poison, telling you to set me aside?—"
He doesn't even blink. Doesn't even have the audacity to look ashamed.
"And you think the solution to that is to betray both our families to the Morozovs?" He's breathing heavily, and I can smell scotch on his breath. "You think that helps you?"
