His expression doesn’t change, but something in the air does. Slowly, he steps closer, each step making the room feel smaller. My back brushes the edge of the counter.
“I told you to get out,” I say, my voice quieter now, because my throat is too tight for more.
He stops in front of me. I have to tilt my head to look at him. The light catches on the sharp line of his jaw, the faint scar near his temple, the watch that probably costs more than my rent.
His hand moves. I flinch, expecting a hit, but his fingers only brush a strand of hair out of my face. The touch is featherlight, impersonal. His palm lingers near my cheek just long enough for me to feel the warmth of it before he drops his hand again.
“You don’t lie well,” he says simply.
I swallow hard. “I’m not lying.”
“I’ve been looking for him for days. All information points here.” His voice doesn’t rise; it doesn’t need to. “He lived with you.”
“Lived.Past tense.” I push past him, grab my bag from the table, anything to put space between us. “Lucas hasn’t been here in over a week. I have no idea where he is.”
“Convenient.”
“It’s the truth,” I snap, spinning to face him. “Whatever this is, it has nothing to do with me. You’ve said what you needed to say, so you can leave now.”
He stands perfectly still, eyes fixed on me like he’s watching something unravel.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he says quietly.
My heart stutters. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means your brother’s debts are now your problem.”
I laugh—too sharp, too loud. “My problem? He’s a grown man.”
Artyom’s eyes stay on me, unblinking. “He was working for me.”
I freeze. “What?”
“He moved product for us. My drugs. That was his deal. Clean, simple. Until he decided to getcreative.”
The words don’t register at first. My mind refuses to fit them into any version of reality I know.
“You’re lying,” I whisper.
His expression doesn’t flicker. “He started selling more than he was reporting. Keeping the extra money. Now he’s vanished.”
I shake my head. “No. Lucas—he’s not—he wouldn’t?—”
“Wouldn’t steal?” His voice stays calm, almost gentle. “Wouldn’t betray someone to save his own life? I think you know him better than that, Kira.”
The sound of my name in his mouth makes me flinch again. He steps closer. I can feel his heat even through the space between us.
“He’s been missing for a week,” Artyom continues. “And when one of my people disappears with cash and stock, I make sure he doesn’t stay hidden for long. But since I can’t find him…” His gaze drifts over the room, slow and deliberate, before settling back on me. “…I’ll settle for the one person I know he loves enough to risk contact for.”
It takes a second for the words to make sense. Then they hit all at once.
“You’re insane,” I say, voice shaking. “You can’t?—”
“I can,” he interrupts. “And I will. You think this is a negotiation? It isn’t.”
Anger flares through the fear, wild and desperate. “I don’t have anything to do with this!”
He nods once, almost thoughtful. “Maybe not. But that doesn’t change what’s owed.”
