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“Speaking of that. While you’ve got me stuck here under your thumb, what are you doing to protect her like you promised?”
“I have my men watching her. No one can touch her, trust me.”
“I don’t believe a single word that comes out of your mouth.”
Popping the bread past my lips, I chew while chuckling. “You’ll come around eventually.”
“That’s what your maid said.”
“Maid?”
“Ulyana.”
My head sways from side to side disapprovingly. “She’s much more than that.”
“Fine.” Galina crosses her arms tightly over her chest. The effect does wonders for distracting me. “Head of the maids.”
“Ulyana deserves your respect.”
“What’s so great about her?”
I smile fondly at the question. The answer is too complex, but I try. “She’s always been by my side. I don’t have many people in this world that I know I can rely on no matter what happens. Ulyana is one of them.”
Galina hunches forward in my direction. Her eyes are wide, sparkling with invested curiosity. The bitterness that surrounded her earlier has vanished. “She must have done some amazing stuff to earn your trust.”
My smile grows until it hurts my face. “True. In fact, she …” I snap my mouth shut. Galina hasn’t budged. It’s as if whatever I’m saying is the most fascinating thing she’s ever heard. Cold fingers curl deep in my guts. “You’re good.”
“Hm?” She flutters her lashes.
“You’re trying to get information out of me.” Stroking my chin, I chuckle cynically. “I almost didn’t notice.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I can smell a liar, Galina.”
All the warmth radiating off her dies. Her eyebrows lower, and her tone follows. “Are you proud of that? Being able to tell when someone is lying? Is that a skill you learned in the years you’ve spent in the company of murderers and worse?”
“Is it so impossible for you to believe my intentions for you are good?”
“Please. You want me to trust you, but you don’t trust me.”
“You’ve given me no reason to.” The corner of my mouth twitches. “You’d turn on me in an instant if you thought you could get away with it, Galina. Don’t pretend that we’re so different from each other.”
“I’m nothing like you!” Her fist slams down next to her plate, making the fork and knife bounce. “I don’t keep secrets or make plans about hurting people.”
“No? This morning, when I came to your room, I saw it in your eyes. You hate me. You were trying to think of a way to get out of here. To attack me and run. To kill me if you could. Am I wrong?”
She braces herself, fingers crushing the edge of the table. The skin around her fingernails is white as bone.
“There,” I whisper. “I see it again. There is malice in your eyes. You want to hurt me. You have since the day we met. Fine.” Leaning back, I stretch out my arms like I’m welcoming her for a hug. “Here’s your chance. I’m wide open. Come at me, Galina.”
My bravado keeps my muscles loose. I shift my shoulders against my chair like I’m scratching my back. I’ve never had my senses tuned down to such a vulnerable level. Why wouldn’t I be cocky? I’m positive that, for as much as this woman might hiss like a feral animal, her bark is worse than her bite.
I’ve watched Galina for a long time. She doesn’t have a violent bone in her body.
Curling her fingers around her steak knife, she launches across the table at me. Her pupils are dilated, teeth bared. The green of her dress glints gold in the lighting. Even when she’s trying to slash my throat … she’s elegant.
I grunt from the effort of capturing her wrists. She’s determined to stab me, every fine line in her face becoming a deep groove pulled deeper by rage. Acting on instinct I yank her across the table the rest of the way; she kicks the bread basket to the floor, struggling to get loose. She doesn’t have a chance.
