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He looked as good as ever. Still handsome. I don't know. I guess I had figured that knowing what he did for a living and knowing he was a garrote-wielding killer would somehow take away his good looks to my more keen eyes. But that wasn't the case. He was still tall and broad with his great bone structure, deep eyes, easy smile, and strong body wrapped in his usual jeans that he had paired with a simple v-neck white tee.
"No need for the knife, Maisy," he said, holding out his hands wide as if he meant me no harm.
Unfortunately for him, I was through blindly trusting anyone.
"Sure there's not," I said, trying to find an escape. He was approaching me in the only walking space. My only choice was to climb across the bed. Making my decision, I flew at it again before he could get any closer to me.
I got, say, in the center before his hands snagged my ankles and pulled my feet out from under me. I flew backward, my stomach dropping out as my back slammed against the mattress. I had barely landed before Ruslan was on me, straddling me at the waist, his hands slamming down on my wrists and pinning them to the bed.
"Relax, kotyonok. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Is that a garrote in your pocket or are you planning to rape me?" I spat, feeling his unmistakable hard-on, trying to plant my feet and buck upward like K had taught me. But the mattress was too soft and I couldn't get the footing I needed.
"Maisy," he said, shaking his head. "You think I'd do that?"
"I didn't think you'd sell women, Ruslan. I was wrong about that so I don't know what to believe anymore."
He sighed, making some kind of ticking sound with his tongue as he released my wrist so he could wrestle my knife away. He took it, throwing it toward the wall where it hit and landed with a clatter that filled me with hopelessness.
"I sell no one," he said, his voice harsh.
"Oh, bullshit. I'm not stupid and I..."
"Viktor."
"Don't insult me," I shot back. "You're not innocent, Rus."
"Innocent, no. But I don't lie to poor women in the homeland and promise them handsome, rich men who will treat them like gold. That is Viktor. You know him. You've seen him with women. He's cold. He's... he's..." Ruslan's face scrunched up slightly, struggling for the right phrase. "He's soulless."
"And yet you went along with it."
"Past. That's the past, kotyonok."
"I'm not your kitten," I snapped.
"No, but you wanted to be. Don't try to deny it."
"I'm not denying it. I'm claiming temporary insanity."
To that, he sat back on my pelvis, releasing my wrists and letting out a deep chuckle. "Was this spirit always under there?" he asked, shaking his head, but he was smiling like he enjoyed it.
"Are you planning on killing me or what?"
"My job was not to kill you. I am to retrieve you so Viktor can find where the files are. He says you're too smart to have only made one copy. He had a lot of respect for you until you betrayed him."
Huh.
That was news.
I always felt like an ant under his shoe.
He'd certainly never made it sound like he was pleased by me, let alone respected me in any way.
"So we're still here, why?"
"Because I know what Vik will do when he gets the information he wants."
"He'll kill me."
"That," he said with a casual nod, then looked away for a moment. When he looked back, he seemed sad. "Maybe. But Vik is nothing if not an opportunist."
"Opportunist?" I croaked, already knowing to dread the meaning there.
"You're young, Maisy. You're beautiful. Vik makes a fortune on young beautiful women."
"I'd never do that willingly," I objected, shaking my head.
Rus leaned forward slightly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "There are men who will pay more for women who aren't willing."
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to keep it together. Losing my shit wouldn't help.
"Maisy," he said, his voice as soft as such a deep, rough tone could be.
"What?"
"I'm not letting that happen."
"You've been too chicken shit to do anything about it before. Why the fuck should I believe you now?"
"I've had enough, kitten," he said, the word sounding unnatural off his tongue and he gave me an almost sheepish smile as if sensing it.
"Enough of what? Watching women get hauled off to live out a nightmare?"
"That, yes. And Viktor. And having to follow orders like a fucking dog. But you, malysh, that was the... final straw."
"Why?"
"Because I can't watch him toss you to those wolves like a gutted pig. They'll tear you apart."
"And you care because..."
"Because, Maisy, we both know something was developing here," he said, gesturing to the air between us.
And, well, he wasn't wrong. I'd certainly had a crush. He had, at least, shown interest in taking me to bed. I hadn't possessed the vanity to believe it was more than that. But maybe it was. Maybe that was why he was always hanging around the office, not to be a slacker, but to be around me. It was certainly within the realm of possibilities. It was also something I could work with.
