I pin him a glare, sitting on the edge. Nothing about this interaction is relaxing.
Although, I will say, he doesn’t scare me. I was with him for six months. Engaged for two. That changes things. He’s not a stranger to me, even though a part of him feels like one.
I look at the knife sheathed under his belt again, dripping blood.
Then, I look over at both of the side gates. Stationed at each one are a pair of dead guards. They lay dead under the sun. Blood is still seeping out from their chests, turning the grass around them red.
I see flies buzzing around them and have to look away. Bile is rising into my throat again. Even before this mess, I wasn’t feeling good.
“What are you doing here, Igor?” I fold my arms over my chest.
Igor sits on the lounger next to me, stretching out, getting blood everywhere.
I’m sure Valerian will appreciate that.
“To get you out of here.”
“I already told you. I’m not interested in moving back in with you.”
“Maybe not.” Igor strokes a finger over his bottom lip. “But you still want to get out of here, don’t you?” His face is lined with concern. He grabs my hand, smoothing his finger over the wedding ring. “Valerian takes everything way too far. Dragging innocent people into his mess is way over the line. Don’t you see that?”
I do see that.
Or did, at first. Before the line between right and wrong started blurring.
For that, I have myself to blame. I never should have slept with him.
“You lied to me,” I sigh. “If it wasn’t for your father, I could have gone to jail. And it would be your fault.” I hitch my arms higher up my chest. “You’re not the only one over the line. The apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree.”
Igor keeps staring at me. He did that a lot on our first date. Always staring.
My dumb ass thought it was because he liked me.
Now I know he’s a snake. And this entire time, he was sizing me up, seeing if I would be the perfect scapegoat for him.
“You haven’t once apologized to me, by the way.”
“I’m sorry.”
I sniff a laugh. “Little too late for that now, sunshine.” I drop my arms, standing up. “Thanks for wasting my time. Now please, stay away.”
Valerian will regret not giving me a phone. Knowing him, he’s suit shopping somewhere. And doesn’t know his son has killed four of his guards.
Where are the rest of his guards?
Change over time isn’t for another three hours. Igor and his men chose the perfect time to strike. And they did it very quietly.
If the shoe was on the other foot, Valerian would be sending the whole place up in flames, being as loud as physically possible.
I think he likes to hear his enemies burn.
“We’re not done here, Joy.”
“Yes. We are.” I turn back around to him. “If you spent more time getting to know your own father, less time trying to undermine him, we wouldn’t even be in this situation.”
Igor takes one look at me and pulls on my wrist, forcing me to sit back down.
“What are you talking about? What did my father say to you?”
