Page 104 of Where the Wind Whispers

Maybe someone else would have thought they married a monster.

Violet didn’t believe any of those things.

Kaz had been pushed too far by too many things. He’d finally struck back in a big way, and he was only protecting what he loved the most.

She would never fault him for that.

That was no monster.

“Are you hungry?” she asked him again.

Kaz met her gaze, nodding. “Starved.”

“Say good morning to Anastasya; I think she knew you were gone last night as she didn’t sleep well.”

“Sure, krasivaya.”

Violet turned away from the television. Even knowing that it was her mother’s body inside the body bag, she didn’t feel the need to dwell on the events more than she already had. This day had been a long time coming. Standing up on her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to Kaz’s injured cheek.

In his ear, she whispered, “You did well.”

She would always tell him that—no one else would.

He deserved to hear it.

Death should have made him feel something.

He was usually affected, in some small way that he didn’t notice right away, but despite having killed his wife’s mother not even a week ago, he still felt … nothing. But he was sure, at least until all of this came to an end, he wouldn’t be feeling anything.

Seated at his desk, the dismantled pieces of an AR-15 sat in front of him, all freshly cleaned and oiled. Something about the process was calming—the simplicity of his movements helping clear his mind of all the shit worrying him.

But the end was close, so close that he could almost see it. There were just a few small matters that needed to be dealt with first, and the first was right in his own home.

All day, Kaz had avoided his wife as much as he could, locking himself away in his office. He couldn’t stay gone forever, not when she had Anastasya, but as though she knew something was on his mind, Violet hadn’t called him out on his absence.

He was thankful.

But that feeling wouldn’t last long, not when he finally told Violet what was on his mind—what he had been struggling to tell her all day. Whether she liked it or not, what he would ask of her was a necessary evil.

Deciding it was best to finish his task before he headed out there, Kaz took his time as he reassembled his rifle, placing the completed piece back in its case and locking it away.

Finishing no more than fifteen minutes after he started, Kaz took a breath then took a swallow of the vodka he’d poured earlier. It seared his throat on the way down, but he welcomed the burn—his punishment for what he was about to ask of her.

Violet was curled up on the couch, Anastasya cradled in her arms as she fed. His two favorite girls.

The sight of them made him pause.

He could have never imagined that he would end up here with a girl from the other side of the bridge—the girl from the other side of the bridge. In a city of millions, she was the only one forbidden to him, but the only one he wanted to keep forever.

Violet spotted him before he could say anything, her lips slowly curling into a smile. “What?”

“I can enjoy you a moment, no?” Kaz asked, stepping further into the room.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You want something. That’s the only time you pour on the charm.”

Kaz chuckled because she knew him well. Taking a seat beside her on the couch, he cupped the back of her head, pulling her forward just enough to press his lips against her forehead then gave Anastasya a kiss as well.

That was when Violet’s smile faded. Yes, she knew him well, and though he hadn’t said a word yet, she knew something was wrong.