Page 42 of Deadly Sins

A single tear escaped Ksenya’s eye, and she quickly wiped it.

Joaquín picked up the phone. “Thanks for coming, bro.” He nodded his chin in Ksenya’s direction. “Guess you’re finally over my sis. Who’s the fox?”

I laughed. If he only knew what the fuck he was saying. “This is Ksenya, a stripper from the Ukraine. How you been, man?”

“Be careful with those strippers, man, or you’ll end up in here with me. I’m fine, all things considered.” Joaquín eye fucked Ksenya some more. I understood he probably hadn’t seen a woman in months but still. Talk about awkward.

Ksenya hunched her shoulders, covered her chest. I wondered if she was beginning to feel as nauseous as I was by this little visit. Served her fucking right.

“Lawyer says I have a good shot of getting off.” Joaquín was still staring at Ksenya. “Have you heard from Mia? I heard she’s vanished.”

A wave of remorse washed over me. I had shunned Mia even though I had promised Joaquín I’d look after her. “Naw, dude. She’s gone. She came to visit me after you were arrested, but I kicked her out. Sorry, bro, I couldn’t deal with her bullshit. But I didn’t expect her to drop off the face of the earth.”

He looked at his feet, and I took the opportunity to glance at Ksenya. Her eyes were locked on Joaquín, but I recognized her look.

She was plotting something.

I wanted to milk this visit for as long as I possibly could—not just to see my buddy, but also to fuck with Mia a bit more. And I wasn’t that much of an asshole that I couldn’t admit a small part of me also wanted to give this gift to her. Allow her to connect with her brother. God only knew when she would have the chance to again.

I gave Joaquín a quick update on the guys from the Team. Joaquín’s eyes kept darting to Ksenya. I was beginning to think maybe he wasn’t just checking her out. Maybe he sensed something was off with her too.

The guard gave us a two-minute warning. “Well, I appreciate you visiting me. Extra props for giving me some eye candy.” He tapped on the glass toward Ksenya. “Nice to meet you.”

She took the phone out of my hand, clutching the receiver like it was her lifeline, pressing her hand to the glass. “Nice to meet together with you, too.” She spoke slowly and drew out every word as if she was hanging on to their fleeting moment together.

And that’s when I caught it. Something triggered Joaquín. His jaw fell open, and his did a double-take.

Before he could say a word, the guard opened the door back up, and Joaquín was led away.

A lump grew in my throat at seeing his retreating form. I loved that guy, and I prayed that one day we’d once again be swimming in the open ocean together.

I turned my attention back on Ksenya, who had a cunning smile on her face as if she was up to something. I studied her. Joaquín recognized her, but how? What the fuck did I miss? I’d been watching her the entire time. She didn’t have a chance to whisper anything to him, reveal her identity. But even if she had, I’m not sure she would be stupid enough to say something when I was present.

“Thanks for coming with me.”

“Of course.”

I held her hand as we walked out of jail.

Once outside, I dropped her hand. And that’s when I saw it. She was wearing a bracelet. It was bright and beaded and rainbow-colored—one of those ugly pieces of jewelry that had been popular when we were kids. Definitely not something a grown woman would wear, even if she were from a different country.

And I knew for a fucking fact that she hadn’t been wearing it before we’d arrived at the jail.

I’d never seen that bracelet before. Not in all the years I’d dated her. Not during all the times that I hung out at her place.

Joaquín had apparently seen it, though. Joaquín knew what it meant.

And I knew that the cracks in Ksenya’s game were beginning to show.

It was only a matter of time before I broke her. Before I called her out on her bullshit. Before I made her beg for my forgiveness. Before I got rid of her once and forever.

I definitely wasn’t ready to call her bluff. Oh no, we were just getting started. But for today, I had probably fucked with her enough. Joaquín was her limit. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she offered, her voice breaking. “I feel bad for your friend. It must be hard to be in jail. He is innocent, yes?”

I suppressed my emotions—anger, shock, hurt, and victory, all bottled inside. I held Mia in my arms the way I once had years ago. “Yeah, he is. He’s a great guy. He’s like my brother. In fact, he almost was my brother. That girl I told you about, who left me—she was his sister. I’d never told her, but I’d planned on asking her to marry me. I had even asked for Joaquín’s permission. But she’s vanished. And now, I’m all he has left.”

She winced, her shoulders slumping and dropped my gaze. She seemed to ponder this information for a beat, and I hoped to hell she might crack, confess her identity to me, tell me she still loved me, but instead, she buried her head in my chest.

Now my fucking heart ached.

I wanted to interrogate her, demand answers. But instead, I pushed a lock of hair from her forehead, taking particular notice of the dark roots that were just becoming visible.

“That girl…” I could barely hear her muffled voice. “I’m sure she knows it, what a mistake she made.”