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“No. You don’t speak to him. Answer me.” Rurik roared, breaking her reach for Sanyet’s eyes.
Jessa’s eyes jerked up to Rurik. “I only wanted to speak to my husband. The man you insisted I marry.”
“You had a choice.” Sanyet snarled. “A choice that would have kept you from joining Petur’s fate. But instead of appreciating it. You thank me by bringing the police here. To. My. Home. And now we face the choice of adding more crimes.” Black eyes seared hers. “Do you think it will be easy to make three decorated officers of the law disappear?”
“No,” Venedikt answered for her. “Brother, there is another way.”
Sanyet’s harsh laugh barreled out with his words. Speaking to his brother. “And what is it? How can I avoid killing them?” His words were harsh, but his eyes met hers. A brief, bleak light flashed in his eyes, before he faced his brother again.
“They don’t know about Petur yet.” He nodded in her direction. They only know she is married to you and that it’s strange that they weren’t invited. She can play the besotted bride, overwhelmed with love. Too enthralled to even call her family.”
“But she wasn’t, was she?” Sanyet’s eyes met hers. “Seizing the first opportunity to escape my bed. Was I so unreasonable? I meant nothing to her. Worthless.”
“Sanyet, no.”
“No? So, if I offered you the choice again. The choice between the life you had and life with me. If I give you the choice. Will you go? Or will the dove fly?”
“That’s not fair. You’re holding a gun to everyone I love and then asking me to make an impossible choice.”
“And yet you have a choice.”
“Brother, let me discredit them. I can plant money in their bank accounts. Make it appear as if they are on our payroll. Involved them in a few small deals.” Venedikt stroked his beard, already deciding their fate.
“No, if you take the law from them, it’s the same as killing them. This is their life. And if they are caught. They could end up in jail or prison. Do you know what happens to cops in prison? They’d spend every day fighting for their lives. You can’t do it to them.”
“Then you make your choice.”
“What,” her voice trembled. “If there were another way. A secret, I can share. That would make it impossible for them to report you.”
“Go on.” Rurik paced closer.
“No. Not you. I will share my secrets with my husband.”
“You don’t…”
Sanyet interrupted Rurik’s protest. “Let her tell me.”
“Are you sure, brother?” Venedikt asked.
Sanyet locked eyes with her. Had she hoped for his glance? Damn. Now that she had his full attention, sweat broke out over her body even as she shivered. “Leave us.”
Their eyes locked in another tug of war, neither releasing the other as they waited. The door closed softly behind his brothers when they exited.
“Sanyet, I didn’t mean…”
“Is this your secret? Because I asked you last night to share with me and you had nothing. You came from my bed. Your body still dripping with my seed and betrayed me.”
“I didn’t betray you.”
The laptop on the desk jumped when he slammed his palms down and roared. “I asked you for your secrets. I opened myself to you. Shared, all of me and you shared nothing. Instead, you sent the police to my home. To my home.” The laptop jumped again. “So, tell me.” He roared. “Tell me what you think will save you, now. Because if it’s not good enough. You will die. No one will put that bullet in your head other than me. I won’t put that on my brothers or my men. Because heaven help me. If they lift their hands to you, I will never stop claiming my vengeance.” He huffed. “Can you imagine? I will kill you myself because if anybody else hurts you, they will not see another morning.”
He sat down in his chair. Opening and closing his fists. “And I know how crazy that sounds. Insane. But this is who I am. And I never hid it. A crazed Russian mafia killer.”
Chapter 10
The slight quiver by the same lips he’d sucked on all night nearly undid him. He could do this. He could do his fucking job. Protect his family. If he were arrested for murder, they’d all be implicated. The Ismailovs couldn’t have weaknesses, vulnerabilities. Not when Baranov waited in the wings, watching any mistake. Had he already made one by marrying her? It wasn’t going to be easy to take down Baranov of whoever was protecting him. Damn her. Why couldn’t she have been a simple college student?
She looked at the door as if someone would come through to rescue her. He’d seen that look before. He only had to glower at someone to have them wishing that someone else, anyone else, would lead the interrogation. Well, fuck that, it wasn’t happening.
