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I pivoted and pummeled his chest with my fists. He didn’t stop me, which somehow made it even worse.
“Tell me!” I needed to hear him say the words. Because even now a part of me hoped he would admit he’d made a mistake, so I could forgive him. I feared I would accept his excuse, but I also feared that I wouldn’t.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “No, I didn’t think or care about what would happen to Inessa once she left my house.”
I let go of his shirt and crumpled onto a chair. I felt empty, and like a broken vase, all life had spilled out of me.
Once again, I felt like I was suffocating within these walls. This time I didn’t have the energy to get up, yell, or throw stuff. Nor did I have any words left. My mother had been violated in the worst possible way, before she’d been dumped in front of Aslanov’s house like a piece of trash. I would level mountains, raise armies, do anything, to make the one responsible pay.
You sound an awful lot like Kristoff now…
The irony wasn’t lost on me. Ilya had assured me that the ones responsible were no longer alive. Didn’t I owe the man who had avenged my mother the chance to speak to me?
I looked at Kristoff—husband, lover, manipulator.
Oh yes, I did owe Aslanov. Especially since I couldn’t even look at my husband right now.
“I’m leaving,” I said softly. “And you will let me. If you don’t, we are done. If you keep me here, I will fight you every minute of every day until the end of time. If you ever want us to get past this, you will let me go.”
I ran up the stairs and into our bedroom. As much as I hoped Kristoff would choose us over his damn stubbornness this time, I did have a plan B.
I dialed Onyx on the new number she had texted me. The phone rang twice before she picked it up.
“Miss me already, Bratva queen?”
I didn’t have it in me to correct her. I put her on speaker and started to pack my things.
“I might need another extraction,” I said, as I took out one suitcase, and my getaway duffel bag from my closet. “If you don’t get a text from me within an hour, please set things into motion. Oh, and considering what happened last time, I will need more protection.” I was going to leave, but that didn’t mean that I was stupid. It wasn’t safe out there for me, but I couldn’t stay here anymore either.
Onyx named an obscene amount of money as a retainer. That is, obscene to me. For Kristoff it would be pocket change, his watch cost more than what she asked for. Perhaps I should take a Rolex or two with me. I doubted she would accept another favor from me as a means of payment this time.
“Is that with the friends and family discount?” I asked while putting on some sneakers. Surely, being referred to her by her sister should come with some benefits.
“I don’t have any friends.”
Gee, I wondered why. “As you know, I don’t have that kind of money. And I obviously can’t ask Kristoff for it.”
“Did you sign a prenup?”
What an odd question. Clearly, Onyx had much more in common with her goofy sister Tess than she realized. I didn’t point it out though; I needed her on my side after all.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Of course not. What woman would dare to divorce a kingpin, let alone demand half of his money?”
Good point. There was no divorce in the Bratva, and Onyx seemed to know that.
I heard a few more clicks. “It’s all hypothetical anyway,” she continued. “You probably couldn’t even find a lawyer to take on your case.”
“I guess speaking out loud runs in your family.” Also, I actually did know of a possible lawyer. He’d helped my friend Lily out a while back, that is, until he ended up in the hospital for it. I guess that meant the man at least had a backbone. I filed that info away for later.
Onyx was silent for a beat. “I’ll bill your husband after our business is done. I can’t live on future favors, after all.”
My stomach tightened. “He can’t know that I hired—”
“He won’t.”
I ended the call and descended the stairs with my luggage. I dropped the bags in the foyer while I went looking for Caesar. As expected, he was in the kitchen, begging for scraps of food from Olga. The second the older woman spotted me, she scowled at the kitten, pretending like she hadn’t been feeding him.
