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He captures my wrists and twists my arms so that they’re pinned against my back. Then he pulls me close. “Don’t you dare ever raise a hand to me again.”
“You’re a worthless piece-of-shit liar. How dare you preach to me about being dishonest?” Tears blur my vision, a sob rising in my chest.
His grip tightens. “I didn’t do it. I told you the truth. Alibi or not, it wasn’t me who pulled the trigger.”
“That’s obviously not what the video footage says.” I struggle against him, but his rigid grip is unrelenting. “There’s no other proof that you weren’t there that night.”
“I was framed.” He glares down at me. “That’s the truth.”
“I don’t believe you. I can’t believe anything you say to me.”
Danil flips me around so my back presses against the glass door. A shocked release of air expels from my lungs. The metal handle digs into my back, making me gasp from the sudden and sharp pain.
“If I killed your father, then who still wants both of us dead? Who tried to take you from the funeral home? Who tried to kill you at the house the other night?”
He bares his teeth, snarling his words. “Someone obviously wants something from your family, and I’ll bet whatever it was, Olek wouldn’t give it up, and that’s why he’s dead. I was framed that night in Kiev to make you think I killed him. Now we’re all here in Miami together, and someone is looking to hit us both and make it look like we’re the ones at odds. How the hell do you explain that?”
“Larysa, I know you’re angry right now, but he’s right. Having you with us is the best way to find whoever is behind the murders.”
I whip my head around and narrow my eyes at Luka. “And you, the big boss, letting him kidnap me and my daughter to dangle like fucking sugar cubes in front of a horse. How would you feel if someone did that to your kid? Huh? You think Natasha would let someone get away with that shit? I think not.”
“Nobody has to get hurt here.” Luka’s blue eyes darken. “We just want answers. Don’t you?”
“It won’t bring either of them back. This desperation to get answers, it eats at you. Is it worth it to put your whole family at risk?”
“If we don’t figure out who’s trying to destroy us, they’ll keep coming until they succeed. And I’m not taking that chance. I did it once and lost. It won’t happen again.” Danil loosens his grip on my arms.
“You just lost a lot more than you know.” I flex my sore wrists and slant a look at Luka. “I’m not your pawn. Find some other way to get what you want, because I’m done.”
“You and Daniela are both potential targets. Do you really want to walk away? Is your pride more important than your life? Your daughter’s life?”
“Being around people I can trust is most important because I know I can rely on them and they’ll always have my back.” My lips twist into a grimace when I look back at Danil. “Up until a few minutes ago, I thought I had that luxury. But I don’t. With you people, it’s all about revenge at any cost. And I won’t let my life, or Daniela’s life, be the currency.”
I turn on my heel and storm back into the living room. My foot skids on the bubbly puddle of water next to the fallen bottle. I grab onto the arm of the couch, back wrenching. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I kick the bottle at one of the stupid glass sculptures I told Danil to get rid of, which he never bothered to do. The plastic bottle ricochets off the piece and flies back at me. I duck out of the way just in time, and lunge for the abstract form. It has some weight to it. My lips curl upward into a self-satisfied smile.
Good. That means it’ll do a nice amount of damage.
I whirl around and launch it toward the large canvas hanging over the fireplace. It’s another offensive piece of trash that some curator undoubtedly charged an arm and a leg for.
Or maybe Danil fucked the artist. Who knows?
And who gives a damn?
The sculpture crashes against the canvas, sharp edges tearing into the thick brushstrokes. The wall shudders from the force. The canvas falls to the floor in shreds.
My shoulders quake, ragged breaths like razor blades ripping through my lungs.
It feels good. I’ve wanted to throw these fucking sculptures plenty of times since I got here.
“What the hell did you do that for?”
Panting, I turn in the direction of Danil’s angry voice. “That ugly pile of garbage on the floor? Think of it as all your dirty lies and secrets, exposed. I mean, how the hell can you build a future with someone when you don’t even know the truth about his past?”
* * *
DANIL
