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“Sure, something like that,” Maxim says, but I know there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
“Listen,” I say to my brothers because I suspect they need to hear this. “I’m happy here. I’m fine, I’m well protected, and Maxim and I have a deal. I need to see it through.”
“What kind of deal do you have?” Daniil asks, sitting forward.
I look towards Maxim, and he gives me a little nod of approval. “Our marriage serves as a distraction, something for the press to focus on while Maxim deals with the Black Company. And in the meantime…” I hesitate, feeling a little nervous sharing something I’ve kept locked away for so long. Aly and I have barely even spoken about it. “He’s going to help me find the people that killed Aunt Masha.”
Aly shakes her head, clearly confused. “Didn’t your father kill your aunt?”
“Yes, he ordered the hit, but someone else carried it out. Whoever helped lure her out of hiding and killed her will pay.” I laugh bitterly and stare down at my hands, not knowing how to tell my family this but knowing they need to hear it. “I thought Maxim was her killer. That’s why I married him. To get revenge.”
The whole room is quiet for half a second until everyone starts talking at once. I get it, my family has a lot of questions. My news is a shock.
Andrei’s voice carries above the rest. “Jesus, Kira, talk about putting yourself at risk! Why is it that you’re convinced he didn’t murder her?”
“He can prove it.”
Daniil scoffs. “Not if he needs you alive to keep up his important image.”
Maxim rolls his eyes. “If I had killed Masha, I would have had a good reason and you’d know about it by now. Oleg and I had history, but it’s not a good one. I disliked him as much as anyone.”
"Maxim has no reason to lie," I speak up.
Defending him in front of my family feels strange, but I’ve spent a lot of time considering what motivation Maxim might have to lie, including not alienating Alyona. In my gut, I know deception isn't his style. He’s always been brutally honest, even when it hurts.
Leo’s face falls. “Why didn’t you come to us? We would have looked into it for you. We would have helped you get your revenge so you didn’t have to marry this … this?—”
“I didn’t want to burden you with my past. I thought it was the best way.”
“Well, that certainly explains a lot,” Aly says, eyes wide. “I never understood your motivation for marrying him. My father.”
When he glances my way, his eyes hold a trace of softness, a contrast to his usual guarded expression. “Kira is my wife, and I will find out who was behind Masha’s death and help her get the revenge she deserves.”
Andrei shakes his head. “You don’t need to. She’s our sister. We’ll figure out?—”
“Did you miss it when I said she’s my wife and, therefore, my responsibility?”
I’ve never heard anyone interrupt Andrei like that and I tense, preparing for Andrei to lunge across the coffee table between us. But my brother doesn’t move, just keeps glaring daggers.
Maxim lifts my hand and shows off the big, honking diamond ring that heralds to the world I’m a taken woman. “My. Wife.”
My heart hammers in my chest—I’m not sure if it’s anxiety or excitement at his possessiveness. Or both.
Aly rises from Leo’s lap, cutting through the silence in the room. “Kira, can I talk to you alone?”
“Of course.” I stand and follow her into a small room, closing the door behind me.
Nerves jump in my stomach because I don't know what to expect.
Before I say anything, she has me wrapped in her arms. “Fuck me. I’m so sorry.” I pull away to find tears in her eyes and her face clouded with worry.
“You have nothing to be sorry for!” I insist. “How were you supposed to know?”
“That’s the point.” Her expression falls. “I knew you married Maxim for some other reason, and I didn’t push the issue. I left you alone with him—a monster.”
I pause, not sure how to explain that he’s not entirely the big bad wolf we thought him to be. “He’s not a monster.” The words fall from my lips, revealing a truth I hadn’t fully acknowledged until this moment. "He's complicated and dangerous, yes, but not quite the nightmare we thought he was.”
He shields me frommynightmare. He made the mayor pay for his sins. He held me when I couldn’t hold myself up. He’s going to hunt down my aunt’s killer. He gave me the best orgasm of my life.
