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And when Dani leans through the opening, her head and shoulders appearing above me, my heart throbs at the sight of her. I’ve missed Dani.
But the look of spite she levels at me tells me she doesn’t feel the same. “What do you want, Efrem?” she demands, immediately raising my defenses.
“Is that how you greeted Mikhail Sidorov tonight before you sat down with the man who terrorized you? What the fuck was he doing here, Dani?”
Definitely not the opening line I had planned. But it boggles my mind that she’s willing to forgive Mikhail for what he’s done and treat me with such cold hatred after everything we’ve been through together.
“That’s no longer your concern,” Dani hisses, glaring daggers at me. “I want you to leave.”
Angry as I might be at the double standards she’s presenting, fighting about Mikhail isn’t going to help our relationship at this moment. I need to rein in my temper if I’m going to clear my name.
“Please, Dani, I don’t want to fight. Will you come talk to me?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” She scoffs.
“It’s about Ben,” I press, trying to find an avenue in.
“Don’t you dare say his name,” she whisper shouts, her anger escalating.
Blyat. This is not going at all as I had hoped. Lifting my hands palm up, I try to demonstrate I come in peace. That I mean her no harm. “Just hear me out—”
“No, Efrem. I don’t want to listen to your excuses. I don’t want to hear your lies. The time for talking is over. You gave up that right when you chose to stay silent and passively let my brother die.”
The tears in her voice make it quiver, and it rips my heart apart to hear the deep, aching loss she’s suffering.
“I did not—”
“No, Efrem.”
She cuts me off with such vitriol that my objection dies in my throat. I stand frozen for a moment, staring at the beautiful girl who’s cut herself from my life.
“Please, Dani. Let’s just talk.”
“I don’t want to talk to you. Ever again. I mean it, Efrem. Stay away from me.” Dani draws back inside the window, ready to shut me out completely.
“I spoke with Pyotr,” I scramble, desperate to keep her attention because, once this window of opportunity closes, I don’t know that I’ll have another one.
Dani leans back out the window, her curtain of blonde hair falling forward around her face. “I. Don’t. Care. Efrem. You two can both drop dead for all I care. I hate you. I wish I never met you. And I want you to leave me alone.”
The ferocity of her conviction cleaves me in two. How can I possibly get through to her when she’s unwilling to listen to anything I say?
Stunned by the force of her brutal blow, I watch helplessly as she withdraws once again. The window slides closed with a sharp snap that brings finality to our discussion—or lack thereof—and with it, any chance of me saving our relationship.
I’ve never seen Dani this angry before. I’ve never felt the full force of her hatred. And it crushes me, leaving it nearly impossible to breathe. Rolling the remaining pebbles in my palm, I debate the wisdom of demanding her attention again.
But before I can make up my mind, the security guard returns.
Better to make myself scarce now and try again another day. I’m sure causing a scene on Dani’s front porch will do nothing to help my case.
Tossing the rocks back into the garden, I slip into the shadows once again. I need to come up with a new plan. A better one. Because Dani’s not going to make this easy on me.
We’re worlds away from that first night I watched Dani through her window.
And it’s painfully apparent to me now.
18
DANI
