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Shock slapped across my sister’s face. “What happened to us was pure hell!”
I took a long pull on the tumbler, hissing between my teeth. She was right. But why was I the only one who seemed to see that we weren’t the only victims of the cruelty that affected us all? We’d risen above our hell and refused to let life make a hash out of us. Why was it so wrong to want to pull others out of the pit as well?Talia’s not pulling me under. Iryna needs to trust in that.
I turned to face my sister. “You don’t think that the life of the woman upstairs hasn’t been any less gruesome?” I raged. “If there’s one thing I can’t abide, it’s injustice.”
“She’s here to kill you.”
“Talia Beaumont is, but TaliaDrakosdeserves a chance.” I knew I sounded demented, but I couldn’t stop.
“Oh lord, her pussy has bewitched you!”
I threw back the rest of my glass and resisted the urge for another. I did have a job tonight, and I needed to remain in control. “I haven’t fucked her pussy,” I ground out. It was the truth—technically.
Iryna let out a harsh breath. “I hope you don’t come to regret this.”
“Me either. But if there’s a snowball’s chance in hell that Talia is a victim in this and she can be saved, I need to try.”
“Idiot.”
I threw the glass across the room. It smashed into the wall, raining shards of glass to the floor and leaving a dent in the drywall. “I can take that from anyone but you.”
Blue eyes wide, Iryna drew back. I cursed and ran my fingers through my hair. “Fuck, Yna. You have to trust me.”
“Not when you’re doing something that’s going to get you killed.”
But that’s just it, I’m not convinced Talia wants to kill me.The maddening thought slammed through my mind. I’d pushed my wife. Evidence had been offered. It was entirely possible that Talia could be rescued. The confession slipped from my lips. “I have to try and save her.”
“No! No, you fucking don’t.”
I shrugged. “Goodnight, Yna.”
And without another word, I stalked through the French doors into the twilight. I didn’t stop until I was at the beach. A swim was what I needed to clear my head. I could be very wrong about Talia. I was prepared to admit defeat. But I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try with her. We were enemies. Our relationship was so fucked up it was on a whole other level. And yet...I still couldn’t let her go, still couldn’t do what was best.
~*~
Dressed in black syntheticfabric, I snatched my duffle bag off the ground. Tonight, my work would take me into LA. It was a short enough drive, but I would have to cover my tracks well since it was a high profile hit.
There was knock on my door. I mentally steeled myself against my sister and her freshest attack. Iryna was right to be concerned. But she needed to trust me. Trust that I knew what I was doing.
Do I actually know what the fuck I’m doing?
I pulled open the door, a snarl on my lips. And sucked in a surprised breath instead. “Talia.”
The little vixen was swathed in lace and see-through netting. She offered me a small smile, blinking up at me from under heavy lashes. Was she...shy?
“We need to consummate this marriage.” She shifted in her rhinestone heels.
Dangerous. That was what she was. My balls ached in my boxers, and my arousal twitched painfully, demanding release. I was in danger of being consumed by this woman. I knew if I didn’t leave now, I wouldn’t go. And that was bad, because my hit tonight couldn’t be delayed.
“I actually have work tonight.” The regret in my voice was real.
“What?” she exclaimed, laughing in disbelief. “I thought after the car ride that we could—”
I stepped into her and gripped her hair, cutting off whatever she was going to say with a hard kiss. There was a tick of hesitation before she melted into me. That moment of indecision angered me.
“Such a little actress,” I menaced, pulling back. “You’ve already forgotten what you agreed to in the backseat of the Camaro.”
“What?” she gasped, eyes wildly searching my face.
