Page 24 of Ruined By Sin

"He waited until the event was over and then he followed Branko to the parking lot." She pauses, and her eyes hollow out as she stares at the floor. "From what I was told later, he beat Branko so badly, the man couldn't open his eyes for two weeks. Broke his nose, his jaw, three of his fingers. Timur is not a fighter the way his brother is. He doesn't train for it, but when he hit Branko, he hit him hard..."

I don't even know what to say to that. The vivid mental image of Timur beating a man within an inch of his life is so shocking against the backdrop of what I know about him, it scares me. That's who I slept with. A man who can kill.

"After that," Sonya says, looking up at me, "he came to me and told me I was done. He said I wasn't going back to that house and he brought me here, gave me a job and a room. And then he got me a lawyer and paid for my divorce. Branko didn't contest it. I don't think he wanted to find out what Timur would do if he did."

"And you've been here since." The whole story is so crazy, it's believable. I can see that about Timur, that he'd want to do the right thing by any person who felt unjustly punished. It's whathe's done for me believing I'm an ally. But the problem is I'm not an ally. I'm his enemy, and it means I'm on the wrong side of that fight if he finds out.

She picks up the towel again and starts wiping down the counter, though it's already clean. "He's a good man, Kira. I know what this looks like from the outside, your situation. But he's trying to do the right thing."

I don't trust my voice right now, but I smile politely at her and nod. Her story sounds inspiring, and under any other circumstances, maybe I'd be encouraged to give Timur a chance. I just know when he finds out I'm not a Belova girl, he'll be furious. Whatever tenderness he's shown me will evaporate the second he learns the truth, and what replaces it won't be gentle. He slept with me thinking I was on his side, and now all I can think about is getting out of here.

I finish my coffee and pour another cup while Sonya goes into the pantry to get something. I hear her moving things around on the shelves, glass clinking against glass, and I glance toward the hallway.

Dryden isn't there. He was there five minutes ago, standing near the entrance to the kitchen, but the hallway is empty now. I can hear what sounds like his voice coming from the front of the house, muffled, like he's on a call, and my heart leaps in my chest as I realize I may have an opening to get out of here.

I turn toward the back door, wondering if there’s a way out through the back. Does he have a tall fence, or does it open to an alley? I've never seen out the back windows to know.

But it's only ten feet from where I'm sitting. I could run there in under five seconds, be halfway down the block in thirty... But Idon't have shoes on or my phone or money or any idea where I am, but none of that matters if I can just get outside.

I set my cup down quietly and stand, glancing over my shoulder. Sonya's still in the pantry. Dryden's still out of sight. And it's too tempting. I can't just sit here and wait for something to happen. I want to go home where I know my uncle will keep me safe, so I move.

I cross the kitchen and grab the handle. The deadbolt is open so I turn the knob and pull, and the moment the door cracks open, a sound rips through the house that freezes me where I stand.

The alarm is deafening, a high-pitched electronic shriek that has me covering my ears, whimpering, and I hear Dryden's footsteps before I can even process what's happening. He comes around the corner with his hand on his hip where his gun sits and stops when he sees me standing at the open door with my bare feet on the threshold.

"I'm sorry," I whine over the shrill, and I don't have to fake the panic in my voice because the alarm scared me half to death. "I just wanted to sit outside with my coffee. I didn't know there was an alarm."

He scowls at my hands, empty, not holding coffee, and I know he sees right through my explanation, but he says nothing. He walks past me to a panel on the wall near the door and punches in a code. The alarm cuts off and my ears are ringing. Sonya has appeared in the pantry doorway looking startled but sympathetic.

"I'm so sorry," I say again, turning to Sonya. "I didn't mean to scare anyone. I just thought some fresh air would be nice."

"It's alright, dear." Sonya puts a hand on her chest and takes a breath. "You just have to let Dryden know before you open any doors."

"I will. I'm sorry." My eyes flick from hers to his as I wonder if she, too, is somewhat a prisoner. Does she know the code? Do they let her go in and out alone, or do they have to type it in for her too? Frustration mingles with my fear, but when Dryden opens the back door, I feel a bit relieved.

"I'll sit with you," he growls, and I get the feeling he's not fond of my idea for fresh air.

But I pick up my coffee and force a smile at Sonya as I step into the cooler air, pulling a patio chair out to sit down. So my plan was foiled, but it doesn't mean I'm giving up.

From what I can tell, Timur's friend is hellbent on destroying my family. They had zero mercy when they barged into our meeting and killed everyone. The only reason I'm alive is because of a lie. If they think the Mirovs are gunning for them, they won't hesitate to wipe out the entire family, and I may be the only one left. Or I could be the one to stop it.

Timur likes me. That much is true. So if I can use that to my advantage, I will.

Until then, I have to keep pretending to be someone I'm not and pray he doesn't find out.

13

TIMUR

After a week of being so busy I was barely home, I thought I'd surprise Kira with dinner tonight. Not something made by Sonya, but something I’ve picked up to bring home. I know she's been restless. Dryden told me last week, she tried to bolt out the back door, which I don't blame her. Because of Morin's bonehead move, we've had to do this crazy little dance around keeping her quiet.

I'm hoping if tonight goes well, she will agree to see where things go with me, and if that works, we can start the process of reintroducing her to Sergei and his family before he wonders where she's been all this time. I don't even know if she's a flowers and chocolates sort of girl, but I'm going to find out.

I slide my key into the lock and think again about how bad Rostik's face looks still a week later. Those thugs really punished him. With a broken eye socket, he won't be fighting for us for a few months at least, maybe longer, which removes him from the fight cards until further notice. Our bettors aren't happy with that because he's the favorite at every invitational. It's made betting so unstable, we don't know how to set stakes right now.

"Boss," Dryden grumbles as he steps away from the wall he was leaning on. I flick a glance around the living room and don't see Kira anywhere, but I hear her soft humming. Good, she's happy.

"She's in a good mood?" I ask softly so she doesn't hear me. I've placed all of my hopes on this dinner tonight. After speaking with my cousin Stepan in Moscow earlier, I'm hopeful our confirmation photo will come through soon. If his wife can send me a picture of Kirianna Belova, I can put this all behind me and move forward with telling my brother who this woman really is.