Page 31 of Kings of Violence

I find the obituary, and one single article in the NB Times’ Crime section, but of course nobody knows what happened and his body was never found.

Literally never found, not just kept from law enforcement. Ma and I’d had to do a closed casket funeral, and I’d had to just accept Kyran’s word that one of the Voronkov guys did him in. The story stinks no matter how I look at it. I’m sure Kyran thinks he’s protecting me from the harsh realities of the criminal underworld, but I really don’t need that kind of consideration.

They all think I’m useless and weak just because I’m a woman, and how the fuck am I supposed to prove otherwise?

I’m still browsing, waiting for my hastily-put-together program to try to gain access, when I hear shouting in Russian from the hall. I have just a few seconds to shut the browsers — set to automatically delete any browsing history — and swivel my chair around when the door slams open.

My heart drops into my stomach because I recognize this man.

It really is Yuri Yashin.

Until Konstantin and Nikolai took me, I’d almost forgotten about Yuri. I’d set aside all thoughts of our brief interaction a few years ago. I had a boyfriend, after all.

My other dating choices hadn’t been any smarter than flirting with the hot Russian bratva mobster.

Do Nikolai and Konstantin know that Yuri and I have met before? They have to, don’t they? Or did Yuri keep our meeting to himself? “Y-Yuri,” I stammer, standing up. “I thought you were…”

He looks different. Harder. Colder.

Had it really been two years ago?

He’s still tall and lithe, skinnier than the other two, though he has more muscle mass than he’d had when I’d seen him last. His hair is longer, too, hanging loose with the bottom half bleached blond while the rest is dark brown.His tight jeans sit low on his waist, and under his leather jacket, he has on a tight t-shirt. His tattoos peek out from under his shirt collar.

“Sierra Winters,” Yuri says. He still has that sexy Russian accent, not as strong as Konstantin’s but still very clearly foreign. “What apleasureto meet you again.”

I laugh nervously, edging back until my ass is pressing againstthe desk I’d been sitting at — like that’s really going to put enough distance between us. I realize I have no idea what to say to him.

My father had said he’d kill Yuri if I ever talked to him again. Instead, he and my brother had apparently conspired to get him locked up.

Fuck.

Back then, he’d seemed so much kinder than my brother. But from what Nikolai and Konstantin have been saying, from how Yuri is looking at me now—he’s every bit as violent as the rest of them.

“It’s good to see you,” I say, and it would be the truth if I wasn’t so fucking spooked.

“Is it now?” Yuri advances on me, his boots thudding hard on the floor. “How funny. I’ve been dying to see you too. Just thinking about all the ways you fucked me over.”

I stare at him, my mouth dropping open. “Excuse me?” I sputter. “The wayIfucked you over?Ididn’t do anything.”

Except I sort of had, I realize with a jolt of guilt.

He’d flirted with me, sure, but I’d been the one to come onto him. I’d been the one to get caught trying to text him by my father, of all people. Pa and Sean might have left him alone if I hadn’t tried to make a move.

“I swear, I thought that if I didn’t try to contact you again, Pa would give it a rest,” I say, edging sideways so I don’t end up cornered against the desk.

Yuri stalks closer, expression still thunderous.

“Yura!” Konstantin shouts from outside. “Calm down!”

Fuck.

Yuri reaches into his jacket pocket, and I don’t even want to imagine what he has in there.

Konstantin rushes into the room and grabs Yuri’s wrist, stopping him in his tracks. “Yura!” He says something in Russian, and Yuri argues back. I hearWintersandSierraseveral times, which gives me a clue what they’re arguing about. Not that it would have been hard to figure out either way.

Yuri shakes Konstantin’s hand off. “Fine! I’ll play nice.” He tosses something onto the armchair in the corner of the room. Itglints under the lights, and it’s hard to tell, but I think they’re metal knuckles.

Yuri turns to me and gives me a terrifying grin. “Your brother was so keen to make sure you didn’t get close to me.”

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