Page 71 of Dirty Grovel

“But… why?” I blurt out, trying hard not to sound like I’m begging.

Even though I’m completely prepared to beg if that’s what it takes.

“There’s a lot of politics involved,” he mutters, white-knuckling the chair. “Lots of moving parts that I can’t mess with right now.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask. “You’re just spewing words! Words that don’t mean anything. If you’re turning me down, I want to know why. Or don’t you trust me anymore?”

Oleg sighs. “Paul Lipovsky is in deep with the Martineks. The same people your boyfriend?—”

“Ex-boyfriend,” I correct.

He acknowledges that with a small incline of his head. “My point is, I have a plan in the works that will take down Lipovsky and his entire network.”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with my sister?”

“Extricating your sister now would be putting my plan in jeopardy,” he says. “It might tip off Lipovsky earlier than necessary, put him on guard, encourage him to prepare for what’s coming. I’m not planning on giving him a heads-up.”

Angry tears scald my eyes. “So, you’re happy to keep my sister trapped under his abusive roof for God knows how long because saving her might interfere with your takedown plan?”

“I know it sounds harsh?—”

“‘Harsh’?” I practically shriek, wringing my hands together to stop myself from itching my skin clean off. “It’s fucking cruel, Oleg!”

This is the one thing I’ve ever truly asked him. And he’s turning me down for what?

The sake of his business? His empire? His pride?

“Iwillhelp your sister,” he insists. “But it’ll take time?—”

“What you’re saying is, you’ll help her only when it’s convenient to you, when it doesn’t interfere with your great plans.”

“Sutton—”

“You would do it for your sister!” I erupt. “You wouldn’t bat an eyelid if this were your sister we were talking about.”

His silence makes me wonder if I’ve gone a step too far. Maybe bringing up his dead sister was below the belt.

I’m still not prepared to take it back, though.

When I twist around, he gets slowly to his feet. I’m expecting him to walk away. If he does, I’m locked and loaded with curses to shout at his back.

Luckily, I don’t have to.

Oleg walks over towards me. “You’re right,” he says softly. “If there was even a small chance I could have saved my sister, I would have. Plans, power, and pride be damned.”

“It’s no less than what I would do for my sister,” I tell him. “It’s the only reason I would ask you for help. It’s the only reason I’d ask you for anything.”

“I understand that?—”

“Do you? Because you seem to be implying that your sister is important but mine is not.”

His eyes flash. “My sister isdead, Sutton. And she’s dead because of me.”

I veer back, shocked at the blackness in his eyes, chasing away all the warmth on his face.

Before I can respond, before he can explain, we notice car lights in the distance as the black gates start to slide apart.

“Jesse’s back,” I mumble as Oleg steps away from me.

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