Page 25 of Beautiful Deception

The salve is sitting on the kitchen counter. With my shaky fingers, I scoop some up and start rubbing it onto my burnt arm.

A sound at the kitchen doorway makes me spin around with a gasp.

Viktor. “Here. Let me help you with that.” He takes some of the salve and rubs it onto my skin. Goosebumps arise on my arms, embarrassingly enough.

“You don’t need to help me,” I whisper.

“I want to,” he says softly. “You’re hurt.” Once he’s finished, he tilts my chin up so I’m forced to look him in the eye. “What happened?”

“Natasha told you.”

“I just don’t believe that you would toss boiling water onto her. What would that achieve? I know you need this job. Why would you risk it?”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Exactly. So what happened?”

“Does it matter?” I ask. “She’ll be your wife.”

Viktor furrows his brow. “Who told you that?”

“Natasha herself. And Mrs. Green. You’re engaged to her?”

“I’m not exactly engaged to her. We’re… dating, you could say. But none of that matters. What matters is that she was hurt and you were hurt and I want to get to the bottom of it. So tell me.”

I swallow hard. “I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“You won’t. Tell me.”

“She… she tossed the water onto me. I was just making her tea and she did that. And then she… poured the water onto herself.”

“That’s what happened?”

“Yes.”

“Because Natasha claims you did it to her. Why would she say that?”

I shrug. “You’d have to ask her.”

After letting out a low sigh, he lets me go and steps back. “I am dating Natasha, yes. And that has to happen for reasons you don’t need to know about.”

Bratva reasons, I’m guessing. Except, he doesn’t know that I’m a part of the Bratva. He doesn’t know that I know his world very well.

“But I will not let her hurt you,” he continues. “I like you, Inessa. You’re a good maid. I don’t want to have to hire someone new when you’re still new yourself.”

“So, I’m not fired?”

“No. You’re not fired.” He nods to the salve. “Keep using that for the next week. I would hate for you to be scarred.”

I want to ask him why but he leaves before I can. My fingers wrap around my wound and I wince but the pain helps me focus. Natasha is going to be a problem to my job. I have no idea how to handle this situation to make sure I’m not caught. If I’m caught, worse things will happen than just me getting fired.

Viktor could kill me for all I know.

Mrs. Green confronts me when I try to go to my room. “You need to be careful.”

“Careful?”

“About Mr. Smirnov. You two are getting too close.”

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