Page 23 of Torn Souls

Betty’s unable to stop a sound filled with indignancy from leaving her lips. Kirill barely even spares her a glance beforeholding his elbow out for Oaklynn. Taking the cue, she slides her hand into the crook of his arm.

From the way Kirill’s eyes slide to me, he also sees the way she’s holding herself stiffly and keeps her movements steady. I make a humming sound and pull my phone out of my pocket to text Maxim and Huck to get to Kirill’s office immediately, if they aren’t already there, as I follow behind the pair.

Together they make a striking couple. I’m able to take in what Oaklynn is wearing and my cock throbs. The skirt she’s wearing is fitted around her hips but then flares toward her knees. Her blouse is tailored perfectly. The way her dark brown hair glistens under the lights in the hallway makes me want to reach out to find out if it is as silky as it looks.

I can feel the anger coming off Betty behind us and I’m pretty sure I hear her stomp her foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum. The woman is a problem, I already know. It’s why I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and her movements.

She’s the kind of person who could be easily turned by our enemies. Even though she’s desperate for attention from any of us, there is not an ounce of loyalty inside of her.

Kirill leads Oaklynn straight to one of the high back chairs in his office and we both watch intently as she gingerly takes a seat and crosses her ankles while smoothing her skirt down over her knees. Her poise is obvious, but nothing can hide the pain I see flash in her eyes as she gets comfortable.

“Can I get you something to drink,Solnishko?” Kirill’s voice is smooth and there’s a glimmer of mischief in his eyes as he pushes her before she can decline. “Water? Maybe something stronger?”

Her shoulders slump slightly as if she’s unable to carry her burden any longer. “Something stronger would be wonderful,” she whispers. “I don’t need anything frilly. I enjoy whiskey and vodka. No gin,” she grimaces slightly, the disgust clear.

I chuckle softly as I sit on the couch, putting myself closest to her because I can’t bear to be too far away while knowing Kirill will want the chair across from her so he can study her. The man is observant to a fault and his eyes haven’t stopped assessing her since the moment he walked up to us.

After Kirill hands her a tumbler and she takes a sip, she seems to relax a little. You wouldn’t know from the way she’s holding herself, but I can see it in her face. She glances toward me before directing her attention to Kirill.

Oaklynn takes a deep breath, steeling herself, but before she can say anything Huck and Maxim rush into the room. Both of their eyes are wide and a little wild, but the moment that they see Oaklynn sitting in the chair, their bodies slump slightly.

Maxim smirks as he strides toward our woman, stopping just short of looming over her. “What are you doing here,Zolotse?”

Oaklynn blushes and glances down at her hands before looking back up into his smirking face. “I came to speak to Mr. Volkov about my father.” Her eyes slide around the room before landing on Kirill again. “He’s not a good man and the only reason he offered me up to you as a trophy is because he expects me to spy on you for him.”

Even though her words don’t surprise any of us, silence descends in the room. When her shoulders roll inward, as if to protect herself, I want to go and shoot Richard Chambers. It would be too quick an end for him though.

The fear in Oaklynn’s eyes is unacceptable and I’ll do everything in my power to erase it and ensure it never comes back.

CHAPTER 8

KIRILL

Even though I’m shocked to see Oaklynn, something settled inside of me the moment I walked out and saw her. Until that moment, I couldn’t understand why I felt the need to step out of my office, but it was a feeling I couldn’t ignore. A thrill I’ve never felt before shot through me at seeing her.

I was blown away with a single glance. Not only was Oaklynn poised, her head held high, but she was perfectly dressed. My cock instantly took notice of her flirty skirt and the way her blouse is hugging every single one of her curves.

It took me a moment to notice the way Betty was spitting fire and acting like a territorial bitch, but the moment I did, I could barely contain my fury. Striding closer to Oaklynn with Baker at her side, I was embarrassed and enraged by Betty attempting to keep our woman away from me. It wasn’t going to fly. Not then, not ever.

Now, I have our woman sitting in my office and looking regal and ready to take on entire armies. What she doesn’t realize is that she’ll never have to take on anything or anyone again. I’ll gladly stand in front of her and slay whoever tries to harm her.

I’m not surprised by Oaklynn’s confession. Of course, her father is only using her. I would expect nothing less from sucha spineless coward who is trying to grasp power by any means necessary.

I sit down in the armchair across from our woman, needing to see her, study her. The longer I look at her, the more anger fills me. She’s folded in on herself and the strength she showed just moments ago has become mist as the room becomes overrun by palpable anger.

Oaklynn’s eyes come up and meet mine before she glances at the men who have joined us. “I realize you are probably aware my father is not a man who can be trusted. I’m sure you’ve done your research and I’m not sure that I can add any information to it. While he has kept me as sheltered as possible, I’ve heard whispers and met men who I would rather run away from over the years. I was supposed to be married to the son of the man my father used to work for, but something changed a while ago. It was never explained to me. I was just grateful for the change,” she admits softly.

My hands clench into fists at the idea of her being married to Mikhail, who I’m sure is the person she was supposed to marry. I exchange glances with the guys and can see the same fire of rage burning in their eyes.

“You’re here to simply inform us that your father is a bad man?” My voice is neutral, almost bored. “What do you hope to gain from this?”

I don’t give away the knowledge that this woman is meant to be ours. It’s too soon and I’m not sure she would believe me yet. She’s been burned by the one man in her life who was supposed to always protect her and put her first.

Trust is hard earned and I’m sure it’ll be no different with Oaklynn.

“Nothing,” Oaklynn states, her face shuttering into something wary and closed off. I hate it. “I just don’t believe you should be tricked into something.”

Maxim’s chuckle is dark, almost sinister. “We’re rarely tricked,Zolotse. It never escaped our notice or our intel that your father is a bastard.”

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