Page 34 of Secrets & Lies

Chapter 15

Kinsley

Laser-Focused

As I gazed upon the brother with the crow tattoo, I couldn’t help but marvel at how different he was from his brother. While he shared Aleksandr’s height and muscular build, that was where the similarities stopped.

Nikolai King’s face was smooth and clean-shaven, giving him a boyish charm that made my heart flutter. But it was his emerald-green eyes framed by thick, dark lashes that made them appear all the more vibrant, that truly took my breath away. And his jet-black hair, so distinct from his brother’s, only added to his striking appearance.

I almost lost it when he spoke Russian. It was magical, and his rich tone made me wish to respond in kind. Hearing a complete sentence in my native tongue almost brought tears to my eyes.

How long has it been? Too long.

I followed him through the club toward the back. Knowing that Aleksandr was right behind me only increased my nerves. Passing two security guards at the end of the hall, we entered the office. Sarah was sitting up.

The man talking to her on the couch looked up, and a tremble shot through me. I backed up a step at the first sight of him. As my body met Aleksandr’s behind me, I flushed and quickly took a step further into the office.

His gaze was piercing, and there was a coolness to him. He looked every bit capable of horrible things. Swallowing hard, I ignored the surprised look on his face. This must be the third brother. He was massive, all muscle, and looked like he could kill someone with his bare hands. What my manager said came rushing back to me.

“You came. My ankle hurts bad,” Sarah slurred. Tears formed in her eyes.

“What happened?” I asked as I approached the couch. Good lord, how much alcohol had she consumed?

“Do you know where we are? This is the club I wanted to take you to for your birthday. Isn’t it amazing? These are the hot-as-fuck owners.” Sarah’s voice was louder than it needed to be. Her comment made me groan as the three of them chuckled.

“Yes, I know. ‘Amazing’ isn’t how I’d describe it, but I’m glad you finally got in. Now tell me, what happened?” I asked again, talking to her like a child.

“Well, I don’t remember. Isn’t that awful? I only remember falling in the bathroom, and he carried me in here,” she said, flushing as she looked at the man next to her like he was some choir boy at church.

“Sarah Williams, this isn’t a game. We need to get you to the hospital. That looks broken,” I said, frowning and looking at her ankle propped up on a pillow. My anger took over, and I turned to Aleksandr.

“You’re an ass. Do you know you may be costing her her future by not rushing her directly to the hospital and wasting time waiting for me? Do you? Of course you don’t. You like to play selfish games with people and their lives. She has an audition coming up that could land her a full scholarship to Juilliard. She needs her ankle looked at immediately.”

I strode over to him, shoving him in the chest. “Did you do this? You threatened to break my wrist. Are you seriously this sick?” I shoved him again. “You need professional help. What is wrong with you, all of you?” I glanced at the three of them.

Nikolai smiled at me like a child. The other brother let his cool gaze wash over my body, and Aleksandr’s cheek twitched in anger.

“I threatened to breakyourwrist because you pulled a blade on me. Any other man would be dead. Consider yourself lucky,” Aleksandr said calmly, even though his eyes were blazing.

“Wait, did you say blade?” the man on the couch asked, perking up, while Nikolai laughed.

“Oh, didn’t share that with your brothers, huh? You might want to know your leader here is slipping. If he had taken any other liberty with me aside from sniffing me like the dog he is, my blade would have drawn a hell of a lot more blood than it did.”

I had no idea if he was truly their leader, but it seemed possible, so I went with it.

“What did you just call me?” he growled.

I had deliberately chosen to wear the choker collar, complete with its dangling whip. Deep down, I knew it would provoke a reaction from Alek, as if my intuition sensed his primal instincts lurking beneath his composed exterior.

He reached out, seized it, and pulled me closer, and a surge of unexpected surrender washed over me, leaving me bewildered and questioning my own actions. I lowered my head while internally screamingWTF? It was as if my body and mind conspired against me, compelling me to bow to him in submission. It felt wrong but also so veryright.

I took deep breaths, trying to ignore the unexpected reaction from Alek. From beneath my lowered gaze, I observed a subtle shift in his demeanor. His chest rose and fell with each breath he drew until, finally, he regained his composure, giving me enough time to formulate my next move.

Just below my guise of submission, I simmered with defiance. Vowing to turn this situation around, I raised my eyes, allowing him to see the fire burning within. “I’ve played your game, Reaper. I don’t know what you want, but you need to stay away from my friend and me,” I said, looking up.

“Or what? What will you do if I don’t?” he asked, tilting his head, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“I’ll be forced to bring you to heel. I wonder how much of a hit your reputation might take, but I’ve no doubt I could accomplish the goal.” Reaching up, I traced his fingers as he clenched the whip of the choker.

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