Page 31 of Terror at the Gates

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“If you thought that was a woman in distress, I worry about your wife, Koval.”

Zahariev lowered his gun. “If you will give us a moment,” he said. “We were just about finished.”

The enforcers exchanged a look. I wanted to punch him in the liver. He was supposed to deny their accusation, not affirm it.

“Of course,” said Burke. He closed the curtain.

I rose to my feet as Zahariev turned to face me.

“Get dressed,” he said.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I said, frustrated by his command. It was one I didn’t need. “Do you think I want to walk out there like this? The way they caught us was bad enough. What if they tell my dad? He’s already threatened to kill you once today.”

Zahariev raised a brow, but he didn’t ask why, likely because he wasn’t surprised.

“They aren’t going to tell your father anything,” he insisted.

“They’re enforcers, Zahariev,” I said as I stepped into my skirt. “If they don’t tell my father, they’ll tell the fucking church.”

God, what had I beenthinking?

“They aren’t going to tell the church either,” he said.

“How do you fuckingknow, Zahariev?”

It was so easy for him to be unconcerned. He was not held to the same moral standards I was. If word got out about this, I would be shamed, not him. Worse, though, I would be forced home and likely locked in my room until my mother and father arranged a marriage.

“Because Burke has been embezzling money from thechurch for years, and Koval is cheating on his wife,” said Zahariev. “They’re not going to say afuckingthing, Lilith.”

While his words brought some relief, his frustration kept me on edge. For a few seconds there, I’d forgotten who he was.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to make you mad. I just…”

I thought I’d just lost everything.

“I’m not mad,” he said, but the irritation in his voice told me otherwise. His eyes darted down my front. For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of regret. I wanted to latch on to that and milk it for everything it was worth, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

“Get dressed,” he said again.

I hurried to button my shirt and traded my heels for my flats. Despite being more put together than before, nothing was going to ease the embarrassment of leaving this room with Zahariev to face these enforcers.

When I was ready, I approached Zahariev. Now that I was a little more clearheaded, I could think about why they were really paying him a visit.

“What did you do with Ephraim?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he said.

“Zahariev,” I said, a note of disapproval in my voice, though I didn’t think he was lying exactly. He was just avoiding my question.

His lips quirked. “Careful, little love. You’re starting to sound like my mother.”

He pulled back the curtain, and I stepped out ahead of him but let him take the lead down the hallway. I didn’t want to be the first person to greet the enforcers.

We found Burke and Koval waiting near the bar. Fromtheir expressions, I suspected they had overheard what Zahariev had told me about them.

“What do you want?” Zahariev asked.

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