Page 125 of Ruling Scar
Isolde’s blue eyes are serious, but unconflicted. “Nah.” Another shake of the head, her hands still bunched in her hoodie pockets.
I don’t see how that can be, though. Adeline killed for me.
My dry, cracked lips part. “But. . .”
“Sisters kill for one another, you know.”
Up until now, I didn’t.
Isolde’s blue eyes pierce mine. “I made my first kill for my sister.”
For all her chattiness, she never talks about herself. I know she’s from the north, but I don’t know where. I know she’s alone here, but I don’t know who she left behind in England. I know she’s good at her job, but I’ve never dared to ask her how she got started in the business.
Isolde rocks slightly in the chair. I have a feeling it’s a rocking chair Mom got for when her first grandbaby comes to spend time here.
“My younger sister was real smart,” she says. “Got into Oxford and everything.”
My brows lift.
She wipes her nose with the edge of her sleeve. “Got raped, got killed.”
Everything plunges inside me.
Isolde continues, though. “So I took a gun and shot him. I was too scared to fire off round after round like your sister, but I wish I had. I got him right in between the eyes, you know.”
Which means she stared straight into the eyes of the man who hurt her sister as she killed him.
“The only thing I regret is not shooting him before,” Isolde says firmly. How often does she wonder if she could’ve saved her sister? “Your sister’s not gonna regret taking down that bastard. None of us woulda regretted it if we pulled the trigger.”
Ren, her eyes still closed, reaches a hand out, placing it limply on my knee. Her breathing’s steady with sleep, but there’s a tug at my heart as I check my surroundings.
All my best friends, barring Ads, are here.
“Thank you,” I say softly, leaning my cheek into the headboard. She nods back.
CHAPTER 30
Elijah
Gia and I stand in silence outside of Leonora’s room.
I didn’t let her go as we drove to her house. Gia demanded she come straight to her. I’m surprised she didn’t follow Boris to the warehouse. I allowed Nat and their mother to take Leonora when we arrived, pausing at the threshold. Gia turned back, jerking her head for me to follow.
Not that they allowed me near her. I was directed to a guest bathroom.
That was hours ago. I’ve had two different conversations with my dad. One where he asked why the fuck there was a body needing to be cleaned up. An hour later he called again. That time he used his dad voice instead of the tone of a mafia king when he asked if I was all right.
After I got off the phone, I crept to Leonora’s room. Nat first barred me, telling me her sister needed rest. Then Ren and Isolde appeared and I was truly banished.
Now I stand outside listening to Isolde’s soft words.
After a moment Gia turns to me, a thread of dark hair falling into her eyes. “Let’s have a talk, you and I.”
Without waiting for a response she goes down the stairs, one step creaking.
As much as I’m loath to admit it, the Akatov home is alive in a way the Zimins never was or will be. Yelena brings a glacial fury to it that rivals the Siberian cold.
Gia’s home comes with a warmth others crave. The brown floorboards are covered in red Persian rugs. Hall tables have potted plants and books. Frames take up every inch of wall space as I follow her into the kitchen.
