Page 66 of The Enemy's Defector
“For fuck’s sake,” Sloane muttered dryly, confirming my hunch that she wasn’t born a classy lady. “Katerina, no one’s going to kick you out of here for bad behavior. Stop walking on eggshells.” She turned to Lucy. “Lucy, you’re putting on a shitty mean girl act. It’s just not who you are.” Clapping once, loudly, she then beckoned at us with gimme hands. “So let’s get this over with now. There’s way too many cocky men around here for us women not to get along and stand together.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at me, then Lucy. “Get whatever grudge you got out of your system so we can move on, huh?”
“I don’t have a grudge,” I replied.
“Nope. Me neither,” Lucy said, hugging herself.
Sloane groaned. “Comeon.” Facing Lucy, she narrowed her eyes. “What’s your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem,” she replied with a pout.
“I would say I’m sorry,” I said, meaning it. “But I think that’s pointless now. You clearly seem happy with Damon and content to live here with him. If I were to apologize for asking you to take my place in that marriage arrangement, that would be the same as asking you not to be his wife and live here now.”
Her frown stayed in place. “Just because everything worked out well doesn’t mean you get a free pass for how you manipulated me.”
“I didn’t manipulate anything,” I protested. “I didn’t deceive you.”
“Oh, that’s how you see it?” She shook her head. “You told me I just had to come here and marry one of them in name only. That I wouldn’t have to have sex.”
Sloane cracked up. “Ah, fuck, Lucy. It’s not like you didn’t like it.” She grinned. “Not like you’re not pregnant and happy.”
“I am. Now. But when I came here, I was scared and…” She shook her head. “That’s besides the point now.”
“Exactly,” Sloane said. “It’s all in the past and besides the point now.”
Lucy wasn’t having it. “You lied to me, Katerina. You still lied to me, and it’s the principle of that. You lied that I wouldn’t be expected to sleep with him at first. You lied to me that you’d pay for my mother’s care. You totally reneged?—”
“That’s not true.” I shook my head. “I did make a payment. Then Dmitri, one of my uncle’s favorite guards…” She grimaced. “Yeah, him. You remember Dmitri. He found out about that payment somehow and stopped it. I had to tread carefully so they wouldn’t stop me from doing anything else or getting out.”
“Is that the man you killed?” Sloane asked. “The one you killed and pissed off Anton about?”
I nodded, looking back at Lucy. “I killed him when he tried to rape me when I was escaping. Because I was done with them all. I intended to leave and help you, just like I promised.”
She still looked hurt and skeptical, so I let out a deep breath and risked being more open. I wasn’t reaching her, and I would try again. “I’m sorry that you feel like you can’t trust me, but I didn’t lie. When I asked you to take my place, I didn’t think they’d expect you to consummate anything, just that they’d dismiss you and try to figure out why I wasn’t here instead. I did pay for your mother’s care, but it was out of my control to make it go through. And I did mean it when I said I’d help you divorcewhoever you’d married once I was out of Anton’s control. But now I see that asking you to pretend to be me turned out to be the best thing in your life.”
I waited for her to soften up or give me an indication that she wasn’t going to hold a grudge against me forever. A long moment of silence followed, and I hated that this would take longer to resolve.
“See?” Sloane broke the ice. “She’s not some supervillain you gotta hate forever.” She patted my back. “And she’s right. You’re so in love and addicted to Damon that it’s annoying. I never thought I’d say this about Damon, but you guys aresoone of those annoying couples.”
Lucy looked away, not replying one way or another for another moment. “It’s just not easy to trust you anymore,” she admitted. “I thought we were becoming friends, and then you duped me and…” She shrugged.
“Oh, my goodness!”
We all three turned toward the foyer, seeing a woman entering with a suitcase.
My jaw dropped, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I wanted to cry happy tears. “Joann!”
Without a thought, I ran to her. I was so stunned to see her here. I was over the moon to finally face someone who was happy to be near me.
She held her arms out and embraced me in a huge hug. “Oh, my.” She sniffled, falling prey to those same happy tears I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Katerina! Look at you!” She held me at arm’s length, beaming at me like a mother checking over her child. In so many ways, she was the only mother I ever had to count on. Seeing her and feeling this little bit of love were all I needed to feel like there was hope for my heart to heal.
“I couldn’t believe it when he called,” she said, hugging me again and rocking us back and forth. “I was hiding with Malcolm until we had to split.”
I reared back, worried. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Anton sent soldiers after us at the first safehouse, but we split up and stayed safe at the other ones.”
I exhaled in relief, proud of myself that I hadn’t messed up with them. But her words sank in quickly, passing the surprise and joy of seeing her. “Wait. Who called?” I felt stupid to ask. If she was here and the butler was bringing in her suitcase, obviously, this was arranged by someone who had the authority.
“Nik,” Joann replied with a laugh.
