Page 84 of Innocent Prey of the Bratva
I take a slow step forward, keeping my voice measured. “Where did you get the burner phone you gave Violet?”
Arina blinks. “The burner? It was just something I had—standard stash. You know that.”
“No,” I say, “I don’t know that.”
They glance at Maxim like they don’t understand where this is going. “Boss, why are you asking me this?”
I walk closer. “Where did you get it?”
“I told you—”
“Say it again,” I snap. “But this time, don’t lie.”
Their mouth parts like they’re about to protest, but nothing comes out.
“You were watching her,” I say, voice low. “That phone was tracking her every twelve hours. Sending her location. It was never for her. It was to monitor her.”
Arina frowns, the color draining from their face just a little. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Don’t.” I snarl, stepping in. “Don’t play this game with me.”
“I swear to God, Kaz,” they whisper, voice starting to shake, “I didn’t do anything. I gave her the phone to help her. You can’t think I’d hurt her—hurt you.”
Maxim shifts beside me, unsure. “Kaz,” he mutters, “maybe we should take a second—”
“Shut up,” I growl without looking at him.
Arina’s lip trembles now. Their eyes shine, wet. “You think I’d betray you after everything? After what we’ve been through? Kaz, please. You’re like my brother.”
“No.” I breathe hard, fists at my sides. “Don’t say that. Don’t fucking call me your brother.”
“Kaz—”
I slam my fist against the wall just beside their head. The sound cracks the air like a whip. Maxim flinches.
Arina jumps, a tear slipping down their cheek now, but I don’t back down.
“Tell me the truth,” I snarl. “Tell me before I stop asking.”
They wipe their cheek. “It wasn’t meant to go that far. I didn’t want her hurt. I didn’t even know who the information was going to. It was just insurance. That’s all it was at first.”
My stomach flips. “Insurance?”
“I needed a way to keep you in check, Kaz,” Arina says, quieter now, but no longer trembling. Their voice steadies, sharpening like a blade. “You fell in love. With her. And that made you reckless. That made her a liability.”
Maxim stares, stunned. “Arina…what the fuck are you saying?”
I don’t move.
Arina looks right at me. “You stopped thinking clearly the moment she entered your life. I saw the signs. You softened. You hesitated. You made us vulnerable.”
“You sold her out.” My voice is gravel. “You betrayed me.”
“I protected you,” they fire back, voice rising. “From yourself. From what she was turning you into.”
My hands curl into fists again. “She’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me. You don’t get to decide who I love. You don’t get to sabotage it because it doesn’t serve you.”
They lift their chin. “Then maybe you should’ve remembered who you were before her.”
