Page 251 of Gilded Cage (Kovalyov Bratva 1)

As though she senses my presence, she looks up and catches sight of me outside the cabin. A huge smile spreads across her face, bathing her in brightness that only enhances her natural beauty.

And then her smile fades into a frown.

Her eyes squint at me as though she’s trying to figure something out.

She darts away from the window and appears at the front door, before running down the stairs towards me. She stops short when she sees the state that I’m in and I see the devastation and panic in her eyes.

“Oh, my God,” she breathes. “Oh, my God… Artem…”

“It’s not what you think,” I say hurriedly, before I can think things through.

She freezes. “What?”

I can’t tell her the truth.

I can’t bear to destroy the happiness that’s radiated from her ever since we arrived in these mountains.

I say the first excuse that pops into my head. “It was a deer.”

“A deer?” she repeats incredulously.

I nod and force a smile onto my face. “It’s the craziest story, but… this is just deer blood,” I say. “I’m fine.”

She stares at me for a long moment.

For a second, I think she’s going to call my bluff. Demand to know what really happened.

But then she smiles with relief and exhales sharply.

“Oh, my God,” she says again. “For a second there, I thought… well, I thought we’d been found out.”

I watch how her hands fall protectively over her stomach.

I reach for her, stopping just short of actually touching her.

“I should wash up first,” I say, wiggling my bloodstained fingers.

She nods with raised eyebrows. “Oh definitely,” she says. “We might even have to strip you naked to make sure we get you clean from head to toe.”

And then she frowns, a little line forms on her forehead as she turns to me.

“Wait. Where’s the deer?”

“What?”

“You said that you’re covered in deer blood,” Esme says. “Where’s the deer?”

“Oh… He got away,” I reply, making my tone as convincing as possible. “A stag, in fact. The big fucker was impossible. Got away from me three times before I finally managed to shoot him. Gotthisclose to him too, but before I could finish the job, he bolted again and knocked me over in the process. Right here.” I tap the bruise on my forehead where Blondie had clipped me.

“Really?” Esme says, looking dubious.

“I’ll explain it better when I’ve cleaned up.”

She smiles and nods. “My husband loses a fight to a deer. Can’t wait to hear more ofthat.”

Despite how filthy I am, she reaches up on her tiptoes and kisses the tip of my nose. Then she gives me a little wink and leads me into the house.

I follow her calmly, but my heart is hammering on the inside. Darkness settles over the mountains.

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