And now look what’s happened.
I think back to last night and the hurt in Kris’s eyes.
I fucked up.
Let a man affect me in a way no one has since I was hardly more than a child.
It was easy to get caught up in the mystery that was Sin, and then there was the sex. I haven’t been celibate over the years, but I haven’t felt a connection like that since Dmitri. I won’t deny I still want the man, that he makes my knees weak and my pussy wet, but I can’t let that guide my decisions.
“Trust no one but yourself, Galina.”
Vasily’s voice, for once, is welcome.
I need his harsh reminders to get me through this.
The fortress is bustling with movement, but I ignore everyone as I stride down the corridors, my resting bitch face in place.
It isn’t until I get to the solitude of my office that I drop the face. I lock the door and press my back to it as my breath comes back, ragged and broken. I gasp with my chest heaving, a weight seeming to be pressing on it and keeping me from breathing deeply.
When my phone dings, I look down at the screen.
Contracts officially cancelled, the message from Kris says. I feel my bottom lip quiver.
Another ding.
Where are you?
I stare down at the text and consider Sin’s earlier words.
“Have you considered those inside your organization?”
My eyes read the message from Kris again before I click my phone off without responding. Double checking that the door’s locked, I walk over to my computer.
I don’t trust anyone anymore. Vasily was right. It’s only me.
It’s time to do some digging and find out what the fuck really happened.
Chapter 34
Sin
I can’t sayI’m surprised to be back here. It’s always a fucking shot in the dark, trying to get close to a target. I couldn’t resist the temptation, and rather than let this be an in and out job, I got close.
We both made that mistake, I decide.We were both led easily into the temptation of one another.
It can’t be more than a few hours later when Krystof steps in with a sneer on his face. It takes everything I have not to snap the fucking chains and….
“This suits you, Dmitri,” he says with mock casualness in our native tongue. I try to keep my expression as neutral as I can, but my nostrils flare, my heart beating faster at hearing the long-forgotten name. “You’ve belonged in chains for a long time. It’s about time she put you in your place.”
I can’t hold back the growl that leaves from my throat, the chains holding my arms clanking together as I pull forward. He laughs, kneeling in front of me. I look at him and consider if I’m close enough to head butt him or perhaps rip his nose off with my teeth. Somehow, he seems to see my intent, shifting a touch farther away.
“How’d you figure it out?”
Krystof shrugs. “Galina sent in some samples. I got to the results first.”
My molars grind together. So she doesn’t know yet.
“You know, brother, I honestly don’t know what to say,” Krystof concedes, surprise in his tone. “Out of all the things I expected to find out about the dreaded Sin … that you’re nothing more than the pissant who stole our baby sister's innocence, well, it’s frankly underwhelming. Here I thought I’d find some big bad story, but no, you’re just a scarred piece of shit with a fucking vengeance complex. That’s why you came back, right? Only reason I can think of. But why the fuck would you even care after all this time?”