Page 67 of Tarnished Queen

His nostrils flare, but he eventually holds up his hands in a silent surrender. “I told you I trust you, sir, and I meant that. Even now, I trust your judgment. But everyone else might not feel the same way I do.”

“What are you saying?” I ask, my voice laced with warning.

“I’m saying that the Bratva is on edge. And if they thought you were grieving Arslan’s death, maybe they could be convinced you weren’t thinking rationally.”

“Who would convince them of that?” I snap. “You’re the next in command after me. Those men answer to you. A fish rots from the head. If they’re disloyal, what does that say about you?”

Yuri goes still. “You can’t make me personally responsible for how they feel.”

“I can do anything I fucking want, Yuri.”

“What do you want me to do?” he asks, desperation creeping in.

“Whatever you see fit,” I tell him. “But if you’d like to live, then I suggest you find lots of nice things to say about your don. Convince the men I’m of sound mind and that Belle isn’t a threat.”

When he nods, his skull shakes like a bobblehead.

I wave my hand. “Good. You’re dismissed. Get to it.”

Yuri leaves without another word. His eyes are unfocused. He doesn’t even glance at Christo as he walks out of my office and into the hallway.

As soon as he’s gone, Christo lets out a low whistle. “Attacks coming on all sides, it seems.”

“So it seems,” I growl. “You’re not winning me any popularity contests.”

“I’m not winning any myself, either. Xena is sending men after me.”

I look him over and notice the dark circles under his eyes. “Is that why you look like shit?”

“It’s hard to sleep when trained assassins are coming after you.” He walks around my desk and drops into the chair Yuri just vacated. “I’m guessing you’ll know all about that feeling soon.”

“Do you have confirmation Xena is planning something?”

He shakes his head. “I wasn’t talking about Xena.”

“Yuri?” I ask, intuiting his meaning. “Yuri won’t come for me.”

“No. But if he’s right, your men might. You could have a mutiny on your hands. Especially if you keep Belle around.”

The way he says her name so flippantly has my hackles rising. I sit a little taller, and Christo notices. The man notices everything.

He holds his hands up in surrender. “She’s a target on both sides. Your men want her because they think she’s a traitor, and Xena wants her because you want her.” He snorts. “Hell, the Battiatos, too, for that matter, though they’re mostly just Xena’s puppets at this stage. Point is, anyone gunning for you will be gunning for her, too.”

“You think I should cut her loose?” It’s not an actual suggestion, but I am curious what he thinks.

“Only if you want her to end up dead,” he sighs. “It’s too late for that now. She’s tangled up in this mess with you. Fiancée or not, you put a target on her back. And a target in her womb to boot. The Zhukova heir will come with a hefty bounty.”

I nod slowly. “I know.”

“So what are you going to do?” Christo asks.

“Keeping her close is dangerous. Setting her free is dangerous.” I shrug. “It seems like the only option is to get her out of here. Hide her somewhere.”

“I doubt she’ll like that.”

I snort. “What else is new?”

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