Page 55 of Shared By 3

“So tell me,” she says. “Tell me what the Volkovs did. Tell me what the world did to justify you doing the same to other people. If you’re determined to get your revenge and nothing can stop you, so be it, but if you can’t admit to yourself what brought you here, that means there’s more to deal with than just trauma, doesn’t it?”

I hold my breath as I roll onto my hands and knees. My gun cocked, ready to go. I peek under the desk, then find the area that I hollowed out for a better view. There’s Yuri. He’s older, that’s for sure. His blonde hair is shaved on the sides and kept short on the top. He has a slight beard coming in, the same sharp blue eyes, but he looks like a normal man now.

Other than the gun shaking in his hand and the way he’s looming over Valerie, who’s now on the floor.

“You can’t be trusted.”

“I don’t trust you either,” she grits out, a ballsy move considering she’s supposed to be calming him down. She sits the chair back up and sits between me and Yuri. He settles. And she nods. “Neither of us are stupid, Yuri.”

“No,” he agrees.

“So let’s both be honest with each other. I don’t like what my fiancés do for a living. I think they are tempting death to take them. I don’t like the various businesses and deals the mafia has their fingers in. I’ve talked about it with Hunter and Chase. They don’t like it either and they want to make changes. I’m betting it’s because they had to watch kids, just like you, die.”

Yuri doesn’t answer right away.

“I don’t want more to die. I don’t want anyone dead. If I had my way, war, battles, violence would just evaporate and people would talk to fix things instead of killing their target so they can’t be proven wrong or get better,” Valerie says.

Yuri stands and cocks the gun, putting it to Valerie’s forehead. “I’m not wrong.”

She says nothing, just stares at him. I aim at his leg. But if I do that and he squeezes the trigger, Valerie’s dead. I have to get his gun off her first.

“You should sit down, Yuri,” she says. “We were having a pleasant conversation, and I’d rather not have that change.”

“This isn’t pleasant! You’re just as bad as they are! Why don’t you see reason? It’s right there!” He demands, raising his voice.

“You will lower your voice when you speak to me or this will not go the way you want it to,” Valerie warns with all the hiss of a rattlesnake.

“Fuck you,” he snarls.

“If you want to continue this session, you will sit down, stow your gun, and speak to me, or-”

“You should stop telling me what to do,” he snarls. “You don’t get it. You’re a pawn. You’re moved around based on their orders and nothing-”

Valerie moves fast, moving his arm so the gun fires into the wall. He gets out a shout as she brings his arm over her knee, breaking it. I hear the crack even from where I’m standing. Yuri lets out a scream, but Valerie kicks him in the balls. When he stumbles for the gun, she grabs the chair, breaks it over his back, then pins him to the ground with his hand over his back and under her ass. She sits there, one heel digging into his thigh with his hand at an awful angle.

I keep the gun on him. “Dorogaya?”

“Told you I can handle things,” she says to me.

Yuri gapes at me. “No, you ... you left! You-”

“Shut the fuck up,” Valerie snarls, grabbing his head and shoving it into the carpet.

The door is forced open and her boss comes in. Valerie pants, shaking, eyes watery, blood dripping from her temple and her mouth. She spits it on him.

“Dr. Leigha, can you please call the police?” Valerie asks.

“Yes, Yes.”

“Lief is here,” I comment.

“You ... but you-”

“Hunter is an experienced body guard,” Valerie dismisses. “The police, please.”

“You stupid little-” Yuri says.

Valerie pops two fingers out of place, silencing him. She lifts her leg and drives her heel into his thigh. He can’t even make a sound at that pain. She pants in Russian. “I’m not a fucking pawn. I’m a goddamn queen.”

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