“What?”
She stops short, clearly having assumed I know more than I do. “Um…”
“You came upstairs today?”
She sighs, her eyes darting from side to side. “I just needed some fresh air, Uri. It was no big deal. As you can see, I’m back in the basement prison.”
“Who did you use?”
Her eyes flash back at me. “I didn’t ‘use’ anyone. Polly and Lev—”
“Polly and Lev!” I explode. “You manipulated my brother and sister to get out of the damn basement?”
Now, she looks as pissed as I feel. “They came down to see me. We decided to go upstairs together for a bit. And it was great! Lev and Polly got along, we laughed, we talked. It was amazing and I won’t let you make me feel guilty for that.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” I spit. “You think we need you? You’re not the fucking Bugrov sibling whisperer.”
Her face screws up, jaw tight and eyes flashing. “I don’t claim to be anything like that. But I do know that those two kids seek me out for a reason.”
“They’re bored—that’s all it is. They seek you out because they’re bored. Just like I do.”
Her entire body tenses. Then she grabs a pillow and flings it at me. “Get out! Get out of my basement!”
I probably should listen to her. I’m entirely too stressed and too pissed off for this argument. But I’m not about to let her win, either.
I stalk over to the gaming area, rip the Xbox out of the socket, and turn to her with the wires dangling to the ground like severed arteries. “How long has this been going on?”
Her face ripples with awareness. She knows exactly what I’m talking about.
“Answer me.”
She flinches, her entire body recoiling like someone electrocuted her. “It was innocent, okay?”
“Who did you contact?”
“Elle. She’s the only person I talked to and I didn’t tell her anything.”
“You really expect me to believe that?”
“Yes!” she snaps loudly. “Yes, I do expect you to believe that, because it’s the truth. I contacted her last week! If I’d told her anything at all, the cops would have swarmed this place days ago.”
I narrow my eyes. “If the conversations were totally innocent, then why did you delete them?”
“Self-preservation,” she throws at me. “I knew you’d fly off the handle. Like you’re doing right now.”
“Then why’d you do it at all?”
“Because she’s my friend, Uri. She’s my best friend and she’s getting married tomorrow and I won’t be there.” A sob escapes her lips but she keeps going. “I won’t be at my best friend’s wedding because I’m trapped here with you. I owed her an explanation at the very least. So yeah, I broke your rules and I contacted her and you’re damn lucky I did, too, because she was on the verge of contacting the police and filling out a missing person’s report!”
Her chest rises and falls heavily as she waits for me to break the pregnant silence.
I storm forward and push her up against the wall. This time, it’s different though. I’m not gentle and I’m not trying to be. I want her to know I mean business. I want her to know that I’m dangerous.
Her eyes are huge as my hand wraps around her throat. “You don’t have a right to privacy in my territory,” I snarl. “You don’t have a right to anything here.”
“Y-you’re… hurting… me.”
Her voice is small and trembling but still, I don’t remove my hand. Her eyes are filled with tears but she never removes them from my face. Somewhere, in the midst of those deep cerulean eyes, I can see that I’ve taken things too far. I’ve crossed a line that I might never be able to come back from.
And when I see the shock give way to fear, that’s when I know I’m right.
All the rage inside me shrivels. The animal inside me backs down.
But it’s too late. It’s too damn late.
I drop my hand and step back. She grabs her throat as though she’s worried I’ve ripped it right off. She stares at me with wide, accusing eyes.
And I see myself reflected in them. Not a brother or a pakhan or a righteous man protecting the ones he loves.
Just a desperate coward who’s losing control.
57
ALYSSA
The slam of the basement door feels like a gunshot.
I slide down to the ground as the sobs come in, deep and guttural and drenched with desperation. I pull my legs up, rest my head on my knees, and cry until I’ve expelled what feels like all the water in my body.