Page 48 of Sinful Union

She exhales, staring out the window at the passing buildings. “I’m renting a tiny place with a roommate in Bushwick right now,” she says. “I moved to the city a few years ago. I met Piotr at a club one night, and, well, I guess you can figure out the rest.”

“Do you work? Go to school?”

“I wait tables,” she says quietly, as if ashamed. “Nothing fancy. Just enough to pay the rent and keep up with the bills.”

There’s a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes, so I don’t push too hard. “I’m guessing Piotr didn’t tell you much about his business?”

She lets out a bitter laugh. “He makes it clear I’m not supposed to know anything about him. Doesn’t want me asking questions, doesn’t want me around when he’s talking business. Guess he assumed I’d never overhear anything.”

“And yet, you did.”

She nods once, with her lips pressed tightly together. “And now I’m stuck. I know too much, but not enough to protect myself.”

“You’re not stuck anymore, Darya. I know you’re scared, but I promise; you’re safer with me than you were on your own.”

“I just…I don’t want to be dragged into something bigger than me.”

“I get it. But it’s already bigger than both of us. Piotr’s playing a dangerous game—one that puts people at risk. If you stay out there on your own, you’ll be the perfect target.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“Then trust the fact that we both want the same thing,” I say firmly. “To keep Piotr from destroying more lives.”

She doesn’t respond right away, but finally, she nods, brushing a tear from her cheek. “Alright, I’ll try.”

It’s not a declaration of faith, but it’s a start. She seems nice, smart, not the kind of woman I’d expect Piotr to keep around. But she is sleeping with my brother, which means I can’t trust her, not entirely. This could all be part of his game.

Still, just because I don’t trust her doesn’t mean she can’t be useful. There’s no harm in asking a few questions.

I keep my tone casual. “How long have you and Piotr been seeing each other?”

She sniffles and wipes at her eyes. “A couple of years.”

I glance at her, frowning. “A couple ofyears?” I repeat, just to make sure I heard her correctly.

She nods. “Two years, almost. But we’re not really together. It’s just for fun or, at least, it was. What you saw just now, back at the house, that’s not normal.”

“I’m confused. You and Piotr haven’t been sleeping together?”

Her eyes flash. “No! That’s not what I meant. I meant it happening in his office is not normal. Normally, everything we do happens at hotels. We meet, and then he sends me off with a little spending money.” She pauses, as if processing her words. “God, it sounds so bad when I put it like that. I don’t ask for the money.”

“It’s fine. No judgment here.”

“But you know what the worst part is?”

“What’s that?”

She shifts her weight, and I can tell that whatever she’s going to say next isn’t easy for her.

“I always think that the next time we meet, he’s going to want to take things to a more serious place. I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help it. When he said that he wanted to meet at his house, my heart leaped a bit. He had invited me to stay the night for the first time. Part of me hates him, but another part jumped at it, certain that he was ready to turn this into something more than a two-year-long fling. God, I’m such an idiot.”

I laugh. “You’re not an idiot, Darya. It happens. When someone has their hooks in you, sometimes they use that leverage to make you dance around a bit.”

I’m trying to keep things light, but I’m really pissed. Piotr is notorious for treating women this way. Darya has no idea how many women my brother has pulled the same stunt with over the years.He takes what he wants, when he wants it, but he usually doesn’t keep women around for as long as he’s kept Darya.

“Sometimes I overhear, but sometimes he tells me things he probably shouldn’t.”

“Like what?”

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