Page 41 of Ruin

“You’re safe,” the boy says, a tear tumbling down his left cheek, because we both know his words are a lie.

The gun comes up between us in a shaky hand, aimed at him, but I don’t mean it. I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel nothing but a jarring pain stabbing inside my chest.

Kazimir’s gaze drops to the weapon between us, but he says nothing, doesn’t try to take it from me, even as he steps into it, the tiny, dark room causing my lungs to constrict. I feel like I’m suffocating.

Turning the gun over in my hand, I wave it in his direction.

“I have to go,” I crack out gruffly, voice broken, overused, it hardly comes out, the words mumbled.

“Charlie,” Kaz pleads, gaze dropping to the gun between us, he sighs heavily, taking it from my hand, our fingers brushing, his hot to my cold.

I turn my back to him, tucking my semi-erect cock away, buttoning my jeans. I scoop up my jacket from the floor, throwing it over my shoulder. My fingers brushing the door handle, I feel him take another step, his heat radiating, warming my cool back.

“I meant it,” I drop my gaze to my feet, “meanit,” he emphasises, my breath halting in my lungs. “I miss you,” he throws out desperately, but he doesn’t close the small foot of space between us.

I hear him shift, swiping, what I presume is, the back of his hand over his short stubble, the rough sound filling my ears and I think of him wiping my spit off of his skin. Pushing his fingers through his hair.

“There’s nothing to miss,” I respond, my skin crawling with the need for fresh air.

“There is,” he inhales a deep breath, blowing it out slowly, my hand hovering over the door handle. “You…” he sighs again, “I’m not saying anything right.” I grind my teeth, holding my breath. “I’ll always want you,Malysh,” he husks, something twisting in his throat.

Want.

I huff a laugh then, shaking my head, white strands of hair falling across my eyes as I drop my head forward, clinging onto the door handle.

“Wantmeans nothing, Kazimir,” I tell him roughly.

And then I wrench the door open before he can say anything else. Stepping out into the carpeted hall, gaze instantly falling on the person leaning back against the opposite wall, leather-clad leg bent, booted foot kicked up. A flush blooms high in her cheekbones, grey-green orbs staring at me, narrowing as they flick over my shoulder to Kazimir stepping out behind me.

A brow lifts high on her forehead, arms crossed over her chest. She licks her tongue across her front teeth, over her deep red painted lips, massaging them together before they pop open to speak. But I’m already storming past her, blocking out whatever shit she’s spewing at Kazimir because I don’t care.

I don’t fucking care about her opinion.

I don’t fucking care about Kazimir’s cocky bullshit statements.

I don’t fucking care about anything.

But then big blue orbs, sapphire ringed in dark honey brown, flare brightly in my mind, and my feet pick up pace.

Desperate to get me away from here.

And back to her.

Chapter19

Kazimir

Irritation spikes down my spine like acidic raindrops watching Charlie storm off, his head of white hair disappearing through the door to the stairwell. And if this bitch wasn’t in my fucking face, I’d be going after him.

Wouldn’t I?

Dima stands shadowed in a corner before the elevator, and he nods at me as I shove a hand back through my hair. Shifting my weight from one foot to the other, blowing out a frustrated breath as Kyla-Rose steps up to me, toe-to-toe. I grunt, peering down at her, she’s six feet of pure rage, but I’m still taller, angrier.

She presses up onto her tiptoes, our noses almost brushing as she gets in my face, her scent, like citrus coconuts, invading my nostrils, and I instantly miss him. Copper, cigarettes, clean and smoky, like fresh laundry left outside to dry during a bonfire on a cold night.

“Stay the fuck away from him,” she snarls in my face, the words seething through her bared teeth. “I don’t give a fuck who you are,Pakhan,” she spits my title with disgust, lazily rolling her gaze down my dishevelled suit, before dragging those bulbous orbs back up to meet mine. “But if you hurt him,” she breathes, “again.” Wrinkling her nose as though she smells something bad, her teeth rake over her bottom lip,“I will force feed you your own testicles.” A smirk flits across my mouth, a brow rising on my forehead, “While they’re still attached,” she hisses, spittle hitting my lips with her last threatening word.

Eyes flicking between hers, a deep chuckle clucking its way up my throat, I shake my head. Stepping into her, forcing her to drop back onto her heels, losing her extra inches of height from leaning up on her tiptoes.

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