Page 164 of Tarnished Tyrant (Zhukova Bratva 1)

“Not until I figure out what is wrong with you.”

“Nothing is wrong with me!”

I reach out and brush my hand across her collarbones. “Then why can I see your bones poking through your skin?”

Instantly, Belle stiffens. She catches her breath and then glances down slowly at where my fingers are touching her at the base of her throat.

“Elise is scared,” I add quietly. “She called me because she didn’t know what else to do.”

All at once, I see the fight drain out of her. Belle pulls away from me and sags into herself. Exhaustion is written in every line of her face. She leans back against the kitchen counter and folds her arms over her chest like that’s the only thing keeping her in one piece.

“It’s just anxiety,” she mumbles. “And exhaustion. The last few weeks have been… hard.” She looks up at me nervously and then chews on her lower lip.

“What are your symptoms?” I ask.

She shrugs. “Like I said, I get sick. Mostly in the afternoons. Usually before my shift. I’ll throw up once, sometimes twice.”

“Are you eating?”

“Protein bars,” she says, gesturing to the cabinet. “Cereal, when I can stomach it. But I work so much that I don’t have a lot of time, anyway. When I’m not working, I’m sleeping. That’s probably what Elise is worried about more than anything. She’s alone too much.”

I shake my head. “No. She was worried about you. She wants you to go to a doctor.”

“As soon as Tony decides to get us health insurance, I’ll get right on that,” she snorts.

“For fuck’s sake, Belle, you shouldn’t have run off like you did. I would have given you a job. I told you after what happened with Roger the first time that I’d take care of you, but you decided to leave and put yourself and Elise in danger. And why? Because you were jealous of a woman I don’t even care about?”

“Don’t act like I left over nothing,” she snaps right back. “And besides, that may be where our fight started, but I left to protect Elise.”

“Stop using your sister as an excuse.”

“Stop acting like I’m being crazy! Being part of your world isn’t safe for her. Not when Xena is in your life. Not when I’m caught in the middle of some deal with you and the Greeks. It’s not safe.”

“Running like this might not be safe, either.”

Belle’s eyes dart to my face. They’re suddenly wide, her exhaustion from a moment ago shucked off with a new burst of adrenaline. “What—what does that mean? Are they—Is someone coming after me?”

“That’s why I’m here,” I explain. “You’re sick. I need to know why.”

Slowly, Belle nods. “Oh, that’s why you’re here. It’s not because… It’s just guilt. You feel guilty. Like maybe you’re the reason this is happening.”

It’s not hard to see the conclusions she is drawing. That I don’t care about her. That I’m only here to make sure my hands are clean, so that if she dies, it won’t be my fault.

I could easily dissuade her of those opinions. All I’d have to do is unzip and show her the achingly hard cock that’s stayed stubbornly stiff since I grabbed her by the waist outside of that shithole bar and lifted her over Roger’s unconscious body.

But it’s easier this way. It’s better if she thinks I don’t care.

Because I shouldn’t. I can’t.

“I’ve never felt guilt a day in my fucking life,” I scowl. “But if the Greeks are fucking with you to try to manipulate me, that’s something I need to know.”

Belle rolls her eyes. “I’m not your child. I can handle myself.”

Something suddenly occurs to me.Child.I swallow hard. “When was your last period, Belle?”

She opens her mouth and then closes it wordlessly. She backs away from me. “I don’t know. Why the hell do you need to know?”

“Answer the question, Belle.”

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