Page 2 of Tarnished Tyrant (Zhukova Bratva 1)

"You're coming with me because there's no way I'm leaving you alone in the apartment for a week," I tell her. "I’m pretty sure it's illegal."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Not according to the law. So you're coming with me and you're going to be nice to Roger and you're going to—"

"You’re not my mom!”

Elise isn’t quite yelling, but her voice is raised and people are taking notice. If Iwasher mom, I’d grab her hand and drag her after me, kicking and screaming. No one would give us a second look.

But she’s right—I’m not her mom. I’m her sister. Yet I’m the one here dealing with her angst. As if I don’t have enough of my own.

I take a deep breath and open my mouth, a whole host of regrettable things sitting on the tip of my tongue, when my phone rings.

I glance down and see Roger’s stupid face smiling back at me. He looks so professional in his company headshot. Nothing like the red-faced mouth breather with tentacle-like arms that the rest of the women in the office have long since learned to avoid.

“Hey, Roger,” I answer, turning away from Elise. “Sorry we’re late. We aren’t through security yet, but—”

“What?” he yells. There’s aggressive music thumping in the background. It sounds like he’s in some kind of club. “Sorry, I can’t hear you. This club is really loud.”

“Since when does the airport have a club?”

He laughs. “They don’t. I’m not at the airport. I’m in Aruba!”

“Aruba? What are you talking about?” I shake my head, trying to decide if I’m still sleeping. If so, this is a weird anxiety dream. “We’re leaving for New York in eighty minutes. Zhukova Incorporated? The audit?”

“I didn’t forget,” he says, way too cheekily. “You’re going on your own. You don’t need me, right? Isn’t that what you said?”

Memories of that traumatic late night at the office butt their way into my already-panicked thoughts.

“If you want to move up in this company, you’ll need a recommendation,”Roger had told me, his hand sliding up my thigh.“I can be an asset for you.”

I’d swiveled away from his touch.“I don’t need you.”

Those words are coming back to haunt me now.

“I’ve never done an audit on my own before,” I mumble.

I hate how inexperienced I sound. I’ve been a fighter my whole life. God knows I’ve overcome plenty. But this feels cruel and unusual.

Roger laughs cruelly. “First time for everything. Good luck!”

He hangs up. I stare at my phone, trying to decide if I should call back and beg him to come with me.

Then Elise sidles up next to me. “Was that Roger?”

I run through the facts in my head real quick.

I need this job.

I need to watch Elise.

Elise hates Roger.

Roger isn’t coming with us anymore.

In one way—at the very most—this is a blessing. Georgia is always telling me I need to focus more on the positive. Maybe today is the day to start.

“Roger isn’t coming with us anymore. We’re on our own.” I pivot and start walking towards security. “Keep up.”

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