Page 75 of Ruby Malice

“I don’t need anything from you.” I pull at his wrist with my free hand, but he doesn’t budge. His grip around my neck is iron.

“No?” He presses his hips to mine, and I let out a traitorous gasp that pleases him. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t a psychopath keeping some poor woman locked up there,” I admit. “And now, I know. You are a psychopath. But whoever that guy is up there, you love him. Deeply.”

“And you aren’t going to tell a soul,” he hisses.

“Why? Afraid people might realize you have a human heart beating in that chest?”

Instead of answering, Kirill tightens his grip on my neck.

I blink and fight for a swallow that won’t come. Kirill just watches me with a steady gaze. As he squeezes harder, I start to wheeze for breath.

He won’t kill me. He isn’t a killer.

But the man staring down at me doesn’t look like the man I know. There’s no amusement in his eyes. That human heart I just mentioned? I’m no longer positive it exists.

Right now, I have no idea what he’s capable of.

My vision starts to get fuzzy on the edges. I pull on his hand, but there’s no way I’m getting free until Kirill decides to let me go.

“I won’t tell,” I whimper with the last of the air I have to give.

“Say it again.”

Kirill loosens his grip just enough for me to suck in a fresh lungful of oxygen. “I won’t tell,” I repeat. “I won’t say anything to anyone about Ilya.”

He runs his tongue over his teeth. I can see a decision forming in his mind. Then, slowly, he lowers his hand, releases my arm, and steps away.

I massage my sore neck. “I won’t say anything, but people usually love the caretaker types. Especially women. I’m surprised you don’t use this to get girls into bed.”

“I don’t need any tricks to make that happen.”

I roll my eyes, but I’m relieved we’ve slipped back into something resembling normalcy. The scary look in his eyes is gone.

“And,” he adds, “I’m not going to use my brother’s tragedy to get laid.”

“He’s your brother?”

He nods once. “Younger brother. By six years.”

“You’re an older brother. Makes sense. My sisters are ridiculously bossy, too. Must be an oldest sibling thing.”

The air in the elevator feels charged. Kirill is unpredictable right now. I’m terrified of the rage I just saw in his eyes, but I can’t forget the soft smile he gave Ilya. The gentle way he spoke. I’m getting emotional whiplash from how quickly he switches back and forth between all these versions of himself.

“What happened to him?” I ask. Immediately, I shake my head. “I’m sorry. That’s not—I shouldn’t have asked. You don’t have to—”

“It was an accident.” His jaw flexes. I can tell the words don’t come easily. “He has brain damage. His emotions can be erratic.”

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”

“The big issue is his memory,” Kirill says. “He doesn’t form new memories very well. So new situations and new people can set him off. The fact that he remembered your name there at the end is actually… Well, it’s rare.”

I mime rain falling again. “I gave him a memory trick. Maybe that helped.”

“My brother can’t be helped,” he snaps. “The damage is permanent. He’s been like this since he was twelve. You aren’t going to fix him.”

“I didn’t think I could—” I hold up my hands and close my mouth.

---