Page 112 of Ruby Malice

“Are you, though?”

Frustration ripples off of Rayne like heat waves off of asphalt. But she swallows it down. “Of course. You’ve hired me to do a job. If you’re displeased, I’m sorry.”

“That’s a first.”

“Yeah, well,” she sighs, “things are different now.”

“Except you’re still crossing a line with Ilya.”

Rayne whips around, her eyes narrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”

“I take Ilya to the beach. I do it on days no one else is around for a reason,” I remind her coldly. “But I walk in here and you’re trying to get him to leave the house with you.”

“We were going to go outside. It’s not like I was taking him to Disneyland.”

“No, that’s probably just a sneak peek of what you have planned for tomorrow.”

She shrugs. “Yeah. Maybe. Why not? Ilya has been doing really great lately.”

I snort. “You can’t be serious.”

“Look around, Kirill. The apartment isn’t in tatters. There are paintings on the wall and finished puzzles on the table. You know why? Because I’m teaching him how to deal with his emotions. He doesn’t have to act out every time he gets overwhelmed.”

Her naivete would be charming if it wasn’t so fucking infuriating. “Ilya has good days. Even good weeks. But if you think you’ve managed to cure him, then you haven’t been listening to a damn thing I’ve said.” I shake my head. “Who the fuck am I kidding? I know you haven’t been listening. If you had, you’d know your job is to clean up after Ilya, not spend your day playing with him.”

Rayne takes a step towards me and leans over the island. “And if you paid attention to anyone besides yourself, you’d know that Ilya is lonely. He asked me to play with him. Unlike you, apparently, I couldn’t bear to disappoint him.”

I’m around the island in an instant. Rayne turns to face me, fear in her eyes, as I back her against the counter. “You want to be treated like any other member of my staff?” I hiss. “Fine. You’re fired.”

Rayne’s eyes widen. “But I—I didn’t—You said—”

“Yousaid you wanted to start fresh. That you wanted to be treated like everyone else. Well, here’s your first lesson: no one talks to me like that. Not in my own house. Not anywhere else. Ever.”

She blinks at me, her eyes filling with tears. “I didn’t mean—You’re a great brother to him, Kirill. I didn’t mean that. You don’t disappoint him.” Her chest rises and falls as she tries to catch her breath. Finally, she lowers her head and tries to move around me. “But okay. I guess I should go. If you’re really… Since I’m fired. Can you tell Ilya that I said goodbye?”

Her chin wobbles. It’s truly one of the most pitiful things I’ve ever seen.

I sigh. Mercy—not something I’m familiar with. But unfortunately for me, it is something I can feel burning like a brand on my chest the longer I look at the tears budding in her eyes like dew.

“I won’t have to if you promise me you’ll do the job I ask you to do, not the one you want to do.”

She freezes and then ever so slowly looks up at me. “What does that mean?”

“I’ve hired you to be a maid, Rayne. Not Ilya’s caregiver. He likes you. I’m not blind, I can see that much. But I am the person who makes decisions about his care.”

“Of course,” she says. “I know that. Yes.”

“Do you?”

Rayne looks up at me. “Yes.”

“Good.” I clench my teeth. “Because if you ever question my relationship with my brother or overstep again, I’ll have you forcibly removed from the premises. Do you understand?”

She inhales sharply, holding the breath before forcing out a slow, steady exhale. It’s a version of Ilya’s lion breathing, no doubt. Rayne’s own way to calm down. When she’s finished, she looks up at me with a flat expression. “I understand.”

“Wonderful.”

Rayne tries again to move away, but I step with her, blocking her path. “Then you’ll be happy to stay late for a dinner I’m hosting later this week.”

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