Lying and Kissing(64)

“No,” I said, my eyes burning into Luka’s. “You can’t. I don’t want you to. Understand?”

He glared at me. “He deserves it!”

“I know! But I want you—I want you to be better than that! You are better than that, Luka!”

The man on the floor laughed and coughed up blood. He croaked something about Luka being pussy-whipped. Luka kicked him in the chest and he went quiet.

“Please, Luka,” I begged. “I—”

Suddenly, I caught myself. What was I doing?! Was I really trying to change him? To reform a monster? Of course he wasn’t going to change!

But I could see that momentary flicker in his eyes, the glimpse of something better inside. I wasn’t trying to change him. I was just trying to help him be the man he wanted to be. He’d called me his spaseniye. Well, this was where I got to choose whether to be his salvation or not.

Luka shook his head at me. “I can’t be weak,” he told me. He picked the man up by the collar and lifted him right off the ground, his feet kicking in the air. He drew back his fist for what I knew would be the killer blow.

“If you want me,” I croaked, tears in my eyes, “you have to not do this.” The words were out before I knew I was going to say them.

Luka turned to me, still gripping the man. His eyes were full of that conflict I’d seen before. He was begging me not to make him choose, because he wasn’t sure which life he’d pick.

I felt the heat trickle down my cheeks. I took a deep breath and stared right back at him, willing him to make the right decision.

Long seconds ticked by...and then Luka tossed the man to the floor like a sack of garbage. He grabbed my hand and towed me to the car, saying nothing. Behind us, I could hear the man groaning and cursing us.

Yuri was standing by the car, looking worried. Luka towed me straight past him and almost threw me into the back seat, getting in beside me. Yuri quickly climbed in and we sped off.#p#分页标题#e#

I could hear sirens in the distance. No more than five minutes had elapsed since we’d first pulled up outside the house. The adrenaline was sluicing out of my system, now, leaving me shaky and weak. I glanced across at Luka and saw the blood on his knuckles. I thought I was going to throw up again.

“We should not have left him alive,” muttered Luka in English.

Yuri craned his head around, his eyes wide. “You left him alive?!” he asked in Russian. Then a glare from Luka reminded him of his place and he turned back to the road.

“There will be repercussions,” said Luka. “He will want revenge. It would have been better if we’d finished it cleanly. Then they would have been uncertain who was responsible.”

“Who is they?” I asked.

“The Ralavich family,” Luka said. “That was Olaf Ralavich’s son.” He drew in a deep breath. “You have made things much more complicated for me.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry.”

He stared at me, then looked down at his blood-stained hands. “Did I please you?” he said, almost under his breath.

I blinked. “I—Yes,”

“Then it is worth it.”

We stared at one another as my mind exploded in slow motion. I’d made the ultimatum, but it had been a last ditch, spur-of-the-moment thing. I hadn’t thought it would work. It shouldn’t have worked, unless….

Unless I really was that important to him.

He suddenly lunged at me across the car, crushing me against the door.





His lips came down on mine and a little groan escaped me as I felt the need inside, the temptation to give into him. My mind was spinning. Everything was happening so fast! My mental picture of who he was, what he was, was constantly changing. I couldn’t make up my mind whether he was a monster or not, whether he could be saved or not. And whatever he was, he was my enemy, the man I was about to betray. Whatever he felt for me and whatever I felt for him, that didn’t change.

And it was about to be over anyway...wasn’t it?

I broke the kiss and stared at him, panting. “When we get back to Moscow,” I said, “what happens?”

His eyes gleamed. “You will come back to my apartment.”

He tried to kiss me again, but I dodged out of the way. “Your dad,” I blurted.

He stopped and drew back a little, frowning at me. I knew why. I wasn’t supposed to know what his dad had said. But I couldn’t pretend to be oblivious any more.

“He was polite to me,” I said. “But I know something’s wrong. He doesn’t like me. Does he?”

At first, he looked as if he was going to deny it. Then he looked guilty, then sad. At last, he said. “No. He doesn’t like you.”