Chapter 20 – Kaz #2
The foyer lights are dim, casting long shadows over the polished marble. I stop halfway across the space, my boots echoing against the floor.
“Bring Arina to me,” I say without turning back.
Maxim hesitates, just for a second. I feel it. Then he moves, disappearing out of the foyer. Maxim returns with Arina a few minutes later.
They walk in, eyes sharp but posture casual—hands tucked into the pockets of their leather jacket like they’re coming in for a debrief, not an interrogation.
“What’s going on?” Arina asks, cocking their head. “Is everything okay?”
Innocent. Too innocent.
My jaw clenches.
I take a slow step forward, keeping my voice measured. “Where did you get the burner phone you gave Violet?”
Arina blinks. “The burner? It was just something I had—standard stash. You know that.”
“No,” I say, “I don’t know that.”
They glance at Maxim like they don’t understand where this is going. “Boss, why are you asking me this?”
I walk closer. “Where did you get it?”
“I told you—”
“Say it again,” I snap. “But this time, don’t lie.”
Their mouth parts like they’re about to protest, but nothing comes out.
“You were watching her,” I say, voice low. “That phone was tracking her every twelve hours. Sending her location. It was never for her. It was to monitor her.”
Arina frowns, the color draining from their face just a little. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“Don’t.” I snarl, stepping in. “Don’t play this game with me.”
“I swear to God, Kaz,” they whisper, voice starting to shake, “I didn’t do anything. I gave her the phone to help her. You can’t think I’d hurt her—hurt you.”
Maxim shifts beside me, unsure. “Kaz,” he mutters, “maybe we should take a second—”
“Shut up,” I growl without looking at him.
Arina’s lip trembles now. Their eyes shine, wet. “You think I’d betray you after everything? After what we’ve been through? Kaz, please. You’re like my brother.”
“No.” I breathe hard, fists at my sides. “Don’t say that. Don’t fucking call me your brother.”
“Kaz—”
I slam my fist against the wall just beside their head. The sound cracks the air like a whip. Maxim flinches.
Arina jumps, a tear slipping down their cheek now, but I don’t back down.
“Tell me the truth,” I snarl. “Tell me before I stop asking.”
They wipe their cheek. “It wasn’t meant to go that far. I didn’t want her hurt. I didn’t even know who the information was going to. It was just insurance. That’s all it was at first.”
My stomach flips. “Insurance?”
“I needed a way to keep you in check, Kaz,” Arina says, quieter now, but no longer trembling. Their voice steadies, sharpening like a blade. “You fell in love. With her. And that made you reckless. That made her a liability.”
Maxim stares, stunned. “Arina…what the fuck are you saying?”
I don’t move.
Arina looks right at me. “You stopped thinking clearly the moment she entered your life. I saw the signs. You softened. You hesitated. You made us vulnerable.”
“You sold her out.” My voice is gravel. “You betrayed me.”
“I protected you,” they fire back, voice rising. “From yourself. From what she was turning you into.”
My hands curl into fists again. “She’s the best damn thing that ever happened to me. You don’t get to decide who I love. You don’t get to sabotage it because it doesn’t serve you.”
They lift their chin. “Then maybe you should’ve remembered who you were before her.”
And that’s it. The last thread holding me together snaps. I don’t even think. I lunge.
Arina flinches back just in time, but I’m faster. My fist connects with their jaw, snapping their head to the side with a sharp crack. They stumble, but I don’t stop. I shove them hard, and they slam into the wall, gasping, blood already blooming from their mouth.
“You betrayed me,” I growl, voice low, brutal. “You put her in danger.”
Arina tries to move past me—tries to bolt for the door—but Maxim steps into their path. He doesn’t raise a hand. Doesn’t shout. Just stands there. His expression says it all. Disappointment. Disgust. Like he can’t even look at them anymore.
Arina stops cold. Breathing hard. A small, panicked sound escapes their throat as they glance between us—trapped.
I close in again.
“You tracked her,” I snarl, grabbing the front of their bloodstained shirt and slamming them against the wall. “You made her feel safe just so you could sell her out.”
“I didn’t know it would go that far—”
“You handed her over to wolves, Arina. You lit the fucking match and then turned your back while the fire spread.”
They try to speak, but I tighten my grip and shove them again. I’m about to swing again—fist cocked, fury boiling—when Violet’s face flashes in my mind. She could wake up any minute and not find me there again. My hand trembles midair, still ready to strike.
No.
I pull back. Barely.
My chest heaves, sweat dripping down my temple as I step away from Arina’s bloodied, broken form on the floor.
“Max,” I bark.
He’s already there. “Yes?”
“Lock them up. Throw them in the isolation cell. Strip them of their tech. Nothing gets in or out.”
Maxim nods stiffly, jaw clenched. I can tell this gutted him, too.
“Then go release Milos.”
He blinks, guilt flashing across his face. “I’m really sorry. I thought it was Milos. I’d never have guessed it was Arina.”
“Apologize to Milos,” I snap at him and turn my attention back to Arina. “Arina will never see daylight again. And when I’m done with them…not even the dark will want them.”
I don’t wait for a reply. I storm out of the room, boots thudding heavily down the hall.
My hands are shaking as I yank open the door to the garage.
I slide behind the wheel of the SUV, shove the key in, and slam the door shut. I have to get back. To her.
Just as I reach for the gear, a voice stops me cold.
“Boss.”
I turn my head.
Milos. Standing just outside the garage entrance, arms at his sides, face swollen and beaten.
I climb out slowly, body tense. He takes a step forward.
“Do you believe me now?”
I stare at him for a long moment. His voice isn’t angry. It’s tired. Honest.
“I believed you,” I admit. “Deep down. But I couldn’t afford to be wrong.”
He nods once, like that’s enough. “Can we talk?”
I study him for another beat, then jerk my chin. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Okay.”
The sky is starting to lighten when I pull into the safe house driveway. Inside, it’s still and quiet, the guards alert and patrolling. I lock the door behind me, toe off my boots, and move like a ghost through the dim hallway. Violet is still asleep. Just like I prayed she would be.
I stand at the doorway of the bedroom, watching her for a long second. Her hair is a soft halo on the pillow, one hand resting protectively over her belly. My chest aches.
I step into the bathroom and shower off the blood, the lies, the violence. But some things can’t be scrubbed away.
When I return, she’s stirred. Her lashes flutter, and then her eyes open slowly—still hazy with sleep.
“You were in the office that long?” she murmurs, voice raspy.
I pause, heart tight. “Yeah,” I say softly, climbing into bed beside her. “Time got away from me.”
I don’t have the heart to tell her I left her. Not after the day she’s had. Not when I can feel how she instantly melts against me, curling into the heat of my body like I’m home.
She rests her head against my chest. I kiss her hair.
“It’s over,” I whisper, brushing a hand down her back. “We can return to the estate today. Everything is safe now. We’re going home.”
Her body stiffens slightly. “You’re sure?”
I nod.
“What about Milos?” she asks, her voice careful.
“I handled it,” I say quickly. “It’s done.”
But I can feel her eyes on me, reading me in the dark.
“You need to stop lying to me,” she says, barely a whisper. “I can tell. This isn’t the end. It feels like just the beginning.”
Silence stretches between us. A bitter taste floods my mouth. I’ve never wanted to protect someone so much, even if it means lying to them. I’m not sure what that says about me anymore.
“It’s really over this time,” I say gently, stroking her hair. “I swear it. Life will go back to normal. No more fear. No more running.”
Her eyes stay on mine for a long time. I don’t know if she believes me.
Hell—I don’t know if I believe me.
But she doesn’t argue. She just lays her head back down, her fingers curling into my shirt like she’s trying to hold the pieces of me together.