Empire of Sin (Empire #2) by Rina Kent

Kirill narrows his eyes at me, then at Adrian as if he’s figured out that something is amiss. He always does. He’s like a dog who can smell anything fishy from a mile away.

But instead of being obvious about it, he lets the subject go. “Though I don’t like it, we do need to win the whole Matt thing. Do as you’re told and I’ll pretend I didn’t see you.”

I’m about to say no, but Adrian meets my gaze again and I clamp my lips shut.

He stands up in one swift motion. He and Kirill are so large that they dwarf my small apartment, stealing all the air.

“Sasha will keep an eye on you to make sure nothing goes awry.” Kirill smiles, but there’s no warmth behind it. “And when the case is over, I’ll personally take you back, little princess.”

And with that, he leaves, his guard following after.

I expect Adrian to join them, but he leans close and speaks in a low tone, “We’ll play this my way, Anastasia. You don’t contact Sergei, Vladimir, or Rai. You continue the charade and live as Jane until I allow you to come back. If you don’t, the brotherhood will know you stole hundreds of thousands of dollars and everyone will be out not only for your head, but also for Sergei’s, Vladimir’s, and Rai’s because they helped cover up the theft for you.”

A lone tear slides down my cheek and hangs on to my chin. “They…didn’t do anything.”

“They lied and that, too, is considered a betrayal.”

“Why…why don’t you reveal it now?”

“Because I can use you.”

“Against my father?”

“You allowed yourself to be used, so don’t act victimized. I also need to know where that money went since you’re obviously not using it.”

So he doesn’t know about Babushka.

Yet.

Because I have no doubt that if he puts his mind to it, he’ll eventually figure it out.

“What if I don’t help you? What if I don’t want to interfere in the Matt Bell case?”

“Whether you help or not doesn’t really matter. We’ll win either way. Whether or not we’ll use violence is what you should worry about.” He pauses. “You don’t want your boyfriend to accidentally lose his head, do you?”

I’m flat out shaking, cold sweat covering my temples because I know, I just know that Adrian doesn’t make idle threats.

That he doesn’t target anyone just because.

That he didn’t haphazardly pick Knox without a reason.

“What…did he do?”

“Put his nose where it doesn’t belong. If you want him safe, make him lose or drop the case. Either would work.”

“He won’t listen to me. We’re just casual, so neither of us is important to the other.” I lie through my teeth.

“I’ll be the one who decides that. Play your part and be smart about it, Anastasia. If you do, I might let you come back without shedding any blood.”





26





KNOX





An ominous feeling has been metaphorically crushing my windpipe for the past hour.

So I called my family. Teal, Dad, my foster sister, Elsa, and even that grumpy fucker Agnus, Dad’s husband, who raised me and my twin sister.

Everyone seemed safe.

Unless they lied to me?

I have a weird sense of intuition. I always have, ever since I realized that it’s possibly the only thing that’s able to save me.

That aside from myself, no one will stand up for me, no one will give me what was taken. So I had to rely on my sixth sense more often than not, and it’s that intuition that saved my arse more times than I can count. It’s what made me escape with my skin unscathed.

So I don’t ignore it.

Ever.

I think about calling Dan to make sure he’s all right, but fuck that wanker. I’m still contemplating the best way to get back at him for what he insinuated today.

My blood boils just thinking about him near Anastasia. If he so much as touches a hair on her head, I might as well quit being a lawyer and become a criminal.

So, no, I won’t complain if he meets his maker sooner rather than later.

Besides, he’s definitely not the reason behind the clenching and unclenching of my chest or the fucking twist in my heart.

I refuse to think about why I’m here, in front of Anastasia’s flat, when I’m supposed to be in a meeting, but I am.

Here.

And the feelings are escalating to dangerous heights.

There’s no way in fuck I could concentrate in that meeting when my ribcage was about to burst open. Aside from my family, there’s only one other person who could be the cause of this reaction.

I use the spare key she gave me a while back and open the door slowly. For some reason, it feels as if I shouldn’t make any sudden movements.

The lock is a bit crooked and I pause at that, but only for a second, before I step inside.

The flat is dark, silent, which is different from usual, or at least, ever since I started coming here on a regular basis. On normal nights, Anastasia would either be singing along to her favorite old songs in a low voice, or she’d be silently listening to them while typing away on her laptop. Either way, the music would be blasting.

None of those scenarios are present. There’s no music or typing sounds that I’m starting to only associate with her.