Lies of My Monster (Monster Trilogy #2) by Rina Kent

He hits me again, and this time, I wince, but I use the small moment to turn around. I get a glimpse of his masked face, but that’s the only thing I see before the barrel of the gun is shoved at my face.

“Kirill!” The shout comes first, then the shot follows.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

I would recognize that voice even if I were sleeping. But what the hell is she doing here?

The masked man runs backward, and Sasha’s shot hits his chest, but he must be wearing a vest, because no blood comes out and he jumps off the container like a ninja.

For a moment, I consider going after him, but I remember that I don’t have any bullets, and he’ll probably shoot me on sight.

The fact that he didn’t engage with Sasha is weird, though.

Unless he thought she brought backup.

Quiet but fast footsteps stomp across the top of the container before she drops to her knees in front of me, the bottom of her rifle making a loud sound on the metal.

Her hands cradle my face, fingers shaking, and tears shining in her eyes. “Are you okay? Oh my God, is this a gunshot wound…? Did you…”

“Would I be alive if I were shot in the head, genius?”

“No, I guess not…” She’s talking to me, but she’s barely seeing me as she wipes my forehead and my cheeks with the back of her jacket sleeves.

The tears cling to her lashes before they drop and stain her cheeks. And these tears do unpleasant shit to me.

I reach a hand to her cheek and wipe one away. She pauses and shivers beneath my palm.

Fuck.

It’s been a long time since I’ve touched her, and now that I am, I feel like an addict who’s been thrown back into bad fucking habits.

I resist the urge to close my eyes and breathe her in, maybe even try to devour her in the process.

“Why the fuck are you crying?”

She continues wiping the blood diligently, like it’s her life’s mission. “I thought…I thought you would be hurt like…the other time and…that nearly made me go insane…”

“I’m fine.” I stroke my thumb underneath her eyes, but the more I do, the harder she cries. “We need to get out of here.”

“No, wait. Hold on…just one moment…let me get rid of all the blood and then…then—”

Her words come to an abrupt halt when I seal my forehead to hers. “I’m fine. This much won’t hurt me. Got it?”

Her chin trembles, but she doesn’t say anything.

“I’m going to need your reflexes, Sasha. I don’t have ammunition, and you’re the only one who can get us to safety. Can I count on you?”

Her hand sinks into the side of my jacket as if she’s a child who’s holding on to someone older, but her expression sobers up.

She offers a sharp nod and then brushes her lips against my cheek. The motion is fast enough that I only realize it after she breaks away. “Thank you.”

Fuck me.

I have to internally shake myself to be aware of the current situation and that I can’t actually fuck her on the top of this container.

“What for?” I definitely sound more casual than I feel.

“For staying alive.” She grins. “And for calling me Sasha again.”

I did?

Before I can reply, she clutches me by the arm. “Let’s go. I’ll get us safely to Yuri.”

And this fucking woman does exactly that.





11





SASHA





There are times in life when everything is uncertain.

Your beliefs.

Your purpose.

Your whole being.

However, in the middle of the blurry ambiguity stands something real. And that’s the only thing I currently believe in.

The one person because of whom I found another goal. The one person who motivates me to get out of bed in the morning and work harder on myself.

Even if he ignores me most of the time and only pays me stilted attention.

So I’m glad I let my instincts guide me and followed him after he ordered me to stay put.

When I made this decision, it wasn’t only because I insisted on being by his side, or that I’m still desperately trying to prove my loyalty. I truly had a horrible feeling the moment his car left the premises.

Karina came out of her room and celebrated the prospect of the two of us spending time together, but that wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t bother with an excuse as I fetched my rifle, jumped into the car, and started driving.

I didn’t pay Maksim any attention when he banged on the window and told me to at least take him along. I had only one concern at the time—get to Kirill.

Turns out, it was a legitimate concern, because the moment I arrived at the site, it was a full-on war, and he was about to get killed.

It didn’t take us long to find Yuri since he was already following the GPS to locate Kirill. The car was shot a few times, but it remained functional.

Instead of leaving immediately, Kirill stayed put until he ensured the rest of the men were also retreating. Then we heard from Viktor that he’d sent the Mexicans back and told their leader, Juan’s right-hand man, that Kirill would get in touch about what to do next.

The weirdest thing about the hit is that after Kirill was cornered and I got there in time, it was like the attackers got an order to retreat. They completely disappeared, taking their dead and injured along.