My next question was just a nicety before I asked my final one. “Why do you want the photo so badly?” It did not make sense, since it was of Grigori kissing someone else.
Her lips pursed, surprising me when she hesitated. She growled under her breath and then cracked her neck both ways. “You will not print anything about this to harm Grigori.” Her eyes were sharp on mine, assessing.
“I already said it’s off the record.” But boy, my curiosity was now thrumming.
She snorted but answered swiftly. “I didn’t trust Zoya, so I sent someone to Russia to dig up what they could on her. She’s hiding the fact from Grigori that she’s married. I plan to send the photo to her husband. He needs to take her ass back to Russia.”
Oh. My. God. I really wished I could print that.
Longing for that missed story, I hopped up on the dresser and got comfortable, leaning back against the wall. I looked her straight in the eyes, asking evenly, “Are you more in love with Brent and Cole or Grigori?” She had to have loved Brent and Cole at one point. She’d had their kids.
The barest flinch. But I saw it. She barked, “What the hell type of question is that?”
I just stared. We had already gone over what she was allowed.
Ember jumped off the bed, and I scooted back, worried now she was going to kick my ass since she was so furious. She did not come after me though. She just started pacing. She walked back and forth across my room, her body stiff for a full minute before…shit…tears started rolling down her cheeks.
I was a bitch when it came to my job, and this was going to be part of it. I had seen many people cry and beg when they did not want me to publish a story. I had never faltered in revealing the truth. However, even my heart ached a little seeing the obvious pain that she hid behind her cold mask, her hot tears spilling down her cheeks as she continued her trek across my room and back.
She suddenly stopped, and when she spoke, her voice was void of any emotion. “I won’t ever be in love again.”
I was pissed and sorry for her, all at the same time. She had finagled a way around the question and still answered it to what she truly thought. That much was apparent on her face.
Dammit!
I looked away from her. I was so annoyed that my one question had been wasted…that it took me a moment to realize that she had in essence still given me my answer. It was the fact that she had taken so long to answer. My gut had been right once again.
I nodded and jumped off the dresser, grabbing my bra that was lying on the floor by the bed. I had transferred the photo onto this memory card and erased the rest from my other. Lifting my laptop from my duffle, I pulled the memory card out and quickly made a copy for her on a spare memory stick. Stuffing the original memory card back into my bra, I handed over the memory stick.
She had been peering over my shoulder when I transferred it, and I had heard her quick intake of breath when she had seen the photo. She knew what she had looked like on it, and she had immediately moved away from me, her eyes livid as she stared, but she had kept quiet and stuck with the deal.
But now, within just a moment of time, I found myself flat on my back from my legs being kicked out from under me and a deadly Ember with a forearm to my throat as I wheezed. She stated calmly and slowly, “I’m not going to go back on our deal. However, I am going to tell you that if you tell a soul,” she paused, glancing at the bathroom, “any soul about what you gave me or the answers I gave you, I will find a way to make your life a living hell. I can make it happen.” She smiled. It was scary as fuck. “Or I’ll just kill you if I get bored with the game.”
I rasped in a breath, unable to move at all, my eyes wide as I saw true death in her eyes.
She was just as crazy as Daniil could be.
Why the hell did I keep underestimating these people?
Get the story, and get out. Easy enough, and yet I kept fucking it up.
The bathroom door opened, and Daniil stepped out wearing only a towel around his waist, his wet hair slicked back to show his face in stark relief, and water dripping down his bare tan chest and calves. Ember froze on top of me, staring down into my eyes that were bulging as she pressed harder, making sure her threat got through. Daniil rested a shoulder against the wall, asking calmly, “Ember, is there a reason why you’re choking Ms. Forter? I somehow doubt that could be good for your article.”
My eyes started to water, and I really started to struggle when I felt dizziness take hold.
I had seriously underestimated them both.
He was just going to let me die here on the floor.
But when Ember did not move immediately, still staring at me with those emotionless eyes, mine shutting as true darkness seeped in; I felt the floor vibrate under me and heard him shout, “Get the hell off her!” She was suddenly gone, and I heard her grunt right before I was being lifted in damp arms. I started choking, air coming in hard as Daniil held me, yelling at her, “Go get some damn sleep, Ember. You fucking need it.”
I blinked at him. My throat burned and felt crushed as I got in enough air to stop seeing sparkles. I started struggling in his arms. This had been a bad fucking idea. Really bad, obviously. This group brought nothing but trouble.
“Stop moving,” he shouted, still glaring off to the side, but when he looked down at me, I must have been showing some, okay, probably a lot of what I was feeling on my face because he cursed, and dammit, held me tighter. He glanced back up; a quick peek showed Ember sprawled against a wall, holding her head. He stated with instant calm, “Ember, you need to leave. And seriously, get some damn sleep. I know you’ve been roaming the halls until dawn every night. That’s not healthy.”
“Fucking bodyguards,” she grumbled harshly.
I took my first deep breath and gave a hard shove against Daniil’s chest.
Daniil grunted, and almost lost his grip on me as I twisted, but he caught me.
I rasped, “Both of you fucking leave. Now.” I shoved him again. “I want you both out!”
Ember chuckled, sounding criminal, as she stood. She strolled right past us. “Good luck with her.” I heard my door open. “Remember what I said, Elizabeth.” My door clicked shut.
I glared at Daniil, ready to cry. I wanted him gone. Good sex or not, he was bad news.
He stared down at me as I struggled, holding me tightly. Grandly, he sighed, and then stated in quiet voice, “You are not at all what I’ve always gone for.”
I choked, and a sob escaped. What a crazy old asshole. Pushing against his chest was doing no good, so I turned my head and bit his shoulder hard, and really started struggling when he almost released me. But he grunted and leaned down to my shoulder and bit me.