005: GIRLFRIEND!!

Kieran’s POV

The second the hotel girl disappeared around the corner, I stepped out from behind the wall.

Yara Quinn startled so hard she nearly stumbled backward.

Interesting.

She hadn’t screamed.

Most witnesses definitely would have, but she just stood there in that ruined dress, fists clenched at her sides, blue eyes too wide and too bright in her pale face.

Terrified, humiliated and furious.

I liked the furious part better.

Behind me, Pavel, one of my guards, took one step forward.

I lifted a hand without looking at him.

He stopped.

My gaze stayed on her.

Yara Quinn. Jeriah Hart’s, our new recruit's, discarded ex. Law student.

Broke, according to her friend.

Homeless, according to her friend.

Vulnerable...according to her friend.

And currently in possession of a video that could become very inconvenient for me, for the entire family actually.

She swallowed hard and took a step back. “Stay away from me.”

My mouth almost twitched. Did she really think she has a choice here, talk more of telling me what to do?

I slid the gun into the back of my waistband and adjusted my suit jacket over it. The movement made her eyes flick down, then away just as quickly.

Good. If she feared me that would make this a whole lot easier.

“Give me your phone.”

She laughed. “Go to hell.”

Definitely the furious part.

I moved closer, slow enough not to spook her into running again.

“You recorded something that doesn’t concern you.”

“I recorded you murdering someone.”

So she wasn't pretending she hadn’t seen it.

I respected that almost as much as I hated the problem.

“Words like that can become dangerous if used carelessly.”

Her chin lifted.

“So can bullets.”

She was clearly the stubborn kind, maybe that was why the offer came to me so quickly.

I couldn't kill her, especially since her friend had already just seen her, it would only create suspicion.

“You need somewhere to stay, I can offer that." I stated.

Suspicion flashed across her face.

“I’d rather sleep in a ditch.”

That almost earned a smile.

“I can make your life easier, Yara. I can pay your debts. Fix your housing issue. Bring your ex back. Protect you from the fallout of what you're holding.”

“You mean protect yourself.”

“Both can happen.”

For one dangerous second, it looked like she was considering it, then her eyes hardened.

“No.”

I blinked back, shocked 

“Think carefully.”

“I am. That man is dead.”

“Yes.”

“You shot him in the head.”

“Yes.”

“And you think I’m going to go anywhere with you?”

I held her stare.

“I think you understand the value of staying alive.”

A beat passed.

Then she did the last thing I expected.

She shoved me.

It wasn’t enough to move me more than half a step, but the nerve of it.

The sheer, reckless nerve.

“Get out of my way,” she snapped.

Behind me, Pavel cursed under his breath and started forward again.

I cut him off with a look sharp enough to stop a moving car.

Not here. We were in public.

Yara grabbed her trash bags, clutched her phone like a weapon and pushed past me.

Her shoulder hit my chest and kept walking.

I turned to watch her disappear toward the streetlights, my jaw tight.

Pavel came to stand beside me.

“You want us to follow?”

Every instinct said yes. Every instinct trained into me by blood, consequence and my father’s cold voice.

No loose ends. No witnesses. No risks.

"No need. I'll do it myself."

Yara’s POV

My legs nearly gave out twice before I reached the police station.

I just kept walking, one breath and one block at a time, with my phone jammed so tightly in my hand it left marks in my palm.

I didn’t trust cabs, buses, or anything. Well, I didn't exactly have money for them so just saying I didn't trust them was a bit over the top.

The station sat on the corner of the road, the lights shining brightly.

Safety.

I climbed the front steps with my heart battering my ribs.

There were a few people scattered around. A man arguing quietly at the front desk. A woman holding a sleeping toddler. Two officers behind the counter looked up when I came in.

I must have looked insane.

Mascara streaked. Hair falling out of its pins. Dress torn high at the thigh.Two trash bags dragging at my side.

One officer straightened.

“Ma’am?"

“I need to report a crime.” I immediately said.

That got their attention.

The older officer frowned. “What kind of crime?”

My fingers shook as I raised my phone.

“A man was killed. I saw it happen and I recorded part of it.”

The younger officer’s expression changed, turning serious.

“Where?”

“At the Langford Hotel. In the parking lot.”

The older one came around the desk. “Who was the shooter?”

I looked him right in the eye.

“Kieran Volkov.”

Silence.

It stretched for so long, I thought they might have not heard what I said.

Then the younger officer laughed.

“You serious? THE Kieren Volkov."

“I have a video.”

My voice cracked, which only seemed to make it worse.

The older officer held out his hand. “Let me see the phone.”

Relief hit me, I stepped forward to give it to him when the station door suddenly burst open behind me.

Cold air swept in.

I turned around, just to see Kieren there, immaculate as always.

One of the officers blinked fast. “Mr. Volkov.”

Of course they knew him.

My relief instantly turned to dread.

Kieran’s gaze found mine, then slid to the officers. I stepped back from him instinctively.

Big mistake.

He used two long strides and he was in front of me.

I tried to twist away, but his arm came around my waist with ruthless ease, dragging me hard against his chest before I could fight him off. The heat along with the expensive scent of his cologne instantly enveloped me.

I sucked in a shocked breath, one of my trash bags slipping from my fingers and hitting the floor.

“Let go of me...”

But his hand only tightened across my waist, brushing it intimately.

“Sorry, officers. My girlfriend and I were just having a little fight."

Girlfriend?