But in this instance, I’m not smart enough. I only speak one language.
The Russian language is very lost on me.
But Iwillsay I find it hot. I can hear Valerian speaking. I know it’s him. He has a very rough, distinct voice. And it’s enhanced even more when he’s actually speaking Russian.
I keep forgetting he lived a whole other life before I was even born.
I clench my thighs together. God, the language is really rubbing off on me.
But it’s two a.m. and I need all the sleep I can get if I want to escape here in one piece.
I tear myself away from the wall I’ve been propped up against for the past few minutes, and head to bed.
But the voices grow louder. My bedroom window is open, and it looks out onto the courtyard.
I climb out of bed and peer outside.
That’s when I see someone fall out into the courtyard. Except, they didn’t fall. They were pushed.
What the hell?
I open the drapes, looking more out as Valerian and his burned friend follow the victim. That has to be what this man is. He’s running away, trying to get to the other side of the courtyard.
The side gate is where he’s heading to. He won’t have much luck escaping through there. Not at this time.
A dark figure emerges from the other side of the garden. There he is. The guard.
He raises his gun. But Valerian raises his hand, and the gun goes back to its original place, tucked back under the guard’s belt.
“I’ll deal with this one,” I’m pretty sure I hear Valerian say.
I suck in a breath, terrified. But I also can’t look away. There’s only one reason Valerian has brought a victim back to his place in the middle of the night.
I hear a muffled gargling sound cut across the courtyard as Valerianstranglesthe victim with his bare fucking hands.
The man can’t scream. He has tape over his mouth.
He collapses to the ground, choking. But he can’t even do that properly with the tape.
He starts to seize on the ground. I gasp in horror as Valerian and his friend just… stand over the man, watching.
Like he didn’t just strangle the poor man to death.
A thought pops into my mind.
Valerian didn’t just… strangle his ownson, did he?
Adrenaline surges through my body. It sends me running downstairs in the end. I can’t fight the force. Can’t stop my legs from moving. I know I’m a lot safer in my room. But, god. Valerian justmurderedsomeone in his house.
And at this point, I wouldn’t put it past him if he killed Igor.
Who I definitely don’t want dead. Hating someone is very different to wishing death on them.
I crash into Galina, the maid, at the bottom of the stairs, thudding right into her.
“Miss. Joy.” She catches me, looking into my eyes, reading whatever face I’m pulling. “Are you okay?”
“Nope. I just saw…from my window…”