Kolya raises his eyebrows, but he doesn’t look in the slightest bit guilty. “So?”

“So?” I repeat incredulously. “Adrian claims that you and Iakov were old friends! That you were trying to establish his loyalty so that you could…” I falter at the last second. I can’t say it out loud.

“Could what?”

I sigh and close my eyes before I continue. “So that you could take over Ravil’s ring.”

There’s a pause. A moment of quiet before the eruption. And then…

“And you fucking believe that?” His tone is straight-up murderous. I flinch away, the same way you’d try to dive out of the way of a charging bull.

“I couldn’t hear the conversation, Kolya,” I say with my chin slumped against my chest. “All I saw was you talking to a man who sold women for a living. And you didn’t look too put-off by it.”

“I told you before when we were in Mexico: he was speaking for a group of men, himself included, who wanted to defect back under my leadership.”

I nod. “Yes, you mentioned that. But you told me that a condition of that happening would be that you stop your ban on trafficking.”

“Exactly.”

“Except you said no. At least, that’s what you told me. So what was there to discuss with Iakov?” I ask pointedly.

“I was keeping the lines of communication open. Trying to suss out whatever information I could on Ravil and his dealings. Sometimes, playing a double game is necessary.”

“Is that what you’re doing with me?” I ask softly.

His eyes simmer with frustration. “Fucking hell…” he mutters, running an angry hand through his hair.

“You killed him—”

“I killed him because he dared to fucking put his hands on you!” Kolya roars. “That’s the only reason. The one and only.”

Another pulsing, painful beat of silence.

“Is that really why?” I press, meek but unwilling to keep swallowing lies just because they taste good. “Or is that just the excuse? Is that just the spin you’re hoping I’ll buy?”

He shakes his head in disgust. “Adrian really did a number on you, didn’t he? I made a huge mistake giving you back that phone.”

“Don’t do that,” I say forcefully. “Don’t expect my trust and then take away all my choices. Your voice can’t be the only one in my head, Kolya.”

“I don’t expect it to be,” he replies furiously. “But Adrian’s will only cause you pain. You should know that better than anyone.”

“That’s just it: I don’t know anything! Not for certain. I know Adrian. I know you now, too. Which means I have two stories to make sense of. His and yours.”

“And you believe him over me? Is that what you’re trying to say?” His eyes churn black with anger.

“No! I mean… no, I don’t think so. Maybe. I don’t know. I… I don’t know who to believe at this point.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he growls, flinging the phone across the room. It hits the wall right over my bed and lands squarely on one of the cushions. Maybe it’s broken, maybe it’s not. I doubt it matters much anymore.