Page 131 of Beautiful Secrets

Someone roars.

Yuri twists, not a trace of surprise on his face.

He was waiting for Cole to lunge at him. To defend me. I may as well have pulled the trigger myself.

I scream.

A shot goes off.

Cole’s upper body is pushed back by the force of the bullet. I run forward, still screaming, and try to shove Yuri out of my way.

He grabs me by the throat, lifts me until my feet dangle under me.

Another shot goes off.

Yuri snarls up at me, but I do not see any blood on him. If someone was aiming at him, they missed.

Now there are shouts and yells. Another shot goes off.

But Yuri is crushing my throat, despite how I claw at his hand. My fingers grow slippery with his blood, but it is as if I am the only thing in Yuri’s world.

I am his sun, yet he is intent on extinguishing my light.

Forever.

Until a gun appears at his temple.

Cole.

Arm shaking. Sweat on his brow.

“Put her down.”

Pushing the words through bloodstained teeth.

“They will kill all of you,” Yuri says, his eyes flickering in the direction of the other Vasilievs, the Barisovas. “Trust me, this cunt is not worth it.”

“You must not have heard,” Cole says, gritting his teeth. “I’m a fucking madman.”

I fall when Yuri does, the sound of Cole’s gun going off still ringing painfully through my ears. My face is wet with Yuri’s blood, my throat bruised by his ruthless fingers.

As soon as I hit the ground, Cole is at my side. He swipes hair and blood from my face, cradling me in his hands. But his grip is weak, and his face is bone white.

There is a large red stain on his shirt, right by his heart, and it keeps spreading and spreading.

He grimaces at me with bloodied teeth. “Mika. Are you okay?”

I should nod, tell him I am fine, but I cannot. The only words I can form are ones of abject horror.

“What have you done?”

47

Cole

Her eyes have never been bluer, so stark against Yuri’s blood.

Red.