Page 146 of Sinful Hearts

“Dasha,” I say around a harsh breath.

She turns and stumbles in my direction. “Liliya!” Nearly falling into me, she throws her arms around my body.

I pull back, holding her at arm’s length to give her a once-over.

Is the blood hers?

Is she hurt?

I need to know these things.

I scan her, looking for any injuries.

The blood isn’t fresh, just dried and caked on her skin and clothes.

“Aleksy killedDedushkaand David!” she yells.

I tighten my hands on her shoulders. “What?”

I glance at Emilio, unsure if she’s telling the truth.

“He came here from Russia to find me!” she adds. “They kept us in a fucking warehouse, hungry and freezing, before taking us to Aleksy this morning.Dedushkatold Aleksy to kill me for running off. He said if Aleksy didn’t, then Aleksy wouldn’t be Bratva boss here any longer. He’d be in the ground.”

My stomach twists, and I gulp.

“Aleksy just pulled out his gun and shot him!” she screams. Her words come out so fast that she doesn’t even take a breath between them. “Then Lev came in and killed Aleksy!” Her voice rises. “Aleksy is dead, Liliya! He’s gone.”

I drop my arms, falling back a step, and glance at Emilio again for confirmation.

He slowly nods.

I whimper but stop myself from breaking down.

I need to be strong for Dasha.

Emilio comes toward me, and I notice the blood on him.

“Let’s get her upstairs and cleaned up,” he tells me, towering over Dasha to place a kiss on the top of my head. “I’ll explain everything later. First, I need to make some calls.” Surprisingly, he gently cups Dasha’s shoulder. “You’re safe here.”

Emilio carries Dasha up the stairs, and I follow them into our bathroom. “I’ll be downstairs.” He shuts the door behind us.

Dasha stares straight ahead in a daze.

She moves like a zombie as I help her out of her clothes.

I turn on the shower, test the water, and guide her inside. I join her, fully dressed.

She cries.

Says everything is her fault and she wishes she had never been born.

I finally snap my fingers in front of her face and scream her name.

She flinches, her anguished eyes meeting mine, but is pulled back into reality.

“Nothing is your fault. Aleksy anddedushkaare dead because of their bullshit. Not yours.”

“But … but David,” she says, her lip shaking as tears meet with the water running down her face.