Page 58 of Until Death or Defeat

“Okay, okay, I trust you then I guess.” I stand and go over tohim, putting my hand on his arm. “And I did want to come and say I didn’t mean to be so harsh with you. This has just been a super weird fucking month and I?—”

“It’s fine, I get it. Like I said I’d never let you be with some tool who doesn’t know your value. Artem might be...Artem, but I don’t think I’d entrust my little sister to anyone else.”

I raise my brow, and almost laugh. “Nowyoutrust Artem?”

“Any man who protects you from your own family is a good man. I don’t have to like him to see the way he’d kill for you.”

“He’d kill anyone anyway, he’s crazy. It wouldn’t be for me,” I say, trying to push down that feeling again and roll my eyes. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.” He chuckles at my denial as I walk away.

God, I hate that I can’t escape thinking about Artem even when I’m as far as I can be from him. Kill for me? I can’t imagine how pissed he’d be if he was forced to kill someone because of me.

I turn down the hallway and I hear Leo talking on the phone. I was going to keep walking until I hear him say Artem’s name.

“You think Artem would be stupid enough to let that happen?”

His head turns, and I almost gasp, trying to hide again around the corner but there’s no way he didn’t see me.

“Gigi?”

I step out from the corner awkwardly, my hands behind my back. “Sorry I uh...” I start to speak but the horrible feeling of my stomach dropping from all of this is keeping me from forming words.

“I was just talking to a friend,” he says casually as he walks over with a collected smile.

Do I trust Leo? He is family but something feels really wrong.

“Did I hear you say Artem?”

His expression falters for a second, and I furrow my brows. I knew it. Something is fucking off.

“My friend was wondering who your husband was since I mentioned you just got married, just friendly talk.”

I step forward, wanting to see if he’ll crack.

“Well, I’d rather you kept me out of your friendly talks, I don’t?—”

“What are you guys doing?” Caesar’s voice suddenly comes from behind me, and I turn.

Leo puts his arm on my shoulder. “Gigi and I are just bickering like old times,” he says with a smile.

I roll my shoulder out of his grasp and scowl. “I think I’m gonna grab my stuff and go,” I say looking at Caesar. “Can you help me?”

I can sense the tension I created, but Caesar only nods as he follows me to my old room, leaving Leo in the hallway downstairs.

“So . . . what’s the problem now?”

I sigh and turn to face him. “I heard Leo say something about Artem on the phone and it was kind of weird.”

I expected Caesar to be concerned, but instead he burst out laughing.

“What’s funny?” I ask, crossing my arms.

“Leo can’t say his name? I mean?—”

“Seriously? I know what I heard! He was asking if Artem would be stupid enough to...I don’t know, ‘let something happen.’”

Caesar walks over and puts his hand on my arm.

“Look, I’m sure you think it was something weird but it’s probably a misunderstanding. Plus I...don’t think they used to get along well anyway, so maybe he was venting. You sure you’re not just projecting some shit onto him because of everything that happened in the past?”