Page 16 of Cashmere Ruin

Then the door bursts open.

Carmine turns.

So do I.

And Matvey’s eyes meet mine.

6

APRIL

“You.”

Matvey’s voice is ice-cold. He spits that word at Carmine like a poisonous dart, but all the while, he keeps his eyes onme.

And those aren’t cold at all.

They’re burning.

God, I missed him.That’s all I can think of. I’m standing between two dangerous men, in the crossfire of two deadly weapons, and all I can think of is three words.

I.

Missed.

Him.

Then Carmine breaks the spell. “Me,” he agrees wickedly, his false smirk finally peeling away to reveal the snake beneath. “How nice to see you again, s?—”

“Take your filthy gun off my woman,” Matvey cuts him off, “and your filthy hands off my daughter.”

I realize that I’ve never seen him like this. To me, Matvey was always “the man”—whether passionate, cold, or indifferent, he was always “off-the-clock.” It’s the first time I’m getting to see this side of him: the ruthless, bloodthirsty, stone-hearted other half of the equation.

Thepakhan.

But Carmine isn’t intimidated in the slightest. “I’m afraid I can’t do that,Matik.”

It’s like a switch has been flipped. At the sound of that name, Matvey’s face goes white, then red with rage. “Don’t you darecall me that.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll put a bullet in your fucking skull.”

Carmine tuts. Then, without warning, he starts rocking our child in the crook of his arm. “How cute, no? Babies. Such miracles. And how fragile, too.”

“If you fucking touch her?—”

“They usually like me, you know,” he bulldozes over Matvey’s words. “So their parents are always asking me, ‘Do you wanna hold ‘em?’ and shoving them right into my arms. And I’m always terrified. I keep thinking,‘Oh, dear… What if I drop them?’”

Suddenly, Carmine’s fake smile is drained of all warmth. His threat is so clear, it’s all I can do not to scream.

But I force myself to pull it together. “That’s anxiety, I hear,” I quip back.

He seems pleasantly surprised by my remark. As if delighted to find out he can keep playing. “Perhaps it is! I’m anxious that way. So why don’t you drop the gun, Matik, before my grip falters?”

I see Matvey grit his teeth in frustration, gun still raised.

“Matvey.” I try to keep my voice from shaking. “Please.”