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She pressed the cold bottle of water to her teotten here? How had Sasha, or Joshua? "Life sucks sometimes," she murmured
"Nikita insisted I kill you, to prove that I didn't love you and my loyalty was solely to the bratya He wanted to make certain I didn't love you more than our family" There was a sneer to his voice when he used the word family "He wantedto survive, but to break with hi him"
She gasped, one hand flying out to catch his wrist "He's still your father"
"The father who murdered et that i to live"
"Does he know you've broken with him?"
Sasha nodded "It's going to be an all-out war" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, studying her "I saw you in the bedroore Then in the swamp it looked completely different, as if you were a prisoner, rather than being with him by choice"
Before she could speak, he shook his head and held up his hand to stop her "It doesn't re is just as dirty as my father He may not have killed his woman, but he's ruthless in this business In a very short tiht he could walk all over hire, and that's sore is in solid with Elijah Lospostos"
Sonia had heard that nah it had always been in Russian, when they'd been sitting around a dinner table Nikita had by turns cursed the man and then admired him
"He's going to come for me," she said softly "Joshua will, and I don't want the two of you fighting He's my choice, Sasha"
He shook his head "I spent years protecting you I don't want you anywhere near this business You get away and what do you do? You find the one man worse than Nikita"
"How is he worse?" Her heart thudded in her chest so hard she pressed her hand over it "What do you mean, worse? Did he sell me out to Nikita? Is that what he did? Did Nikita pay him for the information?"
He turned away frory, the set of his shoulders stiff
"Don't lie to me, I need the truth"
"No, he didn't sell you out, Sonia He doesn't need the money or to have ht there He came up fast--too fast As far as anyone can tell, he was never connected before He just walked in and took over No one knoho killed Rafe Cordeau, but we all know he's dead His territory ide open until suddenly Tregre comes out of nowhere and assumes the crown"
She let her breath out slowly in relief He didn't know anything about Joshua, not really "He isn't any worse than you If youover the fae out of her voice
"Yes I was born into this world I don't know any different I'ood at it Yes, sweetheart, I'll always be what I was born When my father is dead, the others will expect me to ascend the throne, and I intend to"
"Sasha, I love you I really do With all my heart, I love you You'll always be et to know hi as someone who loves you and needs you in e him"
"Damn it, Sonia, no He's not for you This life isn't for you I forbid it"
She stared up at his furious face "He'll fight for me He will coht for me That's the kind of man he is"
"You don't know that You can't possibly know hi froine my surprise when that beautiful cat turned out to be you I saw his leopard knock yours off her feet I saw you shift and kick the crap out of the male You were fearless Beautiful I was so proud of you"
She liked his praise She'd loved Sasha since she was a little girl She re hoone every day She'd been four when she'da little sister to protect and look after The connection between theh his love for her mother
"I love him"
"He manhandled you"
"He would never hurt me Never"
"I see bruises on your skin S in deep"
She blushed Thediscreet "It's not like that We both get a little crazy He doesn't hit me He wouldn't"
"Hoould you know, Sonia?"
"I know you wouldn't hit et at me, I know you would never hitin his life, whatever led him there, that's his, not mine He has to decide what's important in his life You believe you were born to take over your father's business and you intend to do that You just ad to harm me"
He nodded slowly "I know I'ood man I knohat I am I know I'll never have it all, the woman I can love completely and who can love oing to happen for ood man"
"He'll come for me, Sasha I love hiive you if you hurt him"
"Do you think that matters to me? I chose you You're all I have left You areto turn you over to acriminal? Once you're his, in our world, I can't interfere"
"That's just it, Sasha I am his," she said quietly "I'm his mate Our leopards chose each other She's had her heat and she chose him I chose Joshua I would every time"
He turned away fro in Russian She closed her eyes and pressed the water bottle harder against her temple She knew Joshua would find her He would puzzle out the tangle of a trail and he'd show up--in force Sasha aiting for him, ready to ambush him His men were hidden all around the outside of the house as well as the inside She didn't want either man killed, but Sasha refused to listen
"Let me call him Talk to him I can convince him to stay away You can meet with him at a neutral location," she ventured
He turned back to her, studying her face "You can tell hi you somewhere safe"
"I'll just find my way back to him" She said it quietly, not defiantly, justthe truth "I love hi his child Did you think of that?"
He groaned, turned and flung the bottle of water at the fireplace It hit, spraying water everywhere, bounced off and hit the floor, the rest of the water leaking out They both stared at it as if that widening pool could give them the answers
"Please, Sasha, at least get to know him Give me this chance with so the truth when he says he loves me I feel it every tiive us this chance All of us You, me and Joshua"
"I think that would be a very good idea," a male voice said
Both spun around, Sonia's breath catching in her throat as she recognized Joshua's voice
16
JOSHUA wanted to kill the bastard Absolutely fucking kill him Sasha The man who had married his woman He'd had her in his bed In his home He'd tried to kill her A bo, and she should have had protection, but instead, the Bogomolovs, father and son, had tried to kill her
They fanned out, following each trail, one leopard per vehicle, the others waiting, all aro to war Sasha had taken her frooing to hurt her, let alone kill her Every minute that went by felt like an hour, a day
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