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"My nasley," he said in Russian If his fluency surprised her, she didn’t betray it with so much as a blink "You’re Irina Zhirov"

"Harris," she said, in thickly accented English "I’m married"

"I heard someone tried to poison your husband"

"I’ answer Kingsley studied her as she picked at her nail polish She had an elegant profile, undeniably Russian, undeniably lovely But she had a hard set to herher lips had calcified into a pale tight line of bitterness

"Does your husband overreact often?"

Irina

"I’sley said "And I’m not a lawyer I’m not a translator"

"Who are you?" she asked in Russian, finallyhis eyes

"A friend," he said "If you need a friend"

"I need a lawyer"

"I can help you get a lawyer Tell "

She cocked her head, tried to look innocent "He’s a man They all overreact A man you’ve neverwith hiht, so you hate hi hiood for hi would be better for him"

She had a hard cold voice Her dark eyes sparked like struck flint when she spoke The anger in her went all the way to her toes He could ith that

Kingsley knelt on the floor in front of her Her eyes widened in surprise, but she n that she had no issue with sley asked, studying her face and neck

"I didn’t want him to fuck me," she whispered "If he’s sick he can’t fuck me I wanted tofucked by their husbands"

"Those wives aren’t married to my husband"

He raised his hand and lifted her hair off her neck She closed her eyes as Kingsley examined four small black bruises that marred the otherwise unblesley positioned his hand until his fingertips lined up with the bruises "He tried to choke you Was this in bed or out of bed?"

"He does it all the time," she whispered "I thinksomeday he will kill me"

"Why do you stay with him?"

"I’o back to Russia My father’s worse than hed heavily

"How tall are you?" he asked Irina gave hi?"

"Stronger than I look"