VIKTOR
The word hung in the air between us, sharp and fragile. What?
I saw the exact moment the message registered in Kairen's mind. The flicker of confusion in his gold eyes, chased away by cold, dawning comprehension. Then, something worse: hurt, raw and unconcealed, before it was instantly buried under a wave of defensive anger.
He lifted his gaze from the phone to my face. His expression was a mask of icy disbelief. "Did you plan on telling me?" he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.
I didn't have a good answer. No was the truth. I didn't know how was also the truth. How do you say, 'I've been blackmailed into leaving to protect you from a sex tape, and my real handlers might be using this as a test'? The fragile truce we'd built over greasy pancakes and a shared smoke was too new, too brittle to bear that weight.
My silence was answer enough. A muscle feathered in his jaw.
