Sasha & Andriena #1 (Lovers & Sinners) by Marita A. Hansen Page A

Russian’s words hurt him,
because they were true. Even though he and his brother had been outnumbered, he
still should’ve done something, anything to have stopped Yuri from being killed.
There hadn’t been a day since his brother’s death that he hadn’t gone over
those last moments of Yuri’s life, trying to find a way he could’ve saved him.
    “You feel guilt,
don’t you, Sasha?”
    Sasha dropped his
gaze.
    “Looks like you do,
and you should. He was only there because he wanted to be with you.”
    Sasha remained
silent, again wishing he’d been killed instead of Yuri, his brother having been
a much better person than him. The Black Russian tapped the microphone, making
him look up at the man, his expression also pained. Without a doubt, the Black
Russian had loved Yuri, but then again, everyone in the palace had, his baby
brother’s nature so sweet.
    “Enough talk about
what we both lost,” the Black Russian said, his voice thick with emotion. “We
can’t change the past, only the future. So, put the gun to your head like what was
done to Yuri and pull the trigger, or kiss Andriena on the lips.”
    Without hesitating,
Sasha moved the gun to his forehead and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked, the
empty chamber making him yell out, death his preference.
    The Black Russian frowned.
“Is the pain so deep that you would rather die than kiss a beautiful woman?”
    “Death is more
welcome than the touch of a woman’s lips.”
    “Life has more to
offer, even after tragedy.”
    “Not for me.”
    “Then, I’m going to
change the rules of the game since you’re not playing the way it was intended.”
    “Why? You gave me a
choice and I chose to pull the trigger.”
    The Black Russian
shook his head. “Again, you shouldn’t choose to kill yourself over kissing a
beautiful woman.”
    “When I kissed my ex
you punished me severely for it.”
    “You did way more
than kiss that Viper, and again, I’m not here to talk about the past. I’m here
to be entertained and to entertain others. As you would’ve noticed, there are
cameras filming everything you do. So, play the game my way, lover.”
    “I’m not your
lover,” Sasha spat.
    “Everyone is my
lover, just in varying degrees. In case you haven’t noticed, if I want someone
I get them, like I’ve had you. You were one of my favorites, the cream of the
crop, yet you disappointed me so much when you ran. I thought it wasn’t true at
first. I couldn’t believe that my precious Sasha would do such a thing, but I
couldn’t deny it when I saw you try to escape before my eyes, screaming you
would rather die than return to me. It pained me more than you can ever know, especially
since I don’t give many people my love—”
    “You don’t love me;
you love no one, other than your sick sister, who’s even worse than you.” Sasha
sneered. “And if you want her to remain safe, you should kill me now, because
if I ever get free I’m going to kill that cyka . I’d tie her up and place
a gun to where her heart should be, telling her that you ordered me to execute
her. She would say I was lying, then I would smile at her, asking her if she
was sure of that. And as soon as a flicker of self-doubt forms in her eye, I’ll
pull the trigger, killing the evil cyka while she questions your love
for her.”
    The Black Russian’s
face turned vicious. “You’re delusional if you think you can fuck with my mind,
Sasha. I am the manipulator, while you’re the manipulated. So, give that
gun to Andriena or see the flesh stripped from her bones.” He bared his teeth.
“Which you know I would do, with pleasure .”
    Believing him, Sasha slid
the gun across the table to Andriena. Fear colored her expression, looking like
she didn’t want to leave this earth as readily as he did. Her hands were fixed firmly
at her side, the slight shake to her head telling him she wasn’t going to pick
up the gun.
    The Black Russian’s
voice came over the intercom again: “Place