Yulian’s lips snap shut. I know I’ve hurt him. It isn’t the first time. He’s learned to roll with the punches, though. And he doesn’t wait for an apology. He knows one isn’t coming.
“Heard any chatter lately?” I ask, if only to smooth things over a little bit.
He shakes his head. “Not much. Everything seems to have settled.”
When did my little brother get so level-headed? So cautious? Maybe I’m not giving him enough credit. In my head, he’s still the same snot-nosed ten-year-old who cried every time he lost a fight to me.
“You think I still need to watch Rodion?”
“Yes,” he says firmly. “The man hasn’t let her death go.”
I shake my head. “Say what you want about the old bastard, but he loved Marina. He may have been the only person to truly love her.”
“That’s harsh. She was quite cha
