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“It’s my house. I don’t want strangers in my house.”
I shrug. “Then say goodbye to Gregory. I’m sure he has lived a very full, meaningful life.”
“He’s only two!” She frowns and then chews on her lip. I watch her resolve flake away bit by bit until she finally sighs. “Okay. Fine. I’ll make a list of what I want and give you the codes for the front doors, my mailbox, and my apartment door.”
“Not necessary.” I walk past her towards the door.
“How are you going to get in without a key?” she calls after me.
Now that she can no longer see me, I can finally smile. “The same way I get everything else I want: by force.”
Luna doesn’t follow me out of the bedroom. It wouldn’t matter if she had. I unlock the door to my office, step inside, and immediately lock it behind me.
I may let Luna and her cat into my house, but there’s no fucking way I’m letting her into my business.
I drop down into my desk chair and pull out my phone. Nikandr answers on the first ring. “I’ve been looking into the name you gave me earlier, but nothing yet,” he says in lieu of a greeting. “Turns out there are a lot of Budimirs. Go figure.”
“We’ll narrow it down eventually. This stuff takes time.”
Patience was never my strong suit, but I had to get good at it after the Gustev Bratva killed my father. Vengeance isn’t something you can rush.
“You never said where you got the name from,” Nik remarks. “Who was your contact? None of mine knew a damn thing.”
“I got it out of the soldier Akim sent to stake out Luna’s apartment… before I killed him.”
“Shit,” he whispers. “Well, looks like we made the right call keeping her at your house then. Akim would have killed her first chance he had.”
That thought has been lodged in my head all day. What could have happened if I’d left Luna at that restaurant?
What happened because I didn’t leave her at the restaurant has also been lodged in my head.
I’m not used to this. Thinking about a woman after I’ve fucked her. It’s new territory for me. No doubt that that’s just because she is stuck in my house and likes to follow me around, peppering me with questions. As soon as I get her out of my life, she’ll be out of my head. I’m sure of it.
“Speaking of, how is your new roommate?” Nik inquires. “Have you two divided the utilities and made a chore chart yet?”
I shake the memories of Luna loose and kick my feet up on my desk. “The only one doing chores here is you. I need you to go to her apartment and pick up a few things.”
He whistles. “Day one and you’re already moving her in. When’s the wedding?”
I don’t like to encourage him, but I can’t help but laugh. “It’ll be the same day hell freezes over.”
Nik knows I have no plans of getting married. Not after I saw what losing my father did to my mother.
My parents were as in love as two people could be. It’s rare for our type, especially the older generations. Lots of arranged marriages and business deals hidden between the vows. But my parents were the real deal. They made it work for decades—and it was still gone in a fucking second. In the blink of an eye.
I know up close and personal what it looks like when love is ripped away from you.
I have no interest in ever being the one left behind.
“I’ll mark the big day in my calendar.” Nik chuckles. “So what am I grabbing? If she’s anything like Mariya, I could grab everything in the closet, the bathroom, and the pantry and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
“Luna isn’t our sister. She isn’t family and this isn’t some vacation. Get the essentials.” I drum my finger on the top of the desk and roll my eyes. “And her cat.”
Nik sputters like he’s choking. “You hate cats.”
“I’m not adopting it; I’m just letting her bring it here so it doesn’t starve. I told her to keep it away from me. If the thing comes near me, I’ll kill it.”
“Okay. Whatever you say, capitán.”
