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Okay, lisichka. Whatever you say.
The limo arrives exactly on schedule, no doubt thanks to Andrei’s superior planning. The man insists on scheduling everything to a T so that there is no room for surprises.
I, however, am always on the lookout for surprises.
Valentina turns in my arms as the vehicle pulls around the curb. She’s not paying attention until I open the car door for her, and her eyes widen as she realizes what’s in front of her.
“A limo?”
We all thought she’d be pleased with a reprieve from the day’s unfortunate events, but the shadow that passes over her face tells me she is, in fact, unpleased. She stares inside the open door, like she’s waiting for something to pop out and snap its jaws around her.
Mikhail’s eyes meet mine as he approaches Valentina from behind. He places a hand on her lower back. “I’m not driving, malyshka, so the chances of sudden death are minimal.”
She should toss him a glare, or smack his chest, or at least smile at the joke.
Instead, she turns pale.
Carefully, I slide my arm under Valentina’s legs and pick her up. Otherwise, we’ll be here all night.
Her body stiffens, but to my surprise, she doesn’t protest. As I lower her into the vehicle, I call for Andrei to grab her. He easily pulls her the rest of the way in, and Mikhail and I quickly follow.
Andrei cradles Valentina in his arms and studies her closely, scanning her face before looking back at us.
We all have the same question.
“Valentina, baby, are you okay? Are you hurt?” Andrei brushes a curl behind her ear.
I checked her for injuries as we came up with a plan for luring Liam out of hiding. She was patient with me as I looked her over from head to toe, but all I found were the hickeys Andrei gave her. Not a scratch or a bruise or anything of note, otherwise.
“Do we have to go out?” she asks, biting her lip and giving Andrei the biggest doe-eyes I’ve ever seen.
Part of me sizzles with jealousy, but if Valentina did look at me like that, I’d give her anything she wanted in a heartbeat. I clear my throat and begin counting the freckles dotting her shoulders. I insisted she wear a jacket out tonight, but she didn’t seem interested in trying on outfits.
She chose the first little black dress she could find.
Now I realize I should have picked up on her mood earlier in the day. Shame burns in my chest, and I have to take a breath. As I exhale, I push the feeling down and trap it under the lid of a little black box I keep tucked away inside.
The box that never gets opened.
Pandora’s box, Mikhail calls it, but I don’t care about its name. The first rule any new recruit in the Russian sector learns is that you seal the box up tight...and never let anything out.
“The only way we’re going to find Liam is if we leave the grounds. I know you don’t want us to hurt him, baby, but he’s hurt you. That can’t go unpunished.” He cups her cheek and brushes his thumb against her soft skin. He’s become so gentle with her. It’s the opposite of how he behaved when she first stumbled into his office a week ago.
It’s impossible for five years of suffering to have disappeared that quickly. I suspect that Andrei has his own box tucked away, deep inside, too.
Not Mikhail, though. That bastard lets everything out the moment he feels the slightest bit temperamental.
Valentina seems to be holding her breath.
It makes me uncomfortable.
Mikhail reaches for her first, sliding into the seat beside Andrei and clasping Valentina’s hands in his. He raises them to his lips and presses a kiss to her knuckles. “Malyshka. You’re safe with us. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
Andrei nods his agreement. “There’s no need to be nervous, darling. No one will touch you tonight but us.”
Their words fall on deaf ears. Valentina’s breathing shallows, and her eyes glaze over as panic sets in.
I take a deep breath, letting air fill my lungs to capacity. It’s been a long time since I’ve witnessed trauma, but I recognize the signs more than the two duraks coddling Valentina like a child.
