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“I’d love that. A walk in the park, just the two of us.”
“Just the two of us.” He smiles and I lean forward and press my lips on his and love how good it is. Standing outside the room where so much pain went on, the still warm body of the man who caused it, swinging in the air above the very bed on which he ruined two souls. He is now dancing with demons as Reggie stands beside my father in heaven looking on. Then there’s the man standing with me, who stormed into my life and made a difference. Who taught me that not all men are bad, and some are actually incredible.
I lean forward and deepen the kiss, needing the contact, needing him. Yes, at this moment, at the crossroads of my life, I need Mikhail Romanov more than I need to breathe.
CHAPTER 35
MIKHAIL
Lilli is in my arms, huddled on the seat of the car as we leave her family home forever. It’s as if everything changed in there for both of us. She is stronger, whereas now I am weaker. Somewhere inside those four walls, I realized I want her for more than ninety-eight days and counting.
It’s not enough. It will never be enough, but I can’t tell her that. She is free—almost. For once in her life, she’s in charge and must be allowed to make her own choices. I could give Lilli the world. Money is not an object for us. She could give me something way more valuable. She could give me a heart.
Her sister’s diary sits in my hand, and she whispers, “I’m guessing if the name’s in there, it will be toward the middle. Reggie started escorting men after Mickey stole her virginity. There’s a lot of stuff before that after dad died, that will not interest you.”
“It all interests me.” I say carefully because I’m not kidding. I want to know everything about Lilli’s life and even if she is mentioned in these pages, I want to know why. I realize it will be hard reading and imagining how Lilli felt when she scanned the pages breaks me. It must have been incredibly painful to read her sister’s innermost thoughts, knowing she had already given up on life.
“What happens now?” Lilli asks and I pull her closer.
“We are heading to the airport.”
“Excuse me.” She sits up and stares at me with astonishment.
“Where are we going?”
“London.”
“But–”
Her jaw drops as I say casually, “Have you ever been to London, Lilli?”
I can already guess her answer and her voice shakes as she whispers, “No. But I don’t hold a passport. They won’t let me in.”
“Yes, you do.”
Her eyes widen and I say with a shrug. “The questions Katerina asked served several purposes. She arranged a passport for you the very next day.”
“How?”
She is aghast, and I laugh softly. “When you have money, Lilli, everything is possible.”
“So, those mug shots she took. That was why?”
“Mugshots?” It makes me smile and Lilli nods. “I thought it was strange, but she made me stand against a blank wall and stare into the camera. I thought it was weird at the time, almost as if you needed some kind of facial recognition for the file. Weirdo.”
Her voice is light, and I grin widely. “Those photographs served many purposes. You now own all the legal documentation you need. Passport, driver’s license and health card.”
“But I can’t drive.” Her eyes are wide with fear, and it makes me laugh out loud. “It’s a learner’s permit. You will be taught how to drive before you leave.”
“Why?”
Her eyes fill with tears, and I say softly, “Because I want you to be prepared for everything, Lilli. While you are with me you will not be idle. I will arrange driving lessons, self-defense classes and shooting lessons. Your grades were good at college, which means you have escaped re-taking them and I’ve opened a bank account in your name with one million dollars in it.”
“Mikhail!” Her breathing is rapid, and her face flushed as she stares at me with total shock and I reach up and stroke her cheek and whisper, “You are free, Lilli flower. You are now your own strong independent woman with choices. Once your debt to me is paid, you can do anything. Go anywhere. The choice will be yours.”
“To leave?” Her voice shakes and I hate how many choices I’ve given her already. I want her to choose to stay, but it must be because she wants to, not because she has no other choice. This way, we have some breathing space to spend time together before any decision must be made. If anything, I am glad I insisted on her time for one hundred days and nights. That is how long I’ve got to make her fall in love with me. To choose to stay.
We head to the airfield and the diary is burning in my hands. The answer must lie inside, and a lot is riding on this.
