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With a single nod, he disappeared into the house, and we didn’t have to wait long before he returned behind Erasmo.
His face was fixed into a firm, serious expression as he approached.
“I assume you captured the right one,” he said, arms folded behind his back.
“Anastasia Levov,” I confirmed, reaching for her blinder.
As the fabric fell away, her dark hair came into view, along with the complete shock and fear in her features.
Knowing she wouldn’t dare risk running away, I took a step back, able to see her face completely.
But the moment I did, I put myself in her sight, and there was no missing the recognition that entered her eyes. They widened, and disbelief clouded her features.
I wanted to confirm that she wasn’t seeing a ghost. That I was really there, and we were reconnected again. But I remembered myself and held my tongue.
As much as I wanted to delude myself into thinking that recognition was a good thing, I knew it wasn’t. Overshadowed by surprise and betrayal, there was no missing how hurt she truly looked.
I already knew she wasn’t expecting to see me, of all people.
I tried to convince myself that she somehow deserved to be deceived as I had been, but that weak reasoning quickly fell away. Looking at her then, I only saw the woman I connected with that night in Europe, and for reasons I didn’t know, she withheld her full identity from me. Was it really a crime that she was born a Levov? Inconvenient, more like.
Even if some of that residual anger still hung around, her natural beauty was too much for me to ignore. Those ocean eyes and the soft details of her face were enough to remind me exactly why I had been so attracted to her in the first place.
Despite my emotions and thoughts being jumbled by the circumstances, I didn’t want any real harm to come to her. I would make sure that didn’t happen.
Erasmo hummed to himself as he inspected her closely. He reached forward and took her chin between his fingers, moving her face left and right. “She certainly looks like a Levov.”
As disgust washed over her, Anastasia yanked herself back and out of his grasp. “Get off me!”
Gabe and another guard were quick to come up behind her and make sure she couldn’t get away, securing her in their grasp.
“Easy now, no need for theatrics,” Erasmo said, frown shifting into a look of appeasement when he met my gaze. “Well done. This should put us on the playing board and give us something to bargain with. Now take her back to your place. I don’t want the Levovs tracking her here. Be discreet. Make sure she keeps a low profile.”
Immediate relief moved through me, and I was quick to nod my confirmation. “I’ll see to it.”
It felt like a double win for me, seeing as it was my plan all along. No convincing necessary.
“Good, good,” he murmured, nodding his approval. “Now get out of my house. It’s late.”
Without another word, I gestured for Gabe to haul her back out, which he did. Erasmo shuffled back down the corridor and disappeared not long after. In my good mood, I couldn’t help but chuckle at his dismissal.
Once Anastasia was put into the back of my car and secured, I thanked the guys for their good work, and everyone broke off, heading home for the night.
Driving through the city, I did my best to hold onto that light feeling in my chest. The hope that better things were ahead of me.
Getting on my feet after leaving Russia wasn’t the easiest thing, but after Gabe’s help securing this position, it felt like a step in the right direction. Thanks to the initiative I took and the job’s success, it looked like I was in the good books.
Erasmo wasn’t usually one to praise anybody, but his satisfaction had been clear as day, and I had the feeling I was about to become a real asset to the Caprises.
Even if I had taken Anastasia for my own impulsive desires disguised as a way to help Erasmo better his position in New York, it was sure to boost my rank.
Regardless of the job and its benefits, the real prize was in my back seat, and that anxiety I had been feeling to see her again could finally be quelled.
Although, that success brought something entirely new with it. A different territory I had to understand and tread carefully.
I had Anastasia in my possession, but it didn’t happen positively. It had been abrasive and forceful, and I did not doubt that she hated me. After realizing who was responsible, it was easy to believe she would want nothing to do with me.
Willingly keeping her at my place wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only way I could be with her. Plus, I couldn’t just let her go. She became an asset to Erasmo the moment I captured her, and if something happened, it would be my head on the line.
