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I force a smile, meeting her questioning gaze head-on, my heart aching at the worry clouding her bright blue eyes. “No, I don’t, darling. But I promise you, Luka will be back soon,” I reassure her, infusing as much conviction into my voice as I can muster. “And when he does, he’ll give you the biggest, squishiest hug ever,” I say with added enthusiasm, remembering Svetlana’s words about the food-tasting scheduled for tomorrow. That means Luka will surely be back by then. He wouldn’t miss it.
This assurance brings a tentative nod from her. “Okay, Sophia.”
I squeeze her hand gently, leaning closer with a conspiratorial grin. “You do know that Luka loves you heaps and heaps and heaps, right?” My voice escalates in pitch with each “heaps,” and I finish off with a tickle attack on her little belly.
“Yes, I know!” Yulia squeals through her giggles, squirming under my tickling fingers. In the chaos, Max starts barking, his tail wagging wildly as he joins in our merriment.
We cackle like hyenas, letting the noise drown out the buzz of chaos that’s pretty much become our backdrop lately. It’s just me and Yulia here, in this pocket of joy we’ve managed to carve out, holding the crap at bay, at least for a little while.
As I tuck Yulia into bed later, I pin her beautiful drawing above her bed where she can see it.
“Sweet dreams, Yulia,” I whisper, brushing a kiss over her forehead. Max, who had been curled up at the foot of the bed, jumps up to lick my cheek, making both Yulia and I giggle.
But as I close her door behind me, the laughter fades, replaced by the unsettling silence of the mansion. It’s strange. I haven’t seen Luka, Dimitri, or Erik since – forever? It’s as if they’ve vanished into thin air.
Fucking dickheads! They should’ve called, at least!
Frustrated, I step into my room and quickly close the door behind me. My eyes dart to the loose floorboard under the rug near my bed. Lifting it, I retrieve the burner phone that I’ve hidden there. It’s my lifeline, my connection to the world outside this mansion.
A single message glares at me from the screen. It’s from Aleks. “Follow her instructions. Get rid of the phone.”
Nothing more, nothing less.
Her?
Is he talking about Anya? Now he wants me to get rid of the phone?
Why?
Could it be because of the increasing security at the house? My fingers hover over the keyboard, my stomach twisting in knots of anxiety.
I manage to punch out my reply: “When can I see Nilo and Wren?” I pause, holding my breath in anticipation, eyes glued to the screen, yearning for a response. But the screen remains stubbornly silent, void of any comforting words.
Come on, you fuckhead!
The lack of response gnaws at me, setting off a bitter ache in my belly. The silence from the phone is a mocking echo of my own desperation. It’s just me and this damned screen, the universe’s cruel joke. God, it’s infuriating.
My heart pounds a rhythm of frustration as each second passes with no reply. In a fit of irritation, I hurl the phone onto the bed.
This is just fucking great!
Chapter 48
Luka
MY TOWEL hits the hamper, still heavy with sweat from my workout. My gym’s the only place where I can get Sophia out of my fucking head. Been pounding the punching bag for the last hour. Anything to keep my mind from spiraling.
The desire’s eating at me, gnawing away like a constant itch I can’t scratch.
Sophia.
Just the thought of her name makes my cock twitch. I’ve been avoiding her, burying myself in work, burying myself in anything to distract from the hunger. But it’s there, always there, lurking just beneath the surface.
Anyone could be a fucking rat for Aleks,even Sophia.
I scold myself, my internal voice raw with warning.
Shit, I need to get a grip. but right now, it’s not my head that’s doing the thinking – it’s my cock.
