Page 59 of Obsession of the Bratva

“What happened?” I shouldn’t have answered. I knew that.

Yet somehow, I did. “Another attack.”

Her entire posture changed, immediately. “What? Where?”

“At one of the Romanov warehouses.”

The color drained slightly from her face. And suddenly Kliment’s questions returned.

Could Manny Stavros have known about us?

Vera’s fingers tightened around the book just slightly. Most people wouldn’t have noticed, but I did.

“Nico.”

Her voice sounded careful. Too careful. “Yes?”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“No.”

Relief flashed through her expression. Genuine relief. Not the reaction of somebody helping orchestrate attacks. The realization settled immediately, which somehow complicated everything further. I knew she wasn’t involved in any of this. She hadn’t even tried running away even once.

Vera exhaled slowly. Thank God. The words were almost whispered.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, noticing my expression.

I looked away immediately, which was a mistake. Because the second I did, I caught the scent of her perfume, and suddenly, remembering warehouse fires became significantly more difficult.

Jesus Christ.

This woman was going to kill me. Not with betrayal. Not with lies. Not with violence. But simply with proximity. I stood abruptly, and Vera blinked.

“I’m not. I am sorry.”

“What are you feeling?” Excellent question. I wished I knew.

“I have to go to work, I replied instead, refusing to answer her question.

“Nico.”

I looked at her. Big mistake. Those eyes. Always those eyes.

“Yes?”

For a second, she seemed uncertain. Then she shook her head.

“Nothing.”

We stared at each other, and the distance between us suddenly felt very small. I cleared my throat and turned, heading toward my office. I knew I was retreating, but I needed to do that because right now I had warehouse attacks to solve. Enemies to identify. Brothers to update. And problems to manage. Instead, I was standing in my living room thinking about how beautiful Vera looked while reading a book. Something was very wrong with me.

And unfortunately, I had a feeling it was only going to get worse.

Chapter 14 - Vera

I had never been particularly good at playing games. Not with Nico. Not with anyone, really. I had always preferred honesty, even when honesty hurt. Especially when it hurt. Maybe that was why everything had gone so catastrophically wrong, because the one time I had chosen lies instead of truth, I had destroyed both our lives in the process. The thought followed me as I stood in front of the mirror in my bedroom.

For a long moment, I simply stared at my reflection.