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“I’m right here.” She wrapped both legs around my waist and held on tight. “You’re the one who’s been hiding in corners.”

I kissed her before she could see how deeply the accusation cut. She was right. Command came easily when men carried guns and waited for my orders. Anika’s anger, desire, and trust couldn’t be commanded. I had no idea how to earn any of them, but I intended to learn. As soon as she let me.

I withdrew and drove back into her. Her nails dug into my shoulders as I found a rhythm, slow at first because she was still sensitive from Roman. When she began meeting my thrusts, I stopped holding back.

Roman stretched beside her and cupped one breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers. Kirill kissed her other shoulder, then reached between us and pressed two fingers to her clit.

She came apart beneath all three of us, holding my gaze as our names poured from her mouth. Mine rattled down my spine, tightening my balls and urging me to move faster. Her body locked around me, dragging me past the last of my restraint. I buried my cock to the hilt and came so hard my vision blacked at the edges.

For several seconds, no one moved. Her gasping breaths spread over my neck, and I realized I’d collapsed on top of her, crushing her to the bed. I eased back enough to let her breathe, kissed her, then eased out to let Kirill take my place.

She watched him through heavy-lidded eyes. “I can’t decide if today is the strangest day of my life or not.”

Kirill paused. “There are other contenders?”

“I own a bakery.” She guided him into her with a moan that put me at half-mast despite just finishing. “A woman threw a cake at me once because I used the wrong color of mauve. Fuck, Kirill, that feels so good.” She groaned again. “People underestimate the dangers of buttercream.”

Kirill pumped in and out of her, grinning at me over his shoulder. “Stay alert, Maksim. We’re in the presence of a hardened criminal.”

“I’ll show you criminal.” With a twist of her hips, Anika managed to push Kirill onto his back and straddle him. She tossed her hair over her shoulders and leaned back, anchoring her hands on his thighs as she rode him.

She was glorious. Nothing else compared to the look on her face, and I memorized every line, every expression.

By the time we slid beneath the sheets and closed our eyes, I had a clear path ahead with only one goal. Convince Anika to stay forever.

Anika woke shortly after seven and bolted upright so quickly Kirill swore and nearly rolled off the bed. “The suitcase.” She shoved hair out of her face, her eyes wide as she took us in. “Alina’s suitcase.”

Roman was awake in an instant. “What suitcase?”

“The one she had after the masquerade. She left it at my apartment.” She scrambled for her clothes, words flying out in a wild cascade. “I was furious with her. She told me it was nothing for me to worry about, but she needed it hidden away. I shoved it beneath a loose floorboard because I couldn’t stand looking at anything that reminded me.” Her gaze dipped to the floor, and she swallowed hard.

She didn’t want to remember our night together? There had to be more to it than that. “Reminded you of what?” There was a command in my voice I couldn’t get rid of even if I wanted to.

Her head snapped up, eyes meeting mine. “It reminded me that I’d had to walk away from you. I forgot about the suitcase.”

But she never forgot us. A pleased sound rumbled from my chest even as I rolled from the bed. “So you kept a suitcase for the last five years?” Perhaps I should show her that I’d kept something as well. The mask she’d worn that night was in my dresser, tucked in amid my undershirts so our scents mingled. I had chased the phantom smell of her for five years.

“It was right after the masquerade. There might be something important in it.” She straightened her leggings and tugged on her socks before tossing her hair over her shoulder and staring at the three of us. “You’re moving awfully slow.”

“There might be more men watching your building.” I reached for my pants and pulled them on, buckling my belt without looking away from her.

Roman did the same, his thoughts plain on his face. “It’s unlikely she put the money in physical form, but wouldn’t it be nice if the suitcase is filled with our missing money?”

“You’re starting to sound like me.” Kirill slapped him on the back. “Welcome to optimism, my friend.”

Roman rolled his eyes and tugged on his shirt.

I focused on Anika. “You’re not going alone.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” She fisted her hands and set them on her hips. “I’m reckless enough to sleep with the three of you after you kidnapped me, but I’m not stupid or suicidal.”

Roman grimaced while Kirill laughed without bothering to hide it. “She makes an excellent point.”

“Thank you.” Anika curtseyed, then glared. “Now hurry up. I’m curious as fuck.”

Two hours later, two armored vehicles carried us toward Anika’s apartment with another car ahead and one behind. She objected to the convoy until Roman showed her a report confirming Sokolov’s people had been seen twice within a block of her building. After that, she sat quietly between Kirill and me, worrying a silver ring on her finger.

Her building stood on a narrow street above a laundromat and a discount pharmacy. The outer door didn’t close completely unless she lifted it by the handle, and the elevator had been broken long enough for someone to tape a handwritten apology over the call button while others had taken the time to carve obscenities around the note.