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But the only person who has this number is Jocko, which means it’s important. He wouldn’t call me on a whim.
“I have to take this,” I tell my woman. “It could concern Lena.”
Her face pales at my daughter’s name, and I can’t blame her. Guilt is roaring through me like a damn train. It’s just that my desire and my primal possessiveness for Kelly is even louder.
“Yes?” I say, answering.
“It’s me.” Jocko’s voice is even gruffer than usual. “Sergey wants to meet.”
“What?” I snap. “How do you know?”
“They must’ve spotted our cameras. Or at least they know we’re watching the entrance to the city. He sent one of his men to the gates with a note on a placard. Kane. Rabat. Ten minutes.”
“When was this?”
“Less than a minute ago.”
“Shit.” I bite down, considering. “It could be a trap. But if I don’t go…”
“He might send in the cavalry.”
“Exactly.” I tighten my hand on the phone. “Okay. Get an exit strategy prepared. If the shit hits the fan, I want to be able to leave within five minutes, tops.”
“Already on it. But shouldn’t I be there with you?”
“No. I have to go alone. I need you here to watch Lena and Kelly.”
“Be careful, Kane.”
I laugh darkly. “Yeah, no shit.”
“What’s happening?” Kelly asks, her voice pitched high with anxiety as I lay the phone down.
I leap to my feet. “There’s no time to explain. I’m taking you back to your apartment and then I have to go.”
She must hear the urgency in my voice, her eyes widening as she stands up. “Is it bad?”
I think about Sergey, the fact that the leader of the Bratva has come himself. He must be more unhinged than I thought. “It’s not good.”
“What can I do?” she asks.
“Try to keep Lena in Medina. If you’re both here, it’ll be easier for Jocko to watch you until I get back.”
I don’t tell her I might not come back, that Sergey Abramov might have a couple of his Bratva men slit my throat the second I walk into the village of Rabat.
Chapter Eleven
Kelly
“Nice walk?” Lena says as I enter the apartment, twisting in her balcony chair to aim a loving smile at me.
I try my best to force my lips into a returning smile, but I can’t stop the thoughts flurrying around my mind. Everything crackles like lightning – the fact that Kane feels the same as me, the closeness we shared, the shivering orgasm, and the darkness which entered his eyes when he suddenly had to leave.
He trailed me through the city as he escorted me back to the apartment, sticking to the shadows, watching me like a silent guardian. And even then, when I should’ve been thinking about what a traitor I was, or how serious this situation with the Bratva was, my skin tingled under his gaze.
I want you more now that I know you’re a virgin, he’d snarled, making my sex tingle in anticipation.
“Kelly?” Lena walks into the room, taking my shoulders in her hands and looking at me with profound kindness on her face. “Are you feeling okay?”
I force a nod, hating myself. If she knew her dad was alive, I could tell her now, about the kiss and everything else, but it’s too much to throw at her all at once.
Or is that just an excuse?
“I feel much better,” I say. “How’s writing going?”
She throws her hands up. “I’ve hit a block. I’m going to head into Valetta and do a little exploring, refresh my mind. And I’m pretty sure I want to set the climax there. So I need to do some on-the-ground research. Do you feel like a little tourism?”
I remember how gruff and serious Kane became when he told me to keep Lena here, his strong jawline tense and his muscles throbbing at whatever he’d discussed on the phone like he was going to let out a roar and charge at me…
Charge at me and grab my hips and pull us close again so that I could feel his manhood against me.
Only this time there would be no nerves, no uncertainty stemming from my inexperience.
I’d be ready to take him, all of him, and he’d, he’d…
I blot it all from my mind, cursing myself for letting my mind dance to those possibilities even now.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Lena asks.
“I don’t think we should go to Valetta,” I say.
She giggles, shaking her head. “That’s what we’re here for, silly.”
She walks toward her bedroom with an aura I recognize well. It’s her determined walk, meaning there’s no way I’m going to be able to stop her from going to Valetta, short of blurting out the truth about her dad… or tackling her, or something equally drastic.
I want to tell her about Kane – the need for it barrels through me – but I can’t do it without Kane’s permission. That would be a betrayal as much as the one I’m inflicting upon my best friend.
