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I searched the room, confirming my beliefs.
A slightly cracked dresser drawer when I always kept it closed. A different placement of the bottle of perfume I’d forgotten to pack, the label front and center. A shift in the book I’d left on my nightstand, as if my unwanted visitor had been curious as to my reading selection. Yet nothing was overt.
My legs shaky, I took cautious steps toward the dresser, opening the bottom drawer. My jewelry box was still there. As I pulled it into my hands, I glanced at the adjoining mirror, horrified at the way I looked. There were dark circles under my eyes, my skin pale. I should be glowing from the amazing adventure but…
Alexei.
The sane part of me realized I should be just as terrified of my Russian lover as I was some escaped convict. They were similar, yet different. Right? How could I have bedded a man who reminded me of a cruel beast?
I took a deep breath and opened the box. Immediately hair stood up on the back of my neck. No. This wasn’t possible. I searched through the wooden container, finally dragging out everything onto the dresser’s surface.
I wasn’t imagining things.
The necklace was gone.
I backed away, wringing my hands. There had to be a logical explanation. I’d put it somewhere else.
You know better. You never allow it out of your sight.
Another sickening feeling swept through me. Had Alexei been here, searching through my things? If everything we’d shared had been a lie, then he was the kind of man to try to determine what my real intentions were.
Now you’re just thinking crazy thoughts. He’s not like that.
Really?
“Get control. Breathe.” As if saying the words out loud could change my attitude, remove the noose I’d wrapped around my own throat.
The fear remained as I dumped my suitcase on the bed, quickly moving to fill it with clean clothes. Then I changed, tossing my skirt and blouse into the closet, grabbing a pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and an old tee shirt. Then I brushed my hand across my still aching arm, the tattoo visible. There was no reason to hide it any longer. After tossing a few toiletries into the bag, I yanked my hair into a ponytail. I wanted to shove aside my alternate personality, disappearing into the world as I remained hidden behind closed doors.
I yanked the duffle into my hand, taking another glance around the room, a part of me longing to destroy everything inside, the violation too personal.
My phone was ringing by the time I returned to the kitchen. I was exhausted and angry, the fear increasing to raw terror as I answered it. “Whoever this is. Leave. Me. Alone.”
I waited a few seconds for a reply, a few seconds too long.
His laugh was just like I’d remembered. Cold. Calculating. The Ghost. I ended the call abruptly, shoving my phone into my pocket. With the weapon in my hand, I turned off the light in the kitchen, determined not to allow the fucker to drag me into the same despair I’d felt after the trial. No, I wasn’t that young, eager girl anymore. Nor was I gullible. I laughed bitterly at the thought. Maybe that’s exactly what I’d been.
When I walked into the hallway, there was no mistaking the fact someone was inside my house. I froze, the cold chill tumbling down my spine icy enough to steal my breath. As I shifted my arm, I clenched the weapon yet couldn’t stop my hand from shaking. Every nightmare I’d had rushed to the surface, every horrible image from the past shoving into the forefront of my mind. The intruder took a step forward, then another.
“Stop right there or I will shoot.” I was so bold in my testament, yet my heart was beating so loudly it pounded in my ears.
Then I gathered a whiff of his scent.
Alexei.
I sputtered, my arm shaking even more.
“Are you really going to shoot me,l’vitsa?” he asked as he approached from the shadows, the glint of moonlight barely highlighting his massive frame. While only a portion of his face was silhouetted, I sensed his rage by the way his jaw remained clenched.
“What are you doing here, Alexei? This is my house.” How the hell did he get past the system? If he could, that likely meant so had Sergei.
“Yes, my beautiful one. I’ve come to collect what’s mine.”
Even his tone of voice was different, colder. A warning. I’d crossed some imaginary line and would face whatever consequences he so deemed necessary.
“I don’t belong to you. Not now. Not ever.” Even as I said the words, the same thrill coursed through me like wildfire. I was breathless, fighting to keep the anger in the forefront of my mind.
“As I’ve told you before. We’ll agree to disagree. It would seem you and I are forever connected and not just by a tattoo. It’s time we make it more permanent, fulfilling the promise of the dragon. You’re coming with me. And I won’t take no for an answer.”
