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“True love,” I drone.
Leonid laughs too hard. His mistresses have been an open secret—and a running joke—for years, but he clearly doesn’t appreciate me poking fun.
“Don’t judge what you don’t understand, Kirill. There has been plenty of love in my life. Love for my wife, yes. But also for… others.”
“You must love them dearly to leave them scattered across the country with the rare visit when you can spare the time.”
His eyes narrow. “Just like with my wife, my other relationships are mutually beneficial. The women understand the arrangement we’re entering into. That isn’t to say everything always goes smoothly. I’ve had to let women go because they grew too attached. And in one case, because I got too attached.”
“You?” I gasp in faux shock. “So much for being heartless.”
Leonid wags a finger at me. “Your father wasn’t nearly as fun as you are. I like our dynamic, Kirill. We tease one another. But we also understand each other.”
“I’m not so sure that’s true.”
“It is,” he insists. “It’s very true. We understand what it means to give something up.” He props his elbows up on my desk and leans uncomfortably close. “There was one mistress I cared for more than the others. You wouldn’t have thought so: she was a random woman, on a random night, in a random town, at a random bar. But she was exquisite. In another world, I would have given anything to be with her.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I don’t live in another world,” he retorts harshly. “I live in this one. And in this one, I have money and power—way too much to give up, even for love.” He exhales and leans back like the memory has worn him out. “I tossed her a trinket to remember our time together and replaced her. But I still think of her from time to time.”
“They’ll write stories about your romance one day, I’m sure,” I drawl.
Leonid presses his palms to his knees and stands up. “Make fun of me if you want, Kirill, but don’t be so proud as to ignore the wisdom in what I’m saying. If this maid is keeping you from achieving your heights, cast her aside and soothe your heartache with the next empty pussy. Or, do as I do—let Viktoria have one place and your maid have another. There’s no reason to limit yourself. You can have everything you want.”
I stand to match his eyeline. “Everythingyouwant, you mean? You’re not here to benefit me. You’re here to make sure our deal goes through. Don’t patronize me.”
He shakes his head. “We canallhave everything we want. I’m here to tell you to think it through.”
Leonid is right, though not in the way he thinks he is. Everything I want is right in front of me.
All I have to do is go get it.
34
KIRILL
Rayne’s front door is even easier to break down than I anticipated earlier. One kick and the cheap lock snaps. The door slams open and bounces off the wall.
“Rayne!” I call out, even though I know no one will answer.
Her car is gone, the windows are dark, and her phone is going straight to voicemail. After all the shit she gave me about running away, look who is running now.
I step into the dark, quiet house, and I loathe how much I feel like an intruder. This life full of smiling pictures and fuzzy blankets and kids’ books stacked in the corners doesn’t belong to me.
But I wish it did.
“Rayne.” My voice echoes through the small rooms. They aren’t here.
Before I’ve even finished my tour, I pull out my phone. Natalia answers on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Where is she?”
“Is this Kirill?”
“You know who it is, Natalia,” I growl. “Where is she?”
She sighs. To her credit, she sounds genuinely torn. “She told me not to tell you.”
