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She pauses and then sighs loudly. “I’m in Eastport.”
“You’re there with her?”
“No, I’m in a business near hers. I can personally keep an eye on her for you, but she already has a detail. I have everything on her. Cameras, phone tap will be set up later, and computer monitoring.”
Whatever Ridley did in the military gave her the training to do what she does now. She won’t tell me or Andrei what that was though.Babushkaknows a bit more because at one point she was called to go be with Ridley. I don’t know what happened, but I suspect my sister was injured or hurt in some way. Ley knows if I or Andrei find out, we’d kill whoever hurt her, even if it is a terrorist organization.
After visiting with her a bit, I hang up and move on with the rest of my day. Aleksei and I work on finding the hacker. Both of us have some damn good skills. By lunchtime, I’m stressed and need to see my girl. I text Ley and ask if she has a feed on her. She sends me a URL, and I enter into it.
There, leaning over a client, with her hair up in two buns at the side of her head is my girl. Her hair looks darker. I try to zoom the camera in, but I can’t. She’s focused on what she’s doing. I miss her.
I need her.
I can’t sleep without her.
She is dressed in jeans and a half-shirt, her standard gear, I’ve learned. She laughs at something the client says, but I can tell it’s not a full laugh. I watch as a man walks up to her. He’s got dark hair, just like hers, and he touches her shoulder. I’m jealous that he gets to touch her. That he’s able to be in her presence. To be with her.
I can’t leave her. I worry the longer I stay away, the harder it will be to get her back. She ran, but I didn’t chase, and I know that is playing a big part in her head. She’s going to put me in the same category as her parents. They don’t deserve to breathe her air. She’s purer than them.
I keep the feed going as I work through the rest of my day. My laptop facing me so no one can see her but me. Aleksei suspects something, but he keeps his focus primarily on the hacker who is attacking my system.
I stay here in the casino, in the suite she stayed in. Her scent is almost gone. Riggs is getting packed for his flight across the country to be closer to her. He refuses to eat, and I’m worried I’m going to lose him too. He is projecting my own habits. I don’t eat. I barely sleep. It’s only been a few days. How am I going to handle it if this goes longer?
ChapterSeven
ERIKA
Iset the timer as I look at the perfect loaves of braided bread. My stomach rolls like it’s been doing for weeks. I think all the stress is finally getting to me. Just to make my brother and Jas feel better, I have an appointment tomorrow with my primary care physician.
It’s been four weeks since I last saw Grayson. He hasn’t gotten a hold of my new number and he hasn’t shown up here. He knows where I am; I’m not hiding. I’m so stressed and missing him that I thought I saw Ilya following me the other day while I was shopping.
I look down at myself and decide I need to get some exercise. I’m gaining weight even though I barely eat. I head upstairs to my room and change into some capri length workout compression style pants and a sports bra. I cover my bra with a shredded-up T-shirt and head out. My key is in my pocket, and I put in only one headphone so I can hear if someone comes up on me. I have music blaring through it and head for the park I like to jog through.
I’ve gone about half a mile when I stop and bend over, trying to get my breath back. I feel like my head is swimming. I’m nauseous and feel faint at the same time.
A dog runs up to me and leans into my body. I look down and my heart stops. I look around expecting to see Grayson moving toward me, but instead a beautiful woman with brown hair that is tied up walks toward me. She has another dog very similar to the one that is nuzzling into my side. She takes the dog by the collar.
“Sorry, he’s a bit of a fool. Come on, Riggs, leave her be,” the woman says, and my heart clenches. Did he move on already? Is he here to finally give me the divorce I want?
My vision goes to pinpoints.
“Hey, are you okay?” I hear her say before I start to collapse.
“Rika, come on, wake up.” I hear a deep voice I recognize, but the use of my nickname that only a few use catches my attention. My eyes fly open, and I look up into the eyes of a paramedic who works with Jas.
“Trevor, what are you doing here?” My voice cracks, and I realize I’m lying on a gurney. I sit up so fast my head swims again. “Oh shit, it’s coming.” I turn to the side and vomit. Right on the shoes of another paramedic I know. “Sorry, JD.” He hands me a cloth and I wipe my face as I lean back onto the gurney. The woman I saw earlier is standing there with both dogs.
“We are going to transport you now, Rika,” Trevor says as he continues to watch the monitors connected to me.
“No, I’m okay. I’ve just been battling a bug and shouldn’t have been running.” I try to move off the gurney, but again my head swims. “What the fuck?” I grab my head and hear the guys talking as we move.
“Call her brother.”
“I’ll meet you at the hospital,” the woman says, and I can’t believe she’s coming along with me.
“No, I don’t want her.” I wave my hand toward the woman. “Don’t call Leif; he’ll worry.”
“Want us to call Jas?” JD asks, and I look at him, but he’s blurry.
