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We lay in bed like that for perhaps another hour. Just holding each other, him playing with my hair, me holding him close. Then his phone chimed, and I knew our lazy morning was over.
He got out of bed and grabbed his phone from the vanity. I couldn’t be bothered to move. My classes didn’t start for two more hours, so I had plenty of time to relax in bed and enjoy the view of Kristoff’s muscled backside. He ended his call.
“I love your ass,” I mumbled, still watching him.
His chuckle echoed through the room as he disappeared into the en-suite bathroom.
My eyes drooped and were nearly closed when my phone rang. Feeling a bit grumpy because I had to move, I picked it up. It was an unknown caller.
“Who is this?” I grouched, stifling a yawn.
There was silence for a beat, then a soft, familiar voice. “It’s Evie Ryan. Am I speaking to Katya?”
I immediately sat up, my eyes going to the bathroom door. The water in the shower was still going strong, luckily.
“Yes, that’s me. How are you?” I asked, then silently cursed because her voice was all wobbly. It was obvious she wasn’t doing great.
“I…don’t feel so well.”
“How can I help?” I scrambled out of bed, not sure what to do.
There was another heavy silence. I could only imagine how desperate she must have been to call me, a total stranger she’d just met the night before. For all she knew I could be, well, anyone.
Her voice seemed to barely hold together when she said, “I need a place to lay low for a while. I just can’t do it again. I can’t go back to that place. Not even for my little brother’s sake. Honestly, right now, I’m even prepared to make a deal with the Devil. It’s better than to go back on a demon’s leash.”
I winced at that image and the similarity between her words and how Kristoff described the monster living inside of him. Evie had named her father exactly that—a monster. It wouldn’t be long before she learned about her connection to Kristoff. In fact, I was determined to tell her myself.
I made a mental note to tell her to never make that comment to Kristoff. He already feared he had too much of a resemblance to the man he hated. I couldn’t let him think they were so alike. Sure, they might share some traits, but despite everything, Kristoff was a family man, fiercely protective of the ones heloved. He’d never send anyone to a facility where they could lose their mind.
A course of action settled inside my head. “I’ll send someone to pick you up.”
Her voice turned into a whisper. “I won’t be here for much longer. He’s sending me back to that hellhole.”
“Put on your phone’s tracker,” I ordered, while using one hand to put on my panties. “He will find you.”
“He?” A hint of fear had crept into Evie’s voice.
“Yep, ‘he’,” I confirmed. I knew just the guy to help me out with this crisis.
***
I rang Onyx. I’d hoped I wouldn’t need her as soon as I did, but it was what it was. My other option was to ask my quirky friend slash hacker Tess for help, but I couldn’t involve her in Bratva business. She actually had a life in San Fran and I didn’t want to make her join her sister in a life on the run.
I told Onyx what I needed, namely to take care of any visual trail, like traffic cams, while bringing Evie to the Romanov mansion.
“You’re leading an interesting life,” Onyx said. I heard her fingers rapidly clicking on a keyboard. “Have you considered a vigilante life of crime?”
“Come again?” Weirdness must run in her family.
“You know, looting the rich to give to the poor and such.”
“Is that what you’re doing?”
She huffed. “Hell no. I don’t work for free anymore. That never works out well. I just figured that with your track record, you could become a queen-pin, because why the hell not? Fuck the patriarchy.”
The patriarchy was exactly what I was dealing with right now. I had to make sure Evie had a safe place to sleep in this house,without her brother finding out she was here. I didn’t want him to run into her before I had a chance to tell him myself.
Ten minutes later, I was still debating how to tell Kristoff about his sister’s impromptu visit, when he emerged from the bathroom. God, he was sexy. I knew what he packed underneath that white towel that was tucked around his waist. Sexy abs and sun-kissed bronze skin I loved to explore.
