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My brother furrows his brows and takes a sip of his vodka. “Then why didn’t he pay her bail? Is this information just coming out of the blue?”
“I never had anyone look into her this deeply, so I wouldn’t say it’s coming out of the blue. I will say it’s shocking, but it’s clearing a few things up for me. She must have had a good lawyer working on her case while we’ve all been living our lives. I’m certain Julio paid for that lawyer, and that’s why she’s getting released early. Now, let me get back to the thick of it. It’s about the child Emily had as a teenager that her aunt supposedly helped her with an adoption. However, Ludvik made me well aware that Lucy has been bringing Julio babies for ‘private adoptions’ for years.”
“She’s helping him to traffic children.”
“Babies, but yes.”
“You think it’s possible she trafficked Emily’s child?”
“That’s the tough part. I want to think she was decent, but we’ve seen time and time again how she isn’t. I’m sure she trafficked Emily’s child, and I’m not sure if I should tell Emily yet.” Now I finally take a sip of my own vodka and let my brother mull over it.
“What’s stopping you?”
“If I’m wrong, I don’t want to cause her any emotional distress, especially when it’s not needed.”
“You’re probably not wrong. That’s the tricky part. You’re probably right.” Ruslan sighs and takes another sip of his drink.
I don’t want to stress Emily out, but I have to tell her. I don’t think I should tell her while we’re here in Grozny. In fact, I think I need to tell her once we’re back home in Atlanta. I don’t want this trip to be ruined. She needed a break, and I plan on giving it to her.
“Life is fucked sometimes,” I grumble.
“It’s fucked and complicated,” Ruslan agrees.
A light knock comes on the door. “Dinner’s about ready!” Emily’s joyful voice comes through the other side of the door.
“We’ll be out in a minute,” Ruslan tells her.
After a couple of minutes, we go out and head into the dining area. Amelia and Emily made a complete spread. Homemade fried chicken with potato salad, coleslaw, and corn on the cob. The entire group of us chat with each other, and as the night goes on, I can tell Emily’s getting sad that we’re leaving. I am too. I can’t wait to finally come back here permanently.
As dinner ends, the two of us retreat back to our bedroom. Emily strips out of her attire and changes into pajamas, but I sneak a peek at the lace she has on underneath. I push back the satin strap to her camisole and slide it over the edge of her shoulder. “I want nothing more than to ravage you tonight, but we have to get up early to catch our flight.”
“I want you to ravage me. We can get more sleep tomorrow. It’s such a long flight,” Emily mews, snaking her fingertips against my chest. She slowly glides them up until she’s pressing them lightly against my neck.
We only have a bedside lamp on in this room, and it’s just enough that I can see her perfectly.
“I want you to come back with me.” I let it slip out without even thinking about the consequences. We’re so very new, and dropping a bomb like this could be too much right now.
“We’re going back to Atlanta tomorrow, silly.” Emily playfully presses her finger against my nose, and I put myhand on her side, loving the feel of the satin and her flesh intermingled.
“I mean here, to Grozny. I was only ever meant to be in Atlanta for a short period of time… and when I leave to come back to Grozny, I don’t want to come back alone. I’ll give you time to think about it, so don’t give me your answer right now. Just think about it.”
Emily parts her lips from the shock of it all and doesn’t say a word. She simply nods, and I begin changing out of my day clothes and into some pajamas. Meanwhile, I notice my bag is completely packed. “Thank you for doing that.” I motion my head over to the bag.
“Of course. I’m glad to help when I can,” Emily replies, and this is what it must feel like to have a partner. A relief, really.
Emily comes over to me and wraps her arms around my waist, pressing her lips against my bare arm.
“We should get some sleep since we leave early, don’t you think?” I ask Emily as I turn around and brush my fingertips against her skin.
“I mean, I guess if you insist.” Emily playfully rolls her eyes at me, and I pull her closer to my chest.
My brother asked me earlier if I felt like I could be falling for her, and I think I might be. I don’t know how else to describe the feeling coursing through me right now.
Chapter Thirteen
Emily
Our flight has been uneventful, to say the least. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to what it was like getting to Grozny in the first place. Lom’s been on his computer, working, I assume. I’ve been on my laptop getting some work done as well, but after a while, the words get blurry and start melting together. I close my laptop on the desk in front of me, and Lom continues to go to work on his.
