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She takes her milk off the fire and twists into my arms. “It was weird waking up to an empty bed. I’ve gotten used to having you around. Although this place is cute enough that it wasn’tsobad.”
I can’t help sighing. “Don’t get used to it. We might have to leave tonight.”
She whips around to face me, eyes huge and imploring and panicked. My heart leaps again in that sickening, dizzying way it does whenever I let myself think of someone hurting her. “What? Why?”
“Something has come up,” I tell her, knowing how vague I’m being and how much she’ll hate it. “I’ll be busy today. Konstantin is coming up in a few hours.”
She grimaces. “You invited your cousin on our romantic getaway?”
“When all this is over, we are going somewhere far away with no interruptions,” I tell her, adding another promise to my already-long list. “But I have to see to a few things first.”
Paige sighs and crumples forward. “Should I know what they are?”
I’m not inclined to tell her about the pictures until I absolutely have to. Knowing that we were being watched yesterday would creep her out, and she doesn’t need the stress. “We’ve got a lead on Petyr. I have to see it through.”
“Okay,” she mumbles. “I’ll just go for a walk down to the—”
“No!”
She jerks back, startled by my response. “Why not?”
I try my best to keep my voice calm and level. “It would be best if you stayed in the cabin today. Konstantin will be here soon enough. Until then, stay put.”
“Misha, what’s going on? Why are you so afraid all of the sudden?”
So much for not stressing her out.
I drag a hand through my hair. “There may be eyes on us.”
She stiffens instantly, and I despise that I can’t protect her from everything. I know we’re supposed to be honest with each other, but she was happy one minute ago. Content. Now, she’s a ball of nerves.
Fuck honesty. It’s highly overrated.
“I don’t like when you say vague stuff and go do vague things,” she admits in a small voice. “I’m never sure if you’re going to come back.”
I place my fingertip under her chin and force her teary eyes to mine. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to get back to you, Paige. I swear it.”
But even as I say it, I grimace.
It’s yet another promise I may not be able to keep.
63
PAIGE
The passing of time takes on a weird quality once Misha leaves, though he only goes only after making me promise three separate times to keep the door locked until Konstantin arrives.
The first hour passes, silent and still. I spend most of it watching the dust floating through the skinny beams of sunshine streaming through the gap in the curtains.
Another hour passes in the bath. The only sound is theplinkof water dripping into the tub. I want to cry, but I don’t.
A knock on the door, the prearranged signal, tells me that Konstantin is here. He doesn’t say much as I open up and let him in. Just asks me if I’m packed and where my bags are. Two of his men transport my things from the bedroom to a waiting jeep. Two more stand guard outside with scary-looking rifles, their eyes never resting as they scan the woods again and again.
We’re back home at the mansion before dark, but I go straight to bed. The next day passes in similar fashion—too quiet, too still, too depressing.
I call Cyrille at ten-thirty after finally succumbing to tears. Twenty-five minutes later, she shows up with ice cream and a sympathetic shoulder.
“He didn’t come home last night?” she asks as soon as she arrives.
