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“They were supposed to report to me at noon. None of them checked in. That’s literally never happened before.” He chews on his thumbnail. “They’re low-level guys. Runners and intermediaries, mostly. But still—they’re usually dependable. Now, I can’t get in touch with any of them.”
“Petyr is having a temper tantrum,” I growl.
“You really think this is retaliation?” Konstantin ponders. “It’s only been, like, eight hours since Paige made her appearance.”
“Which is clearly enough time for news to travel. Son of abitch.” I slam my fist on my desk. “Why the fuck have the Babai not been able to locate themudak?”
Konstantin whips around and closes my office door. “Shh! Don’t say that so loud.”
“What,” I drawl, “you think the Babai can hear us?”
He glances around like they really might. “Just saying, I don’t want to risk it.”
“You need to get over this, Konstantin. There’s healthy fear and then there’s… whatever the hell this is.”
“When it comes to the Babai, any fear is healthy fear.” He drops into a seat and leans closer to say in an anxious whisper, “My mother used to tell me stories about them, okay? I took them to heart.”
I can’t believe that we’re talking about Konstantin’s past twice in one day. I wonder what his mother told him. I never really knew her. Whatever hazy memory I have of her is born out of old photographs.
“But look, don’t worry, alright? I’ve got this handled,” Konstantin assures me. “Everything is ready at my place. Security has been briefed. You and the missus are good to go.”
I ponder the situation for a moment. But I chose Konstantin’s place for a reason. Petyr won’t be looking for me there. For tonight at least, everything will be fine. We can close ranks and seal up the castle in the morning. Paige won’t like it, but that’s a problem for a future Misha.
We walk out of my office together. “Do me one favor?” Konstantin asks before we part ways. “Don’t do anything too nasty on my furniture. I have to live in that space.”
I smirk. “No promises.”
“Oh God,” he groans. “That was not convincing.”
Laughing, I head down the hall towards Paige’s office. She’s in there with Rowan, still going over reports she missed from the last month, one line at a time. Rowan looks ready to drop dead, but Paige is a Terminator with unlimited battery.
In the bedroom, I adore how thorough my wife is.
Right now, though, I’m ready to leave.
I knock on the door. Paige looks up, a distracted smile on her face. “Hi. We’re just finishing up.” She marks something with a blue ballpoint pen and hands it to Rowan. “There you go. Thanks, Ro.”
“Of course. See you tomorrow?” Rowan asks, stacking up her belongings with a weary exhale.
“Yes, ma’am. Have a good night.”
As Rowan heads for the door, she gives me a tentative smile. It’s gone the moment she looks away.
I cross my arms and lean against the doorjamb, watching as my wife rearranges her desk. “She doesn’t like me.”
Paige looks up at me in alarm. “Not true at all. She doesn’t know you.”
“She has worked for this company long enough to know something. And what she knows, she doesn’t like,” I say. “Not that I’m very concerned with her opinions. I just don’t want her opinion of me rubbing off on you.”
Paige smiles as she straightens up her files and deposits them into her desk drawer. Then she rounds the desk and wraps her arms around my neck. “You are super cute. Have I told you that lately?”
I twist my mouth into thought as my hands find her hips. “I’ve gotten handsome. Sexy. Powerful. Charismatic. But no, never ‘cute.’”
She chuckles. “Well, that is exactly what you are right now.”
I growl in mock distaste. She laughs some more and presses her lips against my cheek. “Don’t take it personally; it’s not about you at all. Rowan and ‘men’ have a history. And considering she knows you’re dangerous, it doesn’t really calm her nerves to know that I’m fully committed to you. I think she’s just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
Those words sound ominous.
