AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Natalya
“Is he always like this?” I ask as we make our way down the sidewalk. The air is nice and crisp, a lovely breeze bringing with it the smell of last night’s rain.
“Who, Boris?” Dimitri replies. “Yeah, he’s usually pretty intense. More so since the bombing.”
I swallow uneasily. “Did you ever figure out who was behind it?”
“Not yet. But I will.”
He sounds so sure of himself. It makes me wonder how close he’s getting. If he discovers the truth, that the person who planted the bomb is the same person now caring for his father and son, I wonder what he’d do. Freak out, probably, though Dimitri doesn’t seem like the kind of man who loses his head.
Except for what happened last night.
I know I promised to forget all about it, but let’s be honest, there was no way that was ever going to happen. The more I think about it, the more I start to wonder about the shape of his lips. I can still feel his breath on my neck, can still remember his heated gaze upon my skin despite the darkness. And now we’re pretending like nothing happened, and I don’t know why it makes me feel so…disappointed.
Dahlia walks ahead, pushing Lev in his wheelchair. Simon is strapped to my chest in a carrier. Dimitri walks alongside me, his hands in his pockets. His guards circle us in a tight protective formation. I’m not going to lie, it’s a very strange feeling to be followed this closely, even if they’re supposed to be here for our security.
To me, it’s suffocating. An ever-present reminder of the danger I’m in should anyone discover the truth of who I really am and what I’m doing here.
The park in question is a small one, big enough for a swing set, a rusty old see-saw I want to go nowhere near out of fear of tetanus, a couple of metal benches, and a jungle gym made of colorful plastic components intended to stimulate young minds. I have to admit, it’s nice to be out and about for a bit.
I make my way over to the swings and set Simon carefully in the bucket seat, giving him a gentle push back and forth. His face lights up as he giggles, the sound bringing a smile to my face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more precious.
Dimitri, noticeably, keeps his distance. He sits on a bench, one arm slung over the back as he watches me play with his son.
“We really should do this more often,” Dahlia comments. “Maybe we could make it a daily thing?”
Boris huffs beside her. “I’d need a bigger team for that.”
“I’ll make it happen,” Dimitri says, brushing off Boris’ concerns. “Or we could always fix up the backyard. Put a kiddie playground out there or something.”
“I don’t recommend that, sir. You’d be out in the open.”
Dimitri doesn’t react one way or another, too fixated with staring at Simon. Or, wait… Is he staring atme?
“Do you want to push him?” I ask.
“I’m good here.”
“Come on. You’re missing out. Can’t you see how much fun Simon’s having?”
It’s difficult for me to decipher the face he makes. It’s a cross between a grimace and worry, like he’sscaredof getting close. Now that I think about it, I’ve only seen him interact with his son a handful of times. In the week I’ve been here, Dimitri’s been seemingly unattached. It makes sense considering what Dahlia told me about him not even knowing hehada son until recently.
I beckon him over. “Don’t be scared. It’s just a swing.”
With some reluctance, Dimitri rises from the bench and walks over to take his place behind the swing set. He gives Simon a push, hesitancy clear in his movements. It takes him a while before he loosens up. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was even enjoying himself.
“See?” I tease. “Not so bad, right?”
Dimitri chuckles. “No, not bad at all.”
“Do you have some weird vendetta against swings?”
“When I was younger, my brothers and I wanted to see if we could go all the way around. We made it a contest to see who could do it first.”
“Did you win?”
“Hell yeah, I did. But at a cost.”
