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Three little dots appear on screen. She’s drafting a message. I don’t know what’s worse: waiting for her to reply or seeing those three little dots disappear. Does she not want me to see her? Again, I can’t blame her. I was a complete and total ass. Once the initial anger subsided, I realized I couldn’t bring myself to despise her.
Natalya never went through with it. She had a change of heart. That has to count for something. Deep down, Iknowshe’s come to care for me just as much as I care for her. We can work past this, I’m sure of it. But first, I need to get in the room with her.
Room 431.
An address follows. I can barely breathe. It’s only thirty minutes away. Twenty, if I speed.
Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I check on Simon one last time. It’s pretty safe to say he’s out for the night. I grab the baby monitor, leave his room, and shut the door gently, before quickly making my way to knock on Dahlia’s door down the hall. She answers a few seconds later, dressed in a set of pajamas.
“Is everything alright, Mr. Antonov?”
“I need to step out for a bit,” I say, holding out Simon’s baby monitor. “Can you keep an ear out for the little one?”
“Of course, but where are you going so late?”
“Just some business to take care of. You know how it goes.”
Dahlia nods. I don’t feel too bad about giving her a vague answer. There aren’t very many remaining in this household who’d take kindly to the thought of me seeing Natalya again. This rendezvous is just between us. Nobody else has to know. I just… I really need to see her again.
“Be careful,” Dahlia warns.
I nod. “I always am.”
Chapter 33
Natalya
Ipace around my little hotel room in an absolute frenzy. The tips of my fingers are freezing cold, full body shivers wracking me. What if this was a mistake? What if he doesn’t come? If he does, what the hell do I even say to him?
“Just be honest,” I mutter to myself. “Tell him everything. We need a fresh start.”
All my thoughts sit on the tip of my tongue. I’ve missed him so much, but I’m scared of him, too. Not because I think he’ll hurt me or will seek vengeance for my mistakes, but because what I feel for him is so overwhelming I can’t bear the thought of screwing it all up again.
My hands are eager for something to do, so I tidy my room. I know it’s silly and really not something I should worry about, but I need some place to put all of this excess anxiety. As I shuffle through various maps gathered on the small table by my bed, it brings me back to the days I was furiously plotting the car bombing. My hotel room looked exactly like this: a place of rest turned into a command center. In another life, I probably would have made an excellent spy.
As I shuffle through my documents, I happen to find the old schematic Edvard gave me for the car bomb. I don’t know why I held onto it. I run my fingers over the outlines, my eyes scanning the instructions. To this day, I still don’t understand where I went wrong.
Thank God I did, though. Otherwise, I would have killed Dimitri.
Three soft knocks sound at my door.
I freeze where I stand, suddenly unable to breathe. I nervously open and close my fists, working up the courage to step forward. What am I going to say to him? What am I going to do? I thought I had better control over my feelings for him, but seeing Dimitri this morning has broken a seal within me.
I open the door slowly, meeting his dark gaze. The ugly orange lights of the hallway illuminate his sharp features, but Dimitri is nothing short of mesmerizing.
“Hi,” I whisper.
“Hey,” he murmurs.
“Are you alone?”
“Yes.”
I give him a quick once over. Nothing about his body language indicates he’s lying, nor do I think he’s armed. There’s an earnestness in the way looks at me, much like how you’d approach a frightened animal. He moves slowly, speaks gently, as if to soothe.
Convinced he’s here on peaceful terms, I step aside and let him in. I stand with my back against the door, picking at my fingernails.
“How are you?” he asks. He sounds genuine. A little nervous, even.
