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She huffed. “How can I not worry when you’re tangled up with tracking down an Orlov? Maybe it’s nice and cushy over in America, but we’re not on great terms with them here.”
“Nothing’s cushy in America,” I said, patience growing thin. “Just tell me what you’ve found.”
She sighed, then turned business like. “Leo’s software made it easy to pick her up on a camera downtown. I’ll send you the address where she was last spotted.”
“Are you kidding me? You really are the best.” I knew she’d find Kira eventually but to have an address the second I landed was much more than I really hoped for.
“This should be worth a trip to Miami,” she said.
“We can discuss it after I find Kira. Stay on the cameras, will you? In case she’s on the move.”
“Of course. And stay safe,” she warned.
I ended the call, shaking my head. She must really think I was soft and didn’t know exactly who I was dealing with. Of course, she didn’t know Kira was my wife, and it was a bit disconcerting to learn the Orlovs still incited fear around these parts. All the more reason to find Kira in a hurry before her father got news that she was missing.
As much as I didn’t want to waste any precious time, I needed my own transportation, and not be at the whim of taxi drivers. I waited in an interminably long line and finally rented a straightforward sedan. Not exactly speedy or flashy, but it got me headed toward the address where Kira had been spotted.
I wove through the dense traffic, appalled at the neighborhood I ended up in, finally pulling up in front of an alley leading to a seedy motel that made my skin crawl. Nothing about the area or the motel seemed safe. If anyone in one of the rival families in this area found out who she was, she’d have a target painted on her back in no time. Not even being Artur Orlov’s daughter could save her if one of our enemies discovered she was married to a Morozov. And according to Evelina’s clear worry, Kira might not even be safe from her own people.
Hoping the tires would still be on the car by the time I returned, I made my way down the alley and into the damp lobby. It reeked of cabbage and mold and I shuddered at the thought of my wife sleeping there. An old man glanced up at me with a bored expression and asked me in Russian if I wanted a room. My Russian was never great to begin with, having lived in America since I was little, but I managed to ask him if he’d seen Kira, showing him her picture on my phone.
He shrugged and refused to answer. I asked him if he spoke English, feeling more confident in my threats in that language and he only laughed at me and went back to reading his sports magazine. I stood there, stumped. It was strange being in a place where I held no sway and I didn’t want to rough up the old guy when he really might not know anything. With a grumble, I turned to wait outside where the air was slightly more fresh. As I headed toward the door, the little bell on top tinkled and it swung open.
Kira walked through it, in the same outfit as the one she’d been wearing in the airport photo, looking even more tired. She stopped dead in her tracks, her face turning stark white, then she turned on her heel to make a break for it.
Chapter 20 - Kira
For a moment I thought I might still be in the lumpy motel bed, still dreaming when I laid eyes on Yuri’s handsome face. It twisted into a scowl and reality slapped me alert. Exhausted as I was, as worn down from going from restaurant to restaurant and begging for work, even just for a day, and coming up with nothing, I wasn’t asleep. Nope, wide awake, and somehow, Yuri had found me. And he didn’t look at all happy.
I skidded to a halt, just feet away from him. My traitorous body longed to fling myself at him, wrap my arms around him and melt against his strong chest. But my brain could see how furious he was. And how in the hell did he get here so fast? Disgusted at my inability to disappear as well as I thought I had, I turned around and scrambled back out the door. On the sidewalk, I looked left and right, wondering which way would get me out of his reach faster. His hand closed around my wrist and I jerked to a stop, vibrating with fury and knowing it was over. For now, anyway.
“Shit,” I squeaked, still short of breath.
He nodded grimly. “Indeed.”
His grip on my arm was firm but not painful and he led me toward a dark blue car I had passed on my way back to the motel. Completely unaware. I swore again, at myself.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
He looked at me incredulously. “You’re my wife. Of course I found you.”
Keeping his hand wrapped around my wrist, he reached across me and opened the car door. I dug my feet into the cracked cement. “But how?” I asked. What did I do wrong? Was it really some otherworldly sense he had since we were linked somehow?
He rolled his eyes. “If you hadn’t wanted to be found so soon, you should have gone to a deserted island, not a city with some of the most surveillance cameras in the world.” He shoved me into the passenger seat and pulled the seatbelt around me, his face coming close enough to mine I could have kissed him if I wanted to. “And even if you went to a deserted island, I still would have found you. Because you’re mine.”
Thank goodness I didn’t kiss him. He stepped back with his hand on the door. “I’m going to close this and walk around to the driver’s side. If you run, I will catch you, so do us both a favor and just don’t.”
He grinned and slammed the door. I had to admit I was disappointed with his answer, being tired enough to foolishly believe his love had drawn him inexorably to my side. Despite his grin and somewhat sarcastic tone, I could tell he was furious. Was he taking me back to punish me?
I stayed in the car, knowing I’d only embarrass myself and not get ten feet before he tackled me to the ground. He was well and truly determined to bring me back and my empty stomach began to slosh with fear. How angry were his brothers at what I’d done? Even if he wanted to go easy on me, they might override him and take my disciplinary measures into their own hands. After he started the car, he turned and caught me staring at him in horror and I quickly looked down at my lap.
“You picked the worst possible time to try something like this,” he said in a tone I couldn’t read at all. “Someone burned our warehouse to the ground, and I had to basically steal Ivan’s plane to get here since that’s all he’s worried about right now.”
Holy crap. He had no idea it was me, and he made no mention of my father. Did they even know he was dead yet?
“What?” I asked, smaller than a mouse, and having no hope he’d expound on anything.
“It’s just a big mess, but you don’t need to worry about it.”
