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Andrei reaches into his pocket and holds the diamond earrings in his palm. “And these too.”
I’m about to protest until his fingers brush my cheek, and he pushes back a wisp of hair. I sit still, holding my breath as he gently puts each earring on my ears. He stares at my ears intently, and when he finishes, he stares into my eyes as if he will never look away.
My breath catches as his dark gaze freezes me in place. I can’t fathom what he must think. But do I even want to? All I can think about is that painting on the wall of the fleeing mustang, and now, I understand why it’s so desperate.
He places his hand on my knee and leans into the car, giving Oleg last-minute instructions in Russian. I can’t understand what he says, but I know who he’s talking about. Me. Always me.
“Remember, Paige.” Andrei strokes my hair back into place. “Our life is not a game. People died for us to be together. You will come back to me.”
It’s the unspoken part that leaves my heart hammering in my chest.
He doesn’t need to say it. I can hear it in his iron-hard voice. I can feel it in the way his hand runs possessively over me. I can see it from his dark gaze. What thoughts I might have had on running as soon as Oleg’s back is turned now disappear like dewdrops in the morning sun. Andrei has burned them all away.
He lifts my hand to his mouth. My breath deepens as his lips barely touch the bare skin between the cuff of my dress and my bandaged wrist. His eyes never leave mine. Andrei claims love doesn’t exist, as if it’s a foreign notion to him. Yet he can be terriblyromanticwhen it suits him.
I hate the way he makes me want him—almost as badly as I want my freedom.
I move my knees away, and abruptly, his other hand falls off my leg. Andrei laughs at my bratty reaction, and even Oleg manages a slight smirk. How dare they make fun of me? I place my purse on my lap, covering my knees. My mouth tightens and I stare straight ahead as Andrei shuts the door. He motions to another jeep.
Of course, there are extra guards. So much for being discreet.
My phone chimes as the Rover passes the tall oaks outside the gate, and my scowl is replaced with a silly smile.
I text Emma that I’m on the way, and she replies with a smiley emoji. I wanted to call her last night but decided against it. Andrei was openly reading my phone screen as I typed. When I tried to get out of bed, he clamped his hand down on my thigh.
The withering look he gave me made me put my phone down on the bedside table.
Today, I’ll tell Emma everything, I resolve. I’ll tell her why I didn’t return home. But how? How do I tell her I’m living with a man that stole me out of my apartment? Sighing, I slip my phone back into my purse.
Last night, I felt like Andrei had given me the world when I saw the phone. How easy it is to forget that he took everything away. I’m in his world, hidden behind a towering wall and kept in the dark. Do I even want to know his secrets? His cold gaze reminds me of the painting on the bedroom wall, the dark forest glimpsed past a row of trees.
I know why the horse is running away. It wants to do everything it can to not be dragged into those dark, foreboding trees.
The most shameful part of last night was that brief moment where I thought we might finally make love. I wanted Andrei last night, but I had to remind myself I was still angry with him for everything else he had done.
***
The Rover pulls up to the front entrance of the hospital. When I try to get out, the car door won’t open. My gaze meets Oleg’s in the rearview mirror.
“One moment, Paige Geraldovna,” he replies solemnly.
I let go of the handle, pretending to be calm as Oleg puts the car in park and steps out. The other guard shuffles over from the passenger seat behind the wheel. Oleg opens my door, grips my upper arm firmly, and helps me onto the brick crosswalk. I’m about to tell him to back off when I catch his expression. His eyes aren’t on me. They’re scanning our surroundings, and instinctively, I do the same.
People died for us to be together.
A genuine threat exists. I recall Talia’s nails digging into my arm as my body freezes from fright. I shudder. Oleg’s attention is on me again.
“Please stay close, Paige Geraldovna.”
I nod meekly and stay by his side as we walk into the hospital lobby.
Chapter 39
Paige
The Cooper-Barnes hospital is the best on the East Coast for endocrinology care. Initially, I feel self-conscious, dressed up with a bodyguard trailing behind me down the sunlit halls toward the elevator. But soon, I realize my vanity; no one will notice me in this place while they suffer over the precarious fate of a loved one.
Oleg keeps his word and blends into the background as we approach the endocrinological unit. I walk down the hallway alone toward room 611. I pause outside the door, wondering how I’ll explain what happened, but I decide to deflect. I must protect my family by not telling them the truth. We have more important things to discuss. I pull my wedding ring off and toss it into my purse.
