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“She’s your queen,” he replies.
“She is.” I nod. “And If I lose her, then we all lose.”
Chapter 43
Paige
The busy waiter shoots me a scornful glance as I take another sip of my iced tea without having yet placed an order. It’s Tuesday, and I’m still waiting for my mom to show up at the restaurant. To keep Andrei calm, I picked the River Grill.
While waiting, my thoughts meander back to the other day when we talked. I barely spoke at first because I was shocked by how much Andrei told me. I was afraid if I made a sound, he’d snap out of it and remember who he was confiding in. But Andrei didn’t shut down; he opened up more. I got a glimpse of who he really is. Why he keeps a distance from anything resembling love. Not that we’re in love, but now I understand why it will never happen.
“Can I start you with an appetizer?” The waiter smiles, but it’s obviously forced. The line of patrons at the hostess stand stretches out the front entrance.
“No.”She’s not coming,I think bitterly asI toss a fifty on the table. “Sorry for the trouble.”
The man reaches for the bill. “Do you need change, ma’am?”
Grimacing, I shake my head and march toward the exit, and an entourage of guards materializes behind me.
Ignoring Oleg and his team, I pretend to be on my own and contemplate walking past their Rovers, continuing down the street. It’s a gorgeous day, mild and breezy for July. A perfect day to be outside, but my resentment is ruining it. I want to curse someone out, starting with a guard, but I decide against being rude.
It’s not their fault I’m a fool.
As I quickly walk to the car, I redial Mom’s number and receive no answer. Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I give up and walk obediently to their Rover. If Andrei could see me acting the part of the perfect wife. As we drive, my phone buzzes, and I grab it without looking, grumbling as my ridiculous earrings rub against the screen.
“Paige?”
It’s my cousin Kenney, and my stomach sinks. Everyone I grew up with has the same reaction whenever he shows up.
Kenney was a bully in high school, the kind of jerk who caused trouble and then blamed everyone else. So, no surprise there when he became a cop, transforming into a bully who couldn’t be touched when he rose up the ranks. At first, Kenney was an amusing punchline in the neighborhood. Then people started getting busted for minor offenses. Finally, the jokes stopped altogether when Kenney arrested one of our neighbors for weed—the same neighbor he used to buy from.
“Hey, Kenney, what’s up?” He never calls just to chat, so I get to the point.
“Paige, I need to speak to you ... in person. How soon can we meet?”
“Is something wrong with Dad?” I’m completely confused because Kenney doesn’t get along with my father. “Or Emma?”
“Paige.” His voice is stern, warning me not to lose my cool. “How soon can we meet?”
“We can meet now.”
I ask if we have to meet at the station, but to my relief, Kenney suggests the bar near his mother’s house—it’s a hole-in-the-wall kind of place that nobody looks twice at. He obviously wants to avoid Dad. And I don’t want to show up at the police station with the Barinov Bratva trailing behind me like a row of ducklings.
Chapter 44
Paige
As I wait, my resentment builds into fury toward both my mother and myself for giving in so easily. I should’ve stayed angry. What she did was wrong, and I plan to tell her that the next time I see her—whenever that is.It’ll probably be another ten years, I think bitterly.She runs out on people, especially me.
Kenney strides into the bar. His eyes scan the dimly lit room, picking out each one of my guards who sits across the room at a table with a suspicious look. Kenney doesn’t need to wear a uniform to be recognized for what he is. The guards watch him, casually sipping their beers and ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.
He sits down next to me at the bar. His sideburns are long gone—buzzed off years ago. Now he wears a blue blazer instead of his denim jacket. He might act righteous, but he’s still Kenney to me—my no-good cousin Kenney.
“Paige.” His voice is stern.
I scoff, twisting around on the barstool to face him. “Kenney. Get to the point.”
He eyes my ring and my Hermès purse. After an uncomfortable pause, he stops assessing my new wealth, and his gaze locks on mine.
