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“Do you believe Kenney?” I ask.
Paige snorts as if I’m purposefully being funny. “He’s been a bad seed since we were kids. I was stupid to think it had changed when he joined the force. I’m naïve, and I got what I deserved.”
I pull her close. “Being a good person shouldn’t be a punishment.”
She sighs, sinking against my chest in the dark. “Andrei, I want Emma to be safe. I want her to go to college, find a guy, and be happy. “
“What about a career?” I ask.
She laughs. “The way she handles that gun, I’m afraid of what she might choose.”
“She could be a cop—a good one. One who protects good people like you.”
Paige wiggles closer. “We said we would see it through,” she says. “And when it’s over—”
I pull her close. “It’s far from over.”
“We need a plan, and you know what I want to do.”
I nod. “I don’t like you being bait.”
“Neither do I, but I’ll do it for someone I love.”
“Paige, at the restaurant when Talia asked …”
“You don’t have to say anything, Andrei. I understand.” Paige looks down at her feet to avoid my eyes, and the hurt in her voice is unmistakable.
I kiss her hair softly, enjoying the moment, hoping she will be happy with the thing I’m about to give her. “So, you know that I love you?”
“I had my hopes.” Paige looks up into my eyes. “But it’s always good to hear you say those words out loud.”
I smile. “I love you, and I want you to be my wife.”
Paige places her hands on my cheeks and stares into my eyes. Slowly, I move closer, taking her lips with mine. This kiss lacks the savage passion displayed at the restaurant, but there’s something in it that is stronger. I feel something I have not felt before when she touches me. I feel Paige letting go and giving herself to me. She’s no longer cautious or second-guessing herself. The doubts are gone as the kiss goes deeper and sends chills through my body.
I pull her close while we sit in the dark. “We’ll spring our own trap,” I tell her. “And make an exchange in the Poconos.”
Paige smirks. “We’ll have to find a different location. The inn won’t have us back.”
***
When I pull into the driveway, I notice Eva’s rooms are dark. I try not to go off because everyone is stretched thin looking for Emma. Sonya is waiting for us at the entrance. She has been staying with Eva as an act of solidarity. She will leave Mom’s rooms when I decide to be reasonable and not act like a bully. Sonya states her conditions as the masseuses they hired rub their feet. I can’t stay angry at them for long.
“Where’s Mother?” I ask Sonya.
“She’s in the garden.”
“At this time of night?” I make a face like they’re all crazy. “Get her back in the house. Talia is up to her old tricks. We’re on lockdown. No one enters or leaves without my permission.”
I stare out the office window at Natasha. The beam of her flashlight bounces in the darkness as she walks down the incline to the maze. I should’ve burned that damn thing the moment Vasily dropped dead.
The memories it holds are as still as visceral as when I was a boy experiencing them for the first time.
But Eva likes it, so I let it be.
Chapter 48
Paige
