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“Thank you, Kai,”she says softly. “For rescuing me yet again. And for rescuing my father.”
I nod. “Go to sleep.”She is out before she can say another word.
My throat tightensas I watch her in the dim lights of the Suburban. It's been so long since I've felt anything close to love or desire for someone other than Persephone. But even though this feels different, I'm not ready to put a label on it yet. I find myself feeling very protective of Vasilisa and want nothing else but to keep her safe— from everything and anything that may bring harm to her. Yet, for how I feel about her, a part of me still knows so little about her —like her childhood, but I intend to dig deeper. It's almost imperative now to know everything about her past to ensure I can protect her future. Maybe I can even get answers on her sister's death if that will provide her closure once and for all.
As our suburbanpulls up to the circular drive of my estate, I can't help but feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders for both Vasilisa and her father. We pledged our alliance to their family, and it's up to me and my clan to keep them safe. Once we come to a stop, I lift Vasilisa out of the SUV in a fireman's carry and bring her to my bedroom—one I haven't shared with her up to this point. I gave her the room initially to be strategic by having her consumed with thoughts of me. She wouldn’t be able to look around that room and not be reminded of me. I took the guest room next door.
“Get some rest,”I tell her as she stirs. I tuck her into my bed. “We'll talk more tomorrow.”
She nods sleepilyand curls up under the blankets. I watch her for a moment longer before turning to leave the room. I make my way down the hallway, my mind drifting back to the events of the night. We were able to rescue her but at a cost. Two of our men are dead, and there's still no word on who set us up. The fucked-up thing is that we had no time to retrieve their bodies before the police came. I make my way down to my office, where Lennon and our men that was with us at the San Francisco address are waiting. Our men from the Sacramento location are en route to join us here.
“Anything?”I ask as soon as I enter the room. Lennon shakes his head. “Nothing yet. We've been looking into everyone that may have had a motive, but so far, no leads. We still haven't located Liam. We have no idea if Vasilisa's abduction is Russian related or someone trying to block our efforts of marrying into their family to strengthen our numbers.”
I gritmy teeth in frustration. “We have to keep digging. Our retribution is time sensitive. The ransom request was likely a ploy to throw us off track. Of course they wanted the money and connections too, but by using Americans, they didn't want it traced back to any syndicate in particular.”
Lennon nods in agreement. “Exactly!”
We're discussingour next move, but my mind keeps wandering back to Vasilisa. The way she looked at me in the Suburban, the way her body fit perfectly in my arms ... I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Things are changing between us, and it's a distraction right now.
The night wears on,and we continue discussing how we can investigate. When our other men arrive, I take a break and check on her. I make my way back up to my bedroom and find her still sound asleep. I sit by her bedside and watch her for a moment. Her features are peaceful in the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through the window. With all that she's endured tonight, I'm glad she’s able to rest.
Suddenly,she stirs again and opens her eyes, looking up at me with a mix of confusion and gratitude.
“What are you doing in here?”she asks softly. “You never stay.”
“I just wantedto check on you,” I reply, my voice low.
She smiles faintlyand reaches out to touch my hand. “Okay. Just knowing you're here makes me feel safe.”
I coverher hand with mine and feel a jolt of electricity shoot through me at our contact. If I have anything to do with it, she'll never be this vulnerable again. She needs to learn how to protect herself in the event I'm not around.
I lean closerto her and brush a strand of hair away from her face. As I do, her hand moves to my cheek. The touch of her fingers is like fire on my skin, and it takes every ounce of willpower in me not to take her into my arms.
“You don't have to worry,”I tell her softly. “You're safe now.”
She smiles againand closes her eyes, her hand falling away from my cheek. For a moment, I just watch her sleep, taking in every detail of her features. She's beautiful even when she's asleep, and I can't deny the attraction or the foreign feeling that holds me captive every time I see her petite frame in my bed.
But now is notthe time for those thoughts. We have work to do, and until we find out who set us up, there can be no distractions.
I standand lean over her to press a soft kiss to her forehead.
“You're safe,”I whisper again before turning to leave the room. I think I need to hear those words just as much as she does.
I headdown to my office, where we're faced with more questions than answers. “We found Liam,” Lennon shouts as soon as I re-enter.
My attention snapsto Lennon immediately. “Where is he?” I ask, my tone clipped.
“He's being heldby some of Vladimir's Bratva,” Lennon says grimly. “They've gone rogue and want to make a deal.”
I clench my jaw,knowing that negotiations with the enemy are never easy or straightforward. “What's their offer?”
“They wantus to hand over Vasilisa,” Lennon says, his expression dark. “My guess is that their betrayal was intended to thwart Valdmir's efforts to let someone who isn't Russian marry into their organization.”
They've sadly miscalculatedtheir leverage. Liam was one of our own until he betrayed us. Hell, this could still be an act of betrayal. He may be working with them. His fate is a lot better off with them if that's the case.
“We need more information,”Lennon says finally. “ Not that we'd ever give those fuckers what they want, but to see if Liam is in on this with them.”
“Exactly,”I second. My gut is that this whole thing with Liam and Shane is too coincidental, and I don't believe in coincidences.”
