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He doesn’t know. He’s just trying to goad me.
Emma clears her throat self-consciously. “I’d concentrate on your own date, Adrik.”
Jessica practically hisses. “You know what they say: men can smell a sure thing from a mile away.”
Emma’s eyes pop with outrage but I’m already out of my seat and bringing her with me. Halfway to the door, I pause and turn back to Adrik. This whole thing doesn’t sit right with me. I have to stop assuming anything’s a coincidence with him anymore. I mean, he justhappensto be at the same restaurant that Emma and I choose on our only day out in forever?
Fuck no.
This motherfucker is up to something. And if Emma weren’t here, I might have just stuck around to find out what. But I’m not about to put her at risk. Especially not now.
A jolt on my hand pulls my attention back toward where we came from. I see Adrik’s fingers wrapped around Emma’s forearm, just above the bracelet I clasped on her myself. It’s a sick version of a kids’ game, the three of us with hands linked like this.
Adrik stares into her face and smiles crookedly. “Goodbye, Emma. Pregnancy really does suit you.”
I go fucking cross-eyed.
He knows.
How thefuckdoes he know?
I don’t wait around to find out. I rip Emma away and rush her out of the door.
“R-Ruslan?” Emma’s voice is shaky. “Are you alright?”
I don’t bother answering. Instead, I call Kirill.
He answers after only a few rings. “Yo. What’s up?”
“You, Fyodor, Vadim. Half an hour. My office.”
“I’ll set it up.”
The line goes dead and Emma’s worry grows more pronounced. Her knee is bouncing now and I can see her vein popping in my peripheral vision. “Ruslan?”
“I should never have taken you out today.”
She bites her bottom lip. “It was a good day—”
“Right up until that fucker showed up with his banshee.”
“I-is this about… the drug that he ripped off?”
If only it werejustabout that. “He knows too much.”
“My pregnancy,” she whispers in a small voice.
“The moment we step out of the estate, we’re exposed. You’re exposed. And that makes you an easy target.”
“Ruslan, you’re overthinking.” Her voice is comforting, seductively so, but I’m too far gone to be soothed.
I blare on the horn as we approach the gates of my estate. They fling open and I speed through onto the driveway. But even after the gates are closed behind us and the garage door is sealed shut, I can’t bring myself to relax.
Emma’s hand lands on my arm but, gentle as it is, it doesn’t stop me from flinching. “Ruslan—”
“I’ll explain everything to you soon. But right now, I need to collect my thoughts and get ready for this meeting.”
Her face turns somber but she nods all the same. “Okay. You’ll find me afterwards?”
