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I get out of bed, too, pinching my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I scour the space for my clothes. “Then we’ll have to revert to plan B. Have you contacted Hazanov?”
“I have, but there’s a problem there too.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, bracing for the headache I can feel creeping up on me. “What is it?”
“He wants to meet you in person.”
“No. I’m not leaving Moscow to secure this deal when we can easily do it over the phone.”
“That’s what I said, but he claims he wants to be careful. The police raid has everyone spooked.”
“It’s too big a risk to show my face, let alone leave the city for any amount of time.”
“Bring Samuil with you,” Leo suggests. “And I can run things in your place until you get back. If you’re worried about safety, we can just send Damien instead.”
“No, I don’t trust the bastard not to screw up. I’ll take care of it.”
“Alright, and what do you want me to do about—”
“Andrei?” Sandra calls from the bathroom. “Have you seen my shoes? I know you threw them somewhere.”
On the other end of the line, my brother clears his throat. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were… preoccupied.”
“Tell Samuil to pack and get ready. I’m on my way.”
I end the call before Leo can ask another question. My heart pounds in my chest. I hope he wasn’t able to recognize Sandra’s voice. If he found out the truth—ifanyof my brothers found out the truth—I’d be in a world of trouble.
There are very few people in the world who I hold in high enough regard to care what they think, but my brothers are certainly the select few. What would they say if they knew about me and Sandra? Would they question my loyalty? Could they begin to question my authority? It’s better if they never find out, but that begs another question: how long are Sandra and I going to keep this up?
I’ve thought about ending it once or twice in the beginning. I figured a brief encounter here and there might help get her out of my system. But it’s beenweeksnow, pushing a month, and each time it gets harder and harder to break things off.
Because, if I’m being perfectly frank, I don’twantto.
I’m not sure what a sane man would do in my situation. It’s not like Sandra and I have a future together. In fact, such a notion would be impossible. But I can’t break it off with her, either, because I’m too used to the way she moves, the way she smells, the way my whole world lights up the moment she steps into the room.
It’s messed up and weird and an impossible problem to solve, but I do know one thing: I need to protect Sandra. I need to keep her safe from my brothers, from her family, from the rest of Moscow’s criminal underground. If the truth ever got out, it could put her in a compromising position—and I don’t want that at all. I need to do what I can to keep our secret safe.
The woman in question pokes her head out from around the bathroom door. “Are you going somewhere?”
I chuckle. “Don’t you know eavesdropping is rude?”
She shrugs, unapologetic. “It sounded serious.”
I finish getting dressed, straightening my tie and smoothing the wrinkles of my shirt, mentally running through the checklist of things I have to get done. I’m not particularly looking forward to flying to Latvia, but I guess it can’t be helped.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about,” I tell her as we walk to the hotel room door together.
She lingers at the doorway, glancing up at me with something I can only describe as concern. “When will you be back?”
“I’m not sure. A couple of days probably. Why, are you going to miss me?”
Sandra scoffs. “No.”
I dip down, the corners of my mouth ticking up into the smallest of grins. “Are you lying, princess?”
She chews on the inside of her cheek, her brows knitting together into a perturbed frown. “Just… be careful. That’s all.”
“I’m starting to think you like me or something,” I say, parroting her words from earlier.
