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“Why would you do that?” I asked, completely stunned. I waved the gun towards his head, precisely where I’d released a bullet into Demian. “Don’t you think I’m capable of ending you?”
He smirked toward the bedroom. “I think you’re completely capable.”
“Then why did you call off your people?”
He shrugged, seeming completely broken by that question. “Because I love you, Karine,” he answered in a ragged voice.
I shook my head, feeling hysteria rising that he could keep lying to me, even now. “No,” I said. “Don’t do that. It’s over, don’t you get it? My father doesn’t give a shit about me. He knows what you’ve been up to all along. There’s no salvaging your plan.”
Roman wiped his hand over his face. “I’ve never been the best guy in the world, but this is the worst I’ve ever lost my way. I hate what I did to you.” He took a step toward me then stopped, nodding in acknowledgment of who still had the gun. “Tell me what I can do to make things right. Anything you ask. Anything at all.”
My mind spun in a dozen different directions. Could this be real? Or another ruse, another grand scheme cooked up by the Morozovs? There was one sure way to find out.
“I want to go someplace where nobody knows who we are. Or where we are. No phones, no internet, no contact with anyone.”
“Not even my brother?” he asked. “Not even my legit business?”
I shook my head. “That’s what I want.”
He looked thoughtful, biting his lip. He muttered something about Sergei killing him. “But I could always sell him my shares. We’d have enough… ” he murmured, lost in thought. Then he asked out loud, “How long? Are you talking about forever?”
Did he sound hopeful? I had to force my heart to keep from taking over. Words were easy, especially for liars. “We can start with a month,” I said.
If someone like him, a big business mogul with a lust for power and control could give up the outside world for a month, maybe he was telling the truth.
“Yes,” he said instantly. “I accept the terms.”
“What will your father think about it?” I asked. “Sleeping with the enemy so to speak.” His eyes widened and a heart fluttering grin began to curl his lips. I held up my hand. “I’m not sure I’m going to sleep with you. Are you still in?”
His blue eyes got a wicked gleam. The good kind of wicked that made my knees weak. “Sure,” he said, the smile still dancing around his mouth.
He knew as well as I did that neither one of us could keep our hands off of each other for long, even if we stayed enemies. I hoped we wouldn’t stay enemies.
“You didn’t answer the question about your father,” I reminded him.
The mischievous smile slid away, replaced with a thoughtful frown. “If Oleg Morozov doesn’t want me to be happy, then he’s not the kind of father I always dreamed about having. If he wants to stay in my life, then he has to make room for you. Because I need you in my life more than I need anything else, Karine.”
He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys, tossing them to me. “You can shoot me or take the car and leave me here. Or we could both head to the airport right now.”
I grabbed the keys out of the air and looked at him. Really looked at him. Did I actually already know that look in his eyes? Was it really love?
“I love you,” he said, as if reading my thoughts. “If you give me a month, or however long you want, you’ll end up loving me just as much.”
I didn’t say I already did. I still didn’t believe him. But I wasn’t shooting him or leaving him behind, either.
Chapter 29 - Roman
I waited in the kitchen while she found the key to unlock the handcuff, rubbing her raw, chafed wrist when it was off. I didn’t want to crowd her or upset her, but packed some of the food that was in the fridge for the drive.
Karine didn’t leave the gun, but at least she had tucked it away on the other side of her seat while I drove to the airport. Evelina was meeting us there with our passports, and on the way I called my bank to have a sizable amount ready to transfer to wherever we ended up so we could truly be off the grid for a while.
I should have been terrified. I did feel more laid bare than I ever had before. There was never another time that I’d told a woman I loved her, because I’d never had those feelings before Karine.
Was I really about to leave everything behind? Some part of my brain was screaming at me to regain the upper hand, but in truth, I didn’t want it anymore. The thought of giving up everything I’d worked for, the chance to be a part of my new family, facing my brother’s wrath—none of it mattered if I got another shot with Karine. A real one this time.
I pulled into the part of the airport where Evelina told us to meet her, and was shocked to see the private jet waiting to take us wherever we wanted to go. I had expected to have to fly commercial, rather than wait around for the plane my brother and I used to arrive from California.
“You don’t even have to file a flight plan,” Evelina explained. “Or, at least not a real one. A perk of being a Morozov.” She turned to Karine, who’d tucked the gun away in her waistband, and smiled, introducing herself.
