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“My brothers found me. Shane had to pay Semenov off so as not to cause an all-out war. Then we bided our time until we could exact our revenge cleanly and walk away with no repercussions.”
“You knew they would come for you, though?” I say as the sob catches in my throat.
“Yeah. I had no doubt about it. It was what kept me going.”
“That must have been some comfort to know they were looking for you.”
He places his hand under my chin and tilts my head up so I can look into his soft brown eyes. “I’m sorry you never had that, Jessie.”
“Well, I’m glad that you did.” I smile at him.
He wraps both arms around me and pulls me tighter to him. “You have it too now,” he says quietly as he strokes my hair. “I will always come looking for you, Angel, and I would burn the whole world down to find you.”
I don’t reply because I’m scared I might tell him how much he means to me. Instead, I lie there in his arms. “Will you read me some Tolstoy?”
He picks up the book with one hand and opens it where he left off. I listen to the soft, velvety tones of his voice, and it soothes every nerve and every frayed edge in my body.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
JESSIE
Istand near the elevator with Conor, Liam, and Mikey. Nervous energy sizzles in my veins. I have hardly left this apartment since I arrived here six weeks earlier. And when I have been out, it’s been to the store. There has been nothing exciting. Well, except for that day Conor took me to his friend’s boutique, the memory of which will keep me warm when I’m a lonely old woman.
Today, I’m accompanying the Ryan brothers on a job and I couldn’t be more thrilled.
“Remember. Be discreet. I need this sorting quickly and quietly,” Shane says as he hands me a slip of paper. “This is the information I need. But, if you have time, get anything else you think might be helpful.”
“Aren’t you coming with us?” I frown at him.
“No. I’ve got a meeting.” His tongue darts out and he licks his lower lip. It’s a habit he has that drives me crazy because it makes me think of what else I’d love him to do with that mouth.
“Erin stopping by, is she?” Mikey says with a laugh, earning him a glare from Shane. Liam and Conor chuckle quietly behind me, while an acute pang of jealousy strikes me out of nowhere. Who the hell is Erin?
“Just get the job done. I’ll see you back here later,” Shane growls before turning around and walking down the hallway and out of sight.
“Who is Erin?” I whisper once he's out of earshot.
Conor chuckles softly. “I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough.”
I want to ask more questions, but the elevator doors ping open and we step inside. Once the doors close, Conor and the twins begin to go over the plan for the job we’re headed to, and I listen intently. I don’t want to screw up on my first time out.
We arrive at Balthazar’s bar over an hour later. Liam drapes his arm over my shoulder as we walk through the doors and I can’t help but notice the many admiring glances he and his brothers attract.
After we select a table near the back, Conor orders us some drinks from the waitress.
“We all clear on the plan?” he asks when she walks away from the table.
“Yes,” I say, and the twins nod their agreement.
“Let’s do this, baby,” Liam says with a grin as he holds out his hand. I take it with a smile and he pulls me up from my seat. He makes a show of grabbing my ass and kissing me deeply in front of the customers and then we stumble to the back of the bar toward the toilets. When we reach them, he takes his arm from around my waist and we walk toward the office at the rear of the building. He tries the handle, and as we suspected it would be, it’s locked. Taking out a small multi-tool from his pocket, he picks the lock in a matter of seconds.
“You’re up, baby.” He grins at me as he opens the office door. “I won’t let anyone else in here.”
I nod at him, just before I slip inside the door and fire up the computer. It doesn’t take me long to guess the password and I’m in within five minutes. Ten minutes after that, I’ve got all the information Shane asked me to retrieve. I’m about to switch off the machine when I see the file titled Romanov and my breath catches in my throat. Why the hell does this guy have a file with my family name on? My heart starts to pound against my ribcage as I move my fingers over the mouse and click on the tab. The sound of the door opening startles me and I turn to see Liam’s face.
“We might have some trouble out front. We need to go.”
