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Where’s Dominika to take her away?
“Eden, stop!” My hands shake with anger and she trips over her feet, coming to an abrupt stop. Her eyes are wide as she watchesme round on her. I lean toward her and whisper, “Leave me alone.”
I continue down the hallway past my office into the depths of the penthouse. Eden quietly follows at a short distance, never losing sight of me. I don’t hold the metal door open that leads down to the next level. It doesn’t stop her. The door swings open as I enter the floor below it.
The Olympic-size pool greets me, and my eyes lock on the expanse of shimmering blue. The lights are dimmed, and the night outside is a backdrop against the windows. I stand there for a moment, looking at the blood on my hands and clothes. The red stains splattering the cuffs of my white shirt will soon turn a deep brown. I glance down at the insignia ring I wear, the ring my father gave me when Matvei died.
This was never supposed to be mine …I think those bitter words again and again.
Without thought, I stretch my arms as I move through the air. In one fluid motion, my body slices the air above the water, and I close my eyes. I let the hate rush out of my body as I move through nothingness into the calm water. A symphony of splashes erupts in my path as the cool water clutches me. Beneath the surface, I open my eyes and swim down to the bottom, eyeing the bright blue tiles that line the pool.
My hand reaches out as I touch the bottom. Matvei would’ve beaten me to the bottom if he were still alive. He always did.
The man I killed wouldn’t give me names, and I was in no mood to back down tonight. I told him he was a fool to take someone else’s place. But he refused to talk, and then slowly … gradually, as I tightened my grip, I made sure he wouldn’t talk again.
He stared into my eyes as he took his last breath.
I surface, shaking my head and sending drops of water out in an arc. I shake harder, trying to dispel the image of the dead man’s gaze from my thoughts. But it clings like a stubborn shadow, refusing to let go. I slick my hair back out of my eyes. My clothes cling to my body, and his blood forms a dark halo around me.
Someone gasps, and I submerge again, quickly washing my sins away. I pull off my shoes as I drift toward the bottom. And then bob awkwardly as I pull off my pants and boxers. The shirt buttons are the hardest to open, slick and slippery, so I yank at my shirt until the fabric tears and I’m free of it.
The water guides me up as I give in to it. I let it take me back to the surface, taking in deep, greedy breaths as I run a hand over my face. Only then do I look toward the end of the pool and see her.
Eden stands still, watching me but saying nothing. She doesn’t have to say a word—her eyes tell me everything I need to know.
“Do you swim?” I ask.
Eden looks at me as if I’m a madman. She bites her lip, debating whether or not to walk toward the edge of the pool. Her lip quivers. “I don’t have a suit,” she finally says as a tinge of pink rushes on her face.
I laugh as the remnants of my torn shirt float away in the water.
I can already guess what she’s calling me in her head.
Asshole.
“We’re alone, Eden.” I sweeten my voice with charm. “You don’t need a suit.”
Eden frowns at me, but the pool is too tempting. The long stretch of water is tinted blue by the reflection of the glazed tiles surrounding every surface. Slowly, she pulls off her shirt and pants, and I fight to hold back a gasp of appreciation upon seeing her body.
In the dim light, she looks perfect, like an angel tossed down from heaven to live among the dirty mortals.
Leaving her bra and panties on, she dives in. Her body forms a perfect arc as the water parts and swallows her. She surfaces a few feet from me, her auburn hair dark and wet against her back.
The water turns her cotton bra and panties translucent. I swipe my tongue over my lips, tasting her in my mind again.
“Are you okay?” she says.
“I will be.” I shrug. “I had something to do.”
She stares at me as she treads water. Her eyes are on me as if she can spot a lie.
“It had nothing to do with you,” I assure her. “It’s late. Why aren’t you in bed?”
She swims toward the edge but doesn’t climb out. “I don’t know,” she says softly. “I guess I wanted to know that you were coming back.”
“Why?” I smirk. “Are you afraid that one day I won’t?”
She looks away and rests her chin on the edge of the pool, letting her body float in the water. She looks out the massive window, and I catch her reflection studying me. She’s staring at me openly in a way she avoids when we stand face-to-face. And I feel my heartbeat quicken when our eyes lock through the window.
