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It’s more than I could ever dream of as a child—but I can see that it’s overwhelming for Misha. Father has always been kinda strict about what Misha could and couldn’t have, and even though I’ve gone against his rules a few times, it always had to be a secret in our house.
“Oh, do you see that? It’s your favorite series!”
I try to be excited to show Misha that it’s alright to have it all. I walk to the bookcase, tugging him after me, and after some encouragement, he shows more interest in the books and comics on the shelves. He likes to read, so I figured it would be the best place to start.
It takes us some time to explore the room, but it’s already quite late for Misha, and after the incident I can see that he’s exhausted. I help him change into a new set of pajamas, but as I lean in to press a goodnight kiss to his forehead, Misha grabs my hand.
“Can you stay with me? For the night?” He looks at me with big pleading eyes, and I can’t refuse him. It’s been a long time since he got used to sleeping on his own, but some days are just too bad to let him sleep in peace.
I stay with Misha for a while, holding his hand and reading a new book about time travel, until I hear him sniff in his sleep. His grip on my hand weakens, and with a quick kiss to his small palm, I lay it on the bed next to him and quietly leave the room.
Well, that went better than I expected. I know it’s gonna take some time for Misha to get used to the new place, but I hope that in a couple of weeks—wait. I stop in the hallway and shake my head. What couple of weeks? I’m gonna get rid of Louis and escape this goddamn place long before that.
Speaking of Louis…
“I think we need to talk,” I say as soon as he opens the door. Louis raises his eyebrows but, after a moment, steps away to let me in.
I only had to knock on the doors of two empty rooms to find him, so I take it as a success. But only when I step into the room do I realize that this is, in fact, his bedroom, and Louis himself stands before me in a bathrobe, with his hair curly and his skin oozing the scent of shower gel. Damn it. It smells good.
When I turn back to Louis, the outline of his body and the look of his dark eyes send a wave of heat through me. But I purse my lips and force myself to stand straight, focusing on his eyes only. Shit. I really should’ve thought this through before barging into his room in the middle of the night,still in my wedding dress, but whatever. It doesn’t matter. I won’t let him touch me again.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Louis says with a note of confusion as he lingers by the door with his arms crossed. His gaze darts over my body, as if I came here offering myself, and for some goddamn reason, it makes me feel hot.
It’s too bad that I know how good he is in bed—but no, Sasha, focus.
“Don’t think that Iwantto be here,” I say, just to make sure that it’s clear: I did not come to his damn bedroom to have sex with him.
But Louis only chuckles and shrugs, and it doesn’t look like he actually believes me. “Sure. What do you want to talk about, then?”
Isn’t it obvious?
“I want to know what happened today. Why did the Mexicans attack us? How did they get into your territory in the first place?”
Louis’s expression darkens, and he looks away with a frown. “I wish I had the answers. Matteo and Paolo will check our border patrols. The Mexicans probably knew about the wedding and used it to sneak past our guards.”
What? I frown in confusion. But it doesn’t make any sense. “Aren’t you friends with them or something? I’m pretty sure I saw Gerardo’s daughter at the wedding.”
“Yeah, Jacinta was there, but…the deal didn’t work out as we planned.” Louis scratches the back of his head with an unsure look on his face. “The Escarra people have betrayed us, even though they refuse to admit it.”
“What do you mean they refuse to admit it?” I frown and cross my arms, trying to understand him. “The Mexicansattackedus inyourterritory, isn’t that enough proof?”
“Well, we can’t prove that it was the Mexicans who did it—that’s why they wear their masks. Did you see them?” Louis gestures at his face, and I nod. Yeah, it was weird, but it didn’t change the fact that weallknew who they were. “I know, it doesn’t make sense, but Gerardo will claim that we were mistaken and it wasn’t his people. And if Riccardo openly accuses him of planning an attack against us, it will start a war, and—”
“Nobody wants a war,” I repeat the words I’ve already heard a hundred times and sigh out loud, covering my eyes with a hand. Goddamnit. The Messinas are just as weak as Yuriy. “And here I thought we would finally be safe…”
“Oh, but you will.” I hear Louis step closer and immediately glare at him over my fingers. “You already are.”
“Yes?” I laugh bitterly and gesture at the torn sleeves of my dress. “Doesn’t look like it.”
Louis pauses in his step and sighs, nodding. “I know, it was my fault that I drove straight into their trap, but…trust me, I will never let any harm come to you or your son.”
Oh. His words make something in my chest warm up—but I know it’s all empty words. Louis looks so goddamn noble, standing here and swearing to protect me, but where was his honor when he gave the order to kill my mom? Where was his decency when he looked me in the eyes and told me not to be so dramatic? Yes, it’s been years, but the scar in my heart has never healed.
I purse my lips and straighten my shoulders, looking him in the eyes with a squint of contempt. “Oh, look at you. A knight in shining armor. Since when do you care about us?”
“Since today,” Louis replies with an absolutely serious frown, and I can’t help but chuckle. He can’t be silly enough to think that our marriage is gonna make me forget about everything he’s done!
But it looks like that because, a moment later, Louis steps forward and reaches for my hands, but I snatch them out of his reach before he can even touch me. He purses his lips, looking up at me with a stern look in his eyes, and it looks like he finally understands that I don’t care about his charms.
