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“This is a fuckup,” I mutter, straightening again.
“See why I had to tell you here?”
I huff out a breath. “Fine.” Fucking Dima has a point. The last person who needs to hear this conversation is Tiana. She can never know about this. “Do you think anyone could have leaked the details? Maybe got there before our man did?”
Dima shakes his head. “Unlikely. Aside from you and me, Yuri is the only one who knows anything.”
“You trust him?”
“I do. He is the son of my mother’s cousin. He’s family.”
I don’t point out that every traitor is someone’s family. Dima’s entire bloodline has loyalty wired into them. If he says the man can be trusted, it’s good enough for me.
“She must have figured it out.” I silently curse myself. This is my own fucking fault. I should have made sure we mixed things up. Changed the routine.
“What do you want me to do?” Dima is looking at me intently. I know my second in command is testing me. He wants to see if I’m still capable of doing what’s necessary.
“Do you really need to ask that?” I snap, then inhale deeply. I’m letting anxiety take hold. “Find out if anyone was following Yuri. Get him to go over the trip, step by step, so we can see where he could have been made.” I rub my jawline. “We had eyes on us. No doubt about it.”
“After what happened with Avants-” Dima begins.
“Before the shit with Avants, Dima! Someone was paying him for selling information about us. We have to assume that he was not their only source. And if it’s her, then we’re in a world of bullshit.”
“You’re right, boss.” He empties his glass and then sets it down. “I’ll get back to the team, and put my best men on it.”
“Good.” I continue to sit while he stands and steps away from the table. “Keep me updated. I don’t need to tell you how important this is, Dima.”
Our eyes meet, and then he nods. “You can count on me.”
I follow him with my eyes as he leaves the restaurant, my mind spinning with questions. This is not the kind of complication I need in my world right now.
But then again, there would never be a right time for this.
Especially not if she is involved.
Tiana can never know about this.
Chapter Sixteen
Tiana
“Roxie!”
I almost can’t believe my eyes as I see the familiar figure bounding toward me, dragging her luggage. My heart swells with happiness at the sight of her.
“Babe!” she says brightly as she reaches me, dropping her bags and throwing her arms around me. “Oh my God, Tee. I’m so sorry about your dad,” she says quietly against my ear.
I nod imperceptibly and return the hug. It feels like ages since we last saw each other, and the relief of having a familiar face from my old life is overwhelming.
Roxie pulls back and looks me over, grinning widely and shaking off the bleak mood that’s threatening to descend upon me. “Well, look at you! You look... different,” Roxie says, her eyes scanning me up and down. “I was expecting whip marks and shackles.” She winks. “And here you are glowing with… something.”
I let out a nervous laugh, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. “Yeah, well... It’s nothing like I expected.”
Roxie raises an eyebrow but doesn’t press for details. Instead, her pupils grow wide almost an inch she looks past my shoulder. “Is… is that him?” she whispers under her breath.
I don’t need to look to know who she’s talking about, but I turn anyway. Kirill stands a few feet away, watching us with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. He may not have said anything yet, but his presence still fills the space; tall and broad, his chiseled jawline tense as dark eyes take in the unfolding scene before him.
“Kirill, this is my friend Roxanne Caldera,” I say, feeling my cheeks flush at the introduction. “Roxie, this is Kirill Vyronov, my…” My what? Do I call him my lover? My boyfriend? Hardly! He’s my owner. Not that I’m going to say that out loud. Instead, I leave the sentence hanging.
