Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94640 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94640 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Still nothing.
I hold him to my chest, lift my face to the heavens, and scream. "Somebody help me! Help!" I scream at the top of my lungs.
Floodlights blind me, and I blink, turning my head to the side. Voices. Heavy footsteps.
Semyon's men come running to me.
"I found her! Who does she have? What is it?"
"Semyon, call Rafail! Lock the gate!"
My phone buzzes with a text.
Ophelia
If you reveal anything to them, your lover boy is dead—along with your brother.
I realize, with chilling accuracy, that there is no escape.
His guards surround us, weapons raised.
"Who was here?" They surround me in a circle. My heart aches.
“I told Zoya I needed fresh air. I came outside for a bit of a walk to clear my head. Someone screamed my name and scared the hell out of me. Then—” My voice catches. “Eli.”
My brother’s back. He’s back, and he’s alright. I haven’t given myself space to process this yet.
They'll have questions. So do I.
I can still hear his cold, bitter voice.
“Eli's here. I heard someone out here yelling, and I came running. And I saw him. I don't know if he's alive," I lie. I better get good at it. "Please, let's get him inside."
I scan the men and don’t see Semyon. My heart beats faster. Where is he? I want him, his strong, reassuring presence, but at the same time, I fear one look in his eyes and he’ll know what I’m hiding.
Chapter 28
SEMYON
For once, I’m glad my brother’s bossy as fuck, making us stay here in our family home. I’m relieved to know Stefan’s taken care of and doesn’t need me and Anya tonight.
We’re exhausted, both of us.
The silence in the room is deafening as we get ready for bed. I stand by the window, my fingers wrapped around a crystal glass of vodka. I need something to take the edge off and help me sleep.
Tonight, my best friend came back to us, unharmed but dangerous. Who knows where Eli’s allegiance really lies? Tonight, I beat a man to death to get answers. Tonight, I watched my wife collapse and caught her just before she hit her head on the table. I held her in my arms, oblivious to my own pain from the gunshot wound, afraid for the worst.
I’ve experienced loss so great; sometimes I fear there’s a cavernous need inside me nothing can satiate.
When Anya collapsed, I thought the worst.
When Anya was missing, I thought the worst.
When she revealed Eli was home safe, and she screamed for help… I thought the worst.
And now, I’m spent.
Anya’s in the small en suite. I can hear the water running as she takes her time. I imagine she’s feeling the way I do too. Exhausted. Wary. Uncertain of anything… including me.
The city stretches before me out the window as I sip my drink, but my mind is fixated on only one thing: Anya.
The door to the bathroom opens. She stands before me in a tiny pair of shorts with a matching tank, yawning. Adorable.
“You feeling okay?”
“Mmm,” she says with a nod. “Fine.” I narrow my eyes. It’s definitely a lie. “You?”
She shrugs a shoulder and walks to the bed, her shoulders slouching.
Why don’t you ask your wife?
“Anya.”
“Mmm?” She’s in bed with her back to me, curled up, almost like she’s trying to protect herself.
I start undressing. “Why were you outside?”
“I told you, Semyon,” she says with a yawn. “I needed some fresh air.”
I tug off my pants and strip to my boxers before I join her in bed. I slide under the covers and sidle up beside her, spooning her from behind. She’s brutally honest when she’s vulnerable, and nothing makes her more vulnerable than sex.
My dick presses against her ass. I ignore it and place my hand flat on her belly. My thumb grazes the underside of her breast, barely covered with the thin material.
“I’m so tired,” she whispers.
“Me too. It’s all good; we just need to talk about today, is all.”
“Oh, that’s it?” She says with a hint of a laugh. “Which part? The part where I fainted at dinner and still don’t know why? Or the part where you acted as if you didn’t have a shoulder wound and held me? Maybe the part where you sat beside me in bed all rumpled and disheveled, before you did probably violent things to our prisoner before you ended him? Are those the parts you want to talk about?”
“No.”
She lets out a sigh. “I know.”
Turning to face me, her eyes are as clear as a cloudless sky, but she can’t hide the little wrinkle between her brows. Our breaths mingle. “You want to know more about how I found Eli.”
I nod. My eyes want to close. I’m so fucking tired.
“This is what I’m going to tell you,” she says in a whisper. “I’ve told you what I can. Maybe Eli can tell you more.”