Finally. Sweet silence.
Vladimir climbs over the bodies, making his way to the door. “Next,” he says to himself, looking back at the massacre from the doorframe, “is Volkov.”
23
Kate
Whereas the gala dinner pleased Alex, it had the opposite effect on me. Dania’s words repeat in my mind as I go downstairs for breakfast. Alex may never let me have a life again, and he may never love me. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that love isn’t part of the equation. Would he have ripped me from everything and everyone I care about if he truly loved me? I doubt that. Love is selfless. Obsession, on the other hand, is selfish.
Whatever the case, I’m powerless to change my circumstances. My hands are tied.
“Why the long face?” Tima asks when I walk into the kitchen. “Didn’t you enjoy the fancy party last night?”
I give him an honest smile. “Not exactly.”
He’s the only person in St. Petersburg around whom I can relax. For everyone else, I have to wear a mask. I don’t trust them with my feelings. Sadly, that includes Alex.
“Were the women bitches?” he asks, putting a bowl of oatmeal in front of me as I take a seat at the table.
“Only one woman in particular.”
Crossing his arms, he regards me with a sympathetic smile. “Let me guess. Dania Turgeneva.”
I give him a surprised look. “How did you know?”
“I’ve observed her when she’s come here with her father. She’s been giving Mr. Volkov strong signals.”
I pull the honey closer. “What kind of signals?”
“The signals a woman gives a man to let him know she’s available and willing.”
“Ah.” I consider that as I dribble honey over the porridge. “She told me that she and Alex were promised to each other, like in an arranged marriage.”
“Ha.” He snorts. “I’m sure she and her father would like that.”
I dip the spoon into the porridge, scooping up a helping of nuts and berries with the oatmeal. “Then it’s not true?”
“If it were, you wouldn’t be here.” He winks. “Don’t listen to anything Miss Turgeneva says. Jealousy makes you nasty. Isn’t that how the expression goes? Besides, Mr. Volkov has never called her kiska. He’s never used that term of endearment for anyone else.”
I looked up the word. It means kitten. At first, I thought it was derogatory, like reducing a person to a pet, but then I read that the term is used affectionately for someone you care about, especially by a man for his female partner.
“Thanks,” I say with a grateful smile, and I don’t only mean for the reassurance and the breakfast. Because of him, the kitchen has become my refuge in the house.
“Eat up,” he says with a mock-stern expression, just like my mom used to do when I was little.
I still can’t believe Alex is taking me to see her for Christmas. It feels unreal, and I’m worried that he’ll change his mind if something happens on the security front.
Tima goes back to preparing the lunch, letting me finish my breakfast in silence. When I’m done, I rinse my bowl and carry a mug of coffee to the library, where a fire is burning as usual. For a moment, I’m undecided about how to occupy myself. There aren’t any men with ailments knocking on the door this morning. I’ve almost caught up with all the seasons of Downton Abbey. My job always kept me busy. I relished the time I had off, using it to either see my mom and my friends or to recharge by vegetating on the couch. Since we’ve been here, I’ve been mostly vegetating, and it’s getting monotonous. The only positive about having so much free time is that my exercise regime is back on track, but right now, I don’t feel like working out or swimming.
I settle on the sofa with a book, but by the time I’ve finished my coffee, my mind is drifting again. I can’t stop thinking about what Dania said, that I’m hampering Alex’s efforts to find the man who’s trying to kill him. What if she’s right? What if he’s using most of his resources to protect me instead of tracking his enemy? Is he doing either of us a favor by keeping me here?
The answer is a tough one to face because I care. And because I care, the truth hurts.
I must’ve dozed off because I wake up on the sofa to find myself covered with a blanket. The book I’ve been reading has been placed on the side table. Someone considerately left a bookmark to keep my place.
Blinking, I sit up. I’m not wearing my watch, but I can guess the hour by the fact that the curtains are closed. It must be dark outside already. Lena always closes the curtains when the sun sets. I’ve slept from this morning straight through the afternoon. We came home late last night, and I didn’t sleep much when we went to bed. I tossed and turned, mulling over the scene with Dania in the bathroom and the way Alex had proven his possession of me in the back of the car.
I throw the blanket aside and stand. My stomach grumbles, reminding me I skipped lunch. I’m about to make my way to the door when it opens and Alex enters.
“You’re awake,” he says. “I was just coming to check on you.”
I look at him with surprise. What is he doing home so early? He’s still dressed for the office in navy blue suit pants and a white fitted shirt. He never arrives before dinner.
“What time is it?” I ask.
He checks his watch. “Just after five.”
“Why are you home so early?” Concern tightens my stomach as I recall the incident with my mom. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” he says with a smile, closing the door before crossing the floor. “You don’t have to worry.” Staring down at me, he cups my face. “It seems I’ve been neglecting you if you think something must be wrong for me to be home early.”
I study him with uncertainty. “It’s just not like you.”
His smile turns sweet. “It won’t always be like this. I know I’ve been at the office a lot lately, but the preparations for the gala and the due diligence for the joint venture have been consuming a lot of my time.”
“And finding the man who wants you dead,” I say, my body automatically tensing at the thought.
Regarding me with a soft light in his eyes, he caresses my cheek with his thumb. “That’s why I’m early. We made a breakthrough today.”
My breathing quickens. “You did?”
“You remember the informant you met at the cocktail party in New York?”
“Adrian? The man you said I shouldn’t trust?”
“Yeah, that one. He got me some information that will shed light on what’s going on.”
I swallow. “Should you trust him?”
“No. He’s a man with no loyalty who’s on no one’s side. His only alliance is with money, but the information he delivers is always good. That’s why he’s built himself a solid reputation as an informant.”
“I see,” I say, even though I don’t. I wouldn’t trust someone like that, but I suppose Alex is experienced in unorthodox matters and has better judgment than I do. “When will you know?”