His arms tighten around me briefly before he releases me. “Just stay a little longer then, please.”
I settle against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Despite everything that’s happened tonight, with the danger, the violence, and all the reasons this is complicated, I feel safer in his arms than I have in months.
We don’t speak for a bit until he says, “I’ll always keep you safe.”
I want to believe him. More than that, I want to let myself love him the way every instinct is telling me to, but there are still secrets between us and complications he doesn’t know about that would change everything.
For now, I let myself pretend love…or whatever this is becoming…might be enough.
I must drift off to sleep, because when I open my eyes, the room is dark except for the glow of the bedside clock showing 11:17 p.m. Radmir is asleep beside me, one arm still wrapped protectively around my waist, his breathing deep and even.
Reality comes crashing back. Leo is at Aunt Molly’s, and I promised to pick him up in the morning early, since it’s her volunteer day at the shelter. She’ll be worried if I don’t show up, and she’ll ask questions I’m not prepared to answer. If I don’t get some sleep and a chance to decompress, I’ll never arrive at six-thirty to get him.
Carefully, I slip out of Radmir’s embrace, moving slowly so I don’t wake him. He murmurs something in his sleep but doesn’t stir as I gather my scattered clothes and dress quietly in the darkness.
At the door, I pause to look back at him. Even in sleep, he looks powerful and dangerous, like a predator resting between hunts. There’s also something vulnerable about him that makes my chest ache with feelings I’m not ready to name.
I slip out of his room and make my way through the quiet estate to where I left my car. The storm has passed, leaving the night clear and cool, with stars visible through the breaking clouds. The guards don’t blink an eye when they have to let me out through the wrought iron gates that are usually open during the daytime, but I flush with embarrassment. They must have a good idea why I stayed so late, especially with the estate on alert after events of the afternoon and evening.
As I drive toward Aunt Molly’s house, I try to process everything that’s happened tonight, parsing through the attack and how Radmir protected me without hesitation, followed by the way we came together afterward.
Most of all, I think about his promise to keep me safe. After seeing firsthand the threats in his world, can I really believe he can keep me or Leo safe? I don’t doubt for a minute he’d try, but can I risk taking that chance when I have a little boy and a baby to protect?
For now, that truth remains my secret, but tonight changed something between us in ways for which I’m not sure either of us is prepared.
16
Radmir
Two days pass before I can properly assess the damage from Marcus Volkov’s attack. I meet with Andrei in my office while coffee grows cold on the desk between us and morning rain streaks the windows.
“The security breach is sealed.” Andrei consults his tablet while settling into the chair across from my desk. “We’ve installed additional sensors along the perimeter, upgraded the motion detection system, and added thermal imaging to the blind spots.”
“What about the weak points he exploited?”
“Eliminated completely. Annie assures me the system glitch that allowed him access has been patched, and we’ve implemented redundant protocols. If someone tries to disable one system, three others will trigger automatically.” He looks up from the screen. “The estate is more secure than it’s ever been.”
I nod, though my mind drifts to the terror in Danielle’s voice when she screamed for help. The way she trembled in my arms afterward haunts me more than I want to admit. The vulnerability she showed when she let me love her body with desperate hunger changed something fundamental between us. “What about ongoing threats?”
Andrei sets down his tablet and leans forward. “There’s nothing to suggest Danielle or anyone else is being tracked when they leave the estate, but under the circumstances, I’ve arranged discreet protection for Danielle and her boy. She won’t notice the surveillance, but my people will be watching every move she makes outside the estate. Any movement from Luca’s organization toward her will be intercepted before they get within a hundred yards.”
“Good.” I stand and walk to the window, watching the rain create rivers down the glass. “I want you to personally monitor any threats, especially from Luca’s syndicate.”
“I’m already handling it myself.” He makes a note on his tablet. “There’s been some movement at the port, but nothing that suggests immediate action.”
I nod. “What about Leo’s hospital records? Was he premature?”
“I’m still working on getting the actual files to see if Leo was born prematurely. The hospital has strict privacy protocols, but Annie has one of her IT people on it, so I should have access within the week.”
“Good.” I want to order him to hurry up, but there’s no point. The hacker can only access the hospital medical records carefully and discreetly. Any hint of pressure or a rush job mightmean discovery, and I don’t want anyone’s attention focused on Danielle or Leo.
After Andrei leaves, I try to focus on other business, but restlessness drives me from my office by afternoon. The need to see Danielle and Leo for myself becomes impossible to ignore. It’s a Saturday, and curiosity about the life she’s built away from the estate pulls me toward my car.
I grab my keys and head for the garage.
I head toward the address listed in her personnel file. As I’m heading that way, I spot her car parked outside the small grocery store near her apartment complex. Through the windows, I see her pushing a cart with a small figure sitting in the child seat. My chest tightens at the sight of them together, so normal and domestic it makes me ache for something I never knew I wanted until recently.
They emerge twenty minutes later, Danielle carrying two bags while Leo skips alongside her, chattering animatedly about something that makes her smile. I follow at a distance as they drive to Morrison Park, a couple of blocks from her building.
