Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Just thinking about Marina carrying my child made my heart ache. It was going to happen. I was going to keep this girl by my side, in my bed. She was going to be the wife I wanted, not the one I was forced to accept. And she would never, ever leave me.
I would make sure of it.
My Marina.
My wife.
All I had to do was keep her alive long enough to make sure her sister’s mistakes didn’t destroy her.
CHAPTER 23
KOSTYA
Marina looked content curled up on the sofa, wrapped in a plush Ritz-Carlton robe, with a large plate of French fries on her lap.
It was a stark contrast to the shabby townhouse where I had found her. And yet, she fit in both settings just as easily.
After seeing her in that hole-in-the-wall restaurant, then in her cluttered townhouse, surrounded by secondhand furniture and worn clothes, then crammed into an economy seat on the train, it was easy to forget that this—wealth, comfort, luxury—was the life she had been born into.
I tried not to compare Marina to her sister too much, but the thought of Veronika working in a restaurant or living without staff was laughable.
Marina’s eyes were heavy-lidded, exhaustion finally creeping in. After the pleasure I had wrung from her body, combined with the stress of the last twenty-four hours, I knew she was done.
She needed to eat before I put her to bed. Her safety and comfort were my responsibilities now, and I intended to see to them frequently.
Nothing in the world sounded better than stretching out beside her in that massive bed, her body warm against mine, knowing she was safe while we both got a few hours of sleep. Okay, maybe a few days of sleep. God knew I could use it.
“So, what happens now?” she asked, glancing at me before popping another fry into her mouth.
“Now, I make a few calls to my associates. They’ll scout the area near the locker facility by Penn Station to make sure it’s not being watched. Once we know it’s safe, we’ll retrieve your bag. After that, I’ll deal with Solovyov so he stops trying to kill you.”
Her lips parted slightly. “I’m still not sure he’s actually after me. I mean, you were the one that chased me out of New York.”
I leveled a look at her. “I told you. That wasn’t me.”
I discarded the last of my burger onto the plate. “I didn’t find your place until after it had already been ransacked. I don’t think Solovyov found you in Chicago—yet. But his men are everywhere here. Someone would have seen us come in. We weren’t exactly discreet.”
Her eyes went wide for a second.
Maybe now she was finally realizing exactly how much danger she was in.
“So,” she said carefully, “we get the bag, you deal with Solovyov, and then I’m free to go?”
She still wanted to leave me.
I wasn’t about to start this relationship with a lie, but that didn’t mean I had to tell her the whole truth.
“We’re going to deal with Solovyov,” I said smoothly. “And then we’ll see where we stand.”
I leaned back against the armrest of the sofa and studied her reaction. “I don’t know why he’s really after you, but I know it can’t be the money. There has to be something we’re missing.”
Her fingers curled around the belt of her robe, twisting it. “But you’re going to handle it?”
“Whatever it is, I’ll handle it,” I assured her.
“And once you handle it,” she pressed, “I’m free to live my life as I see fit? Without you hunting me down?”
I didn’t even blink.
“Let’s take this one step at a time,” I hedged.
Her lips parted, but I could see the exhaustion weighing on her, dulling the sharpness in her eyes.
Rising to my feet, I grabbed my phone from where it had been plugged into the charger, another thing I’d had room service bring up with our food.
“I’m going to be in the other room making a call. If you leave this suite, it will not end well for you.”
Marina huffed a tired sigh, sinking deeper into the sofa.
“Honestly, Kostya, I’m too tired to run,” she muttered as she picked up the remote. “I’m going to be good and just watch TV. I promise I won’t go anywhere until all of this is settled.”
I narrowed my eyes, wanting to believe her.
Settled wasn’t going to mean what she thought it did.
But I had also believed she wouldn’t run on the train.
And we both knew how that turned out.
Marina’s relationship with common sense was…fluid.
Something I didn’t understand well enough to trust yet.
Walking into the bedroom, I left the door cracked, just enough to keep her in my line of sight. With a deep breath, I dialed the number I should have called before I even set foot on American soil.
The line rang once before Gregor answered. “Ob'yasnis'. Seychas.” Explain yourself. Now.