Page 27 of Ruby Menace

Stepan.

I feel for the boy, but for whatever reason, I don’t have a connection with him. It’s not that I’ve missed his childhood till now. Something is off and I can’t put my finger on it. Perhaps if Dima gets proof that he’s actually my son, I’ll feel different about him. And if he’s not my son… Well, that will put a lot of things into perspective. I’ll cut the ties with Zoya and get her claws out of my world once and for all. Then, I’ll be able to focus on the rest of my life with Tiana.

The woman my mother chose for me.

The thought makes me want to smile. Even though her mind was compromised, my mother never lost her true nature. She’d always been astute. A keen judge of human nature. If she believed that Tiana was special, that’s good enough for me.

As I think of her, I scan the restaurant, realizing I don’t see her anywhere. Casting occasional glances toward the service area and the restroom over the next few minutes, I start to grow concerned when she doesn’t emerge from either. She’s not in the restaurant, and she’s not in either of those areas. I look around again, trying to catch sight of a wave of dark hair, the curve of her cheek, the familiar features that have become etched in my mind.

Where the fuck is she?

“Have you seen Tiana?” I frown at Dima, who’s still hovering nearby.

He shakes his head. “Not for a while, Boss.”

“How long is a while?” I narrow my eyes on him.

He shrugs. “Twenty-five… thirty minutes?”

I don’t think I’ve noticed her in that time either.

Half an hour.

Blyad!

“Check with the others. See if anyone else has caught sight of her,” I tell Dima. Without question, he melts away into the crowd while I make a quick check of the adjoining rooms, including the office we’d just been in.

No sign of her. She’s nowhere to be found.

When I turn around to see Dima back beside me, his expression tells me all I need to know.

“Nothing, Boss. None of them seems to know where she’s gone to.”

“How?” I snap. “They were supposed to be watching her!”

“Uh… she was with you, Boss.”

I run a hand through my hair, realizing he’s right. I’d probably been the last one with her. And if they’d seen her with me, they’d assume that I had things under control.

Except nothing is under control. She’s not here. A knot of worry starts forming in my gut. It doesn’t improve when Zoya cruises up, eyeing us curiously.

“Anything wrong, Kirill?” As usual, she has no qualms about interfering in my business.

“Have you seen Tiana?” I ask abruptly.

“Tiana?” Zoya flicks an imaginary piece of lint off the low-cut neckline of her shirt. “Your little bird has flown the coop,” she says airily, sidling up closer to me.

“She did what?” I snap, ignoring the fact that I’m drawing stares from those in the gathering as my voice rises and I grow increasingly agitated.

“She left. Didn’t tell me where and I didn’t ask.” Zoya examines her nails nonchalantly.

“And you’re only telling me now?” Rage bubbles up inside me. I resist the urge to grab her by the throat. Instead I snarl, “What did you do?”

“Me? I didn’t do anything.” Zoya shrugs. “I told her it’s not a good idea, but she told me not to worry. What was I supposed to do? She’s an adult, right?”

My hands clench into fists. This is not the first time this happens. She escaped me once and I allowed it to happen again. But why would she try to flee now? Especially after what we just had together. I’m pretty sure we shared a moment back then. Not to mention that she knows exactly how dangerous it is for her out there. Unless Zoya is involved in this somehow.

“Chush’ sobach’ya! You’re lying!” I tell Zoya.

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