Page 10 of Seduction (Wicked Vows)

I look up in surprise to see she’s looking at my back. The gun I’m carrying is secured in the waistband of my jeans at the small of my back.

I shrug. She leans in closer to me, laying her hand on my back.

Christ.

My skin heats at how near she is, a flare of warmth from her touch, and the faint, lingering smell of warmed toffee and spice surrounds me. Her mouth gets near to my ear, and she tries again, repeating herself. “You can’t take a gun on a plane.” She presses it into my back to emphasize her point.

Oh yeah? Watch me. I only smile at her and shake my head. It’ll be fine.

At security, I head immediately to the security guard Aleks told me to go to. I’ve been in touch with the Ivanov security team but they’ve given me minimal instructions. Why am I not surprised?

The security guard smiles at me when I turn my arm over and show him the tattoo that marks me as Bratva.

“Hello, sir. This way, please.” Behind closed doors, I discreetly hand him the cash we agreed on, and he swiftly moves us aside and down a VIP aisle to get past security to get to our gate.

“You did not just do that,” she says, shaking her head. “Jesus, I wish you’d speak English. I’d tell you that was, like. . .” Her voice trails off when she realizes I’m not responding. “Hot,” she says to herself. “No, on second thought, I wouldn’t tell you that.”

An interesting observation.

We’re early for our flight but comfortable in a VIP lounge we’ve secured beforehand.

“Okay, so this is nice,” she says as she walks to a snack station with complimentary drinks and snacks. She points to the food and then her belly. “I’m starving. You?”

I have no idea how long it’ll be before we eat again, and I have no intention of sleeping on that plane, so I join her. We feast on sandwiches, chips, and fruit, and when she helps herself to a cookie, I decline.

“Watching those macros, huh? Of course you are. You can’t be built like that and eat carbs all day long.” She sighs. “I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about macros.”

She isn’t wrong. I don’t eat that shit.

I keep my face deliberately impassive, but she’s quirky and kind of cute, so it’s getting harder to do.

“Macro shmacro,” she says, happily munching on a second cookie. “I’ll happily sleep, seduced into a sugar coma.”

I pretend to busy myself on my phone, but I’m checking the mirroring app on hers. I have no idea how anyone can function with twenty apps open at a time, but she’s moving from one thing to the next seamlessly – Russian translating app, a website with “must-know Russian phrases,” a little jewel matching game, and an app for reading. Interesting. I have to work extra hard to school my expression when I see the titles. I’d call it. . . eclectic and telling. What can you learn by the titles someone reads?

Dominated by the Billionaire Hitman

The Future of Medical Biometrics

Beauty and the Bodyguard

Mastering His Lady

The Newbies Guide to Russian

“Ladies and gentlemen, flight 5834 for Russia is preparing to board in twenty minutes. Please make any necessary last-minute purchases or trips to the restroom. We will begin shortly with priority seating.”

Vera stands and points to a restroom. “I need to use the bathroom before we go, okay?”

When I nod and stand with her, her eyes widen in horror, but I only shake my head and point to the floor outside the restroom. I am not going into the restroom with her.

I will, however, be vigilant to ensure no one’s waiting to hurt her or is ready to rob her and watch every exit and entrance.

I read through the list of profiles of the other passengers, as well as the flight attendants. Nothing seems out of place. Maybe she doesn’t have a target on her back like others do. Maybe Ivanov’s lack of interest in her paid off. Or maybe I just haven’t seen anything yet.

The burner phone in my back pocket vibrates with a text. It belongs to Markov Pashnik, whose body lies, weighted, at the bottom of the East River by now.

Markov was less than inspired when he created his contact list.

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