Page 44 of Disguised as Love

“Do you know who they were?” she asked when I said nothing.

“One of them is mine. The other two are likely Volkov and one of the Russian or U.S. agencies.”

She gave out a frustrated breath. “I’d finally gotten them to leave me alone.”

“What do you mean?” My eyes narrowed at her.

“In the U.S., for years, all they saw was me going to the university and then back to my house. Nothing exciting. I wasn’t meeting with any of Papa’s contacts. Hell, there were hardly any people besides me in my house at all. They got tired of me. I was leading them nowhere. For the first time, they’d finally realized the truth: I knew nothing. And then, Papa sent Ilia to me. Something had changed, and yet there was still no one following me, so I convinced myself it was just Papa being paranoid.”

We were brushed by a woman in a faux fur coat as she stormed into the mall on feet in spiky heels so tall I thought she’d fall over on them. But it brought me back to the fact that we’d stopped barely inside the doors with people wandering past us.

I stepped away from Raisa, losing the heat of her body and missing it. I reached down and tangled her fingers with mine before tugging her farther into the mall.

“Let’s find your boutique, and then I’m going to step out to talk with one of my sources,” I told her quietly.

“Why is everyone so interested in me all of a sudden?” she asked. “What can I possibly give any of them beyond my nano tech? They certainly don’t need me for information on Papa’s world.”

I debated telling her the truth. It might help me find what Volkov was looking for, but then, I tossed it aside. I didn’t dare do anything to put her more at risk, so instead, I told her the other truth. The one she already knew. “Volkov wants to tie your family to his so no one questions his takeover of your father’s businesses. Damien wants you because you thwarted him. You’re the one who not only got away but left her mark on him. It’s revenge and desire.”

She shuddered. “I’d rather die than let him touch me again.”

I looked down at her as we walked, her jaw set, her lips tight. She meant every word. She would rather end up dead than in his embrace. A part of me?the stupid part who was continuing to lose focus and thinking of things I shouldn’t waste my time on?rejoiced at the thought of her disliking his embrace when she’d accepted mine. She no longer jumped and jolted at our touch. She’d not only let me kiss her, but she’d also returned it with a fire that had claimed some part of my soul.

“No one’s dying today,” I said gruffly.

If she heard my response, she ignored it, stopping at the door of a discreet boutique graced with the name of its owner. It looked nothing like a retail establishment and everything like an eighteenth-century salon where aristocrats and artisans would mingle to discuss books and politics. Velvet and silk cushions rested on gilded frames sitting on top-heavy Persian rugs, and the walls were lined with expensive art. The only hint that it was an actual store was the two dress forms on display. The male mannequin was in a tuxedo, and the woman wore an evening gown with so many beads it looked like a mosaic made of gems.

As soon as we stepped inside, a woman rose from an antique writing desk in a corner of the room. Her white hair was tied at the back in an elegant chignon, and her blue eyes flashed a welcome that matched her smile in a face barely lined with wrinkles. The contrast of the white hair with a smooth face made her age hard to pin. She wore a stylish winter-white dress and nude heels that were likely as expensive as the art on the walls.

“Raisa,” she said in a smooth tone. Raisa dropped my hand to move forward, and the women exchanged cheek kisses. “It has been too long, darling.” The woman spoke in Russian.

“It has,” Raisa agreed.

The woman put her hands on Raisa’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I was so saddened to hear about Petya.”

Raisa’s eyes closed briefly before opening again, and she spoke in English for my benefit. “That’s why we’re here, Alexia. Antonne and I left the States in a hurry, so he didn’t have time to pack much. We need at least one suit and some casual wear.”

Alexia’s eyes left Raisa’s to take me in from head to toe. Her scrutiny was so severe it felt like I was being scanned by a computer program creating a 3D image, as if she was categorizing every measurement and size.

“This will not be as easy as it seems, darling. He is monstrous.”

My jaw clenched at her description of me, the only Black man in the entire mall, but then Raisa laughed, and everything went out of my head but the sound. It was light and almost joyful without the scorn that so often accompanied it when she scoffed at me. It was like the trill of the C8 key or the song of the sunbird she’d already reminded me of. My chest ached as I realized I’d never heard her laugh with pure joy before, and I hated that it was this woman who’d brought it out in her and not me.

Alexia turned from her inspection of me to Raisa. “But you will be easy, my dear. I have the perfect dress for the service. Have a seat. It will take me a few minutes to gather his items. I will have Sasha bring you an espresso, unless you prefer champagne this morning.”

Raisa shook her head. “Espresso sounds lovely.”

The woman disappeared through a smooth mahogany door, and Raisa sank onto one of the soft cherry-colored velvet lounges in the room. I waited until she was seated before leaning down and whispering softly, “I’m stepping outside. Don’t go anywhere without me.”

“She won’t be long,” Raisa said, eyes darting toward the door Alexia had gone through.

“Neither will I.”

For a moment, I thought there was panic in her eyes at the idea of being alone, and I suddenly wished we’d waited for Ilia to wake to join us. But the man was of no use to her or me exhausted. What it did mean was that I needed the additional backup I’d asked Nolan to find.

I put my hand under her chin, the enormity of my palm dwarfing her face. I was exactly the monster Alexia had stated compared to Raisa. I’d forgotten it somehow in the last day because her fierceness made her seem bigger, stronger. But she could easily be broken, and I wasn’t the only one who knew this. It caused my insides to twist and turn.

I wanted to say something, and yet no words came. Our locked gaze was as heated as the sparks sailing through my skin as I touched her. After sliding my thumb across her cheek, I dropped my hand and reluctantly made my way back out to the main corridor.

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