Page 108 of Little Blue

I recall Boris offering before, as well. It’s surprising, the introverted criminal guard being so eager to take the kidnapped woman on a shopping spree. But—whatever floats his boat, I guess.

Ilya moves to the driver’s window, his eyes cool on Boris. “Keep her safe.”

I don’t miss the warning in his words, the threat. So, I know Boris doesn’t either. He gives him a nod, rolls up the window, and starts to drive down the driveway. I have to fight the urge to twist in my seat to watch Ilya disappear with the distance.

I’m obsessed with my kidnapper turned fiancé.

Oh, the fun a psychiatrist would have with me.

I settle into the back seat, deciding to get to know my guard. “How old are you, Boris?”

A brow rises in the mirror. “Thirty-seven.”

“Do you ever leave the mansion?”

His hands tighten around the steering wheel. “I do.”

“I haven’t seen you leave once since I’ve been here.”

A small smirk pulls at his lips. “The Pakhan has had the house on a kind of lockdown since you arrived.”

I answer his smirk with one of my own, getting comfortable in the seat to really dive into this conversation. It’s rare Boris talks with me, so I’m taking advantage now. “Is there no nice girl waiting for you? Pining to see you?”

“Are you asking me if I have a girlfriend?”

I shoot him a beaming smile. “That is exactly what I am asking you.”

“No.”

“What about family?”

“Enough about me.” Boris shuts me down, but asks gently, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Who were you before you were his?”

Well, that’s a question I wasn’t expecting. I consider. Then I say, “I was no one.”

“I find that difficult to believe. Everyone is someone.”

“Okay,” I pause. “I was no one who mattered.”

Boris harrumphs and after a long beat of silence, I call, “Boris?”

Boris grunts.

I scoot closer to his seat. “Did you see my home? I mean, the place I lived before Ilya took me?”

He’s quiet, and then he admits. “Once.”

“What did you think of it?”

He shrugs. “It wasn’t in the safest neighborhood.”

That is an understatement. “I was a shell before Ilya. I could hardly afford to eat, much less live.”

“So, you are happy he took you?”

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