Page 124 of Emerald Malice

He turns back to the road, and we finish the drive in silence.

But my hand remains on his leg the entire way home.

43

NATALIA

“If Abby asks me about Andrey, I give you permission to execute her,” I tell Remi, dropping to give him his morning scratch behind the ears.

His tongue lolls out of his mouth, and I know in theory he’s fully capable of turning Abby inside out, but he’s so cute that it’s hard to believe right now.

“Good thing you don’t speak English,” I say, leading him towards the door. “I’m not sure you’d understand my sarcasm.”

Especially since it’s barely sarcastic. Abby is the only person who talks to me at work anymore—if you don’t count Byron, which I barely do since Andrey traumatized him. Byron is afraid to look at me wrong, lest he face Andrey’s wrath. And Abby only wants to talk about Andrey. Work hours have not exactly been a fountain of joy the last few weeks.

I open the door of the pool house to let Remi out—and nearly step on a tiny box sitting on the welcome mat.

“What the…?”

It’s wrapped in white ribbon, a small card flapping from the bow. I glance over at the pool, where two of my burly bodyguards are approaching, looking sleepy. Neither one seems to be aware of my little gift.

Flipping the card over, I read the neatly scrawled words.

Happy Birthday. I’m sorry I missed it.

It’s not signed, but I know exactly who it’s from. Smiling, I pull the lid off the box to find a gorgeous gold pendant sitting on the black velvet cushion.

Etched with cherries.

A burst of laughter escapes me and Remi’s ears perk up. He cocks his head to the side as if waiting for an explanation.

I shake my head in amusement. “Oh, he’s good.”

Remi lets out a confused bark.

“I said no more presents—” I hold up the pendant. “—and then he goes and gives me something I can’t refuse. Crafty.”

Remi barks a couple more times.

“Hold on a second.” I rush inside to slip the pendant onto a thin chain and fasten it around my neck. When I get back outside, Leonty and Anatoly are waiting. “Let’s go, boys!”

“You’re too cheery for a Monday,” Leonty notes.

Anatoly nods in agreement. “Yeah. What’s up with you? You’re never this happy to be going to work.”

I tuck the pendant out of sight beneath my blouse and do my best to control the smile on my face. “Yeah, well: new week, new attitude.”

But “new week, new attitude” is not the philosophy my colleagues have embraced this fine Monday. They still eye Remi warily like he really might execute them on the spot, and then turn those same wary eyes on me.

Word has gotten around that I’m with Andrey Kuznetsov, and no one can figure out why I’m still showing up to work every day.

The old me would’ve been bothered. But somehow, with my new pendant sitting right over my heart, it’s bearable.

Between that and the lingering feelings from my first real conversation with Andrey, I kinda feel untouchable as I skip around the office, keeping my head down and getting my work done. And when Byron asks me to join him in his office for lunch rather than eat hunched over my keyboard like normal, the world is so fricking peachy that I accept without a second thought.

“Byron!” I exclaim when I see my favorite pepper fried chicken with ranch dipping sauce from Burning Bird on his desk. “You shouldn’t have.”

“I know you’ve been having a hard time lately,” he explains. “I wanted to do something to cheer you up.”

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