Page 75 of Shackled

“She’s been in touch with his sister.”

“I knew that.”

“But have you listened to what they said?”

I feel sick to my stomach.

“Her presence here is part of a larger tactical maneuver.”

I shake my head. “None of this implicates her. You’re making assumptions.”

With a frown, Dmitri shows me the record of a phone call. “Look, boss. This is a record of her phone call with Carlos.”

I look at the time stamp. The exact time I caught her hiding with her burner phone.

She said she was talking with Renata. She lied to me.

I nod. “Thank you. Have you told anyone else this yet?”

“No, sir.”

“Keep it that way.”

A shadow crosses his face, but he nods. “I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news.”

“You did your job.”

I leave.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Isabella

I wake up nauseous. I look around the room and pat the bed next to me as if to confirm what I already know—he’s gone.

While it isn’t outside the ordinary for me to wake up alone, after last night…

“Lev?” I ask, holding my breath while I wait for him to answer. My heart sinks. I look to where he normally plugs his phone in, but it’s gone.

My God, I was so tired last night. I sit up and sip from the cup beside me. It doesn’t help. I have a sour taste in my mouth, and my belly clenches.

“Lev?” I ask again, even though I know he isn’t here. I don’t know why I feel so alone. It’s so vast here, so empty and vacant. I rub my belly and, for the first time in my life, consider what it would be like if I did get pregnant.

Could I be? Birth control fails sometimes. I frown, wondering, as I head to the bathroom. But a few minutes later, after I’ve brushed my teeth and washed my face, I feel right as rain. Strange.

I bet it’s nerves.

I pick up my phone and text him.

Where r u

There’s no response. My gut tells me something is off. I’m staring at my phone, hoping for a response from him, when a notification of another text pops up.

Renata: Isabella, are you home?

I frown at my phone.

Yes. Why?

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