Page 44 of Sexting the Silverfox

I’m at peace. That’s what is strange about this whole situation. I am actually at peace. Content with being here, in my bed, with Audrey. It’s a fleeting moment, and I know that. Danger lurks in every corner, even with my high-level security and precautions. We will never be able to be together and be completely safe until we resolve this Abramovic issue, one way or another.

I had hoped that my heart would find a woman with less baggage than mine, but the universe saw fit to laugh in my face. I wouldn’t want any other woman except this blonde-haired, blue-eyed Russian goddess currently sleeping in my arms, warm and soft and naked under the covers.

Her heart beats against my ribcage, head resting on my shoulder.

Her breathing is nice and even. She’s in a deep sleep, and I hate to wake her. But I have to. Judging by the sheer amount of sunlight pouring through the window, it’s late in the morning, and her phone has been buzzing nonstop.

“Audrey,” I say softly at first. She doesn’t hear me, so I gently caress her bare shoulder and say her name again. “Audrey.”

She stirs awake, head popping up first to briefly check her surroundings. It’s a trauma response, and it breaks me to see her this way. Yet as soon as she remembers where she is, as soon as she feels my body next to hers and her hazy eyes find mine, Audrey relaxes, allowing herself a lazy smile. “Good morning,” she says, then moves in for a kiss.

I welcome her lips on mine, giving us both a few minutes of slow and tender making out before we get out of bed.

“I’m going to make some coffee,” I say as we come out of the shower. “I think you should eat something, too.”

“Where are Lily and Rita?” Audrey asks. Slipping into one of the t-shirts and yoga tights she left in a dresser drawer the last time she was here, she looks more at ease in this space than ever before. It’s as if she is truly home for the first time. “I didn’t hear them at all this morning.”

“You didn’t hear anything this morning,” I chuckle as I put on a pair of pants and let Audrey follow me into the kitchen. “Lily’s in school, and Rita is running some errands, so we’ve got the penthouse to ourselves for a few hours.”

She settles by the counter island while I get busy on the espresso machine. “Oh, can you make mine a decaf, please? All this stress … I really don’t need to add caffeine to it.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, giving her a curious look.

“Yup,” Audrey replies with a flat smile. Maybe I’m paranoid, but I still feel like there’s something else she’s not telling me. Whatever it is, it won’t beat the Bratva princess tale, that’s for sure. But I oblige and brew her a decaf, letting her choose her favorite syrup for some extra flavor before she adds steamed milk into the mug. “My gosh, it tastes delicious.”

“I made a friend at the coffee shop downstairs and got him to order me a few bottles of what they use in their menu. It has definitely changed my coffee-drinking experience.” I pause as I get my espresso brewing as well.

The silence that follows isn’t uncomfortable, but it is filled with things unspoken. It’s calm enough to fool us into a slight sense of security yet tense enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck prick up with every deep breath that I take.

“I miss my students,” Audrey says with a heavy sigh as she gazes out the window. “I can’t go back there anytime soon. I’m glad they were able to find a long-term sub to take my class for the rest of the year.”

“I am truly sorry, Audrey,” I reply, joining her by the counter. “Have you spoken to your brother yet?”

“No,” she says. “I saw plenty of missed calls from him, but I was so miffed that he didn’t pick up when I actually needed him that I just texted back, telling him I was safe and not to worry about me. He’s got enough on his plate.”

“You shouldn’t push your allies away, especially after what happened last night.”

“I don’t know, Jason. Sometimes, I wish I could just disappear. Maybe then they would all leave me alone.”

“That’s not going to happen, either. Whether we like it or not, there’s an obstacle standing in our path to peace and happiness. We need to remove it together,” I say and kiss her lips gently. “You’re not going to be dealing with the Bratva, or anything else for that matter, on your own. I hope you understand that by now.”

Audrey gives me a worried look. “You have your daughter to look out for, Jason. I appreciate the gesture, I do, but Lily comes first. You’re definitely right about that.”

“She and Rita can take an extended holiday to visit Rita’s family in Nebraska for a couple of weeks,” I declare, texting my secretary and asking her to handle the arrangements. The entire trip itself, including flights and anything else that might need booking, permissions from the school principal, and so on. “They’ll be far enough away and out of harm’s way. I’ll arrange for Lily to do her schoolwork virtually due to a family emergency. If the Chicago Bratva wants to come for me, they’re more than welcome to try.”

“Jason, they’re heavily trained and ruthless bastards. But so were Andrei and Yuri. What happened at the hotel last night, oh, God …”

The horror imprinted on her face only serves to charge me up even more. “You seem to forget who you’re speaking to.”

“I’m not forgetting anything. I know your military history. But they’re—”

“Baby, I am not going to war with the Chicago Bratva. That’s not what I’m saying at all. But we can’t cower in fear, either. There needs to be a conversation, first and foremost. I suggest we speak to your brother again. The two of us, together.”

Audrey raises a skeptical eyebrow. “I wouldn’t bet on Anton to untangle this situation for us. The Fedorov’s credibility was partially shot to crap when Grigori’s princess of a daughter—that would be me—ran off into the night. Anton told me about the issues they’ve been having after you left yesterday. The rumors, the unrest. And now, with the Abramovic Bratva looking to muscle their way back into New York, well, the sharks caught the scent of blood in the water.”

“We should talk to him, nonetheless. The more support you have from your brothers, the better.”

“How do you think we should handle this, then?” Audrey asks. “Because I have no idea. I either go back to New York and let my family protect me, or I leave Chicago and start fresh somewhere else. Those are the only two options I see. And neither one feels right. I don’t want to leave you.”

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