Page 56 of Power's Fall

Montana looked at Vadisk. “I’ll admit, I was relieved when I realized you were bi too. Or… I mean, I haven’t misread that, have I?”

“You haven’t misread,” Vadisk said, clearing his throat. It was difficult enough to be around these two without getting hard when they were talking about innocuous stuff. Every fiber of his being was aching to touch them, kiss them.

Talking about sex was sending his mind to places it shouldn’t be going. Regardless, he didn’t have it in him to change the subject because he wanted to know these people. With each passing day in their presence, his curiosity grew, and he knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d heard every single one of their stories, learned about their dreams, their hopes, their fears. But more than that—or perhaps more surprising—he wanted to share the same with them.

Vadisk was a fairly private person, his circle of friends small. He wasn’t sure what to attribute that to. His upbringing had been run-of-the-mill. A loving mother and strict father who worked hard to provide for him. A happy childhood. No trauma that impacted his ability to trust others.

He simply didn’t feel the need for a wide circle of acquaintances, more comfortable with a tight-knit group of close friends. Although, that friend group had changed over the years, from the school friends he’d grown up with to the soldiers he’d served with in the military to his current group, fellow security officers and members of the MPF. As he aged and changed, so had his circle.

As he looked at his spouses, he realized his group now included two new friends because Vadisk wanted so much from them. Wanted them to be his lovers, his husband and wife, and yes, his best friends.

“So I guess I’m not the odd guy out. When it comes to the bedroom, we’re all on equal footing,” Dahlia mused.

It took everything Vadisk had not to reach out and pull her into his arms. She was his. They were both his, and he’d yet to kiss them. It was the worst form of torture imaginable.

“I think maybe we should change the subject,” he said, adjusting his pants and trying to will away the emerging hard-on.

“I second that,” Montana added, clueing Vadisk in that he was having the same trouble.

“Okay,” Dahlia agreed, “but I’m only tabling this discussion until we’re alone—preferably in bed—and we can delve more deeply into our past experiences. Because I want to know it all.”

Vadisk grinned at how closely Dahlia’s words matched his thoughts.

They continued walking, Vadisk falling back when the path led them to one of the more populated areas in the park. Dahlia and Montana embarked on a discussion of the lion sculptures near the southern terraces, comparing them to similar statues in the Boston Public Library. Montana launched into a story about why the Boston lions weren’t polished, but Vadisk’s attention wavered as he thought back on the morning. Dahlia was right. At times like this, it was easy to pretend they were just three people out enjoying their honeymoon.

Dahlia and Montana’s easy banter, relaxed postures, and carefree expressions were a far cry from the two people in the kitchen this morning.

Mission completed, he thought to himself, recalling his desire to give them one good, stress-free day.

Now, if only the other mission could be as easily resolved.

Vadisk lockedthe front door to the villa after they entered. After their tour of the palace, they traveled to Sevastopol where they meandered along Primorsky Boulevard, window-shopping and enjoying a coffee in one of the local cafés. Rather than dine in a restaurant, Dahlia had insisted they order food to take out, as she refused to dine with Vadisk sitting at another table.

Montana carried their boxed-up meals to the dining table, grabbing them utensils as well.

As they ate, they discussed their day for a few minutes before letting the bad stuff back in.

“So what’s the plan if Sinaver refuses to see us?” Dahlia asked, clearly worried.

Vadisk wished he had an answer for her. So far, Sinaver was their best—and only—lead. “Let’s give it a couple of days. We’ll continue working our way through the new itinerary. If we haven’t heard anything from him in two days, we’ll come up with a plan for how to proceed.”

“In other words, you can’t think of anything either,” Montana said, admitting he was hitting the same brick wall.

Vadisk grimaced. “Perhaps Nik will discover something. I know she and the Ottoman admiral are still tugging threads on their ends.”

They continued to eat in silence, Vadisk trying to come up with their next move. In the end, his worrying was for naught because Dahlia received a response to her request twenty minutes later.

Checking her phone as they finished up dinner, she glanced up at him and Montana apprehensively.

“We’re in,” she said. “Sinaver is sending a car for us tomorrow.”

It was good news for their investigation, the meeting coming much sooner than any of them dared to hope.

However, Vadisk felt every bit of the same anxiety that laced Montana’s muttered, “Fuck.”

ChapterTen

Dahlia couldn’t tell if this was a private residence or a small government building.

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