Page 38 of Poisoned Roses

“We must head back to the apartment.” I sigh deeply. “The police want to speak to you about the dancer, Leonardo.”

“Leo?” She sits up and turns and I note the anxiety in her expression.

“What about him?”

“That’s what we are about to find out.”

She looks so worried, I reach up and smooth the frown from her face and whisper, “Whatever it is, we will deal with it together.”

The gratitude in her eyes tugs on what passes as a heart and I can’t resist dipping my face to hers and kissing her soft lips. It’s a reaction that surprises me because I don’t kiss women without sex being involved and rarely even then. However, with Tia, it’s as natural as breathing, and I wonder when our relationship changed from a business one into whatever this one is.

I like her as a person and I am definitely insanely attracted to her. She brightens my dark day and curled her soft hand around my heart, and I wonder when I let her do that.

When I pull away, the desire in her eyes causes my breath to still in my lungs as I gaze on a woman with a fragile beauty that captivates me. I am a man who appreciates beauty that usually involves art and rare objects and my homes are littered with them. However, I have never been so enamored of anything like I am Tatiana Pavlov and rather than be afraid of that, it is building me higher, making me stronger, as I prepare to fight like hell to keep her by my side.

CHAPTER 20

TATIANA

I’m not sure why I’m so nervous. I have no reason to be, and as we head into the room, the police officer stands and nods respectfully.

“Mr. Romanov, Miss Pavlov, please forgive our intrusion in your day.”

“What’s this all about, officer?”

Titus gets straight to the point, and the officer smiles at me with a hint of concern in his eyes.

“Perhaps we should take a seat.”

My heart is fluttering like a bird caught in a cage and as I sit beside Titus, he takes my hand and I appreciate the comfort it gives me.

“I am here to inform you that Leonardo Raikin took his own life last night.”

I gasp as the tears spring to my eyes, and it takes a moment for my mind to catch up with my reaction.

“But how, he is in the hospital?”

I’m so confused, and he says with no emotion, “He unhooked the machine that was keeping him alive in the night and it failed to send the alarm to the nurse’s station. He was dead before they realized.”

Titus stills beside me and asks coolly, “Then why are you here, officer?”

I glance between them, unsure what is going on, and the officer says with distaste.

“Because of what we discovered when we searched his apartment.”

He throws me a pitying glance and my heart beats relentlessly inside me.

“It appears he was overly obsessed with you, Miss Pavlov.”

“Me?” I still don’t understand, and the officer pulls out an iPad and offers it to me.

I stare in disbelief at the photographs he has taken and note images of me decorating the walls of Leo’s apartment.

“What is this?” I ask as Titus takes the iPad and scrutinizes the evidence as the officer shrugs.

“It appears he was planning something. We found proof that his obsession was getting worse. Photos of you with others were cropped to show only you. There were diary entries statingwhat he would do when he brought you to the apartment. We discovered a room consisting of a small narrow bed with restraints fixed on the walls, a bucket for human waste in the corner and the windows boarded up. His diary spoke of the time he would bring you there and hold you until you fell in love with him.”

I’m in shock and start to shake when the officer adds, “There were calls to florists on his telephone records and subsequent investigations revealed he paid for bouquets to be delivered to every performance, always the same one.”

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