Page 46 of Claiming Veronica

Maxim stared at me for a long moment, the silence between us thick and charged. Then, finally, he nodded. “Good. Keep it that way.” He helped himself to a cup of coffee, but he kept his hostile gaze pinned on me, and even though Veronica was happy to chat with him about Reed’s visit, I knew that Maxim Volkov would be glad to see me gone if he could.

Chapter 24

Veronica

The car ride to the Phoenix airport felt quieter than it should have been, though Eli’s presence beside me filled the space without needing words. I kept sneaking glances at him, tracing the sharp lines of his face and the way his hands gripped the steering wheel with a mix of strength and ease. He caught me looking once and smirked, making me roll my eyes to hide the flutter in my chest.

We’d spent the rest of the day hanging out with Maxim, reviewing the data I’d found on Spato instead of in my bedroom, as I’d imagined. The whole time, I’d been fascinated watching Eli doing the man spread across from my cousin, who looked like he was eating ground-up glass. The dick-measuring contest was insanity.

But even with Eli next to me, my mind was busy. With Maxim at the house, I couldn’t shake the lingering tension. He hadn’t said much, but how he’d looked at Eli—like he was assessing a threat—had told me everything I needed to know. Maxim didn’t trust him, but that didn’t stop me from wanting Eli, from being drawn to him in ways I couldn’t explain.

I stared out the window, the desert landscape blurring by, trying to make sense of everything. “Maxim’s going to be watching us, you know?” I said, breaking the silence.

Eli’s eyes flicked toward me briefly. “Figured as much.”

“He doesn’t trust you.” I bit my lip, hesitating before continuing. “He thinks you’ll hurt me.”

Eli’s jaw clenched, and I regretted saying it for a second. But then he spoke, his voice low. “Maybe he’s right.”

My chest tightened at his words, though I knew Eli wasn’t trying to scare me. If anything, he was warning me. But I wasn’t afraid of him. If anything, that edge of danger was what pulled me closer. “Maybe I want you to,” I said softly, looking over at him.

He didn’t respond, just kept his eyes on the road, his fingers flexing on the wheel the only sign thathe was affected. I could still feel the lingering touch of his hands from the night before, the way he knew just how far to push me without crossing a line. That was Eli—dangerous but in control. And despite everything, I trusted him.

“Is that so? You’re going to be punished for that later.”

I shifted in the seat, gripping the seatbelt, knowing that he meant it only in the best ways. Since knowing him, I’d realized that my interests might be a little more varied than I thought.

As we pulled into the airport parking lot, I shifted the conversation, trying to lighten things up. “That sort of thing doesn’t make me want to be good. It’s all incentive for me. The punishment.”

He adjusted his zipper. “Noted.” He slanted a look at me. “Does your friend know I’m with you?” Eli asked, parking the car.

“Yeah, I told her,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. “She’s excited to meet you,” I lied. It hadn’t come up. When Reed called this morning, she’d been in an absolute blind panic. She said she’d take me up on the offer to fly out if it was still available. Of course, I agreed immediately, but I was curious about why she was so eager to come out. I was sure Reed wasinterested in Eli, but it wasn’t why she was coming to Arizona.

Eli raised an eyebrow. “Excited, huh?”

I grinned. “Well, curious might be the better word. She’s been hearing about you for a while.”

Reed and I had been friends for years through a lot of different hospital trips and battles with my family over my health. She had been one of those few people that I could count on. One of my girl crew. And while I’d told her about my life, I hadn’t exactly explained everything. How could I?

We headed toward the terminal, walking side by side as we moved through the bustling crowd. Eli stayed close, holding my hand in his like it was precious. This was the first time we had been together in public, and I realized we’d never even walked anywhere together. He was tall, broad, and muscled. Next to me, he appeared to be a giant hulking beside me. Women and men alike shifted away. He scowled so much at people you’d think he was planning to knife someone any second.

“Relax, buddy. Nobody will bite you,” I teased, squeezing his hand. “I’ll protect you.”

“Very funny. You never know about people.” He looked darkly at some poor lady who scurriedaway from us. “You know what I mean? They hide behind their cardboard faces and their fake lives.”

I looked at him, startled, but he kept moving us forward as if he hadn’t said something so shocking. He wasn’t wrong. So many people loved to post pictures of their perfect lives on social media when behind those photos lay broken pieces—travesties nobody knew about. I didn’t think that made them ‘cardboard people,’ though.People were just doing the best they could. Maybe Eli saw that as people being fake … but sometimes it was just people getting by.

As we approached baggage claim, I spotted Reed immediately. She stood out, as always, with her red hair swinging in a sassy bob and a bold graphic tee that read ‘Spicy’ in bright neon letters. She waved when she saw me, her face lighting up with unmistakable relief.

“Ronnie!” she called, waving us over.

I pulled Eli with me, trying to walk faster. “Slow down, angel. We’ll get there.” He kept me ambling forward until I pulled Reed into a hug.

“It’s been way too long. I’m so glad you came,” I told her.

She looked as exhausted in person as I thought she looked the other evening. Reed had alwaysbeen naturally bubbly, and while we had only met once in real life (I’d been in the hospital), she’d always been energetic in every conversation and video chat. Right now, she looked like she’d been wrung out of every drop of vibrancy.

Reed stepped back, eyeing Eli with open curiosity. “So, this is the infamous Eli that you’ve been obsessing over?” she asked, giving him a brief once-over.

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