Page 61 of Claimed By Desire

“I know the place. I’ve never been inside though.”

“She’s nice. She’s got a piano I can play and she invited me to one of t heir private concerts.”

I let out a low rumble from my throat. “Natalya…”

“I know what you’re going to say.” She screws up her face and does an extremely unflattering impression of me. “It is much too dangerous. You need to stay here in this high-tech fortress where you will be safe, but also mindlessly bored.”

“That’s about right.”

“I can’t do that. I can’t spend my entire pregnancy here.”

“If things go right, it won’t be that long.”

“That’s not as comforting as you might think. And don’t stay saying it’s for my own protection. I need this, Alex. I need to be able to play, or else?—“

She looks small and drawn. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this way before, except maybe for those first few moments back in Paris when she didn’t know I was looking. She seemed drawn into herself, like she’d made herself smaller somehow.

That’s how she looks now. Like she’s pulling inward and away from me. Her eyes are wide and her skin’s pale, and I’m afraid that if I don’t reach out to her, she’ll disappear somewhere I can’t follow.

“Let me think about it,” I tell her. She doesn’t look happy about that. “I know it isn’t enough right now, but let me think of a way to make it reasonably safe, alright?”

“Are you actually going to or is this your way of putting me off?”

“I do what I say I’m going to do.”

Her posture relaxes somewhat, but she still seems lost. “Well, that’s the first thing I actually believe today. I’m going for a swim.”

She walks off. I let her go. I doubt I’ll be able to do much good for her.

This is a tricky situation. The Italians are likely going to start watching this location. I could move us to a safe house, but that’d only be temporary, and I worry that it won’t be as comfortable for Natalya and the baby. The security system is one step, and it’s a decent solution, but I need more.

And she’s right. She can’t be stuck in the apartment for the next nine months.

I get back to finishing the security install as I turn the problem over in my head, trying to find a way to give her what she wants while also making sure she’s protected.

Chapter 24

Alexander

Aswarm of men work on the burned-out husk of Fed Jeweler. They shovel away the ruined debris and begin to lay plans for how they’ll renovate and fix the mess. Lev’s in the middle of the workers pitching in where he can, and even though he’s got no real construction experience, nobody has the heart (or the balls) to tell him to cut it out.

I watch for a while until Lev’s looking tired, and that’s when I entice him over with a cooler of cold beer and hoagies from Luciano’s down the block. He’s exhausted and sweaty as he sits in the alleyway with me, not really making eye contact as he drinks and eats, basically trying his best to pretend like I don’t exist.

But the anger’s draining from him. I know him too well. Lev’s a good man at heart and doesn’t like to hold grudges for long. He understands better than most how flawed people can be, and although he’s got a darkness hidden deep inside of him that he does very well to keep contained, I also know he cares about his family more than he likes he admit.

“I caught your sister playing piano in some junk shop yesterday,” I tell him casually and he just glances up.

“Sounds like her.”

“She just up and wandered off without saying anything.”

“You look into the shop’s owner?”

“Yeah, just some normal civilian. Nothing shady there. But I can’t have her walking around the fucking neighborhood while the Marino’s want her head.”

Lev grunts and slugs back some beer. “Should’ve thought about that before marrying her.”

“She’s feeling trapped and I can’t even blame her.”

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