Page 62 of Savage Surrender

“Fuck. I’ll set things in motion and look for this kid.”

“Good. Time is running out. Igor is already furious, from the sounds of it, that Irina was with me at all.”

“But you don’t think he knows you’re a Baranov?”

I shook my head even though he couldn’t see it. “No. I don’t think he does. If he did, we’d know.”

“True.” He blew out a deep breath. “I’ll start men looking for him while you speak with the Boss. Don’t fuck this up, Vik. Convince Oleg that this is in our best interests while I get this started.”

“Thank you.” I could always count on Lev.

I ended the call with him and dialed the number for the Boss, praying he would come through for me, to show Irina that I could fight for her and make our future come true.

28

IRINA

Disbelief.

That was the main thing that stuck with me all day. From the morning, when I learned that Igor knew I was no longer a virgin, into the afternoon when Viktor told me that he was an undercover Baranov spy, and then during the evening, when I tried to accept that Maxim just might be free.

Free.

It sounded like a pipe dream, and because of all the long years that I’d watched him suffer and all those years when Igor manipulated me against him, I needed more evidence to believe it could happen.

So many things had changed so quickly. But when I slowed down to think back through it all and analyze it, I couldn’t help my anger when I thought about how Viktor had duped me all along.

I fell asleep, crashing from the adrenaline rush of all the ups and downs since I woke up. Seeing that Viktor was still on the phone, pacing in another room, I made myself scarce and didn’t get in his way. Despite my anger at being played, I was grateful for histrying to swoop in and be my hero. Seeing him rush to my safety, and wanting to be Maxim’s hero, reiterated that he was a good man. That even though I should only view him through the filter of knowledge that he had to be the bad guy as a rival, he was a good man at heart.

I wanted to truly believe that he wasmyman. My hero. That he loved me so much that I could count on him to come through and save Maxim.

But he didn’t say it.

That four-letter word seemed so petty now. What did it matter if he said it out loud when he was acting out the depth of his emotion, risking war to save my brother and steal me from my father?

It was because he’d stopped himself from saying it, he caught himself from uttering an I-love-you, that it held so much meaning. As though he didn’t want to put himself out there.

He was already showing me so much more love than my father ever had. His Baranov brothers had listened to all I could share about how to find Maxim. He was allowing me to stay here instead of returning to my apartment.

I had to look at the bright side and hope.

After a long nap, I showered. He was still on the phone, but that didn’t alarm me. These things took time. My father had a lot of practice hiding Maxim. Yet, I put my faith and hope in my rivals.

As I peered in the kitchen for something to make to eat, someone knocked on the door.

Viktor covered his phone as he approached me from the bedroom and asked, “Can you get that?”

I raised my brows at his trust. He went right back into the bedroom and closed the door.

I opened the front door to one of the last people I expected to see again. I assumed a Baranov soldier would be there, but it was Eva.

“Oh.” I blinked in surprise. “I… I didn’t expect to see you here.”

She laughed lightly. “I didn’t expect to ever see any woman here, much less you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Thanks?”

She smirked, passing me to enter. “Vik asked for food to be delivered, and I thought I’d see to it myself.”

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