Tikhon took me home asZverinstructed, and except for the occasional heavy stares he gave through the rearview mirror, he remained silent throughout the ride. He stopped a few meters away from the gate of Papa’s estate, and I switched cars with the man called Vasili before driving the rest of the way to the house.
No one saw the Russians, and it was good that they didn’t.
Marco stood by the entrance, his greeting unusually quiet. Something was cloudy and undecipherable in his eyes.
“Marco.Stai bene?”
“Benvenuta, senorita.”
I eyed him, but the man was as solid as a wall. He didn’t give anything away. “Si.”His eyes flitted back and forth from the door to my face. He lifted a brow. “What’s that?”
I wasn’t going to tell Marco before informing Papa, so I made something up. “Ran into another car on the track and bashed my face against the wheel. I had Josè look at it—”If Rafayel could have me followed, anyone else could have their eyes on me. Including Papa,“and he says I’ll be fine. Nothing to worry about.”
Marco wasn’t buying it. If I were him, I wouldn’t have bought it either. But he moved aside, still wearing that uncomfortable grimace. And it was suspicious as hell.
“Want to tell me why Papa’s got you doing patrol outside?”
“He’s got a visitor in the study and wants me to keep an eye out.”
I looked behind my shoulder but didn’t see any unusual car parked in the shed. They were all Mercedes, black and shiny, except for my Audi, which was sitting pretty by the fountain.
“A visitor. Interesting.”
“Leo....”
Knowing Marco, he was going to say something to deter me and give Papa privacy with hisguest.But this couldn’t wait.I had to speak with him. I marched up to his study with the announcement on the tip of my tongue. I didn’t care if his visitor heard. This was a code-red situation.
“Papa, I was attacked by Rossi,” was the first thing I said once I breezed through the door, slamming it behind my back.
“Principessa.”
Papa was in a wheelchair, looking up at the tall man standing at the edge of his gleaming desk. His eyes met mine through the man’s lean physique, slightly blocking the full view. From where I stood, I saw the scarlet spots of blood on his shirt, and I thought I recognized his jawline.
“I know.” Papa wheeled his chair back behind the desk.
And when the man turned around, grinning, my heart sank to my stomach.
He raised his left hand, the one with the dark serpent coiled around the dagger, and waved. “Hi, again.”
Chapter 15 – Rafayel
The first thing I did when I shut the door was toss my jacket and tie and march up to my study to fish out a bottle of theShipwreck Heidsieck. Then, I put it back and went for the vodka. I lined up two glasses, cursed under my breath, and returned one.
I kicked my head back to chug down the full glass. It burned down my throat in a good way, but it wasn’t the best distraction. She wasn’t even present, but her absence screwed with my senses all the same. The lack of concentration became worse. My thoughts were frequently drifting to Leonora. And today, when I accidentally remembered the bruises on her face from last night, I suppressed the pressure to hunt down Rossi myself.
I swallowed another glassful. And when it didn’t burn hot enough, I chucked the glass at the door, and it shattered on impact. Taking the bottle to my mouth, tiny shards of glass crunched under my shoes as I stomped off to the bedroom.
“Varya, I need you to clean up the mess in the study!” I shouted over my shoulder before slamming the door shut and collapsing on the bed.
Fucking hell.
How was it possible that my fingers itched badly to touch her, hold her, fuck her? I wanted to watch her quiver, desired for her to moan into my mouth. But then, it was more than just the thrill of using her perfect body. I wanted to keep her, to protect her from bastards like Rossi. I wanted her to be mine in every fucking sense of the word.
Ally or not, this attraction thing was growing stronger, like a madness that grew more unstable as time passed by. Did I trust her? Fuck no. There was no ounce of trust in that one. I also wished I’d never laid eyes on her from the start. Don’t knowwhat the bloody hell got into me when I kissed her on that track like a hungry maniac, or brought her back home for a drink.
A drink.Ha! If my brother could see me now, he’d testify that I’d only gotten sicker in the head. For a woman.Jesus.
I was a mess.