Page 67 of Walking Red Flag

And that look sent my stomach into razor sharp knots of dread.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

The door opened behind her and her bodyguard arrived.

Shasha jerked his chin up at me and said, “Clayborne.”

“Semyonov.” I rolled my eyes.

I never understood the point of using the last name as a form of greeting.

“You can say no,” Milena blurted. “Absolutely, you can say no.”

I frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

That’s when Shasha started talking, and I realized what play he’d taken.

He may not have shared the whole truth with her, but he’d shared enough of it that she was now terrified and agreeing to marry me without a single protest.

I listened to Shasha’s entire speech, acting like I was learning the information for the first time.

I did have to admit, I was a particularly great actor because I played the part perfectly.

She moved forward and grabbed my hand when Shasha finished. “You don’t…you don’t have to agree to it if you don’t want to. I will not be the reason your life is ruined.”

That’s when I’d had enough.

I cupped her cheek with my hand and said, “The very last thing I’ll ever do is tell a woman in need that she’s not important enough to put my life on hold for.”

She softened.

“You know…my sister…” I didn’t say the words.

Her expression melted. “Shasha didn’t tell me it all. Only the basic facts. I know.”

“Then you know that I’ll never, not ever, tell someone that needs help that they can’t have it,” I said, turning to Shasha. “How certain are you that he’ll get out and come after her?”

“He’s spent the last six years trading favors, pulling strings, and ultimately meeting every single bad guy in the goddamn system,” Shasha said. “When I say that this was the worst possible place he could’ve gone, I’m not exaggerating. What you thought was punishment was actually a goddamn networking thing for him. If possible, he is coming out with more contacts than he had when he went in, and he now has an army at his back ready to do his bidding.”

I watched as Milena’s face closed down completely.

Honestly, it was a bit worrisome with just how perfectly she’d been able to clam up. I could practically see the walls getting higher and higher, and I knew, even if I didn’t get anything out of this other than the opportunity to protect her, it would be enough.

“I’ll do it,” I accepted. “Now, do we move into my place or yours?”

That’s when Shasha and I started talking logistics.

Milena stood there, listening to everything, yet not.

Absently, I reached up and tucked my pencil behind my ear, and then touched her hand. “Come look at this and tell me if you’re okay with placement on these shelves. Counter height for me is too short, but since you said that you were going to be making coffee on them, I took the liberty of raising them up so that the height of the counter will be at a more natural level.”

Milena tilted her head but followed me to the counter.

Shasha nodded his head, mouthed that he’d be outside, and waited until I had her full attention to slip out the door.

“Oh, I guess you’re right about the more natural height,” she said as she held her hands up. “It’s really tall. But I like the idea of it being taller because then I can lean against it when I’m making drinks.” She paused. “Or, more hopefully, when I hire some reliable people that will allow me to come up here when I want, and not all the time.”

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