Page 52 of Unveiled

Customer after customer comes in. For today, it’s just Anya operating the register, but she looks exhausted come midday.

“Break time,” I tell her, turning off my laptop. “Take a lunch break.”

Her jaw firms as she meets my gaze and clears her throat. “I don’t take lunch breaks.”

I feign shock, my brows shooting upward. I know she doesn’t take breaks. I know everything about her. She works her fingers to the bone and neglects her own needs, as if driving herself into the ground will finally prove to her what no one else ever has. “Do you mean to tell me you don’t take care of my wife?”

Blinking, she opens her mouth as if to protest, then shuts it quickly. With a sigh, she looks down at a tablet and swipes it. I close my laptop and go to join her. “I ordered lunch. It’ll be here soon. Quick break, and then back at it, if it makes you feel better.”

“Right,” she says absently, staring at the tablet.

“What is it?”

With a shrug, she doesn’t answer at first, but I don’t miss the way her lower lip trembles. Then in a whisper, as if she doesn’t trust her voice, she says, “Someone left a…really bad review.”

I step forward. She doesn’t stop me as I take the tablet from her hands. My gaze moves over the words quickly.

Overpriced. Mediocre. Unoriginal. Stick to something else, sweetheart. Baking obviously isn’t your thing.

In an instant, I memorize the name attached to the review. Idiot didn’t bother using a screen name.

Anya’s eyes shine, but she’s trying to keep her tears at bay. I hate that. I hate that something as insignificant as a faceless review can affect her so badly. My fingers tighten around the edge of the tablet, then I place it down.

Before she can move, I swipe my thumb across her cheek and wipe the tear away.

“Who wrote it?” My voice is devoid of emotion.

“It doesn’t matter,” she mutters, looking away.

Someone knocks at the door. Delivery’s arrived.

Itdoesmatter. And I don’t forget.

Chapter 14

ANYA

I ran through the streets,my pulse racing. The cold air bit my skin. I shouldn’t have come, but I had no one else to turn to. Eli was in trouble, and after everything—after the way Semyon kissed me—I imagined something between us had changed.

Rodion said I’d find him at the Wolf and Moon, a local pub.

The place was dimly lit and crowded. It took me a few minutes to find him. And when I did, my heart sank to my toes. He sat in the back corner, as if part of the shadows. But he wasn’t alone.

She was beautiful in a cruel way that stole my breath—sharp cheekbones, dark red lips, and a figure like a goddess. I felt like a child in my worn clothes, my hair disheveled, flour dotting my top from the bakery. She leaned in close to Semyon, her manicured fingers tracing her bottle, but her attention was all on him.

Of course it was. He was the hottest, most powerful man in the entire place, all strength and power and disinterest. He didn’t react to her but sat perfectly still, his expression unreadable. His eyes met mine.

“Anya?”

I stepped forward, the reason for my errand fading as I stared into his eyes and saw something unfamiliar in his gaze—fear. He looked from me to the woman, then back again. I opened my mouth, prepared to beg for his help. Eli was in trouble.

But the woman followed his line of sight and spotted me. Her lips curved down in disdain. “Who’s that?”

I swallowed hard. He held my gaze and blinked slowly behind his glasses before he finally spoke. His nostrils flared; he shook his head at me and mouthed ‘Go home,’ before he turned his attention to his date.

“No one,” he said. “That’s no one.”

In a matter of days,we’ve settled into a rhythm. Semyon likes predictability. You could set a clock by him.

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