Page 87 of Toxic Temptation
“Alright then. Give him a call.”
29
KOVAN
Brrr.
Brrr.
Click.
“H…he-… hello…?”
I start talking immediately. “Search her file again. I want names—male names that pop up in her history. Ex-boyfriends, ex-lovers, ex-fiancés, anything at all that might suggest intimacy.”
There’s heavy breathing on the other end. “Kovan,” Osip growls, “it isfour-fucking-thirtyin the motherfucking morning. Have you lost your mind?”
“I don’t give two shits what time it is. Did you hear what I just said?”
“You need me to look into Yana?—”
“Vesper!” I snarl. “I need you to dig intoVesper’spast!”
“Isn’t that what I said?”
My grip tightens on the phone. “Don’t think I won’t drive over to your place right now just to cave your skull in. I’m in no mood to be trifled with, Osip. Pull up Vesper’s file and tell me what you see.”
“You want me to do this now?”
“Immediately.”
“… Did I mention that it’s four-thirty in the morning?”
“That wasn’t a request.”
“Goddamn you, you surly bastard.” I hear the click-clack of keys being pressed. “I’m pulling up her file now.”
“And?”
“And… I don’t see anything. No information here on past lovers of any kind. In fact, looking at this file, I’d say the woman’s practically a nun. She’s been studying and working too much to have any fun at all.”
I should be relieved, but I don’t trust what I’m hearing. Something’s missing. Someone has slipped through the cracks.
“Is there a reason you want me to dig into your fake girlfriend’s love life?” Osip asks after a few silent minutes of me pacing.
“That’s my business,” I reply. “If there’s anything else you find, let me know immediately.”
I hang up before he can bust my balls about getting worked up over a woman.
Maybe calling Osip at four-thirty in the morning wasn’t smart, especially with Vesper sleeping in the next room. But my blood isrunning hot and my heart is pounding painfully against my ribs. I need something: Answers. Control.Her.
I slip back into bed beside Vesper, studying her face in the darkness. She looks peaceful and innocent. But my mind churns with questions that won’t let me rest.
Who is this other man?
And why the fuck does she trust him with her life?
The next morning, I watch Vesper from across the kitchen. She’s so focused on Luka that she doesn’t notice my mood. Either that, or she’s ignoring it.
