Page 74 of Spying Under the Mistletoe
That makes Landon laugh even harder.
“I believe that was the last time we pranked his sister.” Nadia had proved she was the master, and we were mere amateurs.
“He sounds like a great cousin.”
“He is. We haven’t spoken for a while now. He’s been busy.”Running the family business will do that to a person.
“Do you miss him?” Landon caresses my arm again.
“Very much. Nikolai wasn’t just like a brother to me. He was my best friend. He was there for me when my biological father left my mom and me. I was seven at the time and devastated. I knew my mom was hurting, so I had to be brave for her. But it was so hard. Nikolai was the one who was there for me, holding me when all I could do was cry. He was the one who did everything in his power to make me smile again.
“And then several years later, my best female friend died of leukemia. I didn’t have many friends at the time, so like when my father left, I took it hard. Nikolai was there for me again. The same deal when my stepfather left my mom. Nikolai was the one who held me when all I could do was cry.” He was also the one who told me I wasn’t jinxed when it came to the people I loved. And no matter what, he would always be there for me.
“He sounds like a great man.”
“He is. Life wasn’t easy for him, either. Not later on anyway. When he was sixteen, his parents and siblings were killed when their vehicle blew up. Nikolai was supposed to be with them that day. We both were. But I got the flu and couldn’t go. He was only going because I wanted to see the classical concert with him and his family. So he skipped out on the concert and went to see a hockey game with friends.”
“I guess, in a way, you saved his life.”
I smile at Landon. It’s not a huge grin, but it’s filled with sweet memories all the same. “That’s what he used to say, too. He said if I hadn’t gotten sick, we would’ve both died that day.”
Landon threads his fingers through my hair. “I’m glad you got sick and weren’t in the vehicle.” His voice is little more than a whisper. He leans into me and brushes his lips against mine. “I’m glad you didn’t die.”
“Me too,” I whisper back.
20
Landon
My mouth moveson Chloe’s soft lips, and a newfound respect for Nikolai Orlov burns in my veins.
But that still doesn’t change anything.
He might have been there for her when her father and stepfather took on the role of douchebags, and when her best friend died of leukemia, but that doesn’t alter who he is.
The boy who Chloe remembers and loves is nothing like the man he became. Somewhere along the way, he turned into a facsimile of their grandfather.
I pull away from Chloe just an inch. “What happened to your cousin after his parents died?”
A voice deep in the back of my head screams,What the fuck are you doing? You’re supposed to be kissing her.
I ignore it.
Or try to ignore it.
Chloe makes a small sound, a barely-thereDo-you-want-to-discuss-this-now?whimper. “My mother offered for him to stay with us. I was so excited because that meant I’d get to see him all the time. But then, my grandfather, her father, decided Nikolai would be better off staying with him.”
That would explain things. Maybe if he had stayed with Chloe and her mother, he would have turned out differently.
Or not.
“I just wish he’d contact me and let me know how he’s doing,”she says, her voice a whisper, as I’m about to resume kissing her again.
Now that I have a better idea of why the two cousins are close—or were close—there are other things I’d rather be doing than discussing that asshole.
I mean, unless she can give me something to go on so the Feds can finally locate him. A family reunion with his grandfather would make our day.
Okay, maybe not Nikolai’s day, but that’s not my problem.
