Page 19 of Forgotten Vows
Mixing business with pleasure wasn’t impossible, but it seemed like he wasn’t getting much fun out of this slight change of scenery either. For someone who flew around the world often, he had to be experiencing a new sense of restlessness to stay put for a full week. I never understood why he enjoyed being on the go this much, but I bet it had something to do with his adventurous and rebellious spirit, like the whole world existed just for him to explore. To find some other new flashy thing to experience, whether it be a harder hit to handle or a new location to see.
Or more women to fuck.
Sometimes, I envied how loose and uncommitted he was.
But just as quickly as I’d been jealous of his lack of attachments, I knew I’d be a sorry man to have never met and loved Raisa like I had. Those four months we shared would stay with me until I died.
“Me too.” I sighed, setting my phone on the table in the large lounge of our suite.
“Already?” He arched one brow.
I shrugged before slumping back against the cushions of the sofa. “May as well. I wanted a change of scenery, but that’s not going to make anything better.”
“A change of scenery won’t do fucking shit.” Emil shook his head as he turned to leave the room, presumably to start packing. “The only thing that would make this better,” he called out over his shoulder, “is if you go find her or give up on her.”
His ideas were the same as what Alexsei advised. Those options still seemed impossible to pull off, though. So, in atruly dejected manner, I ignored making a decision one way or another and got up to pack and leave.
Hours later, we were done with the rental we’d chosen for the few days we were in Italy. Luka’s private jet wasn’t available for us at the time, since we were coming back sooner than anticipated. Still, first-class seats weren’t shabby. I looked forward to sleeping on the flight. Hopefully, the lull of the plane in the air would coax me to relax. Emil didn’t seem likely to engage in a lengthy conversation with me about Raisa again. We’d talked it out plenty, now. He acted like he was content to have said his piece and would leave the topic as dealt with.
On the way to the airport, he was preoccupied with his phone, scrolling and seeming to check texts. I never knew all of what my cousin was up to. He was the assassin, the deadly killer. Alexsei had really fallen into his protective services role. And I was the expert for negotiations and seeking a better deal.
At least, I was with anything other than my personal life.
We all helped and came together as a team when we needed to. Many men were delegated to be our on “teams” or “crews”, but we were always one family, working together, even if we were expected to head up different needs for the organization’s success. For the most part, with that structure, we largely stayed out of each other’s way.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Emil had going on, though. Asking wouldn’t be wise. Confidential conversations about potential hits he had on his list couldn’t happen in the busy Italian airport. Nor on the flight, since it wasn’t a Dubinin-owned aircraft.
Yet, as we made our way through the airport, I knew something was up. If not on his phone, then somethinghere. Someone or something was capturing his interest. He wasn’t obvious about it. But this was Emil. My closest cousin. We’d grown up together, close in age, like brothers rather thancousins. My parents had been killed when I was an infant and Luka raised me like IwasEmil’s brother. I knew him, and I knew how to read him.
“Need anything?” I asked as we strolled through the long stretch of the terminals to reach ours.
“Hmm?” He raised his brows, almost as if he’d dismissed me and wasn’t traveling with me.
“What’s going on?” I gave him a stern enough look that he wouldn’t hedge. If something was up, he’d let me know if it was something to address together or a non-issue.
“Nothing.” He shrugged, almost smiling as he looked ahead. “Just a pesky agent trying to follow me.”
Well, fuck me.
I really was in a funk. I hadn’t noticed anything, but then again, I wasn’t looking for trouble, either. No matter where we went in the world, enemies would lurk. That was a given. We hadn’t brought any men with us here because this was supposed to be “personal” time and a trip for just ourselves. Otherwise, if we were vacationing while doing business, backup would be a necessity, even an expectation for how high up we were in the Dubinin Family.
“You sure?” I knew better than to look around and be obvious about a concern of someone tailing us.
“Yeah. I’ve seen this particular agent before.” Now he was grinning. Almost as if he enjoyed the challenge.
I rolled my eyes. This guy. He was the ultimate adrenaline junkie. “How easily you are amused…”
He turned and faced me with a smirk. “I don’t know if I would admit to being amused, but I am intrigued how long the hunt will last this time.”
Spinning around to try to sleuth out which of the many other people near us at the airport could be this agent would be a fruitless search. It didn’t matter, anyway. He’d handle this agent.The same as he dealt with anyone else from the law enforcement side of life, he would take care of any pending trouble. We weren’t on the same side as the traditional agents and officers of the law, and that usually worked well. While they could govern and police the general public and common society, we handledourversion of law and order. Whoever this agent was, they’d be in for a hell of a headache trying to capture Emil—or any other Dubinin. But only Emil would get a kick out of the fact that an agent was on his tail right now.
“This one’s been trying—and failing—to stalk me all over Europe, through DC and in the city…” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Maybe it’s time to have a little fun.”
“Fun?” I’d leave him to it. I was too stuck in my head about Raisa and this low-burning need to focus on my job to screw around with whatever shenanigans Emil had in mind right now.
“Yeah. I think I’ll turn the tables on this agent. Have some fun out of letting them see what it’s like to be hunted, not the hunter.”
I sighed, almost wishing I could be that lax and carefree to find a sudden interest in something different. Instead, I was rooted in this desire to go back, to go back in time to when I was with Raisa and our lives were still in sync.
