Page 83 of Disgraced (Russian Sinners 3)

Scarlett

When I woke up from my nap, it was almost eight in the evening. I took a quick shower and changed into a high waistline floral dress that came down to my knees. A quick glance in the mirror told me I looked presentable, although there were still circles under my eyes and I still looked pale. I guess exhaustion was a side effect of the first trimester.

As I was leaving my bedroom, I glanced around the room. The shopping bags still sat unopened. I didn’t need any of it but would need to put it all away. It would seem this would be my new home. Maybe Sonia could help me; she was good company. It was easy talking to her, kind of like Anja and Scarlett.

I rushed to the dining room fully expecting Sergei and Michail to be almost at the end of their dinner but instead I found the room empty.

Maybe they have already finished eating.

Just as I turned around to leave, I bumped into Sergei.

“Whoa,” his hands steadied me. “You alright?”

I raised my eyes to his face and my heart skipped a beat. I had this need to just wrap my arms around him and ask him to hold me. Instead, I just took a step back.

“Yes, all good,” I told him. “I took a nap and overslept. I was just about to go into the kitchen and ask for leftovers.”

“You didn’t miss dinner,” he commented. “We’ll have it now.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Scarlett, there is something I want to tell you.” His words surprised me. I raised my eyes and waited for him to continue. “Something bad happened. A man that works for my brothers and I turned out to be a traitor.”

I nodded, although I wasn’t sure why. “Will you be okay?”

“Yes,” he assured me. “But it won’t be safe to leave the property for any shopping trips till we bring him down. I want to make sure you are safe.”

He sounded worried. “Okay,” I smiled. “No more shopping trips.”

My reward was his smile and my insides melted. “Thank you, solnce,” he murmured, leaning forward and pressing his lips against my forehead. “I’d lose my mind if something happened to you.”

Hearing his endearment and admission made me quiver with want and need for him. Maybe he cared for me? It was on the tip of my tongue to ask how he felt about me, if he ever thought he could love me.

“Should I go tell Michail about dinner?” I offered instead. It was safer when he or Sonia were around.

“I already did,” he nudged me back into the dining room. “He and Sonia are coming. Would you sit next to me during dinner please?”

I raised my head, meeting his eyes, and nodded in a daze. Just as we both sat down, Michail and Sonia joined us. Surprisingly the dinner ended up being pleasant. Food was delicious and there wasn’t a single thing on the menu that bothered my senses.

Sonia spoke of her siblings and her family a lot. Michail added a few more stories about his family.

“I’m happy to hear that you didn’t only torture your sister,” I teased him.

“No, I spread love equally among my siblings.”

“Sergei, did Michail tell you,” I glanced his way, “that he put a dead snake into his sister’s bed? A dead snake!”

“No, he forgot to mention that during his interview,” he retorted dryly.

“No wonder,” I smiled at Michail. “I would have had you in time-out. For a year!” We all laughed. “How long have you two known each other?”

Michail and Sergei seemed to work well together, like they’ve done this for a long time.

“About fifteen years or so,” Michail replied. “I got into a bad fight against five other kids. Instead of being smart and running, I decided to fight. Sergei happened to see it and decided to join in. To even the odds, you know”

“So did you two win?” It didn’t surprise me to hear Sergei wanted to help the underdog. For some reason, he seemed the protective type.

“Yes, we did,” Sergei replied.

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