Page 33 of Her Sweet Surrender
“We’ll find out soon enough,” he chuckled.
Rytsar arrived a full hour later than expected. Brie was nervous. She fully expected him to barge into their house demanding an explanation from her.
Instead, he came bearing gifts for all three of them—an elaborate Staunton chess board with inlaid wood and hand-carved chess pieces for Sir, a sweet child’s tea set made of wood with tiny flowers painted on them for Hope, and an exquisite Russian lacquer music box for her.
When Brie wound it up and opened the lid, she was moved to tears on hearing the haunting melody ofPas de Deuxfrom Tchaikovsky’sThe Nutcracker.
“I love this, Rytsar.”
His eyes flashed with approval. “I have always been fond of this particular song.”
“Well, I certainly didn’t expect to receive gifts on a fact-finding mission for Lilly,” Sir stated as he looked over each chess piece with admiration.
“I am a man of passion,moy droog,and need no excuse to give gifts.”
He turned to Brie and said with a glint in his eyes. “Don’t you agree,radost moya?”
Brie forced herself to play it cool when she answered—even though she suspected she was about to be interrogated by the Russian about the prank. “Yes. Gifts given from the heart are always cherished.”
“Particularly when they are unexpected,” he added.
Brie knew he was leading her to confess, but she’d promised Master Anderson to admit to nothing and replied, “Those are the best kind.”
“Da…” He gazed into her eyes. She was held captive by that intense blue gaze and fought hard not to crumble under it.
“What’s wrong,radost moya?” Rytsar inquired with a sly grin. “You look as if you have something to say.”
She suddenly held up the music box and smiled. “It’s so pretty. Thank you.”
He leaned in closer, pinning her against the wall. “Is that really what you want to tell me?”
Brie let out a nervous giggle. “I can’t express how grateful I am you’re back.”
He stared deep into her eyes, demanding more.
She held her breath, her heart racing. Brie was close to breaking under his intense stare, and silently chided herself for taunting the sadist.
What the hell was I thinking?
“I hear there is news about your film.”
Brie let her breath out slowly, unprepared for the question. Realizing she was safe for the moment, she smiled at him beguilingly. “Mary told me that some unknown entity has been gathering a dream team in Hollywood, and she suspects it has everything to do with my second documentary—although no one has been able to confirm it. It’s crazy, because the entire thing has been shrouded in mystery. No one in Hollywood is willing to publicly cross Greg Holloway. But the best part is that it looks like my original documentary will be receiving an honorary award.”
Rytsar slapped his hands against the wall beside her head, making her jump. “That is excellent news,radost moya!”
“It is!” Brie grinned with excitement, spurred on by his enthusiasm.
“You wouldn’t happen to know who that might be?” Sir asked him.
Rytsar grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “I do not,moy droog. However, when I discover who it is, I will show them my gratitude—personally.”
“Don’t you find it strange that they’ve been able to keep it a secret?” Sir asked.
The Russian shrugged. “With enough money, anything is possible…”
Sir raised an eyebrow. “Agreed, and there’s only one person I know who has that kind of money.”
Rytsar chuckled, a grin spreading across his face. “It’s not me,moy droog. Unfortunately, having no experience with the inner workings of Hollywood, I’ve made little progress in that area.”
