Page 145 of Lies He Told Me (Bratva Crime Syndicate 1)

“Was last night real?”

Even though it was just last night, the entire memory is coated in an otherworldly haze: us making love a few more times in his office, feeding each other two-bite brownies with our fingers, then, in Gavril’s arms, a blanket, and then … nothing. I must’ve fallen asleep and Gavril carried me out of there? I don’t even remember.

“That’s your question?”

“No! Uh … what are you most looking forward to as mayor?” I turn to shoot him a cheesy grin.

“Not having my plans screwed with,” Gavril says immediately.

We chuckle. “Fair enough.”

“Yeah.” His eyes on me are soft, relaxed, but then he turns away abruptly. “But I have to get going.”

“Good ol’ mayor business,” I quip.

Gavril’s hands wander over to my ass absentmindedly. “Good ol’ mayor business.”

I wiggle my ass and press it towards him, but it’s too late. He’s already getting up and out the door.

“Hey, wait!” I call after him, “Where are we?”

He smirks. “We’re on the top floor of my building. I’ll be meeting you later. There’s a helicopter ride I’d like you to go on first.”

I gape at him. “Seriously?”

“What?”

“That’s how you tell me about this? ‘Oh, by the way, no biggie, I have a random-ass helicopter ride for you to go on.’Seriously?”

Gavril’s mouth looks like it’s about to break out into a smile, but he stops it. “I don’t have time for this, Joy.”

And then he leaves, without so much as a goodbye. I glare at the door as he exits.

I feel empty when he’s gone, and kind of rebuffed. He couldn’t give me even a “Sorry I’m being an asshole, but the state of our municipal entity is at state”?Zilch. Zip. Nada. Not even an “I love you” to tide me over until I see him next.

Just him being the kind of inexplicable jerk I thought he’d stopped being a long time ago.

I sit up in bed, still frowning. Now that I’m thinking about it, Gavril did seem off today. Like he had something, some secret …

Stop it.

Gavril meant what he said about stopping all his sketchy backdoor business. He doesn’t lie. He wouldn’t lie to me.

Why, then, do I still get the feeling that there’s something he’s still not telling me?

Maybe because it’s the morning and I’m starving? As I get up, I see that maybe I’m not completely pissed at Gavril. He left a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel out for me on a plate on the dresser.

“Fine,” I grumble to myself. “I’ll reserve my judgment.”

By the time I’m finished, I’m feeling fed enough to watch some TV. There’s more food in the fridge, and by the time I think to check my phone, I’m shocked—it’s been, literally, hours. Guess I was expecting someone to come by or something.

I call up Mom, we chat a bit, though she seems off, too. Distracted. I go back to the TV. A few more hours pass in the blink of an eye.

Well, there goes another day …

It’s freaking seven p.m. and I’ve sat around all day.

Oh, because you had so many more important things to do?

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