Page 30 of Brutal Loyalty

She stretched and craned her neck from side to side, then swung her legs over the side of the bed. She was about to stand when something outside the bedroom window caught her eye. A man stood casually on the grounds of the estate, his hands in his pockets, facing the street. The hairs on the back of Elena’s neck stood on end, and she stood slowly from the bedside, folding her arms across her bare chest. It wasn’t unusual to see men coming in and out of the mansion at any given time, but this man? She recognized him from his frame alone, even with his back to her.

It was Mikhail—one of her father’s enforcers. She’d missed her check-in, and Elena had no doubt that he was waiting there for her. He wasn’t even bothering to be particularly subtle, which meant her father was pissed at her.

She looked back at the bed, hoping to find Roman still asleep. As long as he didn’t wake up, she could dress, slip out of his room, and go to see what the hell Mikhail was doing here.

On bare feet, Elena padded across the room. She found the pants and panties Roman had stripped from her the night before and wiggled into them, then searched for her bra. It wasn’t near her other jettisoned clothing, it wasn’t on Roman’s side of the bed…so where was it? She dropped to her knees and peered under the bed, but it wasn’t there, either. Where the hell had it gone?

Elena rose and was set to continue her search when she stopped dead. Roman was sitting up in bed, her bra suspended by its strap from his outstretched finger. He hitched a brow. “Are you looking for this?”

Shit.

“Yes,” Elena said, doing her best to come across as casual. “Where did you find it?”

“It was beneath the sheets,” Roman said. “I took it off you in bed last night, and it got kicked around until it ended up in bed with us.”

“Oh.”

He continued to sit where he was. “What are you up to?”

An unwelcome frisson worked its way down Elena’s spine, but she resisted the urge to frown. She’d told so many lies to make sure that no one knew about what she was doing, but to lie to Roman about something like this after the conclusions she’d come to? It felt wrong. “I need to step out for a little while. After you took such good care of me, I feel better. I’m going to see what my options are for my mother. I have a feeling that my father has paid off the facility to make sure she receives minimal, unsatisfactory care. There’s no reason she should be in such a state.”

Roman offered her a smile. “You know, Viktor hasn’t gotten in touch with me yet today. There may not be any business I have to attend to. I could escort you, if you want.”

“Oh, no, thank you.” Elena returned his smile. It was earnest. She could tell by the tone of his voice that his offer was sincere and not the result of him not trusting her. “This is really something I have to do by myself. I know my father is enemy number one with the pakhan, and I’m not prepared to deal with any more complications, especially since my mother is supposed to be dead. Make sense? If word got out, I would worry that someone might want to go after her to get to my father. I’d like to avoid unnecessary drama…especially if Viktor found out that you knew and didn’t tell him.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“So this is something I’ve got to do alone.” She shrugged, offering an apologetic smile. “You understand, right?”

“I do. I don’t like it, but I do.”

Elena resisted the urge to pump her fist in victory. As long as she kept Roman off her back, she could talk to Mikhail and hopefully send him away without incident. She wasn’t sure if the Sokolovs knew he was her father’s enforcer, so she’d rather play it safe. A discreet conversation was best for all parties. She’d get it done, get Mikhail sent away, and move on with her life, making all of those assurances regarding her mother that she’d just told Roman were at the forefront of her mind.

Easy peasy.

As if.

Elena took her bra from Roman and fitted it to her chest. She found her shirt, then located her shoes. Roman watched from the bed—she felt his eyes follow her across the room, and even given her dire situation, she couldn’t help but feel a little flattered.

“If anything goes wrong, you’ll let me know, right?” Roman asked. She turned to look at him and noticed the way the blankets pooled on his lap. His broad, toned chest was on full display, and she resisted the urge to go back to the bed to get her hands and mouth on him again.

“Right. I will. I’ll be back soon, okay?” Elena smoothed down her shirt and glanced in the small mirror attached to Roman’s dresser. How did he get by without a full-length mirror? She clucked her tongue, deciding her face was far too plain this morning but understanding that there was nothing she could do about it. Mikhail needed to be dealt with ASAP. When he was gone, she could get back to her new normal.

To Roman.

“Be safe,” Roman bid her. The dark look in his eyes when his gaze passed over her again had her contemplating climbing back into bed with him and forgetting all about Mikhail, but she knew that she couldn’t. It wouldn’t be safe for any of them if she did. Instead, she blew him a kiss and winked.

“Always am. I’ll be back soon. Maybe you could drive me to that little coffee place after, chaufferone. You can keep an eye on me there as well as you can keep it on me here.”

He laughed. “We’ll see.”

That tiny bit of hope—of normalcy—was enough to keep her going. Elena took her leave of the room and headed for the stairs, destined for Mikhail and whatever he had to say to her. She’d put an end to whatever drama he was looking to start before it happened. She would not let her father’s will shape her life again.

CHAPTER23

Roman

The door closed behind Elena, leaving Roman alone. He sank back into bed and stared for a brief moment at the ceiling, allowing a grin to stretch his lips. The floral scent of Elena’s perfume had been left behind on his pillows, and he remembered the heat of her body beneath the sheets and the way the mattress had dipped just slightly when she’d settled down next to him. Simple pleasures like this—why hadn’t he chased them earlier in life? A sensation of peace settled in his bones, and relaxation gripped him as it never had before.

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