Page 90 of Pride Not Prejudice

I said nothing, just continued up the steps.

“How long do you think you can keep going like this?”

I threw open the office door and tried to close it behind me. Ilya pushed through, not caring that I might wish to be alone. I snarled, “Fuck off, Ilya.”

“No, my friend. I am staying until you see reason.”

“And what reason should I see? That we are more profitable and destroying our enemies at a faster clip, yes? This is what you are complaining about?” I snorted and went to wash my hands.

When I emerged Ilya was still there, waiting for me. I sat behind my desk and ignored him.

“Nikolai,” he said quietly. “Two weeks ago, I was concerned. Last week? Panicked. Today I am terrified.”

“I am no danger to you,” I scoffed.

“I am not scared of you. I am scared for you.” He cocked his head. “In all our years together, I have never seen this. Are you trying to get yourself killed? Is this the only solution to your problem?”

I unlocked my phone and began scrolling through my messages. “Stop worrying so much.”

“You are reckless,” he snapped. “And you will start a war if you are not careful.”

My only thought was, Who cares?

What difference did it make? Theo was gone, back in Paris. Last week I broke down and searched for him online. I found photos of him at a recent event, looking tired but happy. The images were like an arrow through my heart.

I made him sick.

I would never forget his reaction to learning who I was. The memory haunted me.

I still missed him. It was like all the joy had been sucked out of my life.

“For years you complained about our German rivals,” I said. “Now I am dealing with them and you want me to stop. Make up your mind, Ilya.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

I didn’t wish to answer. We both knew I wasn’t sleeping. My mind was a fog of exhaustion, a headache my constant companion.

“Nikolai,” he said softly. “Look at me.”

Taking a deep breath, I met my friend’s gaze. He said, “We have known one another a long time. You are like a brother to me. I would gladly take a bullet for you. But I cannot stand by and watch you destroy yourself.”

I narrowed my gaze. “Are you threatening—”

All of a sudden the building shook, a deafening sound filling my ears. There was no chance to seek cover before I was thrown to the ground by the force of the explosion.

Then everything went black.

Chapter Ten

THEO

“Did you sleep here again?” Sofia, my assistant, set a large cup of coffee on my desk. The lines of her forehead were creased in concern as she studied my rumpled sofa.

Ignoring the question, I frowned at the calendar on my laptop screen. “Why is there a fitting on my morning schedule? I have never heard of this person, and you know I don’t do fittings for random customers anymore.”

“He insisted. And he paid me five thousand Euros to put him on your calendar.”

I lifted a brow at her. “That seems unethical.”

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