Page 75 of The Payback

I twist my head to look over my shoulder at her, and she glares at me. “You deserved that,” she mutters. She pinches my right ear, twisting my head more fully towards her. I’m helpless to fight back.

“Oh, I did, did I?”

“You sure as fuck did,” Nik chimes in from above us. His boots come into view, scuffed and full of bloody history against the pristine white tile. “You need to take a second and fucking listen, man. Today’s meeting was a good thing, and if you would stop for a goddamned minute so we can discuss it, you’d know that.”

A growl works its way from my chest, and Eleanor, bold little thing that she is, slaps my back like I’m choking.

Fuck’s sake.

“Will you sit the hell down and listen?” she asks, feeling emboldened now that it’s two against one. It’s like Nik is lending her his courage—or stupidity, depending on who you ask—and she’s getting her footing.

“Fine,” I say tersely.

Slowly, she releases her arm around my throat. “Nik, guard the lift. I don’t trust him not to make a break for it again.”

“On it.”

He moves towards the doors, plants his feet shoulder-width apart, and crosses his arms over his chest. I roll my eyes because, Jesus, he doesn’t need to put on the whole show of his biceps flexing and his shoulders bulging with anticipatory adrenaline.

Eleanor slides off of me, her tits dragging along my back as she moves. She’s been cold and distant for weeks, with minimal touching, rare eye contact, lacklustre conversation, and general avoidance. I close my eyes and relish the touch of her against me now that I’m not fighting for air.

It feels like the universe gifted me an opportunity with Eleanor, and I fucked it all up in record time. Something I’ll have to remedy soon because while this wasn’t either of our intentions, it’s very fucking clear to me we belong together.

I stand, glancing at Eleanor as she blatantly checks out Nik as he stands guard over the lift. Is that what’s stopping her?Nik?

“Come on, wife.”

I drop my shoulder and pick her up in a fireman’s carry as she squeals. Striding across the apartment and weaving through the living room’s furniture, I manoeuvre her until she has her thighs around my hips, and I sit on the couch with her on my lap.

“Tell me all about how another man wants to fuck what’s mine.” I stroke my fingers through her hair, tucking the front bits behind her ears and trailing my fingertips down her jaw to her chin. Her eyes are fixed on my throat instead of mine, like they have been since Alexei. I can’t take it anymore.

“Look at me,” I command.

She winces at my bark and lifts her eyes until I stare into those fathomless pools. I grip her hips, willing her to just rip the Band-Aid off. How bad was it? What did my uncle subject her to?

“Sergei was quite formal at lunch. It started with me asking how best to support you as my husband.” Eleanor gulps around the word. “Then, it devolved into my ‘wifely duties’ and how I should always make myself available to you. Finally, he moved on to the talk of an heir to secure the line.”

I nod as I consider her words. “I think you’re right that Sergei didn’t set up the hit. Not with Oksana being there and possibly a target, not to mention you. As much as he irks me, he adores her too much to put her at risk like that. There’s every likelihood it was the Italians or the Irish. But this doesn’t bode well for him. Offering to father a child would securehisline, especially since he and Oksana had only daughters, and the rules are clear, no matter how much Natasha is trying to change that.”

“I thought he adored her. Why would he then offer the affair?”

I cock my head. “To some, love and sex do not always go hand in hand.”

Nik sits on the couch beside Eleanor and me, his arrival drawing my wife’s attention. He usually sits in the armchair opposite us. This is too familiar for my taste, and I grind my teeth again.

“We need to find out who took shots at you,” Nik says. “I’ve got my ear to the ground in his camp, but there’s been nothing about a drive-by on that end. The phone was a burner, and there was no cash transfer before the hit. Idiot fucking Alexei didn’t even require half up front.” Nik rolls his eyes and flicks at some dirt under his fingernail with his tattooed fingers.

Hopefully, Eleanor’s contacts can do more work on the phone, but it’s feeling more and more like a dead end at this point.

“This is tied to Dad’s death,” I say. The last thing holding me back from trusting Nik is the “coincidence” of his arrival and my father’s death. They occurred within days of each other, and without confirmation or denial, I’m working blind. It’s time to test Nik.

Eleanor’s hands grip my shoulders a little tighter at the mention of my father.

“How does a heart attack tie in with a drive-by?” Nik asks, resting his head against the couch’s backrest, lolling it to one side and regarding me. He looks exhausted, no doubt punishing himself for the things he does for work.

Knowing about his tendency to self-flagellate since we were kids has been challenging, especially since nothing I ever said made him stop. It was like beating my head against a wall that would hit back if I pushed too hard.

“Dad didn’t die from a heart attack.”

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