He looks around first—always scanning—before his eyes land on me. His shoulders ease just a fraction. “Hi.” Gloves hit the console. “Did you eat?”
That’s the first thing he asks these days. I lie. “Yes.”
He heads for the kitchen and downs half a glass of water. He looks tired, though he’d never admit it. Dangerous, even when he’s not trying.
“I’ve been thinking about us. About what happens after this.”
His gaze sharpens. “Afterdepends on what we survivenow.”
Not the answer I want. “I know that. But the baby...” My hand presses to my sweater. “Do you actually see a life with me after this? Or am I just a problem you’re managing?”
“Your safety is the most important thing in the world to me.”
“Safe isn’t the same as living,” I say, quieter than intended.
His jaw twitches. “There are things you don’t need to know yet.”
“Like what?”
His eyes hold mine. “I’ll tell you when it’s time.”
“That’s not an answer,” I say. “You want my trust but won’t give me yours.”
He exhales, steady and heavy. “Have you stayed in? No calls, no visitors?”
“I have. Only texts with Trina about nothing important. I’m not stupid.”
“Don’t text her anymore.”
“I need someone to talk to who isn’t you.”
“Nika. Or Katya. Dmitri. Not Trina.”
He makes me a cup of tea. Our fingers brush when he passes it to me, and my pulse jumps.
“I’ll be out tonight,” he says. “There’s one guard downstairs, another by the service elevator, two in the stairwell. Don’t open the door for anybody.”
“Where are you going?”
“Errands.”
I force a half-smile. “Am I even allowed on the terrace?”
“No.”
“What if I want to feel like a person, not a prisoner?”
He steps closer. “You’re not a prisoner,” he says. “You’re the most important person in my life.”
I’m important. He wants to keep me safe. It’s like I’m a folder of intel he needs to look after, not the mother of his child.
“Then act like it,” I whisper. “Tell me what I am when no one’s shooting at us.”
His knuckles skim my cheek. “Everything. And right now, that means distance.”
My phone buzzes with a text from Trina.
You okay?
