“I’m not your marked mate,” she snapped back.
“Ah!There’s my feisty lady.”Mikhail laughed, his joy ringing out.“Because I’m a foolish male,” he said.“The minute this is over, I will remedy the situation.How are you?Is your feline healing the wound?”
“The hole is knitting together but will leave a scar.Mikhail, what should we do?We can’t leave Smirnoff’s business to implode because our people might suffer in the explosion.”
Mikhail frowned.“What do you propose?”
“Ever since my mind started working better, I’ve tried to fashion a way to turn this situation to our advantage.”She bit her lip.“One solution came to mind.Return to Smirnoff’s estate and wait until the old man succumbs to his illness.You must learn the business inside out and teach Bridget.Show her how your companies function, and if she goes outside the law, that’s not on you.From this morning and things I’m remembering, she’s desperate to run the business.I suppose her father won’t consider her because she is a woman?”
“Correct,” Mikhail said.
“Make a deal.Tell her you’ll teach her if she leaves us, your businesses, and employees out of her schemes.This is the nonnegotiable condition for teaching her.If she backtracks later, we’ll destroy her.”
Mikhail froze, his brows rising.Shock flared through him like a shooting star as he gaped at his wife.“But Bridget and her father have told everyone she and I are married.What about you?What about us?What if Konstantine lingers?”
“That might present a problem,” Edwina agreed.“When I saw Smirnoff last, he was haggard and smelled of illness.You could tell Bridget you’ll give her a maximum of three months and no longer.”
“What about her brother?Pavel is a hotheaded loose cannon.This situation is a bomb waiting to detonate.It might kill us all.”
“I know,” Edwina said.“But if we make this sacrifice our future will be safer, our lives stable.Our children and their children will have decent lives without Smirnoff family pressure.If an unknown takes over Smirnoff’s organization, the problems might intensify.At least Bridget is a known quantity.”
“Edwina is right,” Roscoe said.“Her idea, while radical, will have lasting benefits for everyone.I volunteer to act as your security guard.My contribution to this plan.”
“But what if they kill me?Or Bridget takes you out in a jealous rage?”Mikhail voiced his greatest fear.
Edwina’s chest heaved, and she closed her eyes.When she reopened them, he could tell she’d come to a decision.“I’ll return to Middlemarch.Once Konstantine dies or the three months end, contact me.”
“But we’re newlyweds,” Mikhail protested, overwhelming dread seizing his mind.“I want to mark you, claim you as mine.Spend time with you.Love you.”
“This is for your family, your employees, and those who count on you to keep them safe.This is bigger than us.”She reached for his hand and laced their fingers together.“Besides, it might be fun to play my grandmother.She deserves everything she gets.”
“But what about your music?”Mikhail asked, desperate for a different proposal.“I promised you could hire teachers and take courses.”
Warmth filled her smile as she studied him.“I’ll find an online course or a short one I can finish while you’re helping Bridget.I’ll continue with my music writing.”
“This is a crazy idea.Are you certain?”
“Yes,” Edwina said.“If I’m safe and your mother stays away from the Smirnoff family, you’ll focus on completing your mission.”
“It’s a sound plan,” Roscoe said, placing a hand on Mikhail’s shoulder.“Once you’re finished with the Smirnoffs, collect Edwina from her home and bring her back so she can work for me.”
Mikhail grumbled, taking heart from Edwina’s grin.
“Stay alive, Mikhail,” she said.“If you die, I’ll end up alone and write songs of lost love that will depress everyone.”
“Once this is over, we’ll honeymoon,” he promised.“We’ll go somewhere quiet to enjoy each other’s company.”
“Promise?”Edwina said.
“I promise.”Mikhail pulled her into a loose embrace.His lips met hers, and he kissed her.He heard a faint grumble from Roscoe, but he didn’t release his wife.Her touch soothed him and cleared his confusion.The door opened and closed—presumably Roscoe leaving, but he didn’t stop kissing his wife, holding her.
Edwina was his beloved wife.His soulmate, and he wanted to remember this moment to sustain him until they could be together again.
29
Edwinasatonthedeck of the holiday cottage she’d rented for her visit to Middlemarch, a guitar in hand and a notebook sitting on the wooden table to her right.The winter sun held welcome heat, and a hint of spring danced in the air.She picked up her drink bottle and sipped her water.Although she hadn’t heard from Mikhail, Roscoe had fed her snippets.Not that they reassured her.Every day Mikhail stayed in that vipers’ nest, the more she stressed and worried.According to Roscoe, Pavel had attacked Mikhail twice before Bridget had ordered a hit on her brother.She hadn’t heard more, and every email or message from home sent her stomach swirling and tension stalking her mind.
Edwina yawned and grimaced.Sleep did not come easy these days, and the bed felt empty without her mate.“Mikhail, please stay safe,” she whispered.
