He tilts his head in thought as he works over what I’m not saying. “To protect them from Yuri finding out they helped you, perhaps?”
It’s not lost on me that he calls his father by his given name. There’s no love there.
“Theycan’tknow I’m here, Viktor.”
“And they won’t.”
The air feels heavy, the weight of the world we come from pushing in on us, crushing. But I believe him. I trust him, too, even if he’s a little freak always trying to drag me into his sheets.
“You know I love you, right?” I tell him, swallowing past the rock lodged in my throat. “And I’m grateful for everything you did for me.”
“How grateful?” His face transforms back into the cocksure devil I know so well and I’m honestly happy to see it. Soppy shit isn’t something we do. We’ve both been too hardened by life.
“On that note, I’m out.” I roll my eyes and rise to my feet just as a set of knuckles rap on the door.
John, Viktor’s bar manager, pokes his head in. “Jasmine says someone is asking for you, boss.”
I check my phone, and my stomach rolls. Fuck. Five texts and four missed calls.
Jeremiah: Where are you?
Jeremiah: I’m home. You’re not.
Jeremiah: Where the fuck are you?
Jeremiah: Why are you not answering your phone?
Jeremiah: Are you with someone?
Crap! How long have I been here?
I jerk my gaze to the clock on the wall. It’s nearly one in the morning.
“I have to go,” I yelp, throwing Viktor a wave as I rush toward the door, not waiting for his response.
Chapter Seven
Zahkar
Dumdumdumdumdum.
Dumdumdumdumdum.
Dumdumdumdumdum.
My heart races and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. I’m drug free at the moment, much to my dismay. It’s not that…it’s something else.
Dumdumdumdumdum.
Unease. A feeling. A deep sense of…dread? Whatever it is, I don’t particularly like it.
“I’m bored,” Rodion grumbles from beside me as we ride from the airport to our hotel, dragging me from my inner thoughts.
I lift a brow and smirk. “You’re always bored.”
“I’m more bored than usual.” He points into the dark night. “Do you see anything?”
Squinting, I shake my head. “Not anything worth looking at.”
