I only see flashes of him at first.
Windswept blonde hair. A suit jacket slung over one shoulder. Guards on either side of him, though they’re dwarfed by his height. A vintage Rolex.
His vintage Rolex.
Fresh pain needles at my heart.
No freaking way.
Every rooftop in the city and he picked this one? My one?
Artyom Petrov is the billionaire using our helipad.
Fuck.
My feet, already aching from a ten-hour shift, are suddenly blocks of lead, my bag unbearably heavy.
His gaze sweeps over me. Unmistakeable. Damning.
One blue eye, one hazel eye.
He keeps walking without pause, leaving me questioning my own sanity.
Did he not recognize me?
Would it be so bad if he hadn’t?
Yes, my heart screams.
No, my brain tells me.
Flying under Artyom Petrov’s radar is the right place for me to be.
That man is unpredictable, dangerous and unreliable.
My fingernails dig into my hands so hard I think I’m going to leave scratches. I can’t breathe, can’t think, I can only stare after that retreating figure and think that after five years I’m breathing the same air as him again.
“Are you okay, Nina?”
No.
“Your face is pale.” Cool, adept fingers find my pulse. Terry, my brain registers distantly. One of our most experienced nurses.
I knew I never should have come back to this city.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He snaps his fingers in front of my eyes and I bring my focus back to his sympathetic smile. “Phew, I thought you were about to faint. They work you residents too damn hard. Long shift?”
3
ARTYOM
Iswipe a bottle of sparkling water from the bar and join Valentin in the plush velvet booth. He’s fake-laughing at something the waitress said, but my mind is so far away I barely acknowledge them as I crack the bottle open and take a swig.
Fear.
When she saw me, my Nenoka froze. Like I was the big bad wolf about to bring her house crumbling down around her.
Her face went pale, her freckles stark on her cheeks. The need to reach out and touch her, to trace my fingertips over that constellation on her left cheek, to reassure her that it would be okay, was so strong that I bundled my hands into fists.
