With the drinks in hand, I returned to the bedroom, surprised to still find the light on in my way-too-large closet. Almost instantly I could see why.
She’d accidentally stumbled on a hidden button exposing the real reason for the update in my closet system.
Standing in a long red jersey with her hair disheveled from our incredible passion, she appeared more vulnerable than before. It was the look in her eyes that accentuated how disturbed she was at the discovery.
“That’s a safe room. The movies call it a panic room.”
Lainey was staring at the opening almost as if fearful monsters would come crawling out. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t prying. I opened the dresser and suddenly it moved.”
This time when I laughed it was meant to ease her concern, but it was obvious the existence of the room reminded her I was a dangerous man from a ruthless family. “You’re not prying at all, Lainey.”
She blinked a few times before tipping her head toward me. “You’re in that much danger.”
While she allowed me to hand her a drink, I was surprised her fingers managed to hold the glass without dropping it. Neither sugarcoating my world nor lying to her would fly. She was much smarter than that.
“My father and uncle were involved in some very dangerous activities when they arrived here from Moscow. They’d lived a life of violence and bloodshed and knew little else. They learned very quickly after arriving in the United States that there were several factions who would stop at nothing to keep them from succeeding. They were forced to go into both a defensive modeto protect their families and an offensive position to build an empire.”
“With illegal activities.”
“Yes. At first. That’s all they knew.”
Her eyes darted across mine. “And now?”
“Now, we run a billion-dollar corporation specializing in recreation and entertainment.”
The way she searched my eyes meant she wasn’t certain whether to trust me or her instinct. “No illegal activities?”
Sighing, I hunkered down in front of the opening. “I won’t lie to you, Lainey. The entire family does what’s necessary to keep our employees and our business protected.”
“Whatever methods necessary. That’s why there are those condemning your family as being dangerous criminals.”
“Yes, and I can’t deny that was true in the past. But I assure you that not only do we prefer living our lives on the straight and narrow, but also that there are thousands of what appear to be decent, law-abiding citizens who cross the line every day.”
She laughed nervously before taking a sip of her drink. “Does the existence of this room mean you still have enemies?”
“We do. However, it’s not typical on a day-to-day basis that any of us face the barrel of a gun.” Maybe my choice of words wasn’t the best decision. Her brow was furrowed, her breath skipping. “Come here.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.” She wasn’t buying my commanding nature. “Let me show you the room so you’ll understand there’s nothing sinister about it.”
Lainey debated before dropping to her knees, keeping her drink balanced as she crawled a little closer.
“You also need to remember I have a child. I will do whatever it takes to keep her safe as I would anyone else I care about.”
She half smiled, perhaps knowing I’d included her. I backed into the room, standing and waiting as she crawled inside. She seemed pleasantly surprised.
“This is… beautiful.”
“I wasn’t trying to make it a dungeon. Just a place to buy some time if there was a home invasion. There’s food and water in case the situation calls for it, toys because my daughter couldn’t handle being in a quiet environment without something to do. And a communications system. There are also connections to the security cameras located outside and in a few places inside the house and of course the ability to make phone calls without being detected. The room is both soundproofed and was built with material that makes the space impervious to a bomb or fire.”
She lifted her gaze after studying the furniture. “You thought of everything.”
“The room gives me peace of mind. Plus, it’s not on any building plans so no one knows this exists.”
“Does Nina know?”
I thought about her question. “No. I keep getting around to telling her, but you don’t know my daughter. That will lead to a series of questions, many of which I won’t have the answer for. Somehow, she’ll find a way to drift into the same question I get asked about every four months. Does Santa Claus exist?”
