“Are you okay?”Dmitri frowned.“You’re breathing awfully hard.”
“Shut up, Russian.I’m pathetically out of shape and weaker than I want to be, but I will still kick your ass from here to Boston and back.”
The pieces clicked together.“You’re working out.”
“Ding, ding, ding.We have a winner.”Another gasp.“God, I know this gets easier, but it sucks right now.”
He didn’t know what to say to that.Dmitri utilized the gym regularly because being in fighting shape was vital.One never knew when it’d make the difference between life and death—winning and losing.He couldn’t remember the last time he took more than a day or two off, so there was no getting back in shape.
Something beeped in the background and Keira coughed.“Okay, you have my full attention.Did you find him?”
“Nyet.They knew we were coming and cleared out.”
“Fuck.I’m sorry, Dmitri.It was a good lead.”
They’d moved on it as quickly as they feasibly could.Those extra fifteen minutes he’d taken to find and talk to Keira hadn’t made a difference… but he felt something akin to guilt all the same.“We’ll find him.”Somehow.If Alethea continued to dodge him, he’d have to dangle bait enticing enough to getherto come tohim.“It’s just a matter of reexamining the problem and coming up with a new solution.”He realized he’d never told another person how his thought process worked.He was so used to functioning alone, but it felt like second nature to include Keira.
“We won’t let the bitch win.”She sounded almost normal now, if furious.“Come home, Dmitri.We’ll figure this out.”
Come home.
For the first time, hefeltlike it was actually coming home—as if that house might be termed a home instead of a residence.Keira’s presence filled it with life, and she’d barely gotten started.
He settled back against the seat, reluctant to end the call.“How did the reception planning go?”
“Well, I’m in the gym for the first time in God knows how long—that brief stint with Charlie notwithstanding.That should tell you something.I rescheduled the rest of the meeting for tomorrow.She—shit, I forgot her name.”
“Claudia.”
“Claudia.” Keira snorted.“That woman isscary.And I know scary women.Her smile gets all tight and freaky when I do something she thinks I shouldn’t be doing.I hope dental work is covered by her insurance, because she’s going to bust a tooth or two by the time we get to the party.”
He chuckled, the sound loosening something in his chest that had been claustrophobically tight since he realized the apartment was empty.“I’ll see that she gets a bonus for her trouble.”
“Do that.It can’t be easy holding my hand through this process, but she’s managed not to do anything totally fucking rude or patronizing yet, so she’s earned it.”
He usually didn’t work closely with Claudia.She was a holdover from his father, and she’d planned enough events that he spent a single meeting going over what he needed and then trusted her to take care of the rest.“What time are you meeting her again tomorrow?”
“Ten.Unless there’s something else you need me to do?”
She sounded so hopeful, he laughed again.“I know it’s getting late, but perhaps we could still have our dinner.”
“The fancy one?”He could almost see her perk up.“Wait, how long until you’re home?”
There was that word again.Home.“An hour or so, depending on traffic.”
“I can make that work.But I have to go right now.Bye.”She hung up on him.
He chuckled for the third fucking time in five minutes.What the hell was this woman doing to him?Dmitri should be furious and scheming and tearing the city apart to find Mikhail, but here he was, looking forward to a late dinner with his wife.
He closed his eyes for a long moment, and then opened them again.He had an hour to get the ball rolling on the search.His leads would need until tomorrow morning to begin to pan out, but at least he could start now.Foolish to think he was getting soft simply because Keira was in his life now, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d missed more steps in the last few months than he had in his entire life leading up to the point where he encountered her at that rave.
For the first time since his father died, Dmitri had something to prove—both to himself and to whatever enemies might be watching.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
It took two minutes to put a call out to Blackbird for a carryout order and dispatch one of the Romanov men to retrieve it at the allotted time.Blackbird didn’t normally do carryout, but Keira had no problem dropping Dmitri’s name to ensure they complied.They were within his territory, and he’d made a passing comment the other day about how he looked forward to getting back to his regular meals there—with her at his side, of course.
Since Keira had no intention of going out in public with the dress she’d picked out, she’d just have to bring his favorite restaurant to him.
