But it didn’t mean she wasn’t.
“No, boss.I sent Alexei and Petri.”
Thank fuck.“I’ll be home shortly.Don’t let Keira out of your sight.”
“Yes, boss.”
He hung up and considered calling Keira, but he would be able to get the full details from her shortly, and she would be going over the reception plans with Claudia at the moment.If he called to check in again, she’d know something was up and it might distress her.He closed his eyes and strove for control.
The trip back to the house was uneventful, and he wasted no time tracking down Keira.Resisting calling her had taken everything he was capable of.He needed to see for himself that she was safe and unharmed.
He found her in the ballroom with Claudia as they supervised the pair of men arranging tables.He stopped short just inside the doorway, taking in the change in her.A different wardrobe shouldn’t make a fundamental difference—she was beautiful no matter what she wore—but the outfit gave her a sense of command that she hadn’t had in her jeans.
Then she turned to face him and he realized the clothing had nothing to do with the change.Her posture was different, from the way she held her shoulders to the casual way she extracted herself from the conversation with Claudia and crossed to him.Her smile was small but genuine.“You’re back early.”
“I had a change of plans.”
She drew her brows together.“Pavel tattled.”
“Pavel called to fill me in, yes, but my plans had changed even before that.”He glanced over her shoulder at Claudia.The petite black woman nodded and turned back to bark instructions at the men, directing them to move the tabletwo feet to the left.Dmitri took Keira’s hand.“Carve out a few minutes for me.”
“Sure.I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”She waved at Claudia and led him out of the room.She kept going until they reached his office, and he had to wonder what she needed to say that she didn’t want anyone overhearing.Keira didn’t make him wait long.“Mark might be here to help, but he’s here with the intention of killing Mae.He’s not going to deliver her to Aiden, and he’s not going to follow your men’s lead.He’s a liability.”
Dmitri studied her expression.“If he disobeys Aiden, that’s your brother’s problem.”
“No, shit,really?”She rolled her eyes.“That’s not what I’m worried about.I don’t want him pulling some stunt and screwing up our chance to get the Eldridges and bring Mikhail home.”
If there’s anything left of him to bring home.Alethea hadn’t contacted him again, and she’d never sent proof of life, so Mikhail very well could have been dead this entire time.Can’t think like that.It changes nothing.
Dmitri didn’t think.He just pulled Keira into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head.She hesitated, but it only lasted a second before she wrapped her arms around his waist.“Don’t punish Pavel.”
“I wasn’t going to.”He let himself feel her breathing and matched his own to the slow inhales and long exhales.“He made the right call.”Easier to leave it at that, but in an effort to be honest, he said, “If it hadn’t happened in the house, or if I was there, Pavel might have reacted differently.”
“I know.”She laid her head against his chest.“But if you were there, you would have given the order and I wouldn’t have had to.”
She had so much faith in him.More than he deserved.He hadn’t done a single fucking thing to earn it other than open her eyes to something she already possessed.It was all Keira.It always had been.He sighed.“Someone—I suspect the Eldridges—has been blocking John Finch’s surveillance of this house.”
“What?”Keira straightened so fast, she clipped his jaw and he almost bit his tongue.“Did you just sayJohn Finch?”
He released her with one arm so he could rub his jaw.“I did.”
“But he hates you.Is he pissed about Charlie or about Alethea pulling strings and getting Mae released?”
“Does it matter?”The end result was the same.Mae on the streets.John Finch their unlikely ally.
Keira nodded.“It matters.No matter how pissed Charlie is at him right now, she still loves him.If he’s sharing information for her, she should know.”Her hazel eyes blazed.“But if he’s doing this because he’s pissed Mae slipped through his fingers, then he can fuck right off.We’ll take his information and he’s on his own otherwise.”
So fierce and so fucking loyal.
He cupped her face and kissed her lightly.“I’ll find out.”
“Thank you,” she spoke against his lips.“Pavel and I would like to go over the placement of the men with you in the morning if you can fit it into your schedule.”
“I’ll make it work.”It was so very strange to have this conversation with her, something perfectly normal talking about schedules, when they were in the midst of such insanity.More so, when a couple days ago, they’d been at each other’s throats.
“Good.”
“There was something else?”
