Downstairs, I found Maksim standing in the foyer and talking on the phone. He cut the call short when he saw me. “How is she?”
I walked toward the kitchen and turned on the light. “Shaken up. The guard?”
“He said that one of the front cameras went out, so he took one of the dogs to investigate. He remembers getting struck in the back of the head, and then nothing. We think whoever hit him took his master key and let himself into your home. The wet footprints upstairs show that the intruder went directly to Mila’s room.”
It pained me that everyone seemed to know we had separate bedrooms. “Except she was in my room.”
“That’s probably what saved her. It caught him off guard and gave her a chance to run.”
“This is Volkov, isn’t it?” I rubbed the side of my face.
“Very likely.” He lowered his voice. “I heard that they never cross the line, but they like to terrorize their opponent’s families.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose in fatigue. “How do we prevent this from happening again?”
“We can put two guards and three dogs on duty at night.”
“Do it.” I paused, looking around. My eyes stopped on the beautifully set table for two, highlighting the dinner I had promised to attend. “What’s happening with Sergei?”
“Still handcuffed.”
“Jesus.” I shook my head. “His timing couldn’t be worse.”
Maksim gave me a regretful look. “What do we do with him?”
It pained me to say the words. “Cut him loose. Tell him he starts the day after tomorrow, and that I don’t want to see his face before that.”
He looked concerned. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s a shit idea, and we both know it. But Grisha wanted to put him in charge and make me second in command.” I rarely shared what happened behind the scenes, but tonight I had lost anything that resembled a filter. “I threatened to walk if he did that.”
Maksim’s eyes filled with horror. “I’d be walking right behind you, along with a lot of our men.”
Both of us recognized the impossibility of dealing with Sergei. “It’s going to be a challenging time with him here.”
“Like it hasn’t already been?”
I held his gaze. “It’s going to get worse.”
He nodded, and then, without saying a word, stepped into the backyard with his phone pressed to his head.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MILA
The next morning,I woke up in Axel’s bed. Bandit slept beside me, his back pressed against mine. I lifted my head.
Across the room, facing the door, Axel was sitting in one of the overstuffed satin chairs that no one actually sat in.
He was asleep.
Facing the door.
With a large, intimidating gun in his lap.
In the pale dawn light I studied my exhausted husband, who still worked, still protected me, in his sleep. With his expression relaxed, he looked so much younger and lighter than he did when he was awake. I admired his messy hair, the angle of his jawline, the straightness of his nose. I wasn’t sure I had ever seen a man with more beautiful features, and I took that space to stare at him, to try to memorize his face.
I gave it my best effort, but I knew my memory wasn’t up to the task. I found myself shocked at how truly handsome this man was in real life. Especially at his most vulnerable moments.
