I head into the kitchen where Maksim is leaning against the counter, coffee in hand. I nod a short greeting at him, showing respect for him as my superior despite not knowing why he is here.
Kaiden is sitting at the table, ice pack pressed to his face. The bruising has bloomed spectacularly overnight, both eyes are blackened, his nose is swollen, and there's a purple mark along his jaw. Scratches around his eyes have scabbed over in angry welts and there’s a deep bite mark on his forearm that’sw purple around the scabs.
Pride pulses through me.
He looks like he went ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer.
"Jesus," I mutter.
Kaiden grins, then winces. "You should see the other guy."
"I did. She's in the media room with her sister." I grab a coffee mug from the cabinet. "How's the nose?"
"Broken in two places." He prods at it gingerly. "Worth it though. That woman has a hell of a right hook."
Maksim snorts into his coffee. "You got your ass handed to you by a woman?"
"Fuck off." But Kaiden's still grinning. "She thought I was the enemy. Shows good survival instincts. She fights scrappy, but my god when she starts she means to fucking finish. If it wasn’t for Yakov showing up when he did, I’d be coyote food now."
I pour coffee, thinking about Laney straddling him, fists flying, that feral look in her eyes. The calm look on her face whenshe had Kaiden’s gun pressed right between his eyes. Yeah. Good survival instincts. And a protective streak that apparently extends to beating the shit out of anyone who threatens her sister.
"As wonderful as it is to see you, Vasiliev," I say drily, "why are you here?"
"I have information for you on Zajmi." He sets his mug down and slides a folder of papers across the countertop.
"You know my family doesn’t agree with his…business model. Mikhail offers his services, but I know between you and your brothers, you’ll have this handled. His wife is due any day now, so I’d prefer to keep him on home turf. No man should miss the birth of his child.
A twinge of something runs through me, spreading from my gut outward in every direction until my throat clamps shut on it.
I take a few steadying breaths, pressing it down while promising myself I explore it later.
The sound of footsteps on the tile makes us all look up. Laney appears first, followed by Laurie. She looks better than she did last night, her bruises treated with ointment, her split lip clean and healing quickly. But there's a hardness in her eyes that I doubt was there before.
Some things change you. Being kidnapped and held captive is one of them.
"Laurie," I say. "How are you feeling?"
"Achey." She manages a weak smile. "But I'm alive. Thanks to you."
"Thank your sister. She's the one who wouldn't stop until we found you."
Laurie looks at Laney with so much love and gratitude it makes something twist in my chest. "Yeah. She's annoying like that."
"Hey." Laney bumps her shoulder gently.
They share a look that speaks of years of sisterhood, inside jokes, shared trauma, and that's when Laney spots Kaiden.
"Oh my god." She crosses to him, eyes wide. "Your face."
Kaiden stands, towering over her. "It's not as bad as it looks."
"I did that?" Laney asks quietly, reaching to touch his cheek and forcing me to bite down a demand to not touch him. I know she is just being caring, it has nothing to do with anything else. But the jealousy that courses through me… I want her hands to touch no man but me.
"You did." Kaiden's expression is carefully neutral, but there's something in his eyes that looks very close to respect, maybe even admiration.
Laney's face flushes with embarrassment and guilt. "I'm so sorry. I thought—"
"That I was the enemy." Kaiden cuts her off gently. "You were protecting your sister and those women with everything you had. There's no need to apologize for that." He pauses, then adds with that crooked grin, "Though I gotta say, for someone who's never thrown a punch before, you've got natural talent. Ever think about taking up boxing?"
