Andrei snorted. “You do. You just do it badly.”
“I am just warning her to watch herself,” Mikhail corrected.
“Just warning her,” Viktor repeated under his breath. “Right.”
I stepped past all three of them toward the door of the jet, refusing to let them see how rattled I was, but I could feel Mikhail’s gaze on my back as I descended the stairs.
Not hungry. Not possessive.
Just watching.
Assessing.
Learning.
It should have annoyed me.
Instead, it felt like standing too close to a fire and not realizing how hot it was.
And I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to run away… or step even closer.
The moment I stepped inside the Dragunov estate, I had the unsettling realization that Revenant—sleek, glassy, powerful Revenant—was merely expensive. This place waswealth. Unapologetic, blood-forged wealth. The Dragunovs clearly had alegacy, and they chose to spend their money here in one of the newest cities in the world.
The foyer opened into a vast living space with soaring ceilings and polished stone floors that gleamed under the warm lighting. Dark wood lined the walls, interwoven with modern steel and glass. Heavy furniture in deep charcoal and sand tones gave the space a masculine, minimalist elegance, while screens recessed into the walls flickered with encrypted data streams. Everything was curated and intentional. Every corner whispered of money, muscle, and meticulous organization and control.
I moved farther in, trailing my fingers over a smooth marble counter as the three Dragunov brothers followed me almost like my own personal entourage of danger concealed in luxuriously tailored suits.
“Nice place,” I commented.
Andrei grinned. “It grows on you.”
Viktor gave a crooked smirk. “Everything here has a price tag that makes people nervous.”
“Money doesn’t impress me.” I tried to make my voice sound blasé.
Mikhail closed the door behind us, the soft click of the lock somehow ominous. “It needn’t impress you,” he said. “But it should make you wary.”
I turned toward him. His expression was calm, composed, even handsome in that severe, stoic way that made my stomach twist despite my better judgment.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.
He walked past me, unhurried, hands clasped behind his back like some aristocratic general surveying his land. “You’re not in St. Petersburg anymore,” he said. “Here, you’re in the belly of the beast. Dubai is a high-tech battleground disguised as a desert paradise.”
I bristled. “I can handle myself anywhere.”
“That’s what you believe.” He stopped in front of me, gaze thoughtful. “You’re brave, yes. Intelligent. Resourceful. But Dubai is a different world, one where the wrong step doesn’t get you reprimanded. It gets you killed.”
I lifted my chin. “Wow,” I said, letting sarcasm drip from every syllable. “You really know how to get a lady wet, don’t you?”
Andrei snorted. Viktor choked on the water bottle he’d just taken a swig from.
A slow, calculating smile tugged at the corners of Mikhail’s mouth, but it wasn’t a warm smile. It was dangerous. It was knowing.
He stepped closer, just enough to tilt the air between us.
“Are you wet right now,little girl?” he asked quietly.
My entire brain short-circuited.
