On the way to the staircase, I overheard Gavril’s voice behind one of the closed doors. So, I found his lair. His voice was raised in an angry manner, one I was glad wasn’t directed at me. I suspected the argument had something to do with me since I was his most recent problem, and carefully pressed my ear to the door.
Suddenly, his tone shifted, and it sounded like he was agreeing with whoever was on the other end of the conversation.
“When you have a more solid plan for what to do with her, and how to deal with her family, I’ll hear you out.”
I stumbled back, clapping my hand silently over my mouth to keep from gasping out loud. There was no doubt in my mind that he was talking about me. My family was the one he was going to deal with. Horror filled me. I had to work carefully to keep from hyperventilating. Anger and helplessness threatened to make me start shaking, but I held my body stiff.
How could I forget who Gavril was, even for one evening? I was so averse to confrontation that I could barely let a server know when my food order wasn’t correct, so I was used to stuffing my feelings down and going along with things to keep the peace. That might have been an excuse to sit and watch a three-hour miniseries with him, but did I have to enjoy it so much?
Because I had. Not just because I loved the story, but because the conversation after was lively and made me think about someone else’s viewpoint. And I had no excuse at all forenjoying that kiss. So much so that I was actually disappointed when he left me alone in my guest room.
Admitting it to myself angered me as much as overhearing his plans for my family.
The man was my enemy.
I was still frozen outside his door when the handle turned. Jerking back to life, I hurried away down the hall as Gavril came out. I swiveled toward the stairs, pretending I was only heading toward the kitchen for breakfast.
“It’s awfully early,” he said, stopping me in my tracks. Better than ending up slung over his shoulder if I kept fleeing, or worse, cradled against his chest.
“I’m an early riser,” I said. “And I’m starving.” Neither of those statements was true. I liked working as an independent contractor so I could roll out of bed at ten and work well past midnight if I chose. A nervous yawn let him know I was lying.
“Well, come on, then,” he said, following me.
I was dying inside, wanting nothing more than to hide in my room until he was gone for the day. Maybe without his presence infecting the whole mansion, I could get some sleep. Did he figure out I was listening in on his conversation?
I snuck a peek, and he didn’t look overly mad. It was hard to tell under his ever-present scowl. Instead of interrogating me when we reached the kitchen, he only asked what I was hungry for.
A tiny devil on my shoulder made me blurt out something I knew wouldn’t be available, just to be difficult. “A shrimp breakfast taco from Dario’s taco shack. It’s on—”
“I’m aware of it,” he said. “I’m sure Varvara can make you something similar.”
I scoffed, committed. “Then you’ve never had their secret spicy sauce. They guard it with their lives. I’ve got chefs in my family, and they couldn’t recreate it.”
He rolled his eyes. “Shrimp and spicy sauce for breakfast.”
“Well, if you can’t handle the heat, you could always get the plain potato and egg.”
I originally only wanted him to admit I couldn’t have what I wanted so I could escape back to the relative safety of my room and bury my head in a book, but now I rather enjoyed the brief burst of outrage in his eyes.
“Can’t handle the heat,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Get your jacket on, we’ll head out right now and beat the long lines.”
I couldn’t hide my shock. It was barely five AM, the sun wasn’t even fully up. But he was offering to take me out of the house. Could this be my big chance to make a break for it? I nodded, following him to the hall and reaching for any random coat in the closet. My heart was racing, and my mind spinning a hundred miles an hour.
I had to take advantage of this opportunity I teased myself into. But how, and would I ever be able to dig deep enough to find the courage?
Chapter 16 - Gavril
As soon as I spotted my scared mouse hovering around outside my room, I suspected Lilia of eavesdropping. It was actually in character for her, probably imagining she was gathering clues to take me down. It was adorably charming, especially the ultra casual way she scampered off, changed her mind at the last second, and swerved to pretend she was always just making her way downstairs.
She was clearly afraid I’d let loose with a storm of rage, but so what if she overheard something? What could she possibly do?
Then again, maybe she really was hungry for that disgusting-sounding breakfast taco, and I liked the idea of a quiet sunrise drive with my wife.
I liked the fact that she was my wife way too much. If I wasn’t careful, I might forget this wasn’t just a transactional relationship, meant to be used as a battering ram against the Petrovs—or perhaps a bridge?
That was as unlikely as me trying a shrimp taco, but the dig about not being able to handle the heat made me decide to enjoy myself and Lilia, for at least a little while. Shoving Luigi out of my thoughts, I escorted her out to the garage.
“Choose a car,” I said magnanimously, and yes, showing off a little. I was supremely proud of my collection and waited for her to gasp with pleasure as she walked up and down the rows of cars so expensive a person could live off the auction prices of one of them for their entire life.
