Ilay raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure? The seats were volunteered freely."
I stare at him, incredulous.Volunteered?I look at the two guys now standing with their heads down, shoulders hunched in submission, clearly terrified. "You're literally threatening people to stand up and you're calling thatvoluntary?"
I shake my head and mutter under my breath, "I'm fine standing. Just because you make enemies everywhere you go doesn't mean I want to be on that ship when it sinks."
The train lurches forward suddenly, rattling along the tracks with a jarring, uneven rhythm. I sway dangerously, nearly losing my balance with every bump, and Ilay's irritation is palpable. His jaw tightens, his hand grips the pole harder, and within seconds Mikhail is storming toward the front of the train, shouting at the poor operator.
"Do you want to injure our boss and his wife? Drive softer! Slow down this instant!"
I want to melt into the floor and disappear completely. I just keep shaking my head, mortified beyond words. What the hell? Why did this man even follow me if he was just going to cause chaos and draw attention everywhere we go?
Meanwhile, Ilay issmiling innocently. Like this is entertaining to him. His hand finds my waist, steadying me every time I tip, and there's something infuriatingly smug in the way he holds me, like he enjoys being the only thing keeping me upright.
By the time we finally escape the train station, I'm beyond embarrassed. People are still staring, whispering to each other behind their hands, and I don't look back at any of them. I just keep walking fast, praying to put distance between us and that disaster.
Thankfully, we've finally reached my neighborhood. I head straight up the familiar stairs to my building. I got up to my door opening it and step inside. Ilay ducks in right after me, and immediately I'm reminded of how impossibly tall he is in this space, how he takes up all the air in the room just by existing. He looks around with barely concealed disdain.
"I don't know why you insist on living in this rabbit burrow," he says. "Why not just move in with me permanently? My place is more comfortable. All you'd have to do is pack your things today, and you'd have more space, better amenities, and a strong, handsome man to wake up to every morning."
I turn to face him, folding my arms across my chest. "I amnotpacking my things and abandoning my home just because you don't feel comfortable in what you so charmingly called my 'small rabbit burrow.'"
He laughs, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Fair enough." A beat of silence stretches between us. "Do you need me to help you pack anything, at least?" he ask.
"No. I don't want you anywhere near my clothes, and definitely nowhere near my underwear drawer. So just sit there like a good boy and be quiet."
"Yes, ma'am," he says, grinning wide as he drops onto my small couch, looking far too pleased with himself. I head to my wardrobe and start packing efficiently, ignoring his presence. I stuff in as much as I can fit because this case is going to drag on for a while, and I don't want to keep making trips back and forth between his place and mine.
Chapter 13
????
ILAY
I watch her finish packing, two heavy suitcases now waiting by the door like obedient soldiers, and something possessive curls tight in my chest at the sight of her things ready to leave with me.
I step forward and offer to help, dragging the bags behind me while she's busy texting someone, her fingers flying across the screen with a familiarity.
From the look on her face, soft and open in a way she never is with me, she's setting up a meeting with that friend of hers, and I already know that whatever place she picks is about to get very crowded with my men and me tagging along.
She doesn't seem to mind. Or maybe she's just learned not to fight me on certain things.
At the car, I load her bags carefully into the trunk, taking my time, then move to open the door for her. She slides inside without a word, and I follow, settling into the seat beside her as the driver pulls away from the curb.
The silence stretches between us for a few minutes before she throws a question at me, her voice laced with that familiar irritation I'm starting to crave.
"Don't you have places to go? People to torture and interrogate?" She glances at me sideways, one eyebrow raised. "Why are you chauffeuring me around like this? I'm not a child."
I smile, letting my eyes drag over her face before I answer. "I'm not chauffeuring you, kotyonok. My plans just changed,that's all. Now I have time to follow my beautiful girlfriend around and make sure she doesn't get into trouble."
She rolls her eyes so hard I'm surprised they don't get stuck. "You keep switching between wife and girlfriend. Pick one."
I meet her gaze with a challenge. "You decide. Which do you prefer? Being my girlfriend, or being my wife?"
She shrugs, turning to look out the window like this conversation bores her. "Neither, I don't date gangsters."
I lean in closer, letting my voice drop, so only she can hear. "Well, sweetheart, one way or another, you're going to take my last name. Even if I have to drag you to the altar and force you to sayI dowith my hand around your throat." I pause, letting the words sink in, watching the way her pulse jumps at the base of her neck. "But for now, I'll allow you your little sense of freedom. I'm an exceedingly patient man when I want to be. But don't make me wait too long, Iris. Even gentlemen can turn into barbarians under the right conditions."
I hold her gaze, making sure she understands that I mean every single word. That this isn't a game to me. That she's already mine, whether she accepts it or not.
