Maverick grins. “We crush them.”
Baron lets out a low whistle and I suck the inside of my cheek.Annihilatewas the word I was thinking of.
But yes. That.
I have no interest in going home. The last thing I need right now is to get into a senseless heated argument with Jenica. If I’m being honest, I have no interest in talking to anyone with Chadovich blood running through their veins.
The alternative is paying Amara a visit.
I let myself in and immediately my nerves settle in my skin a little. She’s been here for a few weeks, but already the place feels like her. Smells like her. It’s quiet and clean, unlike thehomeI’m obligated to go back to every night. Jenica is always blaring something, either loud music or the latest reality TV show where people are usually screaming at each other. She’s also a mess, leaving shoes and clothes scattered around the place and makeup splayed out over the surface of every goddamn bathroom counter.
Amara is tidy, in every sense of the word.
Speaking of… where is she?
The kitchen is empty, lit only by the under-cabinet lighting. The TV is off in the living room.
I head towards the stairs to see if she’s in her room, possibly already asleep. Or if I’m lucky, maybe she’s in the shower. But as I pass the office, I notice the door is cracked, a soft glow peeking through.
“Amara?” I ask softly, pressing the door open further.
“Oh!” She jumps slightly. “What are you doing here?”
“I think I should be asking you the same thing,” I tell her, my eyes sweeping over the laptop and an array of organized papers in front of her.
“I’m just catching up on some work,” she says as she continues to type, studying one of the papers.
“What work?” I ask, stepping fully into the room.
“No offense, but since I left, it seems a lot of things in the Apex system are a bit… messy.”
“Oh, I’m aware. That’s why I hired you again. But that doesn’t mean you are permitted to work overtime. In fact,” I say, closing the laptop, “I forbid it.”
Amara gives me a sassy look. “I’m just trying to keep things organized. It will make my job easier, which will make your job run more smoothly and?—”
“The only thing I care about right now is you getting some rest. You worked all day. And if I had to guess, it was a long day.”
“You have no idea,” she mutters, and it occurs to me that there’s some angst hiding in that remark.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Did something happen? Something that upset you?”
Amara bites her lip and her eyes refuse to meet mine. That in itself tells me something is up. She’s hiding something. And after today, I’m hardly in the mood for secrets.
“Dorogoya…” I layer the word with as much syrup as one can with a Russian accent. Honestly, I think she likes that Russian is rough. By the way it makes her shift in her seat, she prefers it.
“I had a visitor at the office today while you were in a meeting,” she admits.
I frown. “Same visitor as last time?”
“Yep.”
I let out a frustrated breath. “And what did she want this time? To rub it in your face that I’m legally bound to her?”
“No. She did a thorough enough job of that the day she stopped by the house. Today was more of a threat to stay in my own lane. That I might work for you, but she is your wife.”
I wince at the word. What is it with Chadovichs and their little threats? “Don’t worry about her,” I say.
“Kind of hard not to when she keeps showing up all the time,” I mutter.
