I blinked, knowing that meant I should keep my cool. But I appreciated his being careful with what she heard or saw. All the Orlovs were careful like that.
“What happened?” I swallowed hard, hating that more danger was imminent.
“A bomb was sent to Mikhail’s building this morning. The security team intercepted it. No one has been hurt.”
My jaw dropped as I released the laundry basket. It fell onto the bed and tilted.
Unbothered, he reached out and straightened it.
Claire had just gotten married. She was pregnant. Her vulnerability made me overly protective of any danger near her. And Anya, too. She had such a bright future ahead of her.
“The Giovannis are escalating their threats,” he continued, “and it might be wise to have some distance for a while. Just while Mikhail orders additional security measures to be implemented, namely with more cameras on all the properties on this block.”
I nodded vaguely, on board with anything to keep my new friends safe. Anything to keep myself and Maisie safe too.
And you.
I didn’t want this man dead. I couldn’t think of losing Sergei as I let my anger for him wear off.
Yet, a little niggling and nagging voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I only had to feel endangered because of him. It was clear now that those Popov men had targeted me that second time because of my association with this ruthless enforcer. The first scare on the street had been nothing but chance. But now, I would always have to accept that being near this family meant more inherent risks.
We packed and took off for a beachfront location down south, at another property the Orlovs owned. Maisie was ecstatic about a vacation, more so because Anya came to the villa with us instead of going with her father and Claire. She figured they could have a honeymoon that way, and I was more than glad to have her help with Maisie.
I hated myself for wanting to be grateful to Sergei for his protection, but I couldn’t deny that the change of scenery—to somewhere tropical that I never could’ve imagined visiting on my own—seemed like exactly what I needed.
We settled in and relaxed. Even Sergei seemed able to lower his guard, removed from the chaos back in New York. With this different outlook, and the switch up in the location, I felt like I could get a better glimpse of the man he was.
Not the killer.
Spotting him at the private pool or walking on the beach shirtless, I could more clearly experience the phantom touch of his mouth and hands onmybare skin.
And without the ever-present reminder that I had choked and run away that one night, I fell further and deeper under the draw that still magnetized me to him.
Against all reason, I approached him one night after checking that Anya and Maisie were content in the big living room on the first floor, fast asleep as a movie played on mute. A full day of swimming and playing on the beach had worn all of us out, but I was too wired to rest.
I headed to the balcony where Sergei liked to stare out at the ocean. He was there, a solid mass of muscles and lethal power, leaning his forearms against the railing. Darkness spread past him, and the rhythmic crashing of the waves on the shore lent to the otherworldly setting that served as another clue that we weren’t in New York. We were removed from the violence and the chasm that yawned between us.
He tipped his head to the side but didn’t fully face me. Of course, he would detect my approach. He missed nothing about his surroundings.
“I was talking to Claire earlier,” I said, reaching for any excuse of an ice breaker.
He turned, facing me fully as he leaned his hips against the railing. “Yeah?”
I continued to approach, second-guessing myself with every step but despising how badly I missed him.
“She said Mikhail thinks they could go home tomorrow.” It seemed that a week was enough time away.
He nodded. “I know.”
I stopped within arm’s reach and nodded.Duh. Of course he knows.“Will we be leaving then as well?”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug and gave me a slow once-over. “If you want.”
“You mean if Maisie wants?” I asked jokingly.
“You’re her mother. It’s your choice if you want to cater to her wishes.”
I raised my brows. I had been under the illusion that everything was up to him. But as I thought back on the distance I put between us, I knew that was wrong. He wasn’tthatoverbearing. If he was, he wouldn’t have humored me with my aloofness for the past weeks.
