She closes her eyes and turns her face away. “Ok. We’ll go to New York. I’m ready for this all to be over.” It’s almost like she’s accepting her fate. Like she’s going to the gallows instead of going back home with me.
“I’ll pack your suitcase up for you,” I offer. “It’s the least I can do since you’re saddled with me and clearly not happy about it.”
I walk away and Natasha doesn’t call out for me, even though I wish she would.
After I pack our bags, we stand in the villa, facing each other, feeling like there’s a wall between us.
“Ready to go?” I ask her.
“Ready,” she whispers, even though she doesn’t look ready at all.
Chapter Eight
Natasha
Maksim’s apartment is in the heart of the city. It’s more of a penthouse really, overlooking central park. It’s classical in its style. Comfy and cozy if this was my home but it’s not. I left my home behind.
“Here’s the bedroom,” he says showing me a large grand room with an even larger grand bed in the middle. This is the place I’ll be sharing with Maksim every night. Even though we slept side by side on our wedding night, I don’t think sharing a bed will bring us closer. I’m worried it’s only going to tear us further apart.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmur.
“Thank you. I personally decorated the entire apartment. It’s the one place I can call my own. And now it’s… yours too.”
“Will I have a place here I can call my own?”
He pauses for a moment. “Do you want a place? There’s a guest bedroom. We could convert it into a room for you.”
“A bedroom?”
“More like a room you can call your own. We should share a bedroom. It’s what married couples do. Or so I think. I’ve never done this before.” He flashes me a charming smile that makes me want to smile in return if only I could trust Maksim. If only I could stop being so afraid of him.
“I would like that,” I answer. “A room of my own.”
“Well, we can do that. I have my own office so it’s fair you have one of your own as well. Now, since we’re back, you should get settled in. I have some business to attend to.”
“Business?”
“Just work.”
Mafia work. I know I shouldn’t want to know but I do. My father kept me in the dark to the point where I’m not sure exactly what happened to my mother. I don’t want to be kept in the dark with Maksim.
“Tell me,” I insist. “If we’re going to make this marriage work, I need to know exactly what you do.”
“The Italians are moving in. Ever since Nikolai – you met him at the wedding remember? – eliminated Alexei, your father’s friend, it opened up space for the Italians to move into. Now we’re dealing with that. One of the bosses, Enzo Bianchi, is causing problems over these past few weeks. We’re holding him at bay but it will be best if I get back to work.”
“Right.” I never expected Maksim to share so much with me. My father never told me a thing about his work. If I ever tried to ask, he’d scold me so badly for it, I would only feel numb.
“I called Kira. She’ll come over later so you don’t have to be here alone.”
“I like my alone time.”
He blinks. “Well… I was just trying to help.”
“I know,” I sigh. Never on the same page.
“Anyway. I have work to deal with. And my father. He won’t be happy we can back early. So I’ll see you later tonight?”
“Yes.” Where else will I be? I don’t know New York and it sounds too terrifying to go exploring on my own. After what happened in Greece… I shudder at the memory.
