Sophie fills the kettle with water and sets it to boil. The soft hum starts as I watch her prepare two mugs and search thecupboard for the tea. “I only have mint,” she says, finding a container with tea bags.
“Mint’s perfect. But could we please get to the important part?”
She smiles, dropping the tea bags into the mugs before leaning her elbows on the island. She shares the story of everything that happened. Her being kidnapped and held in a dungeon of a sex club, which makes me wince. She shares the way she and Luka slowly grew closer and decided they had no other choice but to run away.
“If we stayed, their family business would be in shambles and I would be in danger,” she tells me, pouring the boiling water into our mugs.
I have a feeling she skipped quite a few parts of the story, but I guess it’s enough for one night.
“I’m happy, Alex. Really happy.” She finishes the story.
The thought of her being kidnapped made a weight sit in my stomach, yet seeing her like this, full of life and happy, eases most of it.
“What about you? How did you and Leon get together?” she asks, blowing gently on the scorching tea.
“I was looking for you…”
“Oh, Alex.”
I swallow around the lump in my throat. “You left me a note on a Petrovic Casino flyer, so that’s where I started.”
“Fuck, I’m an idiot. I should have been more careful.” Regret drips from her gaze. “But we were in a rush to leave and I just didn’t want you to think I was dead.”
Her words make me chuckle. “Well, that note was somewhat reassuring. It also gave me a purpose. A place to look for you.” I take a sip of tea. “So I started going to Petrovic Casino.”
I tell her how Leon and I met, how we started sort of seeing each other. Then I share how he thought me and her were guilty of the fact that Luka was missing.
“He did not!” Sophie gasps, her mouth dropping.
“Don’t worry. I made him grovel for it.” I wink at her, but it doesn’t feel fake. The memory of him chasing me out of his apartment still hurts, but it doesn’t debilitate me, wrapping a tight fist around my heart. No, it’s something I’m aware happened, but something I know will never happen again. It hurt me so much because of my past trauma, but he had his own trauma, too. He lost his father, and he thought he was losing his brother.
“Good. You’re together now?”
“Sort of. I don’t know. He kind of told me he loved me just before we came here.”
She squeals with delight, her hands hugging the warm mug. “And you?”
“I haven’t said it back. Not yet.”
“But you do, don’t you? You love him?”
I shrug, but my lips tell on me, pulling themselves upward. Sophie squeals again, and it hits me how much she has changed since being with Luka.
The truth is, I think I already loved Leon before, when our relationship consisted of poker and sex. It’s why it hurt so much when he sent me away. Now, after seeing how thoughtful, how caring he actually is, I think I love him even more. But I still want him to wait a little longer to hear it.
We drink the rest of our tea, as she fills me in on where they were after they ran away. Eventually, the guys return, their game faces fully in place. I hug Sophie goodbye, the last pieces of the knot in my stomach unraveling.
CHAPTER 44
Leon
She falls asleep in the car, and I carry her upstairs. It’s after two am, so her exhaustion isn’t surprising, especially when you count in all the things that happened tonight. Luka came back. Seeing him felt like a part of me that was missing was finally found. No matter how angry I was, relief was the feeling that overwhelmed all others. He also filled in all the gaps I had about the events that transpired. Now that I know everything, I can’t say I blame him for doing what he did. After all, I forced him to work with our uncle for months, all the while the motherfucker was planning our demise. I knew his moral compass was broken, but I never thought he’d stoop that low. What if he managed to do what he planned? What if he killed Luka? The thought sends heat to my fists. I guess I can thank Sophie for my brother being alive and well. And happy.
Persephone trots after us as I bring Alex into my room and place her onto the bed. She turns to her side, smacking her lips in contentment.
“I will change you into a shirt, okay?” I ask, and she responds with a hum.
Grabbing a plain white shirt from the dresser, I unzip her dress. The dress has been teasing me the whole night. Still, as thewidening slip shows her creamy skin reddened with marks, I only feel sympathy. She needs to be comfortable. I lift her torso to pull the dress over her head, revealing her breasts. The dusty pink nipples make my mouth water. I grit my teeth to keep my tongue from darting out, but I guess a scrap of the dress reaches a tantalizing peak, making her whimper. They pebble in front of my very eyes, making blood rush to my groin.
