He nodded.
“Fuck.” I gripped my hair and looked away.
“She’s the only new person to have been here.”
“No, she’s not. We had two new drivers recently.”
He held his hands up in a truce-like manner. “Fine. I agree. Sofia is not theonlynew personnel here. What stands out to me is that this bug seems to be located inside. It ain’t in the cars or garage.”
I clenched my jaw.
“She is also no longer personnel, Andre. She ain’t been a maid for a while now. She ain’t even working in your office. She’s…”
“Mine,” I stated firmly. “She’smine. You got that?”
“Officially?” he challenged. “Have you claimed her? Have you told your father this?”
I didn’t need him picking at my life. He worked forme, not the other way around. I didn’t answer tohim.
“I will. She’s seemed distracted lately. For fuck’s sake, I am too. I’ve got the Rossis asking questions about that night. The cops now. Sergei just had a kid and…” I blew out a deep breath. “I haven’t had the free time to talk about Sofia with my father.” Even if I did, I wasn’t sure what I’d tell him. Because honestly, I couldn’t shake off this suspicion that there was more to her thanwhat met the eye. She had secrets. I was sure of it. Fuck, I had secrets too. We all did.
“I can’t let go of how few details she’s shared about her past,” I admitted reluctantly.
“When she was hired, you mean?” He nodded. “We asked the agency for more.”
“I know.” I rubbed my jaw. “But it’s not enough.” There was still just a bit of mystery about her. At first, I dismissed it as part of how stubborn she was, how she had seemed to be playing hard to get at first.
Now, though, I was determined to uncover the truth and root out any secrets she might want to keep from me. Shehadto accept that level of openness and vulnerability to stay in my life.
“If you plan on keeping her, then?—”
“She’s not leaving. She can’t.” I shook my head, irritated with how urgently he had to hear that. “I can’t let her go.” Not now, not ever.
At the same time, I would only be a fool to ignore my instincts that were going off about her. Especially lately with how distant she was becoming.
“You said they’ll search for the bug tonight?” I asked.
He nodded. “Then tomorrow morning, we’ll have our answer. We’ll know that Sofia’s not here to spy or steal intel.”
When he didn’t reply, I took it as a slight win that he didn’t argue with me about the fact.
I’ll have my fucking answers about her by tomorrow morning.
I’d get her in my bed tonight, submissive and needy like usual. This time, I wanted her trust, her honesty, even if I had to trick her into revealing why I had such shitty instincts about her identity and the purpose of why she’d shown up in my building at all.
22
SOFIA
Ishowered to kill time until Andre came home. Two nights of helping with the new baby took a toll on how clean I felt. But it wasn’t a superficial discomfort that I tried to get rid of.
I felt dirty and icky deep into the marrow of my bones. That was what a call with my uncle did to me.
I wanted to wash away the stain of ever having known him. I wanted to rinse the gross filth of his horrible treatment so I could feel whole and good again.
Andre could. He made me feel complete and cared for. Wanted and valued. Respected and cherished.
Just… not loved.
