Dammit.
I loved that laugh. Loved the way he smiled when he wasn’t trying. I loved how easy it was to talk to him, how natural everything felt—too natural.
My heart gave an uncomfortable little twist.
Good God, I thought, panic whispering at the edges of my mind. Was I actually falling for him?
Chapter 30
Kian
Iwaited across the street, the engine idling beneath me as I leaned against the warm hood of my Aston Martin, hands buried in my pockets and my gaze never wavering from my woman.
The glass front of Vlorë Hospital reflected a neat row of Balkan pines, their leaves shivering in the fragrant breeze. Traffic crawled past with the low hiss of tires on sun-warmed asphalt. Sophie practically skipped toward the entrance, light on her feet in a vintage navy summer dress that swayed just below her knees. It had that 1950s charm you saw in old movies, the kind that celebrated curves and made heads turn.
And Sophie… She had a figure that drew more glances than I would’ve liked, the kind that made a man feel equal parts proud and territorial.
I should get going, knowing what was waiting for me, but a part of me wanted her to turn around—to hesitate, to already miss me—but I knew better. From everything she’d told me, she was single-minded when it came to work.
Just before she reached the doors, she slowed. Maybe she felt my eyes on her, because she glanced over, sunlight catching like fire in her hair, and blew me a kiss.
That was all it took.
I turned into a complete schmuck, grinning like an idiot. It made my fucking day.
I lifted a hand and waved back, letting the moment stretch. The automatic doors slid open and she disappeared inside, swallowed by fluorescent lights.
Off to the side, the two men I’d assigned blended into the morning with loosened ties and sunglasses, pretending to wait for a bus. One of them peeled away and followed her inside. He’d hover. Close enough to react, far enough to be invisible. Sophie would be safe.
That took the edge off, just a little.
I entered my car and drove away, the smile still on my face. The hospital shrank in the rearview.
Gradually, the streets thinned, color draining into rust and gray as I drove toward the industrial outskirts. An abandoned warehouse waited there, baking quietly in the sun.
Inside it, an entourage of men awaited judgment day.
I pushed open the door, its rusted hinges shrieking in protest. Musty air rolled out to meet me, thick with dust, oil, and the faint tang of blood.
Amir was sprawled on a folding chair near the center of the floor, boots hooked around one of the chair’s legs, his phone held low in one hand. The glow from the screen lit his face, and the grin on it told me everything I needed to know. He was either riding happy or about to cost me money.
The door slammed shut behind me, the echo snapping through the warehouse like a gunshot. Amir looked up, eyes flicking toward me, that grin still firmly in place.
“Hello, boss,” he said cheerfully.
Definitely way too happy.
I shrugged out of my suit jacket and tossed it onto a nearby table. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”
His smile widened, pride shining through it now, unguarded. “Dina and I are getting married.”
I stopped short, surprised at his openness, then nodded once. “About time.”
“You’re not surprised?” he questioned.
“No.” I’d long suspected those two were an item, even though they tried to hide it from everyone. “So when is the happy day?”
He let out a quiet laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “We want to get married next weekend.”
