I pull the elastic from my ponytail and shake out my hair, running my fingers through the strands as I walk to the bedroom.
“If I asked first, would you have allowed me to?”
“Not a chance in hell.”
His laugh is throaty and sexy and makes my insides clench. “This doesn’t have to be complicated, Evelina. In fact, I’ll make it very simple. When it comes to your safety, I’m going to be an overbearing asshole, and you’ll have to deal with it.”
“Thanks for the warning. You’re a real knight in shining armor.”
“Sweet dreams, Evelina. Put the alarm on.”
The phone line goes dead, and I heave out a deep sigh. There’s nothing here that connects to my real identity, but his men could have planted surveillance equipment.
I retrieve an RF detector from a small cavity I found behind the bathroom mirror. The device fits in my palm, sensitiveenough to pick up wireless transmissions from bugs, cameras, or tracking devices.
I work through the apartment systematically. Door frame. Windows. Light fixtures. Electrical outlets. Smoke detectors. Behind every piece of furniture. Inside every cabinet. I find nothing.
I’ve given Kirill no reason to be suspicious of me, but I’m not taking chances. Tomorrow I’ll need to install a bypass on the alarm system so no one can track when I arm and disarm it.
I glance at the clock on the wall. Nearly three in the morning here, which means it’s ten o’clock in Moscow. Right on time for my weekly call.
I change into an oversized sweater and leggings, scrub off my makeup, and settle into bed with my laptop propped against my knees. I hit “call”, and the connection opens with a soft chime. My screen fills with Pavel’s kitchen in Moscow, the morning light streaming through windows.
“I get to talk first! I’ve been waiting the longest!”
Kin, Pavel’s five-year-old son, crowds the screen, his face too close to the camera. Hope appears behind him, smiling as she pulls her son onto her lap. “Okay, okay, settle down. Dinara can see both of you now.”
“Hi, Kin.” God, I’ve missed this kid. He’s wearing his signature dinosaur pajamas, his hair sticking up in different directions.
He came into my life a year ago, after Pavel and Hope reconnected. Hope is the daughter of a triad leader and the Syndicate’s sworn enemy, but Pavel didn’t give a shit about all that. He was obsessed with her and put a ring on it. Kin was a lucky addition.
“Dinara! Guess what?” He doesn’t wait for me to guess. “Papa said I can get a real turtle for my birthday if I take care of a fish for a whole month without forgetting.”
“A turtle? That’s a big responsibility.”
“I know. But I’m five now, so I’m ‘sponsible.” He says it with a seriousness that makes me bite back a smile.
Hope leans forward, her hand resting on his shoulder. Despite the early hour, she looks flawless, hair pulled back in a bun, not a stitch of makeup. “Good morning. Or should I say good night?”
“Technically it’s early morning here. Like two a.m. early.”
Hope’s eyebrows lift. “Let me guess. You haven’t been to bed yet.”
“Guilty. I was working on a project and lost track of time.”
Hope rolls her eyes, but her smile is affectionate. “Girl, you’re in New York freakin’ city. Go out and have some fun. Maybe meet a tall, dark and handsome stranger.”
If she only knew.
“Did you know turtles can live to be really, really old? Like a hundred years old! And they have shells that protect them from predators, which are animals that want to eat them, and…”
“Kin, love, take a breath.” Hope laughs, squeezing his shoulder.
“But I have to tell Dinara about turtles!”
“I’m listening,” I assure him. “Tell me everything.”
He launches into an enthusiastic explanation of turtle biology, surprisingly detailed for a five-year-old. Hope catches my eye over his head and mouths sorry, but I wave her off. This is exactly what I needed. Something normal. Something that reminds me why I’m doing this.
