Not at the cushion still dented with her shape.
Not at the empty space where I almost let myself belong to someone.
Where I almost let her own me.
Chapter 24
Ayla
Ilie in the dark, the sheets tangled around my legs, staring at the ceiling I can’t even see. The bed’s huge and right now it feels like a battlefield with Maksim on the far side, a chasm of silence between us. He hasn’t looked me in the eye all day.
Not since the couch.
Not since he fucked me like he owned me and then snapped back into that cold shell like nothing happened. Like I was something he’d finally gotten out of his system. My body’s still humming from it, a low ache between my thighs that won’t quit.
Part of me wonders if I should roll over, slide a hand across that invisible line, and see if he’ll let me start something. Climb on top, take what I want this time—make him look at me.
But what if that was a one-time thing? What if that’s his thing? Fuck a girl raw and move on?
If that’s the case...shit.I’ll have to deal with Gabriel.
Swallow my pride, feed him whatever scraps I can scrape together without giving away too much.
The Bratva’s weak spots I’ve cataloged in my head… they’re mine now, not his.
But if Maksim’s done with me, I have to give Gabriel something soon.
The thought makes something tight coil under my ribs.
I need to be smarter.
I sigh, louder than I mean to.
Damn it. Gabriel. He won’t send anyone to find me—he doesn’t even know exactly where I am, but he’ll expect intel.Movement.Proof that I’m still useful.
The mattress shifts slightly. Maksim’s voice cuts through the dark, low and rough. “What was the money for?”
I freeze, “What?”
“The money.” He pauses. “In your backpack. What was that for?”
My pulse stumbles.
I turn onto my side, peering at his profile silhouette against the faint glow from the window.
I consider lying.
I consider deflecting.How honest do I get here?
“To leave the city.”
Silence hits like the air has been vacuumed out of the room. Heavy, like he’s not even breathing.
I wait, despite my pulse picking up. Just when I’m about to poke him—say something snarky to break it, he speaks again.
“Where would you go?”
“Anywhere.”
