I'm lying in his bed, waiting for him to come home, missing him like he's someone I have the right to miss.
15
ANDREI
The estate is quiet when I return.
I step through the front entrance, Viktor and two other men flanking me. We're all exhausted. The past three days have been brutal—coordinating strikes against Volkov's supply lines, shoring up defenses, meeting with allies who are starting to question whether this war is worth the cost. I haven't slept more than a few hours total, and my body is screaming for rest.
But first, I need to see her.
The thought is unwelcome. I push it aside, intending to go to my office and review the intelligence reports that have surely accumulated in my absence. That's what I should do. What I need to do.
Instead, I find myself walking upstairs toward her room.
The door is closed. I push it open. The room is empty.
My chest tightens, and I tell myself it's irrational She's probably just in the bathroom, or?—
I check the bathroom. Empty. She's not here.
Panic hits me like a fist to the gut.Where the fuck is she? Did someone take her? Did she escape? Is she hurt?
I stride quickly back into the hallway, my pulse hammering in my ears. "Viktor!"
He appears immediately, concern flickering across his face when he sees my expression. "Boss?"
"Where is she?"
"The captive?" He looks confused. "I don't know. I assumed she was in her room."
"She's not." My voice is too sharp. I force myself to breathe. "Find her. Now."
Viktor nods and disappears. I hear him calling to the other men, organizing a search. I should let them handle it. I should go to my office and wait for them to report back.
I can't.
I move through the mansion like a man possessed, checking every room, every corner. The kitchen—empty. The dining room—empty. The sitting rooms, the study, the?—
The library.
The door is slightly ajar, and I push it open the rest of the way.
She's there.
Relief crashes over me so hard my knees nearly buckle. She's sitting in one of the leather chairs near the window, a book open in her lap, sunlight streaming over her hair and turning it gold. She looks peaceful. Safe.
She looks beautiful.
She looks up when I enter, and her eyes widen… almost like she's happy to see me. Like she's been waiting for me. "You're back," she says, starting to stand.
My heart is still pounding with the adrenaline and fear of thinking she was gone. "What are you doing here?" My voice comes out cold and flat.
She freezes, the smile fading. "I was just reading. I thought?—"
"You thought what?" I step into the room, closing the door behind me. "That you could wander wherever you wanted? That the rules don't apply to you? Did I tell you that you were free to go wherever you wanted while I was away? After whatjusthappened before I left?"
"I didn't think?—"
