At twenty, he had already seen a lot of things. That was one of the reasons I insisted Maxim let me bring in my own driver, something that went against everything my brother stood for. He’d researched Juvie’s background, interrogated him better than a CIA agent, and put him through some crazy ass trainings. Juvie had proven himself solid, just like I’d known he would. So,right now, I wasn't surprised to find myself agreeing with the youngin’. This shit was beyond a simple job. It was almost like someone was angry that Theory wasn’t here. I exhaled heavily as Juvie clapped my shoulder.
“I gotta go tell her,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, you can have that. Me and Comrade Mikhail will give you a minute,” he said.
“Yeah. Thanks,” I sighed before exiting the house and beginning the suddenly long walk down the driveway.
I rubbed my hand down my face as the reality of the situation settled over me. My shorty was already fighting me; this shit wasn't gon' help. Drawing closer to the Yukon, I could see Theory sitting in the driver's seat, her hands clenched around the steering wheel. Even through the tinted glass, I could tell she was worried, her honey eyes scanning the neighborhood as if she were expecting someone to emerge from behind one of the houses. The need to reassure her, to protect her, was sudden and overwhelming. The luxuriously appointed SUV was a stronghold on wheels, but even it wasn’t secure enough right now. I tapped on the window and listened as she disengaged the locks. I opened the door and slid into the passenger seat beside her, forcing a small smile despite the news I had to deliver.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied, her voice softer than the plush interior of the car.
Her eyes met mine, waiting expectantly. After a moment of silence, she leaned back and sighed. Tension flooded the air between us.
“What did they take?” she finally asked.
“Probably nothing. But they… it’s fucked up,milaya,” I told her abruptly.
Her beautiful face suddenly looked pale, and I could see her heart rate spike as the pulse in her throat beat rapidly. Shakingmy head, I reached out and grabbed her hand. “You safe, Theory. You gon’staysafe.”
Her breath quickened, panic flashing in those pretty eyes. “Safe? What if they come back?”
“What if they do?” I countered. “It don’t matter cuz you won’t be here. You thought I was gon’ leave you alone for them to try again? Nah, baby. I ain’t taking that chance.”
She pulled her hands away, her body suddenly stiff. “I can handle myself just fine, Targen. And you must be forgetting who my people are? Those same men you been discussing things with behind my back won’t let anything happen to me. I don’t need to be an inconvenience.”
Her words ran me hot. She wasn’t about to be out here depending on other men for a damn thing, and the fact that she thought protecting her was a hardship? Nah, we had to get some shit straight.
“You could never be an inconvenience. I’m glad for every moment I have had and will have with you. And those men you talking about already had a system for you that was running alongside the system a fucking Russian boss installed. Somebody got past all that. Your safety is my responsibility from now on, Theory. You staying with me.”
She stared at me for a moment, like she was debating whether to cuss me out or give in to my insistence that she stay with me. Observing her tumultuous expressions was like watching a storm roll in—possibly dangerous, yet undeniably beautiful. And just like a storm, she was threatening to unleash her fury. But Theory needed to understand that she’d never been coming back to this house to live. The break-in only underscored that. I needed her to accept that in her mind. Then, I was going to make her want it in her heart.
I leaned closer, lowering my voice. “Don’t ask me to leave you to stay alone, knowing someone is watching. Don’t ask me towatch somebody come for you while I'm not there to stop them. I can replace your valuables, I can replace that damn house, but I can’t replace your life, Theory. Losing you is… nah, I’m not letting that happen, baby.”
“Targen,” she murmured, surprising me by reaching out to cup my cheek.
For a minute, the air stilled. Shit was heavy with the feelings between us. Just when I thought she might go easily, she shook her head, so damn proud and defiant. “Please, don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“I shouldn’t have to beg you to let me keep you safe,” I gritted, frustrated with her little stubborn ass. “I'm asking you to trust me—nobody cares more about your safety than I do.Nobody. I’m tryna give you the chance to see that, Theory.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And if I don’t take that chance? Like, why are we pretending that this is about my agreeing? You gon’ do what you wanna do anyway.”
“Don’t be like that,malyshka.I want you with me, so I’m gon’ do what I think is right. I ain’t gon’ lie to you about that. You being alone right now is reckless, and I don’t do reckless when it comes to you.”
“You’re acting like you don’t understand that this is my home, Targen. You don’t understand the work and care I put into this house, especially after—” She stopped suddenly, turning her head away from me.
I hated that she was hurting, that her connection to me was causing her pain once again. My words wouldn’t make it much better right now. Theory needed and deserved action from me. She was damn sure gon’ get it.
“I’m sorry for what you losing,milaya. But what we gon’ build is gon’ be beautiful,” I promised.
“How? How, with a foundation of coercion and control, Targen?” she demanded.
“You not hearing me. I don’t want to coerce and control you. I want to protect you. You can’t stop me from doing that cuz you mad. You think I wanted to leave you? You think any of that shit was easy? That even one day of it was?—”
“Then why did you stay gone?”
The words bubbled out in a scream that shocked both of us. She slapped her hand over her mouth, a sheen of tears clouding her brown eyes. It was a question I couldn’t answer yet. I’d already revealed too much.
