But he doesn’t budge.
His eyes grow darker around the edges. He drops his arms at his sides and steps forward, closing the distance between us.
“You’ve been standing there, completely frozen, like you’re fucking rooted to the spot. I saw you, drifting in and out. I know something’s on your mind. You know better than to tell me otherwise.” He pauses, and a flicker of uncertainty passes through his gaze. “All of this…it bothers you, doesn’t it?”
My chest flutters with warmth that, despite everything going on, he watched out for me.Noticedme. But it would be selfish of me to keep this conversation going any longer.
So I move.Finally.
I step closer to him, basking in his warmth and familiar scent. Gently, with as much reassurance as I can muster, I place a hand on his chest.
“Leo…” I swallow. “Your sister needs you. Your men need you. We need to go. When we come back, we can talk about whatever you want, okay? Now’s not the time.”
Leonid’s big hands cover mine, and his brow furrows. He looks like he wants to argue.
“Leonid, I’m fine,” I insist softly, cutting him off before he can even speak the words. I lean into his chest, feeling thepowerful thud of his heartbeat before I retract my hand. “Let’s go.”
He stares down at me for one agonizing second, checking my face for any sign of weakness. Finding none, he lets out a rough breath, grabs my hand, and pulls me along with him.
We hurry out of the war room, marching through the stark hallways until we reach the main entrance of the compound.
The cool night air hits my face, carrying the sharp scent of exhaust and damp asphalt.
In the courtyard, the men’s blacked-out SUVs are already lined up like a fleet, their headlights cutting through the darkness.
Leonid strides purposefully toward the lead vehicle. He doesn’t let go of my hand.
He opens the passenger door for me first, his grip lingering on my waist as I slide into the seat. Then he slams the door shut, rounds the hood, and throws himself into the driver’s seat.
The moment his fingers wrap around the steering wheel, the powerful engine revs, a deep, guttural roar that vibrates straight through my bones, heightening my anxiety.
With a tight, determined expression, Leonid shifts into drive.
Our car surges forward, leading the fleet of vehicles as we speed through the secure gates and into the night.
***
The drive is long, and the blurred trees outside the window prove how fast we’re actually moving.
Inside the car, the silence is thick, broken only by the low, steady hum of the engine.
Leonid keeps his grip tight around the steering wheel, his eyes locked on the dark road ahead, but I can feel the weight ofhis attention as he throws sharp, intense glances at me every few minutes.
Without taking his gaze from the windshield, a low rumble vibrates in his chest.
He speaks a phrase in Russian, and the words are smooth, heavy, and intimate as they roll off his tongue.
I turn my head on the headrest to look at the sharp profile of his jaw. “What does that mean?”
His fingers flex slightly on the wheel. “It means you’re beautiful,” he says, his voice dropping into a register that makes my stomach flip. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Elena. Like my peace in the middle of the storm.”
A bittersweet warmth floods my chest, but the gravity of where we’re going forces a small, breathless laugh from my lips. “You’re choosing a very interesting time for flattery, Leonid Nazarov.”
He smirks, a lazy but attractive twist of his lips, and offers a slight shrug of his broad shoulders.
He doesn’t say anything else, and the rest of the ride falls back into a quiet, heavy stillness as the bright city lights fade entirely into the background.
Finally, the car slows down, pulling to a halt at a secluded location tucked away from the main roads. It’s dark, with barely any flicker of light in the surrounding buildings.
