“If I had anger issues, you’d be dead already.” I follow him outside, cross my arms over my chest, and wait for him to speak. “Why’re you here?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Can’t I visit my favorite cousin just because I miss him?”
I sigh. I wonder if he and Tatiana have been practicing the same script lately. They both repeat a whole lot of unusual nonsense sometimes. “Talk before I snap your neck.”
He half-grins. “Right. I heard about Henry Miller’s disappearance, but I clocked that asshole had been acting suspicious for a while. We should’ve taken him when we had the chance.”
“You’re right, we should have. But unless you have a fresh idea on how to deal with his missing ass, I already went over this with Artem earlier today.”
“I know.”
He doesn’t say anything else.
My chest heaves with exasperation at his sudden silence. I came down here to see Elena, not to stand in the hallway, listening to my cousin breathe. “And?”
“I don’t. Not for Henry Miller, anyways. I had some of my men try to track him down, but there’s no sign of him. His record looks clean, but it might have been tampered with.”
His record has to be altered. If he wasn’t the real spy at the docks the night I took Elena, we’re back at square one. “Why’re you here, then?”
He tilts his head to the basement door. “The girl. Elena. Artem told me she’s not tied to the mafia or any other organizations. Her friends and family are also looking for her.”
I think I know where this is going. “So?”
“We can’t keep her any longer.”
“You want me to free her so she can go straight to the police?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“Not that.” He pauses as if considering whether to say his next words or not. “It doesn’t matter whether or not she’s a witness. But one thing’s for certain—she’s a liability, and we can’t let her get into the wrong hands.”
“You’re suggesting I keep her?” I ask, because that’s what I’m already considering, and if everyone else agrees, it won’t be obvious that I’m attracted to her.
“I suggest we kill her.”
A wave of violent rage crashes into me. My hands curl into fists, my teeth clenching so hard my jaw aches. “Don’t you dare say that again,” I snarl. “She’s mine, and I’ll kill anyone who touches even a single strand of her hair. Tell the others I said so. Rather than blab like an idiot about killing a random woman, find out who’s behind this mess and why Elena was dragged into it.”
For the first time in his life, Mikhail is stunned into silence. He tries to hide it, but I can see the shock on his face. The only person I’ve ever protected this much is Tatiana.
I don’t wait for him to get his thoughts in order. If I wait for him to speak, he’ll just say something new to piss me off and I’ll probably snap his neck before I even realize it. Turning away from him, I walk into the basement and slam the door behind me.
Elena is still by the window, staring outside like a little bird longing to spread its wings and fly.
“What are you looking at?” I ask. My voice is still rough from my conversation with Mikhail. I’ve never fought with my cousin like that. While I might not agree with his mode of operation sometimes, our ideas are usually in sync.
But with Elena, everything’s different. It’s strange because it’s only been a couple of days since I met her, but she has a hold over me that I can’t explain.
Even without bowing at my feet like most women I’ve been with, she has me wrapped around her little finger already, and she doesn’t even know it.
“How far is it from this room to the front gate?” she asks without even turning around to look at me.
“About fifteen minutes’ walk, depending on how quick and long your strides are.” Given her height, I believe it’ll take her a few minutes longer. “Are you thinking of escaping?”
She finally moves away from the window and spins around to face me. Even in the oversized pajamas with her hair in a messy bun, she still manages to take my breath away.
Her green eyes bore into mine, searching for something, and her plump pink lips are slightly parted. The image of her naked body pressed against mine the other night flashes in my head.
Yebat.
I still remember the softness of her breasts against my chest, and how my whole body tensed as I struggled to restrain myself from touching her. When she realized the towel had fallen off her body and gasped, I imagined her moaning into my ears as I fucked her.
