“I haven’t even touched you.”
The audacity of that statement drew my full attention away from the screen of my phone. “You don’t need to,” I said, my tone sharpening. “In your world, this may register as benign, but having a six-foot-two giant?—”
“Six-four.”
“That isn’t the salient detail,” I said evenly. “Having a six-foot-four giant trail me for weeks, dismantle any illusion ofprivacy I possessed, and embed himself into every corner of my routine was not incidental. It was calculated intimidation on your part.”
I held his gaze, and he didn’t even blink.
“Congratulations, you succeeded. I have not had a single moment when I am not aware of your presence. Not one instance in which I can leave my home, enter my workplace, or stand in a public space without worrying about whether you are watching me. So don’t insult my intelligence by buying me coffee as if we’re on amicable terms.”
Silence settled between us, made more acute by the steam hissing behind the counter. If he held any remorse for what they’d done to me, there was no sign of it.
“Would it help if I said it’s not personal?”
“And exactly how does that change anything?” I straightened my spine and clasped my fingers on top of the table. “I’ve done everything I was instructed to do. I even helped to relocate Wren to a safer hospital. What more do you people want from me, or are you going to pretend today is a coincidence?”
“No.” His gaze didn’t waver. “You’re too smart to believe that.”
I blinked, taken aback by the…compliment? “Okay, then.” Rarely at a loss for words, I couldn’t seem to find the right ones to respond to him, so I fell silent.
“I’m here on behalf of Mr. Morozov.”
Of course.
Maxim Morozov.
Sergei was a loyal dog who was trained to be obedient to his master. He’d already demonstrated that he was willing to do the unthinkable to keep his boss safe. He had a one-track mind that always led back to Morozov’s safety, and my husband was just collateral damage for them.
“Mr. Morozov is grateful for your assistance in helping tosave Wren.” Sergei reached into his coat, and I held my breath, not sure what to expect. Maybe a gun to eliminate me now that I’d given them everything they wanted.
It was a thick brown envelope.
“Because of your quick thinking and intervention, his husband is now expected to make a full recovery. We couldn’t have done that without you.”
“I was doing my job. That’s literally what I get paid for. To keep people alive.”
While he killed them.
“Nevertheless.” He stretched his hand across the table to place the envelope right in front of me. “His gratitude.”
I stared at it. I didn’t have to open the envelope to know what was inside. They were giving me money as payment.
As if saving a life were a transaction.
Or was he paying me for taking my husband away too soon? They thought I didn’t know what they’d done, but Morozov’s business partner, the one they’d murdered by beating him to a pulp, told me everything. I inhaled deeply, then let the breath out slowly to rein in my emotions.
Monsters.
They were all monsters.
“I do fine without blood money,” I said softly as I rose to my feet. “If you really want to show me gratitude for helping, stay away from me, the whole lot of you.”
“Leo.”
I should have kept walking. Every instinct told me to leave. To refuse him the satisfaction of another second of my attention. But walking away didn’t make these men disappear. It only meant they followed. Although I had nothing more to offer them, they would never let me go until they were convinced I was no longer a threat.
I didn’t face him fully, just turned my head enough so he could see my profile.
