Page 253 of Sexting His Assistant

An address.

Roman says, “Come alone.”

“Absolutely not,” I say.

“You must.”

“You realize how insane that sounds?”

“Yes,” Roman says. “But if you bring Luka or Pavel, this ends before you hear anything useful.”

“If this is a trap⁠—”

“It’s not.”

“That means nothing coming from you.”

“Good,” Roman says. “Keep thinking like that.”

Then he hangs up.

For a few seconds, I don’t think.

Then I move.

I change out of the house clothes and into jeans, a loose shirt, and a cardigan because I need to look normal, not like a runaway mistress from a gothic mansion. My hands shake when I pull my hair back. I stop twice because my head throbs, but the pain is manageable.

I put Roman’s card back in my purse, then take it out again and shove it into the pocket of my jeans instead. If someone checks my purse, I don’t want them to find it.

This is a terrible plan.

Really, it’s barely a plan.

But Luka’s not home. He left two hours ago after a call from Sergei, and Yelena told me he would return by dinner if all went well, which in this house means absolutely nothing.

Pavel is here.

That’s the real problem.

Pavel’s always here lately.

I leave the room and walk downstairs slowly, making sure I don’t look like someone trying to escape. The guard at the end of the hallway straightens when he sees me.

“Miss Hale,” he says. “Do you need something?”

“I need to go to the hospital,” I say.

The lie comes out more smoothly than I expected.

His face changes. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“My head is hurting more,” I say. “Mirov said I should come in if that happens.”

It’s not fully a lie.

My head does hurt.

It’s just not the reason I need to leave.