Page 18 of King of Shadows

I pull my gun and shoot him between the eyes. His body goes limp. I turn to Lev.

“Let his family go.”

Lev nods. “What are we going to do? Vadim is getting stronger.”

“Send men to the location he gave us.”

Lev nods, and adds, “What if he isn’t there?”

“I doubt he will. But you can’t be too sure. Keep me updated.”

Lev heads out. I check the time, past midnight. Chloe should be asleep by now. I haven’t seen her in over a week. We talk on the phone. But it’s not the same. A week feels like an eternity when it comes to Chloe.

So I drive to her apartment. When I arrive, I get out and nod at the men stationed outside the building. They understand, now that I’m here, they can leave. I look up at the building. I hate this place. It’s too exposed. Too many entrances. Chloe deserves somewhere safer.

I have several apartments that would be far more secure than this one. But we’re not there yet. I don’t want to scare her. She already knows I’m not telling her everything. Yes, I own the laundromat I told her about. But it’s just nowhere near the whole truth. It’s one tiny piece of my business.

Every day, I think about telling her. Every day, I stop myself. Because she’s so innocent. So untouched by my world. And I don’t want to ruin what we have. What if she runs? What if she decides she doesn’t want a man like me? I can handle almost anything. But the thought of losing Chloe feels like dying.

I pull out the key she gave me and let myself in. I check every room, making sure everything is secure before heading to her bedroom. My chest loosens the moment I see her. She’s asleep. I quietly undress and set my gun beside the nightstand, making sure it’s hidden from view. She doesn’t need to wake up to the sight of it.

Then I slip beneath the duvet and pull her into my arms. She shifts in her sleep, instinctively curling against me. For the first time in a week, I feel like I can breathe. Her head settles against my chest. “Kazimir,” she murmurs sleepily.

I press a kiss to her hair. “I’m here, baby.”

She relaxes in my arms and drifts deeper into sleep. I close my eyes and try to get some sleep myself. Tomorrow, I’ll continue the fight with Vadim, but tonight, I have my woman in my arms.

***

Waking up with Chloe in my arms has to be one of the best feelings I’ve ever known.

I open my eyes slowly, and there she is. Her head is resting against my chest, her dark hair spread across the pillow, her lips slightly parted and almost pouted in sleep. I lie there for a moment, simply looking at her. It’s hard not to be grateful for that night. For the men who attacked me and led me straight to her building.

Because how else would I have ended up breaking into this beautiful woman’s apartment, having her stitch up my wound, and somehow finding myself here weeks later, unable to imagine a single day without her?

Life is strange.You wake up one morning expecting nothing more than another ordinary day. You handle business. You make money. You deal with enemies. You have no idea that somewhere between one moment and the next, your entire life is about to change.

That morning, I had no idea I was going to meet the woman who would change the way I see my life. The woman who would make me look forward to waking up. The woman who would make me want something beyond violence, power, and money. For Chloe, I want to do better. I want to be better.

I lean down and kiss her forehead. She shifts slightly but doesn’t wake. I carefully slip out of bed. Before leaving the room, I grab my coat and tuck my gun inside. Then I head into the kitchen. I’m not exactly a man who knows his way around the kitchen. The only thing I’m good at making is eggs and toast. That’s about the extent of my culinary abilities.

I open Chloe’s refrigerator. As expected, it’s stocked. I make sure her groceries are delivered every week. I pull out the eggs and bacon and get to work. I fry the bacon first, then crack the eggs into the pan, trying to remember exactly how she likes them. Not too runny. Not too dry.

I’m reaching for the toast when I hear footsteps behind me. I turn to find Chloe standing in the doorway. She’s wearing a camisole over flimsy shorts, her creamy thighs exposed, and hair slightly messy from sleep.

“You’re here,” she says with a smile, like she can’t believe it.

Something warm spreads through my chest. “Of course I’m here, baby.”

She walks toward me, I reach out and pull her towards me. My hands settle around her waist, and I kiss her. Deeply. She melts against me, and for a moment, I completely forget about breakfast.

Then I smell something burning. I pull back to check on the toast. She laughs as I turn quickly and rescue it before it becomes charcoal. I finish the eggs, put everything onto plates and carry them to the small kitchen table. She sits down, still looking at me like she can’t quite believe I’m actually here.

I watch as she takes her first bite, and a smile spreads across her face. “This actually does taste nice.”

I smile, reaching for a crumb of toast on her lips and wiping it away with my thumb. “I’m sorry I missed our movie night last night.”

Chloe looks up from her plate. “It’s fine.” She gives me a small smile. “We can see it another time.”