You’re such an idiot, his inner voice said snidely. Dominic won’t be exactly happy to see you, especially in such circumstances. Not only was he the reason for the mission’s failure, now he had also blown Dominic’s cover and put him in danger.
Realizing that he’d completely missed the rest of Roman’s conversation with Dominic, Sam gave himself a mental kick. Just fantastic. Now he had no idea what Roman had told Dominic.
“Is he coming?” Luke said, taking his phone and giving the gun back to the Russian.
“I gave him half an hour.” Roman shrugged, turning his eyes to Sam. “I guess we’ll see how much he values you.”
“Shouldn’t you call Vlad to deal with this?” Luke said. “It’s a security problem. That’s his job.”
“I gave him a few days off,” Roman said, leaning his hip against the desk and glancing at the gun in his hand. “It’s fine. I don’t mind doing the dirty work once in a while.”
A shiver ran up Sam’s spine. He didn’t doubt Dominic’s ability to take care of himself, but this man had the advantage of home ground—and a hostage. He also had the eyes of a killer.
Sam looked at Luke, bewildered how he could be on this man’s side. Luke didn’t seem evil. He seemed normal.
“How can you be with a man like this?” he blurted out before he could stop himself. “Is sex that good?”
Luke blinked.
Roman actually laughed. He seemed genuinely amused. “Yes, is sex that good, kotyonok?”
Luke glowered at Roman, his cheeks flushed. Then he looked at Sam with a pinched look. “He’s not evil.”
Sam gave him a look of disbelief.
Now Luke seemed defensive. “He isn’t. I mean, he can be a total bastard to people he doesn’t love, but deep down, he’s a bit of a softie.”
“Don’t ruin my reputation, pet,” Roman said, looking at Luke. “Be a good boy and go to the security room. Tell Kolya to come here. I have a few questions for him.”
Luke grimaced. “Don’t be too hard on him. His wife just gave birth. It’s totally understandable that Kolya was distracted.”
“I’m afraid I’m not as understanding as you,” Roman said. “I’m thrilled for him and his wife, but it doesn’t excuse his lack of vigilance. This”—he pointed at Sam—“is unacceptable.”
Luke pursed his lips, looking at Roman suspiciously. “I’m not leaving you alone with Sam.”
Roman raised his eyebrows. “You have no reason to be jealous. I don’t actually have a kidnapping kink.”
Luke snorted. “You’re hilarious.” He crossed his arms and sat down in the other chair. “I’m not moving. You can fetch Kolya yourself. Or call him.”
Roman said something in Russian, his voice dry and a little amused.
Luke flushed and said something in Russian, too.
Sam watched them from the corner of his eye, but with every passing minute, he had trouble focusing his attention on them.
Would Dominic come?
Finally, after what felt like forever, the intercom on the desk beeped.
Roman walked over and pressed the intercom button. “Yes?”
“There’s a man here, sir,” a male voice said. “Dominic Bommer. He says you’re expecting him. He isn’t armed.”
Sam sat up straighter, his heart hammering somewhere in his throat.
“Bring him up,” Roman said before looking at Sam. “Come here.”
Reluctantly, Sam stood up and walked over. The Russian pressed the gun to his temple again.
Luke sighed. “Is that really necessary? Dominic isn’t armed. He’s harmless.”
Roman gave a low chuckle. “We shall see how harmless he is.”
They all looked at the door.
Chapter 32
Sam wasn’t sure he was even breathing as the door opened and two security guards pushed Dominic inside.
“Leave us,” Roman said. “I’ll talk to you later, Kolya.”
One of the guards flinched and gave a tight nod before leaving with the other and shutting the door.
Sam barely noticed it.
He stared at Dominic hungrily, his eyes roaming all over Dominic’s face, taking in his sharp dark eyes, the curve of his lips, his—his everything. God, how could a person still look like home after half a year apart?
Sam licked his lips, blunt nails digging into his palms as Dominic met his eyes. His body swayed toward Dominic, trying to follow the pull. Sam came to his senses only when the gun pressed harder against his temple.
Right. He wasn’t exactly in a position to go to Dominic. Besides, he couldn’t even read the expression on Dominic’s face as he looked at Sam. It was very strange and fixed. Dominic probably wasn’t happy to see him.
“What…” Dominic said, wrenching his gaze from Sam and shifting it to the gun in Roman’s hand. His expression turned to confusion and alarm. “What the—What’s going on here?”
Sam blinked, unsure what to make of it. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Dominic was afraid of guns.
And then he got it.
God, Nick was good.
“I told you it was unnecessary, Roma,” Luke said exasperatedly, getting to his feet. “Hey,” he said, turning to Dominic, a mix of embarrassment and discomfort on his face. “I’m sure it’s all a big misunderstanding. Sorry about the gun. Roman is just paranoid.”