My heartbeat increases with every word he says, and feeling frustrated as fuck, I shove a hand through my hair. “I’m only going to say this once. My loyalty belongs to you, Alexei. That’s the end of this discussion. You will stand down until I can join you, or I’m leaving Ariana alone on the island to meet you in Seattle.”
Alexei’s quiet for a moment, then he finally relents, “Fine. I’ll have Nikhil track Tao until you can join me.”
I take a deep breath of relief. “Don’t you ever fucking say shit like that again.”
“I’m sorry, brother. I just don’t want you to look back one day and realize you had no life at all because of me.”
“I have a life. One I’m perfectly happy with.” Sitting back down in the chair by the monitors, I say, “Let’s do a panic test.”
Alexei, our brothers, and their wives wear tags around our necks that I can activate to track them in case one of them needs help.
A moment later, the alarm comes through on my phone, and it shows me Alexei’s at Koslov & Hayes, which is the business he runs with his friend Tristan.
“Got it.”
“Yeah, yeah. You just wanted to make sure I’m not already in Seattle,” Alexei calls me out.
“Do you fucking blame me? Guarding you is like trying to protect a kid that’s on a sugar rush.”
My words draw a chuckle from my friend. “How are things there?”
“We haven’t killed each other… yet,” I mutter.
Alexei chuckles again. “Is she so much of a handful?”
“You have no idea. Never before has a woman gotten me this worked up before. Everything she does and says hits a fucking nerve.”
“Hmm…”
A scowl forms on my face. “Don’t even go there.” Alexei has a habit of playing matchmaker for everyone. He was the one who arranged the marriage between my brother, Damien and Winter. “This is just a job.”
“If you say so.” I hear the teasing tone in Alexei’s voice, and it makes my scowl deepen. “I have another call coming through. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Later,” I mutter, and then I set the phone down on the desk.
Still upset that Alexei even considered going on a job without me there to watch his back, I get up from the chair and stalk out of the security room.
When I walk into the living room, Ariana glances at me, looks back at the TV, and then her gaze snaps back to my face. Her eyes widen, apprehension tightening her features.
“W-what’s that look for?” she stammers.
Frowning at her, I ask, “Did I miss something?”
Confusion flutters over her face. “Ah… you… for a second there, it looked like you were going to kill me.”
Letting out a sigh, I head to the kitchen and grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I drink half of it before I turn around to face Ariana again.
She’s still watching me, her body tense and ready to run should I try anything.
“Relax.” For what feels like the hundredth time, I add, “I’m not going to kill you.”
“Kinda hard to believe. You know…” she waves a hand between us, “with you being my kidnapper and all.”
Taking a deep breath, I decide to change the subject. “What are you watching?”
“Vampire Diaries,” she answers, her eyes still locked on me.
I walk to a couch, and only when I sit down does she begin to relax a little.
ARIANA
I’m watching Demitri like a hawk and not letting my guard down.
When he came up from the security room, he looked like hell and brimstone, ready to rip my heart out with his bare hands. The poor organ in my chest is still beating a mile a minute.
A moment later, my curiosity gets the better of me. “Why do you look so upset?”
Demitri slants his eyes in my direction. “None of your business.”
At his brisk answer, my eyebrows pop up, and I keep staring at him until he relents with a sigh. “Because I’m stuck babysitting your ass instead of doing my actual job.”
I shouldn’t care if he’s unhappy about it, but still, I go on the defense. “Don’t take it out on me. It’s not my fault.”
Demitri narrows his eyes at me, and it sends my heart speeding again. “Now is not the time to look for shit with me.”
“Like there’s ever a good time,” I mutter. I turn my attention back to the TV, but I can’t focus on the show to save my life.
My gaze snaps back to Demitri, and then I let him have a piece of my mind. “You kidnapped me. My social media accounts are going to hell, and all my hard work is down the drain. I’ve missed the appointments I had, which means zero income for me. You ruined my life. I was happy, and you just barged in and snatched me from it. Let’s not forget I know absolutely nothing about you, and you’ll probably end up killing me. This is no vacation for me. Every freaking minute I’m wondering when it will be my last. So I honestly don’t give a shit whether you’re unhappy babysitting my ass.” With a huff, I turn my eyes back to the TV.