Igor, Leonid, and Dimitri pass behind Alex, making their way around the house, but all my attention is focused on him. For a moment, time stills as we stand frozen, our gazes locked with awareness and knowledge running between us like electric currents.
He could’ve been killed.
For every minute he’s out there, there’s a possibility he may never return. Do I want to waste our time together on nursing my anger and protecting my pride? The man I met in New York City was only a part of the complex puzzle that is Alex Volkov. He’s so much more than the sophisticated oil tycoon with an unexpected caring side. There are layers to him I’m just beginning to uncover. The man standing in front of me now is one-hundred percent the Russian oligarch who’s both admired and feared. This is his home. His history lies here in this palace, in this city, along with everything that shaped him into the man he is. Here, I have an opportunity to really get to know him, this dangerous man I gave my heart to. All I have to do is embrace the twisted chance fate has given me.
My throat closes up with fear. Ignorance is bliss. As much as I care about Alex, there’s a good probability I won’t like the full truth about him. If I push for it, I’m walking off a cliff, falling into an abyss of darkness. I have no idea what awaits me there, but once I open that door, there’s no turning back. I’ll either love him more or hate what I find.
This could be a new beginning or the end.
The insight is terrifying. If we make it through this, we’ll make it through anything. If he’s willing to trust me with my freedom and I can make peace with every hidden part of him, our relationship will be built on a rock. Together, we’ll be unshakable. However, if our foundation crumbles, I won’t have a choice but to walk away. I’ve done it once, and I’ll be strong enough to do it again.
There’s only one problem with that scenario. Now that I know Alex better, I suspect I never truly walked away in New York. He was always pulling the strings. Every move he made was perfectly orchestrated. Even when he gave me freedom, he was reeling me in. That freedom was nothing but an illusion.
No, he’ll never let me go. If our relationship comes crashing down, there will only be one choice.
I’ll have to run.
I tremble a little as insight after insight hits me like a tornado and the verity settles like broken branches in the destruction it leaves behind.
“You can go,” Alex says to the guard, holding my gaze as he pulls off a pair of black leather gloves.
The guard salutes and closes the door behind him when he leaves. The click of an electronic lock sounds. The door must be fitted with an automatic locking mechanism.
Alex studies me with unsettling attention as he takes off his boots. “Why aren’t you in bed?”
His manner is cool, my earlier rejection sounding like a bee sting in his tone. The distance he keeps is what I wanted a few hours ago, but everything is different now. My insight has brought me to another choice.
I rub my arms. “I was worried sick.”
The cold fire in his blue gaze warms a few degrees. “As you can see, I’m fine.” A smile plucks at his lips as he unbuttons his coat. “But your concern flatters me—not that I want you to worry.”
Stepping closer, I study him for signs of injuries when he takes off his coat. Besides his slightly tousled hair, he looks just like he does when he leaves on a normal workday for the office. “Where did you go?”
“To deal with business,” he says, turning his back on me to hang his coat in the closet.
“It has something to do with that tattoo. Did you find out something?”
Facing me slowly, he says, “Quite a lot, actually.”
“What?” I ask through parched lips.
He only continues to look at me.
“What, Alex? Tell me. Please don’t keep me in the dark. I can’t stand it. You have no idea what it feels like to be locked inside, not knowing what the hell is happening and going out of your mind with worry.”
He rests his hands on my shoulders in a soothing gesture. “You have an army of men to protect you. Nothing is going to happen. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
I twist out of his hold. “Stop patronizing me. How would you feel if you were in my shoes? Would you enjoy it if I locked you in here and went out to where someone wants to kill me without telling you what’s going on? Would you be able to go to bed and have a sound night’s sleep without knowing whether I’m okay?”