It was also the second time Mike asked me for help, and I haven’t been there to answer his plea.
My phone vibrates on the nightstand, and I manage to swallow the contents of my mouth before I stand, stumble on the blanket, then release it and go to check the text.
Something knots in my stomach when I don’t find Kirill’s name on the screen.
Viktor:You’re on the night shift at the club tonight. You have no orders until then.
I type.
Aleksander:Am I not needed at Boss’s side now?
I could’ve asked the man himself, but I’m too embarrassed to talk to him after what happened last night. Especially since he didn’t contact me first.
Viktor:No.
Aleksander:Do you know where he is?
Viktor:Nowhere you should concern yourself with.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Leave it to Viktor to be the most unhelpful person ever.
So I text my friend.
Aleksander:Morning, Maks!
The reply is immediate.
Maksim:Morning, Sash. I’ve been waiting for you to come back to the annex, but then I recalled you were on night duty. Was everything all right yesterday?
Aleksander:Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?
Maksim:Boss looked kind of angry or annoyed. I couldn’t tell for sure, and since he doesn’t look like that most of the time, I was worried something had happened.
Aleksander:Nothing happened. Just the usual, I guess.
I’m such an excellent liar in texts. Which can’t be said about real-life interactions, because I was so close to telling Anna everything if she so much as pressed me earlier.
Maksim:Thank God. It’s never good to be on Boss’s radar.
Tell me about it.
Aleksander:I know, right? Speaking of Boss, do you know where he is?
Maksim:He headed out with Viktor and Yuri last night and still hasn’t come back.
I grow taller, my breath catching.
They can’t be in danger, or else Viktor would’ve said something or called for backup. But for some reason, I still don’t feel good about this whole thing.
After mulling over the information, I walk into Kirill’s closet in search of something I can use as temporary chest bandages.
My jaw nearly hits the ground when I find my clothes in the corner—all my suits, shirts, and sweatpants. Not only that, but underneath them, there’s a duffel bag with my bandages inside them.
Why did he bring them here…?
Not coming up with a logical answer, I wrap a bandage around my chest and get into a suit.
Since this is the perfect chance to try and find something in Kirill’s belongings, I do the most logical thing for someone in my position—go through his closet. Ninety percent of his tailored suits are black, but they have different cuts.