Max nods. “I’ve been here once before. It’s–”
His voice trails off as we stop in front of the villa, Levin leading us, faced with three black-suited men standing at the front door. Their postures instantly tense, but Levin remains as relaxed as ever, giving them a pleasant smile.
“Smert elo milost,”Levin says coolly, and without flinching, the men step aside.
They don’t even look at us as we step through the door, whatever password Levin spoke granting us instant access to the villa. The door leads to a patio with white curtains blowing faintly in a soft ocean breeze, lounge chairs and cushions scattered across it–and no one else there.
I see Levin tense slightly, his blue eyes flicking around guardedly. I realize then that although whoever owns this villa might have been our best hope, they, too, might not be entirely a safe haven for us.
It’s a difficult thing to swallow–that there’s so little safety left for us anywhere. But I’m safer than I was yesterday, the gun at my head at least turned away for now, and that’s a small relief.
The door at the far end of the patio opens, and a tall man dressed in a slim-cut suit steps out, his thick black hair styled away from his face. He’s dangerously handsome, with a sharp stubbled jaw, high cheekbones, and glinting green eyes. I see Natalia perk up instantly, her own eyes narrowing with interest as she watches him walk towards us like a particularly curious cat. The man strides towards us with a loose confidence, his attention focused on Levin.
“So what have you brought to my doorstep this time?” His mouth twitches up, but in a way I’ve seen before on other men, the kind of half-smile that suggests he’s not actually amused. “Last time it was an Irishman and–oh, I see it’s the same priest again. Looking for another woman?”
“We’re here because we found the one we were looking for,” Levin says dryly. “You can drop the act, Adrian. You knew we were coming.”
“It looks like you found two.” Adrian grins, with a little more truth to it this time. “Is one of them yours?”
“You know me better than that.” Levin glances towards me, gesturing. “Sasha is the one we rescued. She’s with Max.”
“Mm, so the priest finally found something worth breaking with his vows for.” There’s a glint in Adrian’s eye. “Shame.” He steps forward, taking my hand in his as he looks down at me with those piercing green eyes. “You’re very beautiful. I would have liked a chance to try my luck.”
I can feel Max stiffen beside me, and I squeeze his hand, not wanting either of us to insult this man who is almost certainly our only refuge. “Thank you for giving us a place to stay.” I force the words out as calmly as I can, half-terrified that he’ll say it’s all a joke, or order his guards to grab us and hold us until he can have us sent back to Moscow. The only three people I feel certain I can trust are standing next to me, and anyone else is suspect.
“Who said I was giving you a place to stay?” Adrian’s sleekly groomed brow arches and I can feel the blood draining out of my face.
He lets a single beat pass, and then laughs, showing white, even teeth. “I’m only joking. Of course, I offered Volkov a place for you to stay here. Otherwise, my security would have shot you dead before you could come through the door.”
Another beat, his green eyes darting back and forth over our faces as he lets that settle in, and then he laughs once more. “Come, come. Why such serious expressions? Let’s introduce ourselves. I am Adrian Drakos. I know Levin and Maximilian already, but what are your names? Sasha–”
“Sasha Federova,” I say firmly, and I catch the glance that Natalia sends my way, but I have every intention of sticking to what I said. I might know who my father was now, but it doesn’t matter to me. I was given that name long ago, and it’s the one I want to keep. I want no part of my father or that part of my past.
“Natalia Obelensky.” She steps forward, holding out one manicured hand. “Normally, I’d be more put together to meet a man like yourself–but it’s been a long two days. I’m sure you understand.”
“I’m more than happy to provide a place for you to–refresh yourself.” Adrian’s gaze sweeps over Natalia, taking in my sister’s appearance, and it’s clear that despite the fact that she looks as rumpled as the rest of us, he couldn’t care less.
“In fact,” he adds, clearing his throat and taking a step back, “why don’t all of you get cleaned up? I’ll have clothes brought to you, and then we can all rejoin each other out here for a meal. It’s lovely out here at night by the water.”
As if to illustrate his point, he strides past us to the edge of the patio, pulling back one of the filmy white curtains. The lights of Santorini twinkle past the drifting fabric, the dark water out beyond that. Though the sight of all that darkness gives me a chill, I can’t deny that itisbeautiful.
“We appreciate it.” Levin gives him a pleasant smile. “Your hospitality is greatly valued, Adrian. Without it, we would be in a difficult place.”
“I know.” Adrian returns the smile. “Don’t worry, Volkov. I’ll need a favor sometime, and I will call you. You can count on it.”
—
The uncertainty of a strange place aside, it’s amazing what a hot shower can do for someone’s state of mind. Adrian shows us into his villa, which is all Mediterranean tiled floors, expensively rustic wooden furniture, and pristine white stone walls. His staff directs us from there to the bathrooms, where we can “freshen up,” as he’d put it. I’m anxious to leave Max, even briefly, but at the same time, if he’s going to see me naked again, I don’t want it to be like this. I feel covered with the grime from the compound’s cell. I start to strip out of my clothing the moment I’m alone in the bathroom with the heavy wooden door close behind me, the tiles cool underneath my bare feet.
The hot water is heavenly. It, and the luxurious surroundings of the bathroom, feel like some kind of dream after what I’ve endured. I just stand there for a long time, letting the water pour down over my hair and body, washing away not just the physical grime, but the feeling of having been in that awful place. I let it all swirl down the drain, the dread and the terror and the clinging, crawling feeling of being trapped in a place that I’d thought I would never be able to leave.
When I start to feel something like human again, I wash my hair and every inch of my skin until I feel raw and pink and clean, smelling like the citrus scent of the products in the shower. When everything around me is lemon and rosemary steam, without a hint of what I brought into the shower with me, I start to feel as if I can relax just a little.
With that comes thoughts of what else might happen tonight. I know we’re invited to dinner after this with Adrian, which I know is the least we can do after he’s opened his home to us. Still, all I really want is to fall directly into the nearest bed–preferably with Max in it next to me.
Uncertainty fills me at that thought. I believe everything he said to me on the plane–but I can’t bring myself to trust in the idea that it might be real, not until he’s next to me, his hands and lips on mine, and all of those promises whispered in the dark between just the two of us.
I’m too afraid to lose him again. I’m too scared to believe in it and then have it ripped away–and I’ve only just begun to relax into the realization that he’s alive at all. Believing that we’ll be together, that everything that kept us apart is washed away, feels like too much to hope for, even now.