Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Her wracking sobs shake her thin shoulders, and I find my own cheeks damp with sympathy tears. Or maybe I’m crying because I’m seeing a side of Mikhail I’ve never seen before. My scary monster of a husband is a giant teddy bear when he comforts his sister. He strokes her back as he soothes her.
“Shh, milaya devushka. Shh. You did so well. I am so proud. You’ve made us all proud, Polina. Aria is safe.”
Milaya devushka.
Sweet girl.
After a few minutes, her sobs quiet and she nods. “Okay,” she says, still teary, her voice wobbling. She gives a loud sniff. “If you say so.”
“I do,” he says, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I say so, and you know that what I says goes.”
“How are the others?” I ask.
“Lev and Ollie are stable. They sustained head trauma on impact and Ollie has a cast on his right hand. Lev’s pissed because he can’t lift for a few days, and he’s mad as a hornet he didn’t get to beat any of Volkov’s men.”
I feel sick. They don’t know yet.
“Mikhail,” I say in a whisper. At first he doesn’t hear me as Polina updates him on their mother – stable, needed some oxygen and pain meds for a headache, but she only sustained scratches. Her house was built like a damn fortress. Viktor was the only one who sustained a gunshot wound, when he used his body like a human shield to protect me.
“Mikhail,” I repeat after another minute. My voice is shaking. “We need to talk.”
The burning heat of his gaze over Polina’s shoulder makes me freeze. He lets her go. She squares her shoulders and blows out a breath. “I’m going to check on Mom then work with them on releasing her so we can keep a close eye on her.”
I nod. “Okay.” She reaches over and gives my hand a squeeze before she leaves the room.
I was taken into Mikhail’s custody to begin with because I hacked into his family’s confidential information, and now I’ve done that and so much worse.
“We absolutely need to talk, little hacker.”
I swipe again at the tears on my cheeks. “Damn pregnancy hormones,” I say in a whisper, but I know it’s so much more than that.
“We all need to reconvene in a private location after everyone’s been sent home,” he says. Under normal circumstances, the injuries some of them have sustained would likely mean a hospital stay, but he’ll want them all safe, where he can keep a close eye on everyone and everything. His mother’s home is no longer safe and needs major renovation after what’s gone down today.
“We do.” When my stomach growls with hunger, he slides a hand to the small of my back.
“Are you hungry?”
I nod. “Starving. Something between the aftereffects of adrenaline wearing off and being too stressed to eat…”
“Right. You need to eat.” For some reason, his reaction now reminds me of how things were when we first met. That very first time he admitted he actually used a private detective and nearly scolded me for subsisting on cereal bars.
“I do, but we need to talk more than anything.”
“Okay, Mom’s resting and I’ve started the process rolling to have her released.” Polina’s back, her normally pale cheeks flushed from crying but her eyes bright. “Pro tip? They have a cafeteria here. You use your pull to get privacy and food for you both, and then you can ensure everyone else under your care is taken care of.” She grins triumphantly. Mikhail mulls this over with his characteristic frown, then finally nods.
“Yes, I would love a slice of cake,” Polina says with a wink.
“What kind?” I ask her.
“The kind with sugar and frosting,” she retorts. “I mean, chocolate is a bonus, but beggars can’t be choosers.”
We leave Polina with Viktor and Aleks. Aleks has given me some not-so-friendly looks in the past, but this time he looks damn near murderous.
The fact that Mikhail allows it is even more concerning.
Right now, though, my biggest concern is getting some food in me. When I go too long without food, the nausea returns with a vengeance.
“Send me a detailed update the second you have it,” Mikhail snaps at Aleks.
Aleks is looking at me when he responds. “Oh, I promise you, I will.”
Gah-reat.
I have no idea what strings Mikhail pulled, but he made some kind of phone call before we came down on the elevator. Once we’re in the cafeteria, every one of the staff members stands at attention like they’re his personal staff at home.
“What can we get you, sir?” A young man with an earnest expression on his face and a scant beard stands in front of a grill, his hands folded behind his back.
“Anything she wants,” Mikhail responds, taking a step back.
“And you, too. I mean I have no idea what they feed anyone in an NYC jail, but I can imagine you weren’t eating borscht or blini.”