Vadim
"Look. It's a miracle. I'm alive," I tease Helena as I whizz past her desk.
"Bastard," she quips, suppressing a grin.
Normally I'd stay to gloat, but the longer I leave Preston with Ellie, the more time that gives him to poison Preston against me. Even more than he already has. And dammit, now he's got more ammunition than ever.
Marek needs a few minutes to wrap up his meeting, and then he'll be joining us. Because this mess is his fault. Ever since he married Agnieszka, it's complicated matters immensely in the decades-long Piotrowski/Baranov feud.
Even though Marek and Agnieszka are now divorced, our families are now connected by blood. Their three kids. Lukasz, who's seven, and the twin girls, Klara and Mila, who just turned four.
It explains why the hit wasn't at me, but at someone close to me.
Which brings this whole mess back to my big brother and his inability to marry literally any woman in the world other than the only daughter from the one family that has been trying to destroy us for decades.
I make it to the sky suite and nod at the guard standing outside the door.
"Czy co? si? sta?o?" I ask.
"All under control, boss. One of them keeps opening the door and wanting to leave."
No guesses for who that might be.
"Thanks. Marek will be here in a moment. No one else is to enter."
"Got it."
I let myself into the suite and walk smack bang into a heated conversation that stops the second Ellie's eyes land on me.
He doesn't even bother hiding his disdain as he gives me a scornful once-over then leaves, stepping out onto the terrace.
That works for me. The less I have to deal with him, the better.
"Hey." I make my way over to Preston. "How are you?"
"I'm okay. Still in shock, I think." He glances in the direction of the terrace then brings his gaze back to me. "This whole morning has been…weird." He's in jeans and a vintage tee, his face white and still. "I could do with a hug."
"Of course."
He practically falls into my open arms.
I close my eyes, my thoughts splitting in two polar opposite directions. One track reminds me I can't afford this kind of distraction right now, not when I need to be more on my game than ever. The stakes have gone from high to stratospheric. Preston is lucky to be alive. Ellie, too.
The other track desperately wishes I could breathe him in, that I hadn't lost the ability to know what he smells like.
Does his love of vintage clothes extend to his choice of cologne and body wash, too?
Does he like sweet or citrusy smells? Woodsy or something with hints of vanilla? I won't ever know.
I end the hug sooner than I want to. "And how's Ellie?"
Preston grins awkwardly. "You know, it's funny. I didn't think his opinion of you could get any worse."
I create some space between us.
"I hate to agree with him on anything, but on this, he's right. This is my fault." I raise my hand to cut him off before he gets the chance to even open his mouth. "And please don't waste your breath trying to convince me that it's not. It won't work."
"Okay." Preston reaches out to me and curls his pinkie around mine. I hold myself very still. It's a small, barely there touch. That's what makes liking it so dangerous. "Ellie did bring something up."
I ease my finger out of his grip and fold my arms across my chest. "Oh, yeah?"
The awkward grin reappears, and he sweeps some hair behind his ear. "Yeah. He, uh, he wants to know where we're going to live."
Before I can say anything, there's a knock on the door.
That'd be Marek. Perfect timing.
"Who's that?" Preston asks, startled, turning toward the door.
I go to open it. "That's my brother, Marek. He's going to help us figure this all out."
I let Marek inside, and part of me settles. Not that I'd ever admit this to him, or anyone for that matter, but I'm in way out of my depth here. If this turns out to be Farkas's doing, then underestimating him will be the single biggest mistake I've ever made.
That's not a nice feeling. That's not a nice feeling at all. I need Marek to steady the ship until I get my footing back.
"You must be Preston." He strides confidently over to Preston, a practiced Hollywood smile on his face.
There's a reason why he's the one chosen to succeed Dad, and it has nothing to do with him being the first born.
His killer business acumen aside, a big part of it boils down to his ability to flick on a switch and become the most charming son of a bitch you've ever met. "I've heard so much about you."
"You have?"
Marek shakes Preston's hand, his smooth smile giving way to a look of genuine concern.
"I'm very sorry about these unfortunate circumstances.
And I don't just mean about today. Vadim told me what happened to you at your work.
" His eyes flick to mine for a second before turning back to Preston.
"I take it my brother has been taking good care of you? "
Preston coughs, unprepared for Marek’s question, and has no time to cover his mouth. "Um, yes, he did. Thank you."
I glare at Marek. Is he seriously doing this now? Prying into my personal life like this.
"Great. Now there's another one."
Ellie steps in from the terrace, and his snide remark couldn't have come at a better time. Let's see how Mr. Smooth Operator handles this prickly cactus.
"Marek, I'd like you to meet Ellie. Ellie, this is my brother, Marek," I say, handling the intros before passing the baton to my brother.
It's only as I'm introducing them that I remember about Ellie's hearing. I wish I'd given Marek a heads-up about the situation beforehand.
"It's good to meet you, Ellie."
Marek sticks out his hand. Ellie eyes it like it's the last thing on earth he wants to touch, but eventually, reluctantly, gives in.
"I was just telling Preston how sorry I am."
"About what?" Ellie fires back. "About our house getting blown to smithereens?
You know, I could have been inside. I'd be dead now if I hadn't decided to go for a run.
Or are you sorry about my best friend being stalked by some creep outside his work?
Or are you sorry that the very same creep came back and beat the shit out of him?
Which is it, huh? And guess what? None of this would've happened if it wasn't for him. "
He points a finger accusingly at me, and what can I do but remain stoic-faced and accept it?
He's right. About it all. I have no defense. He and Preston would be much better off if I'd never entered Preston's life.
"You're absolutely right," Marek says, his tone empathetic, rather than throwing me under the bus.
"Which is why Vadim and I will personally take care of everything for you both.
The insurance. Dealing with your landlord.
We will ensure you have enough money to buy everything back that you've lost."
"Really? My grandmother's hand-stitched quilt? The few photos I have of my parents together? My kintsugi pieces that took me years to source? You do realize that writing out a check can't buy everything back, right? These things have sentimental value."
Marek goes quiet for a moment, but I take no satisfaction in it. I hadn’t had the chance to consider Ellie's point, that he and Preston have literally just lost everything they own, including things that are irreplaceable. They have to start all over again from scratch. That's a devastating loss.
Preston steps in to fill the silence. "El, come on.
Lay off the guy. He's being nice and wants to help us.
And also, before you say anything else, just remember, these guys didn't do it.
Someone else did. Be mad at that person, not at the people here now, offering their assistance to help us recover. "
Ellie says nothing, but his breathing has picked up noticeably. He doesn't like any of this one bit, and I can't say I blame him.
"Please, Ellie," Preston pleads. "Just hear him out, okay?"
"Fine."
Marek smiles gratefully at Preston. "I am truly sorry for everything you've lost. Whatever can be bought, we will buy. And if there's anything else we can do, we will. I promise you that you will not be worse off because of this."
"And where will we live?"
I shift on my feet. Good question. I'm interested to see how Marek responds to it.
"For now, you can stay here, in this suite. It has two bedrooms, two baths, a full kitchen, and a private terrace. If you'd prefer separate suites, we can organize that."
"We're happy to stay together. Right, Preston?"
Preston gives a quick nod.
"We have several restaurants on site, and we will obviously take care of all your food, living, and any other expenses for the duration of your stay here."
"You make it sound like we're on vacation," Ellie retorts.
"Ellie," Preston warns, and a small, petulant part of me likes seeing Ellie get chided, while a not-so-small, horny part of me likes seeing this assertive side of Pres.
Ellie rolls his eyes like the insufferable little fucker he is.
Be the bigger person, I say to myself. He's been through a lot.
"I realize living in a casino hotel isn't ideal.
" Points to Marek, he’s handling this way more calmly than I ever could.
"Let me assure you both this is simply a stop-gap measure until we figure out the next steps.
I know a few developers, so we can get you looking at properties whenever you're ready.
And again, we will take care of all your costs for as long as needed so you will not be financially burdened in any way. "
Oh, he's really good.
My eyes dart between Preston and Ellie.
Since neither of them say anything, Marek continues, "I will also mention, this is the safest place for you both to be. Until we figure out who is responsible, your safety is Vadim’s and my number one priority.
You see what we're up against. Whoever did this isn't messing around.
I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just being honest. I don't want to sugarcoat this.
You are both in very real danger. I see that Vadim has already put a guard outside the door. "
"I have. He says to say hi, by the way." I smirk as I glance in Ellie's direction, unable to help myself. Then I shake it off and get back to focusing on what matters. "I've already drawn up a security plan for Preston. It won't take much to develop one for Ellie as well."
I wait for the snarky comeback, but there isn't one.
Ellie stares at Marek for a beat then drops his head, like Marek's point about him and Preston being in very real danger has finally hit him. I get that. It's a big fucking deal for people who aren't used to living with the knowledge that someone might want them dead.
"Marek is one hundred percent right," I add, stepping in. "This really is the safest place for you both to be."
"Okay," Preston says, nodding at me, managing a small smile. "Thank—”
"No." I lift my hand. "Don't thank us." I was already racked with guilt about putting Preston in danger, I don't even have words for how horrible I feel now. "This is the very least we can do."
And on that note, our impromptu meeting comes to an end.