Chapter 53
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
Lily
By the time Bella drops me home—or well, back to Drago’s—it’s already dark. Letting myself in with my key, the house feels oddly quiet.
“Hello?” I call out.
“In here!” my dad calls from the living room.
I kick off my sneakers, dump my bag on the kitchen island, and follow his voice. He’s hunched over a laptop, white numbers and letters streaming down the screen.
“You working?” I ask, dropping onto the couch beside him.
“Yeah, Drago’s got me on some shit to decode,” he says without looking up. “I haven’t had to do anything like this in a while.”
I lean over his shoulder, squinting at the screen. “It’s in Russian?” I ask.
I can still speak the language—kind of—but writing it? Not a chance.
He chuckles. “Yeah. It is. You wanna help? Don’t tell me you lost that?”
I chew on my lip. “I can’t decode anything, Dad,” I reply, in Russian.
He leans back with a grin. “Nice. Get Drago to help you if you need a refresher.”
My cheeks heat instantly at his name. “Dad… Why Drago?” I ask carefully. “What made you save him and keep him?”
I already know part of the answer. Drago is clever. Dangerous. The kind of man who commands a room without trying. But he also listens—really listens—like you matter.
“He was just a kid,” my dad says, voice quieter now. “He already had a shit life, Lily. I couldn’t just let him die. I killed his parents in front of him, and he thanked me.”
My throat tightens.
“At that moment,” he continues, “I knew he had that evil streak in him that I had.”
My heart sinks. “Drago isn’t evil,” I say, sharper than I mean to.
My dad’s eyes narrow slightly. “He’d never be to you. He knows better. But trust me, he is when he has to be.”
I rub at my neck, the beginnings of a tension headache forming. “He knows better?” I ask.
He clears his throat and turns back to the keyboard. “Yeah. I just mean you’re my daughter. He knows never to hurt you. He’s here to protect you and keep you safe. Nothing more, nothing less.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Right…”
Nothing more. The words cut deeper than I expect.
“What would you do if he hurt me?” I ask lightly, picking at my nails.
He leans back, cracking his knuckles. “He hurts you, I’d fucking tear his head off. He knows that.”
I manage a small smile. Once, I might’ve found comfort in that. Now, it just feels like another wall.
“I was thinking about meeting mom for coffee before she fucks off again.” It’s been playing on my mind since I spoke to Bella.
Dad scoffs. “Why? I thought she was a bitch to you? She’s never going to change, Lily.”
I inhale slowly. “Have you changed?” I counter.
He chuckles. “No. And I’ve loved you every second since I sent you away. I’d never, ever hurt you. But I’m never going to stop you. You want to see your mother, you do that. But you take Drago with you.”
I look away. “She looked so… sad, the last time she turned up at the gallery. It’s been playing on my mind.”
He rests his hand on my knee, softer now. “You always had such a good heart, Lily. That’s what I never wanted to change. I couldn’t let my darkness take over your light.”
I close my eyes and rest my head against his shoulder. “I’m happy you’re here now, Dad.”
“Go see your mom. Make sure she’s not doing anything stupid.”
“Like what?” I laugh.
“Drugs? I don’t know. I wouldn’t put anything past her.”
I sit up straighter. He’s not wrong. “She just can’t settle, she’s lost, maybe.”
“Yeah. Well, she fucked me hard enough with her antics. If it were up to me, I’d have killed her after her first affair.”
I smack his arm, and he laughs. “What?!”
“You sent her off with me!”
He tuts. “She wasn’t a bad mother. Just an awful wife. It was safer for you to be with her than it was with me.”
I hesitate. “Could you ever… just leave this life?”
His eyes darken. “No. Not now. I’m in it till I die.”
“What about Drago? Is he too old?”
It doesn’t matter how mad at Drago I am right now; this answer is still important to me. Because in some way, it could give me hope that if I do hear him out—if this really is a thing worth pursuing—it will be worth the explosion it causes. Not just for me, but for him.
“He wouldn’t. This life is what makes his worth living. The boy needs purpose and leadership. He’s wasted anywhere else. Can you imagine him setting up a house with a wife and kids? A cute little white picket fence? He’d blow his brains out with boredom.”
Ouch.
“Oh. Yeah, I guess,” I murmur.
My mind drifts back to Monaco. The instant fear that set in when we spoke about the potential risks to our unprotected sex. And the way Drago softened, even if I did try to laugh it off. I could see in his face that he actually wanted that.
And so did I. Even if it scares the hell out of me. I wanted that future. I still want it. Even if it isn’t right now.
“Anyway, when are you going to introduce me to a boyfriend?”
My breath catches. “Maybe once I’m out of this prison.”
I stand abruptly, needing space. “I gotta go sort some emails and contracts out for the gallery. I’ll leave you to your work, and I’ll make some dinner in a bit. Is Drago coming back tonight?”
I haven’t heard from him all day.
“No idea. He’s got a lot of shit to deal with, it seems.”
And just like that, I’m no longer on the list.
Upstairs, I close my bedroom door and sit on the bed, pulling out the card my mom gave me at the gallery. I couldn’t throw it away. It’s been sitting in my drawer, waiting.
I dial her number, and she answers on the first ring. “Lily?”
I can hear the faint background noise of deep male voices. “Mom. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Sorry, just in the middle of something. Are you okay, Lily?”
“I’m good,” I say, even though it feels like a lie. “I was wondering if maybe you wanted to get that coffee tomorrow?”
There’s a pause. “I’d love to. Where shall I meet you?”
My thoughts spiral. Nothing in my life is simple anymore. “Want to meet me at my gallery? I’ll have us something delivered? Probably more casual.”
“Sounds great. I’ll see you, let's say eleven?”
We say goodbye, and I lie back on the bed, Bella’s words echoing alongside my dad’s. And when I close my eyes, I see her. That woman. Kissing Drago.
A tear slips free.
My appetite disappears completely. So I curl into myself, staring at the ceiling, and try to sleep. Just as my eyes flutter closed, my phone lights up.
His name appears on my screen.
Drago: Sweet dreams.
I hate myself for smiling so damn much at his message. I should question how the hell he knows, but I know better. I don’t know what game he’s playing here.
Me: Do you send good night texts to all the women you protect?
I laugh to myself as I type it. Petty, but I don’t care. I watch the bubbles appear, and all I can think about is him sitting there in his slutty little glasses.
Drago: Do you text back this fast to all your ‘flings’, Lily?
My heart sinks. I regret calling him that. But also, how fucking dare he?
Me: Fuck you, Drago.
His reply is instant.
Drago: Why are you sending me your to-do list?
Nope. Abort mission.
Me: Good night, Drago.
This is all too real and too scary.