Chapter 10
CHAPTER
TEN
ALYONA
There was a time in my life when I thought Leonid Kozlov could do no wrong. That the sun rose and fell at his bidding. That time is past. Like way past.
He was out of line last night. But the worst part—so was I.
Because the minute his hands dared roam over my skin—and they sure did roam, touching, exploring, making me feel things I hadn’t felt in a long time—I was a goner.
I melted into him. And that kiss he dropped along my neck while I was pressed against his firm body rippling with— Nope, not going to go there.
I’ve spent so much time trying to forget him—the way he could make me burst out laughing with one perfectly timed eyebrow arch, the way he’d happily leaf through fashion magazines with me while I pointed out the latest styles. He made me feel safe, like I was the only one in his world.
Last night proved to me this isn’t going to work unless I set some firm boundaries.
If we’re going to do this fake engagement thing, he doesn’t get to kiss me or touch me just because he wants to.
Because Leo’s touch sets me on fire. It makes me want things I shouldn’t, and that messes with my head.
Slipping on the most demure dress I find in the closet—a white linen summer sheath paired with cork-wedge heels—I step out of my suite and head upstairs towards Leo’s office turned makeshift bedroom.
I assume this is where he’s been holed up every night, because I sure as hell haven’t invited him to sleep in the stateroom with me.
I am a big enough woman to admit I’m part of the problem.
I teased Leo about Jack, and it got him all fired up.
Yeah, Jack’s flirty, but it’s harmless, and I’m definitely not interested, even if I let Leo think otherwise.
What can I say, the ego boost felt good, and I enjoyed getting a rise out of Leo. But now it’s time to stop playing.
Just as I’m about to knock, a voice on the other side of the door stops me in my tracks. It’s a voice I recognize buzzing through the speakerphone, and she is furious.
“On a yacht?! You basically abducted her in the middle of the night, and now you’re forcing her to stay with you? Leo … what exactly is wrong with you?”
God bless Kira. The youngest of the Kozlov siblings and one of my closest friends and fiercest defenders, as evidenced by the shit she’s now raining down on her brother. I know I shouldn’t, but who in their right mind would be able to resist eavesdropping on this conversation? Certainly not me.
“I did what I had to do to keep her safe. I don’t need you busting my balls. Trust me, Alyona’s done enough of that already,” Leo shoots back defensively.
“Well, can you blame her?”
Leo mutters a curse I don’t quite catch. “I owe it to Yulian and the brotherhood to treat this threat as serious, to make sure—”
Kira’s laugh slices through his words like a knife. “Who are you trying to convince? ‘Cause I don’t buy it for one minute. Chartering a private yacht, blowing off your other duties to be her personal protector. What are you really after?”
A tight knot forms in my stomach as the tension on the other side of the door buzzes like a live wire. I don’t know what Kira’s getting at, but it feels like she’s dancing around that one topic I’ve begged her not to touch with a ten-foot pole.
My history with Leo.
Kira’s the one person that knows the full truth.
Maybe it was easier to talk to her because she didn’t see us grow up together, or maybe it was the two bottles of rosé we polished off on the patio of Café de la Paix when she came to Paris last year.
But I told her everything. Like everything.
The whole sordid tale of love, rejection, and heartbreak.
And she pinky promised never to breathe a word to another soul.
Leo lets out a sound that’s part sigh, part growl.
“Kira, I love you, but you don’t know what you’re talking about.
The history between Aly and me is complicated.
I … I care for her.” He hits the brakes mid-sentence, going silent.
It feels like an eternity passes before he finds his voice again.
“But right now I need to act in the best interest of the brotherhood.”
“Is that what you did all those years ago when you chose the bratva over her?”
My hand flattens against the door and my blood pounds in my ears. Holy shit, what is Kira thinking, spilling secrets I entrusted to her?! Knowing her, she’s probably been itching to give Leo hell ever since I told her how we ended. I get that she’s concerned, but I really wish she’d let it go.
“Did she tell you that?” Leo’s voice is strained.
“Oh, you mean the part where you shattered her heart, trampled all over it, and then fed it to a wood chipper for good measure?”
I’m on the brink of pounding down this damned door, when Leo’s voice slices through the air.
“I made the only choice I could to keep the people I love from getting hurt,” he admits, his voice raw. “It was the hardest thing I ever had to do, and it cost me everything.”
Resting my palms on the wall above my head, I struggle to draw in my next breath.
What does he mean the people he loved would get hurt?
I did get hurt! He broke me. Could he mean something else?
My mind spins, tossing his words about like a Rubik’s Cube, frantically trying to solve the riddle.
Because the only truth I know is that Leo Kozlov did exactly what he promised he wouldn’t.
He discarded me like trash on the floor.
He told me he didn’t love me, never had. That we were a mistake.
I spiraled into a dark place after that, and the only escape was distance. So, three days after he broke things off, I packed up my life and moved to Paris while he pledged his loyalty to the Kozlov Bratva. He became a vor, the one thing I could never accept in a partner.
I stiffen, my back pressing into the wall as I slide down onto the cold floor.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,” Kira says, her voice softer now. “You’ve never opened up about what happened with you and Aly.”
“It’s not something I find easy to talk about. With anyone.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Kira exhales a heavy sigh. “But the two of you alone for days on end … how’s that working?”
Leo scoffs. “Once Daniil is back from Russia, we’ll have a better understanding of the situation. Until then, nothing else matters. This is the safest place for her to be.”
The faint sound of a clock ticking fills the silence. “It’s not safe for her heart. Keep that in mind.”
Exactly what I confessed to Kira two bottles in, I don’t remember. But there’s a flicker in the back of my mind, a sliver of memory hinting that I may have confessed a truth so raw, I can barely admit it to myself.
The fact that I’ve never truly gotten over Leo.
“Why would you say that?” Leo prods, a new tension in his voice.
And that’s my signal to make my presence known before Kira spills any more of my secrets. Thump, Thump, Thump. “Leo, can we talk?” I call out.
“Kira, I need to go. We’ll catch up soon.”
“Remember what I said,” she reminds him.
Seconds later, Leo swings open the door, his gaze latching onto mine.
A storm rages in his deep-brown eyes, holding me captive.
I squirm under his scrutiny but do my best to keep my expression neutral.
If he suspects that I eavesdropped, he doesn’t mention it, and I’m certainly not about to confess.
Instead, I flash him a breezy smile and stroll past him into the office. “Am I interrupting something?” I ask, perching on the edge of his desk.
Three heavy beats pass before Leo answers. “Nah, Kira was just checking in, wanted to make sure everything was okay. I’m sure she would have wanted to speak with you.”
I cross my arms in front of my chest. “I bet a lot of people would like to speak with me, but considering you took my phone, I guess that’s not happening.”
He smiles, but it feels forced. “Safety first.”
"Whatever." I swallow, making a conscious effort to avoid his gaze, because every time I meet it, I lose my bearings. I swear, his warm brown eyes are like a trap. “So … any news about my situation?"
He gives a slow shake of his head. “No news from Brooklyn. What happened to you seems to be an isolated incident. No one’s made a move on the Kozlov Bratva or anyone linked to us. I suspect it’s personal. Whoever’s after you is after you for a reason.”
A shiver creeps up my spine. “I’m being targeted?”
Resting his hands on the back of a chair, he leans forward, lines of frustration etched on his face.
“We don’t know anything for certain yet,” he admits.
“Daniil’s in Russia trying to dig up answers.
Once we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll head back to New York.
You just need to tolerate me for a few more days, then I’ll be out of your hair.
” His jaw clenches and releases. “That is what you want, right?”
I clear the lump in my throat. “Yes, of course that’s what I want.”
His eyes dark, Leo runs a fingertip over the scar on his chin. “What did you come here to talk to me about?”
I part my lips, only to clamp them shut again.
If we’re only going to be here for a few more days, it hardly seems worth it to dive into the whole PDA drama.
Besides, Leo was only getting touchy-feely with me to make a point in front of Jack.
I’ll make it easier on everyone by avoiding the first mate altogether.
“Just checking up on things,” I say, easing off the desk. Then, words I hadn’t planned on escape. “I appreciate it, you know. You being here … doing all this.” Even if Leo’s presence is about his loyalty to the brotherhood and Yulian, he’s kept me safe. And that’s not nothing.
A flicker of surprise crosses his features, before he nods, the movement slow and deliberate. It feels like there is more for us to say, especially after how we left things last night, but I can’t find the words.