Chapter 27
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
ALYONA
After Leo leaves, I turn into a blubbering mess on the kitchen floor.
Kira holds me, lets me cry, lets me rage, and then makes me a stiff vodka soda as I tell her everything.
All the dirty details of our time on the boat and everything Leo just admitted to me.
When the words run out and my body slumps forward, she puts me in a steaming shower, the pounding spray helping to calm what’s left of my nerves.
Shivering, I can’t tell if it’s the water or my tears messing with my vision.
Definitely tears. Crying in the shower has become a regular thing since Leo stormed back into my life and turned everything upside down.
These are not tears of sorrow; they burn with fury.
I let him in, opened my heart to him again, only to find out he’s been fucking with my life from a distance, as if he had some sort of right over me.
If this is what he calls love, he sure has a warped definition. It’s twisted. Sick. Even if he was shielding me from some dark, terrifying secret, manipulating my life from the shadows is nothing but crazy.
Stepping out of the shower, I wrap myself in a towel and make my way into the small bedroom. Kira’s perched on an armchair in the corner with a pint of ice cream and two bowls set on a table beside her. A change of clothes waits for me on the bed.
“I apologize in advance.” Kira frowns, gesturing to the ice cream. “Vanilla was all I could find on such short notice.”
I manage a weary smile as I sit down on the bed across from her. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”
She hands me a bowl and then serves herself one. “Feeling better?” Kira asks after a while.
“A bit.” Not really, but I’d rather Kira not see me like this. A stupid girl who fell for the wrong guy … twice. “I feel like an idiot,” I admit. “I said it would just be sex, nothing more, that I could keep my feelings locked down. How fucking wrong I was.”
Kira’s gaze softens. “It was never going to be that simple.”
“Yeah, maybe not.” I look down at my nails, absently picking at my cuticle. “I feel so vulnerable … like he has some sort of hold over me. Like I can never think straight when it comes to him.”
“Listen,” Kira says, leaning forward. “I know this is not my business, and Leo was clearly misguided, but maybe you need to hear him out. He loves you, I know he does, and I think on some level you love him, too.”
I scoff. “He sure has a fucked-up way of showing it.”
“Yeah, they all do, these bratva men are emotionally stunted assholes. That’s why we ladies need to put them in their place.” She shrugs, taking my empty bowl and stacking it on top of hers.
“That’s why we ladies should avoid them altogether.”
She gives me a sly smile. “How’s that working for you?”
“Not all that well.” I stand and grab a towel to dry my hair. And then, because I need to not think of Leo and the fact that I’m locked in a safe house right now, I ask, “And what about you? Who are you seeing these days?”
She pulls a face. “Just hookups. I don’t have time for anything more.”
“What!? Is Andrei working you to the bone?”
“Nah, it’s not that. It’s just been a bit hectic lately, nothing we need to discuss at the moment.
” She shrugs, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“Besides, I’ve yet to find a guy that holds my interest. New York is overflowing with entitled trust-fund brats in search of arm candy to feed their ego. That’s just not my scene."
“Fair enough.” I can tell she doesn’t want me to push the issue, so I let it drop. “What is there to do around here?” I ask.
“Nothing. That’s the beauty of being locked in a safe house. How about we curl up on the couch and watch a movie? Nothing romantic, I promise. Maybe we can find a Die Hard DVD or something.”
“DVD? Now that’s a throwback,” I chuckle.
“Yeah, that’s all they have here. It’ll be quaint, like a ’90s sleepover.”
“Right.” I nod, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. “DVD it is.”