Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
TATIANA
I t’s more like home in this apartment than my own, and I wonder about that. When Titus left me, I wallowed in the tub and attempted to cleanse away my dark thoughts along with the dirt. My first thought was to call Titus, and yet I hardly know him. I’m not sure why I trust him so much, but something deep within me tells me I can.
I am so worried about Nadia. She was likely taken when she left that night. Was she held, like Leo was intending to do to me? Was she tortured, abused, or worse?
I picture her kind face and weep tears for her soul. She is my only friend; a woman I trust more than any other. The one person I could vent to after a stressful day and she always had my back.
My foolish request might have cost her life, and I will never forgive myself for that.
Whoever is doing this is sick and needs help. A psychopath, obviously, and I’m grateful a man like Titus is beside me. If I’m certain of anything, it’s that he will protect me. Then there’s our marriage. What happens after our wedding? What is the point of it at all?
It’s as if I’m playing a part in a play and I haven’t studied the script and I’m lurching from one scene to another doing the best I can.
My head is scrambled and my nerves on edge, and yet all I can wonder is where Titus is now.
Suzannah brought me a change of clothes, a cozy sweater and some sweat pants. Completely different to the usual elegant couture I’m expected to wear around here, and I was so grateful it brought tears to my eyes, knowing she understands.
She left, promising to return with my supper, so when the door opens, I smile expectantly.
I’m surprised when Titus carries the tray inside the room and smiles.
“You look better.”
“Thank you.” I blush because even now he is the sexiest man I have ever met. He is so strong, both in personality and mind, and as he sets the tray down on the small table, he reaches for my hand.
“Come and sit with me.”
Like a puppy dog wagging its tail for its master, I scamper beside him and love how his arm settles around my shoulder.
He drops a light kiss on the top of my head and says softly, “If it’s any consolation, we are certain Nadia is alive and the finger may not have been hers.”
My heart settles, but questions remain.
“What makes you believe that?”
He rubs his thumb across the back of my hand and his voice is rough, edged in anger.
“Simeon has uncovered a connection between Nadia and Leo. We guess they were working together.”
“How?”
I’m so confused.
“Are you familiar with the dancers who defected when they were with the Bolshoi?”
“Of course.” I nod thoughtfully. “It was a huge topic of conversation. There were many theories going around but nobody ever heard from them again, so the rumors increased.”
“Nadia and Leo could have been involved with that.”
“No!” I shake my head vigorously. “Nadia would never help a dancer leave the Bolshoi. She loved it too much. It was her life.”
“Her life or her livelihood?”
His tone is ominous and my voice shakes as I whisper, “I don’t understand.”
“I can’t be certain, but Simeon believes that she had an arrangement with a wealthy individual who paid her good money for a dancer from the Bolshoi. One every year, apparently, and we accessed her records, and she is richer by thirty million US dollars.”
“Oh my God!” My hand flies to my mouth and tears are my reply as the enormity of what Titus is implying hits me hard.
“Trafficking.” He says simply. “It’s not uncommon for a wealthy man with no morals or duty to buy things that are not for sale. A person is one such commodity, and it appears that this individual has a thing for Russian ballerinas. I’m guessing that he keeps them for one year until they are replaced. I may be wrong and he keeps them all, but it’s a trade that will never end all the time the buyer hooks up with a like-minded seller.”
“Nadia wouldn’t do that. She loves the dancers.”
I can’t comprehend it and Titus leans back and sighs, dragging me against him, his fingers twisting in my hair as he says gruffly, “You are so innocent, Tatiana. Tell me, did Leo ever make advances toward you before that night?”
I think back on the many times he caught me alone and attempted to seduce me. He flattered me, paid me compliments and when I made it clear I wasn’t interested, the bouquets started to arrive.
The bile rises in my throat as the facts hit me hard.
“Yes.” My voice comes out as a whisper and I gasp, “He was terrifying me, but for what reason?”
“To catch you off balance and make you afraid and reliant on Nadia. The night he forced himself on you was probably to shock you. I’m guessing Nadia would be there to stop him and help you escape. The buyer would make sure transportation was waiting and you would be in shock and not comprehending the situation. Then you would be flown to the chosen destination and never heard of again.”
My blood freezes and Titus says gently, “However, it is unconfirmed and until we find Nadia, we won’t know that for a fact.”
“Titus–” My voice shakes as the enormity of what could have happened hits me and as his arms wrap around me and he pulls me in close, I cling onto him as if I will never let him go.
When I wake the next day, it’s past breakfast and the events from yesterday come back to haunt me.
Titus sat with me for hours, insisting I finish the meal he delivered, answering my questions and allowing me to fall apart. I wish I had been stronger. I thought I was, but knowing how close I came to losing everything was a wake up call I never knew I needed.
He stayed with me all night. Holding me until I fell asleep in his arms and now as I wake, my heart flutters when I realize he is still fully dressed and lying beside me, checking the emails on his phone.
“Titus.” I whisper, spinning around to gaze at him.
His jaw is darker, the black stubble rough against his skin. His eyes are tired, and it appears he was up all night and yet he smiles softly and reaching out, drags his finger down my cheek and whispers, “Morning, gorgeous.”
I hold his hand against my face and smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He doesn’t even ask why. It’s as if we can read one another’s thoughts like an open letter.
“You haven’t slept.” I state the obvious and he shrugs.
“There wasn’t time.”
“You’re a strange man, Titus Romanov.”
My lips twist into a smile and his eyes flash as he gently drops a light kiss on my lips.
“And you’re a strong woman, Tia.”
“And you conclude that because?”
I raise my eyes, and he fixes me with a steely glare. “Because you’re my woman, Tia. You are strong because you have me and the Romanov dynasty surrounding you. Always remember that, malysh. You are soon to be a Romanov, and we are not afraid.”
His words trigger a reaction inside me I never saw coming. Confidence floods through me as I accept the situation for what it is. I am marrying a Romanov. Titus Romanov and I must rise to the challenge and be worthy of that title.
Just a simple sentence that means more than he will ever know. Then again, everything this man does is for cause and effect and I smile, my eyes glittering as I lean forward and kiss him softly, loving how his hand wraps around the back of my head. He deepens the kiss, demanding entrance to twist my tongue in his, his rough stubble grazing my soft skin, marking me as his.
His hand edges under the sweater that I apparently slept in last night and as his rough fingers connect with my soft skin, I groan into his mouth, desperate for more.
He shifts to face me and splays his hand against my back, pressing me in closer, deeper against him. Kissing me hard, demanding, taking, and conquering.
I will be a Romanov. He is really going through with this and for however long that lasts, I will give him the whole of me in return.