Chapter 22
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Roman
My phone's been buzzing forever before I finally crack my eyes open. First thing I notice is her breath on my neck, then her leg wrapped around mine. I reach as carefully as I can for the phone, ready to throw it out the window if necessary, just to not wake Luna. Seeing Niko's name on the screen and realizing it's ten thirty, I close my eyes for a second before sneaking to the bathroom to answer, trying not to disturb the woman who achieved the impossible - keeping me asleep for six and a half hours.
A record.
"I hope this is important," I tell him, and my tone shows how annoyed I am by his call, though not surprised.
He's probably wondering why I'm not at the office yet.
"Good morning to you too," he answers, and I hear car horns in the background, indicating he hasn't reached the office either. "We need to discuss Devin, Roman. I have a meeting until lunch, but let's meet to discuss what we do next and maybe you'll explain to me what happened. Anton was quite stingy with the details," he tells me with a sigh.
He knows if I wanted to tell him I would have, but I've always appreciated Niko's persistence. He's not intimidated by me, probably because he knows why I became who I am.
"Fine, after lunch at the office," I tell him and end the call while bringing a hand to my head.
I feel the migraine starting to appear. I don't regret for a moment what happened to Luna's attacker, but that doesn't mean my actions won't generate problems, especially with Devin, who has tried for years to steal our position with the city's arms trafficking.
Although it's not our only occupation, it's a lucrative branch and we can't afford to lose it just on principle. Financially, we'd still have more than we need, but our position in Chicago would be weakened, and I can't allow that.
Not to mention Damien would have my head if I let the Irishman get his hands on our weapons.
Coming out of the bathroom, I find Luna perched on the edge of the bed, lost in her thoughts. I don't need my usual skill at reading people to know what's going through her mind - with her, it just comes naturally. Every thought shows clear as day. But seeing that regret on her face makes my muscles tighten.
Calm down. You don't want to spook her . I know the last twelve hours are a lot for someone like her to process.
"I'm sorry I woke you. My brother, Niko, needed me."
Her gaze aligns with mine and a shy smile appears on her face.
"Luna, what happened? Do you regret last night's discussion?"
I wish my own voice wouldn't show irritation at this possibility, but it's there, and I know she heard it too.
“No, it's not that... I just... I'm worried you'll regret this in the daylight now that you've had time to see what kind of mess I've dragged you into.” Her voice fades to barely a whisper at the end.
I can't help but laugh because her concern is adorable. I've done so many bad things in my life that torturing that pathetic piece of shit is actually a minor thing.
Something tightens in my chest at her concern for me.
When Kai looked at me accusingly about her injuries, she jumped to defend me. No one has ever defended me . This thought never bothered me before, but the idea of having someone who feels the need to protect me causes a strange warmth in my chest and stomach.
“The only thing I regret is not having more time with that bastard. Don't worry about me, Luna. Last night? That's just another Tuesday in my world.”
I watch her carefully, trying to detect fear or terror on her face, but all I see is...relief.
"Okay, I'll go to the other bedroom to change. I have a meeting at eleven. Is it alright if I take the call from the kitchen? I promise I won't disturb Anuska," she tells me in one breath, as if the plan just came to her.
I approach her, offering a kiss on her cheek.
"You can do whatever you want in this house. Okay? If you need quiet, you can use my office."
The surprise is visible in her eyes. I really want her to understand that I trust her and that I need her to feel the same toward me.
She gives me a quick “okay” before heading to the door then turns back for a soft kiss on my cheek. Just a brief moment, but it tells me everything - no regrets about last night, about becoming mine.
Too bad she doesn't realize that regrets wouldn't matter - I'd never let her walk away.
While Luna's changing, I rush to get ready for work. I’m running so late I'll barely have time to gulp down coffee, let alone eat.
Downstairs, I find Luna at the kitchen counter with her laptop while Anuska makes coffee. I can’t help smiling at how perfectly she fits here, like she's always belonged. And Anuska - who usually keeps any woman I'm seeing at arm's length - seems different with her.
She once dealt with an ex who thought surprising me at home was a good idea - never mind that I'd never invited her here. 'Amusing' doesn't begin to describe watching Anuska call the guards to escort her out.
Luna glances up from her laptop, flashing that smile that never fails to knock the wind out of me.
“Anuska says she's fine with me working here during the morning meeting.”
One look at Anuska tells me everything I need to know.
She likes Luna.
“Trust me, you couldn't annoy her if you tried. Though she might drive you crazy,” I say, sliding behind her to wrap my arms around her waist.
I can't stop touching her. I know this thing between us is barely hours old, but all I want is to feel her skin against mine.
I kiss her head again, and when she turns to me, I take advantage of the opportunity to talk for a moment.
"I don't know when I'll get back home. Anton stayed at your apartment. He'll bring more clothes, and I'll talk to Anuska about moving them to my bedroom."
"We need to talk when you return, please," she tells me after studying me for a few seconds.
I nod and lean toward her mouth. I feel her holding her breath, and the moment our mouths touch, I forget we're in public and that these displays aren't in my nature. She tastes like coffee and something sweeter that makes me want to never break away from her, and that's not okay. This need to taste a bit of her at every opportunity is a vulnerability that will be discovered.
Her hands position themselves on my neck and she's the one who deepens the kiss, confirming that it's not just me feeling this need to somehow be closer even though physically we're millimeters apart.
"I have to go, love," I whisper while still dropping kisses on her mouth.
"I know."
And the look she gives me is enough to bring me to my knees. She feels vulnerable staying here, but Niko and I need to resolve the logistics of everything that happened last night.
"Victoria already left, Anuska?" I ask before leaving the kitchen.
"Yes, she had ballet at eight. I haven't told her anything."
I thank her before leaving.
As soon as I get in the car, I tell Sergey, one of my trusted men, to call Goran, who's always with Victoria, to request reinforcements. I want a minimum of three soldiers with her at all times, although I know this will lead to an argument with her. She's at the age where she seeks freedom, but I can't offer that when I've started a war with the Irish mafia.
In thirty minutes I'm at the office and Niko waits for me with coffee in hand, a sign that he didn't have an easy night either. Except unlike mine, his probably involved one or two women whose names he probably doesn't remember, just their bra sizes.
"You look...good?!" he tells me in a slightly shocked tone, and I burst out laughing.
"I slept."
Normally I function on three to four hours of sleep per night; six and a half hours is a new record, and I know it's because of her .
"You should do that more often," he tells me while I sit down.
"Devin sent someone after Luna. Apparently her ex-boyfriend accumulated debts and put her up as collateral."
I barely manage to keep my tone normal even though, inside, all of last night's fury starts to boil. I know what happens to women given as collateral, and the fact that Luna has paid his debts before only makes the situation worse.
"For God's sake..." I hear Niko muttering.
We both know what it means to fall into Devin's hands. The man has connections to organ and skin trafficking. So many women have disappeared after stepping into his club that just the thought of Luna potentially sharing the same fate makes me want to flay the bastard who put her up as collateral.
"Okay, I've already discussed transferring funds with some associates. We've emptied certain accounts for liquidity, and I think we should talk to Damien about sending us some men in the coming period."
That's why I leave the numbers to Niko. He gets why I did what I did, and I'm grateful he doesn't push it. Not that he could change my mind anyway, but the last thing I need right now is drama with my brother.
"I've talked to Goran about Victoria's security. I'm thinking of moving her courses online for the foreseeable future," I tell him while texting Goran for a status update.
"Agreed. Any leads on Smert?" he asks, and I realize I've completely forgotten about the man who wanted to get his hands on Luna's code.
"No, Lev is still trying to find leads."
Something's off about this. Lev can dig up dirt on anyone - guy's got an MIT degree and has spent his whole career working for crime syndicates, not corporations. Unlike most in his line of work, he's kept his humanity - it's why I trust him. So if he can't find anything on Smert, maybe those rumors are true. The man really is a ghost.
Or something bigger's wrong if Lev's coming up empty lately.
But I shut down that thought. Not my style to jump to conclusions without proof.
"Fine. I have another meeting in thirty minutes, so I need to prepare. Roman..." I see he's struggling to formulate what he wants to say.
"Spit it out, Niko."
I know whatever it is, I probably won't like it, but we've always been honest with each other. No secrets. That's why we work so well as a team.
"I like Luna, honestly, but be careful your new passion doesn't get you killed," he tells me quickly and leaves the office.
I can't be angry with him, because he cares. I'd probably give him the same advice, but I don't plan on dying. Not when I finally have Luna beside me, in my house, in my bed.
This morning, the hardest part was getting up from beside her body. I had to scold my brain for all the thoughts it generated seeing her in my bed. Thoughts of her in the shower. Thoughts of my head between her legs. Thoughts of her on her knees. But I need patience. I don't want to scare her right now when she seems to understand she's made for me. So, I'm not planning to die. I'm planning to be the one doing the killing, starting with that pathetic excuse for a man who offered her as payment for debt.
Still, the fact that I haven't heard anything from Lev unsettles me, so I call him. The phone rings once before he answers.
"I didn't know you were so agitated, Roman," he tells me in what's meant to be an amusing tone, but I sense his nervousness.
"I didn't know you were incompetent either, Lev, but I see we're both being surprised lately."
I'm being an asshole, because Lev has always delivered. But I don't want him thinking such delays are acceptable. We pay him royally precisely for his speed. Something's wrong if he can't track down Devin or that rat Aidan.
"Any news about Smert?" I ask.
"I can only tell you that he was born in Saint Petersburg and started operating twenty-one years ago." Lev holds his breath because he knows what I'm going to ask next.
"Why do we only know that much?"
"The man doesn't exist, Roman. You can't even contact him. From what I understand, if you want to get in touch with him, you need to have a big enough problem that he's interested in solving it. Payments are made to different accounts, and it would take forever to try to identify anything from them. Whatever reason he has for wanting this application, I don't think you can find out without him explicitly seeking you out!"
I realize he's telling me the truth. If no one knows of his existence, his identity, that says enough.
"Let me know if you find anything else," I tell him and hang up.
I keep circling around the idea Luna put on the table. What if it's not about the application itself, but what it could do?
An image from Luna's bedroom then comes to my mind and I grab my phone and call Sofia, who answers after a few moments.
"I need you to send something to my house. Now!"