Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
MILA
I stood in the bathroom of the hotel room and stared in horror at my appearance.
I was absolutely wrecked, both emotionally and physically.
My nails were broken and caked with dirt, and the grime felt three layers deep on my skin.
Even my scalp was embedded with sand. I leaned toward the mirror, noting with shock that I had several small scrapes and scratches on my face.
My body hurt as I started the shower and stripped off my wet clothes. I could barely lift my arms above my head to take off my wet shirt. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, but instead I was getting ready for another family dinner.
At least you aren’t facing punishment for coming in last, like last year.
I stepped under the warm spray and watched as the water ran black at my feet. Then I sobbed into a facecloth, trying not to gasp or make a sound as my body finally understood it was over and I had made it through. I stood under the soothing stream and cried until I couldn’t cry anymore.
After my shower, I swung open the door to access my suitcase and stopped short. Axel, still wet and muddy, was sitting at the desk and nursing a vodka. An open case sat in front of him, and one of the bottles was open on the small table beside him.
“I’m sorry. I forgot we were sharing a bathroom.”
His tone was dry. “I’m good.”
I disappeared back into the bathroom to pull on a robe and grab my hair products and my blow dryer.
Avoiding his gaze, I moved to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. “You can use the shower. I’m done in there for the time being.”
I wasn’t even done drying my hair, and was still wearing the hotel robe, when Axel walked back out of the bathroom, only partial dressed.
He was freshly shaved, and his hair was wet and combed off his face, making his angular features seem even more austere.
His dress shirt hung unbuttoned, showcasing his hard, muscular chest and stomach.
When he had lifted and carried me through the obstacle course, he had proven his strength and stamina, but I hadn’t given his body or his level of fitness much thought.
Now, as he tilted his head back to drain his glass, I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes off the corded muscles of his neck or the expanse of smooth skin that seemed to highlight every ripple.
Our eyes met in the mirror and I awkwardly dropped my gaze, pretending I hadn’t just been caught watching him.
It felt strangely intimate to be acting like a couple when we were near strangers, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching him move around the room in the reflection of the mirror.
He checked his phone twice, buttoned up and tucked in his shirt, added a tie and a dinner jacket, and ran his fingers through his damp hair.
He paused behind me, and our eyes met once again in the mirror.
“I’ll have the staff pack up your share of the vodka.”
“You can have all the vodka.” I dropped my gaze to avoid his. I could no longer maintain my hostility toward this man who had spent the day saving me, and that made me feel naked.
“If I get the vodka, you get the cash.” He set down a thick envelope on the end of the bed.
I jerked my head up in shock. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He looked down at his watch. “I’ll be back in less than an hour to pick you up for dinner.”
And then he was gone.
Still feeling fragile and chilled from the day, I deliberately dressed in layers, boots, a long skirt, a blouse and a warm sweater.
I slicked my hair back into a tight bun and gave myself a minimal face with a bright lip.
I carefully hid the money Axel had left for me in three different places in my bag, and then I folded my clothes neatly, organized my bag and planned my clothes for the next day, before finally allowing myself to lie down.
I woke up to Axel standing next to the bed, his expression shuttered as he watched me sleep.
“What are you doing?” My mouth felt like cotton. “What time is it?”
“It’s dinnertime.”
He moved away from the bed while I lay there for a few seconds longer, wishing more than anything I could just shut my eyes and go back to sleep.
Instead I dizzily sat up. According to the clock I had only been asleep for thirteen minutes. Why did it feel like I had been out for hours?
I stood and zipped up my boots before patting my bun in the mirror. It seemed to be intact, and so was my lipstick. “I’m ready.”
In silence, we walked to the elevator. He stood beside me, handsome and aloof. He looked like he belonged in this grand hotel more than anyone in Grisha’s family.
“Anyone tell you that you sleep like the dead?” His voice cut through my thoughts.
I turned to meet his gray eyes. “Excuse me?”
“You were so quiet I wasn’t sure you were breathing.”
“I’m so tired.” The complaint slipped out of me.
He frowned in response just as the elevator door slid open to reveal my uncle and aunt, already inside with three other strangers.
Aunt Lena didn’t look impressed when she saw the two of us.
My uncle grinned. “And how are my two favorite champions of the night?”
“Shocked we won,” I said honestly.
He laughed uproariously while thumping Axel’s back. “I like people who surprise me.”
From the moment we arrived at the private dining room, I wanted to leave.
The staff had set up two long tables to accommodate the entire group.
Everyone was drinking heavily, and the meal was frequently interrupted by someone standing up to tell a long, rambling hunting story or get everyone going with a wild drinking song.
The staff carried out the food in communal pots, in a procession that never seemed to end, and there was always someone trying to put more food on my plate.
I ached.
All of me.
Every muscle in my body throbbed, and no matter how I shifted, I couldn’t seem to get comfortable. I was so fatigued I struggled to keep my eyes open.
Axel leaned forward and spoke quietly. “You’re tired.”
“How is everyone still going strong?” I asked in bewilderment.
“I’ll take you back to the room.”
“I don’t think I’m supposed to leave,” I whispered to him. I knew my uncle. He didn’t like it when people left his parties early.
Axel spoke loudly over the rambunctious singing. “Grisha.”
My uncle looked toward us, his gaze more sober than he was letting on.
I watched in shock as Axel said, “Mila needs to sleep.”
Grisha nodded in approval. “I expect you back here, though.”
“Of course.” Axel stood up and held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
When we got to our room, he made me stand at the door while he walked through the room, acting like he was on security detail.
“It’s clear,” he said, watching me as I stepped further into the room.
He gave me a short nod and then headed back toward the door.
The words slipped out before I could stop them. “Are you coming back?”
“Eventually.”
He didn’t seem tired, but he must have been as exhausted as me, if not more. “Aren’t you tired?”
“I’ll get to sleep soon enough.” He gave me one last look as he opened the door. “Get some rest.” And then he was gone.
I didn’t even wash off my makeup. The second he walked out the door, I pulled out my hair, put on my pajamas, and crawled into bed.
“Oh my god,” I groaned into the pillow. “How am I still alive?”
It took tremendous effort to turn off the lamp, but after that, sleep blissfully overtook my body.
I fought to get out from under the cover of sleep. But I became aware that the beside lamp beside me was on.
It couldn’t possibly be morning yet. I felt like I hadn’t slept more than ten minutes.
“What time is it?” I grumbled, still unwilling to open my eyes.
“It’s about 1 a.m. We’re leaving.”
It wasn’t Axel’s words as much as his tone that brought me wide awake. I immediately sat up, blinking against the light, feeling confused and disoriented. “Why?”
He was looking at his phone. “The entire family is leaving. There’s been an incident back home.”
I swung my feet over the side of the bed, but all of my muscles screamed when I did it. “What kind of incident?”
“The bad kind.” He looked up from his phone and met my gaze. “How fast can you get dressed and packed?”
“Fast.”
“You’ve got ten minutes.”
“Okay.”
“And dress in clothes you can move in.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Boots, warm pants, sweater, jacket with a hood, preferably dark colors.”
“Are you serious?”
“Get moving.” And then he was gone again.
“Don’t make me run, okay?” I said to the empty room. “I’m too stiff to run.”
He returned in ten minutes, and I had an additional three minutes’ reprieve while he packed his own bag. Then someone was at the door to bring our bags downstairs.
It was chaos in the lobby.
Our entire group was milling around in various states of inebriation. Some were staggering, others were sitting down and holding their heads or trying to get some sleep. Around them, protective details moved with precision. They ordered hotel staff to load up the cars and check the baggage.
In the middle of all this, my uncle alternated between yelling at his phone and conferring with three of his cousins.
“What’s wrong with everyone?” I asked.
“Everyone is completely drunk.” Axel stepped closer and lowered his voice. “There was an attack on your uncle’s home. A couple of buildings were set on fire.”
“What?” I stared at him in disbelief.
“They also carried out simultaneous attacks on two other homes, but those were stopped before they did any real damage.”
“What’s on fire?”
“A couple of the storage units near the back of the property.”
The storage units that I was forbidden to go near. I had watched trucks come and go at all hours of the day and night to load and unload those storage units, but I had obediently avoided the area.
My immediate thought was for my passport and my father’s trumpet. “Is the house okay?”
“From what we understand.”
I felt so confused. “Now what?”