Chapter 15 – Noelle #2
I can’t breathe. I don’t want to.
His hand fists in my hair, the other sliding up my thigh with bruising intent, shoving my dress higher, higher, until cool night air licks my skin. He presses me back against the glass, the city a dizzying blur beneath us. His body cages mine, heat and muscle and unrelenting need.
“You think I can’t ruin you out here?” he rasps against my mouth, his lips dragging down my throat, teeth grazing my skin. “With the whole fucking world watching?”
The words strike something primal inside me. My pulse crashes, my body arches, the edge of surrender pulling me under. I’m half-gone already, drowning in him.
His hand slips higher, his fingers brushing where I ache most, and my breath shatters. I cling to him, nails biting into his shoulders, needing more, needing everything.
The tension builds and builds, unbearable, blinding. He’s about to take me right here, against the glass, against the night—
And then—
A sharp chime slices through the air. The glass wall glows faintly, the crisp, mechanical voice of the security system cutting like a blade through the haze:
“Visitor. Lev Rusnak.”
We freeze. My pulse thrums wildly as Niko’s forehead drops against mine, his growl vibrating in his chest.
“Of all the goddamn times….”
Niko pulls me in, shutting the balcony door behind us just as the lock buzzes. His arm lingers at my waist, possessive, protective, like he’s not ready to let me go. A moment later, the penthouse door opens, and Lev strolls in like he owns the place.
“Thought I’d check in,” he says, shrugging out of his coat and tossing it onto the sofa without asking. “Make sure you’re both breathing, eating, you know—the basics.” His grin flashes. “Also, to confirm if this palace is as ridiculous as I imagined. Spoiler: It is.”
Niko doesn’t answer right away, which doesn’t seem to bother Lev in the slightest. He crosses the room with the lazy confidence of someone who’s never once been told no in his life.
“Did a sweep,” he continues, hands tucked into his pockets.
“Perimeter’s tight. Guards are alert. Cameras clear.
Not even a cockroach could sneak through without you knowing.
” His gaze flicks to me then, and his grin turns sharp.
“Though I admit, seeing you here, Noelle, I almost wonder if Niko’s guarding the city from you. ”
I blink, caught off guard, before a laugh escapes me. “From me?”
“Of course.” Lev spreads his hands like it’s obvious. “This skyline was impressive once. Now, it pales.”
I can feel Niko tense beside me, his thumb pressing firmly into my hip. I glance at him, but his eyes are locked on Lev, sharp as a blade.
Lev catches the look and bursts out laughing, lifting both hands in surrender. “Relax, brother. It’s a joke. A harmless one.”
The corner of my mouth quirks despite myself. “You’re terrible.”
“Terrible?” Lev feigns a wounded gasp. “No, no, no—charming. That’s the word you’re looking for.”
“Charming my ass,” Niko mutters under his breath, finally letting me step forward a little.
Lev just grins wider, clearly enjoying himself. “Ah, there’s that smile again,” he says, nodding at me. “I knew I’d win you over.”
I shake my head, laughing, and Niko shoots him another look, one that would freeze most men in their tracks. Lev, of course, just winks and flops down onto the armchair like nothing happened.
“Seriously, though,” he says after a beat, his tone softening. “It’s quiet out there. You’re safe here.”
“Thank you, Lev.”
A few moments later, we’re still trying to settle in and Lev is still lounging in the armchair like it’s his personal throne when Niko’s phone buzzes on the coffee table. He leans forward, snatches it up, and his whole posture sharpens as soon as he sees the name.
“Kirill,” he mutters, swiping to answer.
I watch him pace toward the far window, voice low, clipped. Lev raises an eyebrow at me, mouthing serious call before pretending to zip his lips. I bite back a smile.
“Yes,” Niko says into the phone, his tone like steel. “When?” A long pause. His jaw works, tight. “Toronto.”
At that, Lev sits up straighter, all the joking gone from his face.
“What is it?” I whisper.
Niko hangs up and turns, his expression unreadable, but the tension in his shoulders is unmistakable. “Anton might be heading to Toronto,” he says flatly. “A Rusnak storage facility was hit two nights ago. Files are gone—every single one tied to our Chicago branch.”
Lev whistles low. “He’s not subtle, I’ll give him that.”
My stomach twists. “Toronto? That’s far….”
“Far,” Niko agrees, slipping the phone into his pocket, “but close enough to matter. If Anton gets comfortable there, it won’t be long before he circles back here. He doesn’t run without a reason.”
Lev leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You think he’s setting up shop? Or just passing through?”
Niko’s eyes narrow. “Doesn’t matter. Wherever he stops, we’ll smoke him out.”
I swallow, glancing between them, caught between fear and relief—fear of Anton being so close, relief that these men seem to know how to handle it.
Lev’s gaze flicks to me then, softer than before. “Don’t worry, Noelle. Toronto’s not your problem. It’s ours.” He shoots Niko a sideways grin. “Though, if you’d stop hiding up here in penthouses, Niko, maybe you’d have gotten to him first.”
Niko’s glare could set stone on fire, but Lev just chuckles and sinks back into the chair, utterly unbothered.
“I’m not hiding,” Niko bites out. “I’m keeping her safe.”
Lev exhales like he’s bored of repeating the obvious and swivels his gaze to me. “No offense, printsessa, but women complicate things. Niko would have smoked out Anton by now if it weren’t for you.”
My stomach drops. The words sting more than I expect them to. I glance at Niko, throat tight. “Is that true?”
He shakes his head instantly, sharp and certain. “That’s not true.”
But Lev keeps talking, like he can’t help himself. “All I’m saying is, distractions get people killed. Anton doesn’t sit still, and he doesn’t play fair. Every day you stay above ground, he gets closer to sinking his claws in.”
“Lev.” Niko’s voice cuts through the air like a blade, low and dangerous. “That’s enough.”
Lev throws up his hands in mock surrender, grinning again, but I can feel the shift beneath it—the grain of truth in his words, the pressure building inside Niko’s silence.
I swallow hard and wrap my arms around myself, trying to push away the unease creeping under my skin. I don’t want to be the reason Niko slows down. I don’t want to be the reason he doesn’t catch Anton.
My phone buzzes on the table, slicing through the heavy silence.
I frown, picking it up. A message from a restricted number. The same number that texted me that fateful day at the clinic, right before all of this started.
My stomach knots.
You are just like your mother.
The words hit like a slap, sharp and disorienting. My throat tightens. For a moment, I can’t move, can’t breathe.
Niko notices. His eyes sharpen immediately. “What is it?”
I shake my head, clutching the phone tighter. “It’s nothing.”
His jaw hardens. “Noelle.” His voice dips, dark and unyielding. “Hand it over.”
I hesitate, my pulse quickening. There’s something about that message that feels too raw, too personal. But I know better than to think I can hide it from him. With trembling fingers, I pass the phone across the table.