Chapter Twenty-eight
Rodion
My jaw locked as I wrapped the towel around my waist, every muscle tight with restraint.
My cock still pulsed, half-hard and aching, taunting me like it had a say in anything.
I gripped it and squeezed like I could punish it for wanting her.
She wasn’t supposed to get this close, especially not in my thoughts.
I walked back to the bathroom. Maybe cold water would calm me. The towel slipped and fell on the floor. The cool water traced down my skin, easing the heat on the surface but doing nothing to quiet the fire burning beneath it.
My thoughts returned to Renat’s betrayal and Luigi, the nameless threat with too many faces. Those things fueled me. That rage used to be enough to drown out everything else.
But now, all I saw was her face. The way she looked at me like she didn’t know whether to run or let me devour her.
My hand moved to my cock before I permitted it.
One grip and I was stroking myself. I leaned a hand against the wall, my head low, and my breath heavy.
I started slowly, but control snapped fast. Each stroke dragged the ache higher.
She was everywhere—her scent, her skin, the feel of her body arching under me, and the softness of her lips.
The fucking taste of her still lingered on my tongue. I tilted my head back, eyes shut tight, and came with a grunt that scraped from my throat. I braced both hands on the tile and let the water run over me until my heartbeat slowed.
Finally, the ache dulled, but it didn’t die. I turned the shower off and grabbed the towel. It would happen again if she got near me.
After dressing up, I sat on the sofa with the open laptop in my lap. Work usually helped, I pulled up the port schedules
An hour passed with my eyes on the screen.
Pavel had sent over the intel, everything he had dug up so far.
I let him work with Alessia’s father after I had them moved into a secret apartment.
Her father was more useful than I thought.
With the access to bank details and Pavel’s hacking skills, Luigi wouldn’t stay hidden for long.
Maybe it was time to stop threatening him over the phone. I have been giving Alessia’s father instruction over the phone, shaking him up with every mention of his daughter. He could work faster if I visited. I shut the laptop and stood, grabbing my phone and keys.
The house was quiet when I stepped out of the room. Did Alessia run off? If she did, she picked the worst time. Renat was loose, and if he got wind of her alone, he would gut her just to hurt me. She didn’t know how many eyes were on her.
Heading to her room, I shoved the door, but it didn’t budge.
She locked it. I let out a slow breath and knocked once.
After a moment, the knob clicked, and the door eased open.
Alessia peeked through the narrow gap, her eyes landing on mine.
I held her stare. This was the same girl who kissed me like she needed it, the same one who melted under my hands like she belonged there.
And now she stood behind a door like I couldn’t get her if I wanted.
“Sir?”
“Come with me.” I left before I let my thoughts linger.
Outside, I stepped into the car and waited. A few minutes later, she came and headed straight for the back seat. I started the engine and pulled away from the safe house.
She stayed silent the entire drive. My mind lingered on the fact that I had her with me.
Something about her presence shifted the air around me.
The kind of peace my world had no right to.
I hadn’t realized it until now, but the truth was clear: when I sent her to Leonid, something inside me cracked.
The silence of that choice had followed me since, gnawing at the edges of everything I thought I controlled.
Now, with her here again, it felt like the storm in me had eased, if only for a moment.
I parked outside the building and scanned the street like a hawk, eyes sweeping every corner for tails or loose eyes. No one was supposed to know this place. Alessia’s parents were safer here than in their home.
As I reached to open the door, Alessia whispered, “Carina?”
My head tilted toward the sidewalk. A lady with curly hair and sunglasses rushed toward the building, carrying a paper bag. She walked too fast and focused.
What the fuck was she doing here?
Alessia shoved the door open and yelled, “Carina!”
The lady froze and turned. When her eyes landed on Alessia, she dropped the bag and ran to her. They were like lovers out of a movie, crashing into each other with a hug that could break ribs.
I didn’t give a damn about their reunion.
All I saw was a security risk. A problem I didn’t account for.
How the hell did she know this address? Who told her?
And if she knew, who else might? I got out and slammed the door hard enough to snap them out of it.
Both heads turned to me as I closed the car door Alessia left open.
Alessia was smiling. It wasn’t a random smile and it caught me off guard.
It was soft and unguarded, the kind of beauty I hadn’t seen on her before.
It lifted her face, lit her eyes until they seemed brighter, almost untouchable.
For a moment, she looked like someone I had never known, and I found myself wondering where she had been hiding that part of herself.
Pulling myself out of the moment, I passed them without slowing. “Get inside.”
They followed, talking like schoolgirls. Carina mentioned that Alessia was losing weight, and I tuned them out.
Once we stepped into the building, Alessia asked, “What are you doing here?”
“I brought some things for your parents.”
“My parents?” Alessia was shocked. “They’re here?”
“You didn’t know? I thought that’s why you came.”
We reached the stairs and started up to the third floor. They were still talking, and all I caught was something about being starving and wanting Vivo. I came to give her father a little push and remind him what was at stake. But she could have this one moment just to keep smiling.
Still, I wondered when the hell I started bending business rules around a woman, but that smile was worthwhile, rare to see.
The door opened halfway when I knocked. Alessia’s father peeked through the gap, cautious like he expected a bullet on the other side. His eyes landed on Alessia, and something cracked in his expression. He pulled the door open wider and Alessia launched into his arms. “Papa.”
They held each other tight. His arms locked around her like he could protect her from everything by holding her close. But his eyes didn’t stay on her. They found me.
The softness drained from his face. He knew this wasn’t a social visit. He leaned down and whispered something to her. Alessia nodded, and the two girls walked in, leaving me outside. He stepped out and shut the door behind him.
“I’m working on everything,” he said. “I was going to send it before the day ends.”
“I need to see the progress.”
“Yes, yes … of course. Please, come in.” He opened the door again, and we stepped inside.
The air shifted. Three pairs of eyes turned our way.
Alessia’s mother was pressing a glass of milk to her daughter’s lips, but froze mid-motion when she saw me.
Alessia sat on the couch, caught in the middle, her mouth half-open.
I looked away and followed her father to the dining table.
The place was a mess of papers and files.
His laptop was open. At least he was doing the damn work.
He grabbed a sheet from the pile. “This is the last list of new accounts in that month. I’m still tracking Luigi’s transfers, following the trail from the bank.”
Snatching the paper from him, I scanned it, eyes moving over the data without really reading. My focus broke the second I heard Alessia’s voice again.
“Mamma, I told you I’m okay.”
Her voice had a warmth I had never heard.
Happiness slipped through, despite everything.
And I listened to her laugh longer than I should’ve.
Seated there, I caught myself replaying the smile she’d worn earlier.
I wasn’t ready for it to be in my head, and I sure as hell wasn’t ready for how much I wanted to see it again.