21. Timur
TIMUR
It's late when I stalk through the door, exhausted and feeling stressed.
Police kept us way past the normal time we'd be out after a fight and demanded access to our security footage, which I had three men on within seconds of shit hitting the fan.
We managed to stash the actual footage then wipe it before implanting regular feeds doctored to look like they were live tonight and not prerecorded earlier this week.
It's all protocol, but we've never had to enact that protocol until tonight. I'm just thankful it works.
Unfortunately, as I shuffle toward my bedroom, I pass Dryden, parked outside Kira's room on a kitchen chair he dragged in here. He's nodded off, head leaned back against the wall, mouth hanging open with light snoring vibrating up his throat.
I haven't had him parked on her door in over a week. she's had more freedom and almost free reign of the house, though I’ve kept men outside the house in case she tries to sneak out. Still, something had to have happened to make him feel the need to sit here.
I shake him, curious to see what happened, and he jolts away, hand shooting to his weapon on his hip before he realizes it's me and blinks himself awake.
"Boss," he grumbles with a sleepy voice, "I didn't hear you come in."
"Sleeping on the job?" I lift an eyebrow and he rubs a hand over his face.
"She's out cold..." His grumbling isn't convincing. If he felt something was off, he should've been awake. Maybe it wasn't that bad. "Sonya said she slipped in the shower or something, but..."
"Why are you out here? You could be by the front door, or on the couch, for that matter....
" I keep security around anyway, but this added layer has been in place to make sure our secret of Kira Belova stays safe inside my home.
Otherwise, he'd be at home in his own bed right now, having lived through the same ordeal I went through tonight.
"Boss... She got into Sonya's tablet and called someone. It was a man, but I didn't see clearly who it was." Dryden stands, tugging at the hem of his jacket, and scowls at me as he rubs his eyes.
My first instinct is to get angry, though I’ve been carrying this undercurrent of anger all evening now. But if she had done the unimaginable, I'm sure by now, we'd have heard of it. Sergei would've come down heavy-handed.
"Who?" I ask him, narrowing my eyes. Sonya isn't here tonight. Weekends she spends at home with her family, so I won't see her again until lunch tomorrow. There's no way for me to check her tablet to see who Kira called. If I asked her back, she'd come, but it's too late.
"I don’t know. She said her family, that's all..." He shifts, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, Boss. Morin sent me on a run and said he'd watch her and then he just fucking left before I got back."
My chest tightens again. I'm about sick of feeling this sensation of fight or flight kicking in. I'd love some time to relax and take it easy for once. It's been weeks of nonstop bullshit and my body is worn out.
If Morin sent Dryden away, it wasn't for no reason.
It probably means he's had a go at her for what he thinks is some personal crime against this family.
I've told him a dozen times Kira is who she says she is, and if my cousin would just send me the fucking pictures, everyone would believe me. Kira isn't a threat.
But to ignore her acting out would be foolish too. "I'll deal with it. You go home," I tell him, sighing hard. Radimir stands out front tonight and I know she'll never get past him if she tries. But I don't think she's gonna try.
"But, Boss..."
"I said, go home, Dryden. I've got her tonight." It appears this disease of doubt is spreading. They don't like how I’m handling things, but the way I've handled things has kept us out of war with our own ally.
"Yes, sir," he grumbles, turning up the hall. I hear the front door shut and the security system alarm itself again, and then I pull the key from my pocket and unlock the door.
When I step into the room, the nightstand light is on and Kira is lying in bed. I expect her to be sleeping, but she turns over her shoulder, startled by the door opening, and looks up at me.
Her hair is damp, tangled up on the pillow, as she turns over and holds the covers to her chest. She looks tired, like she's been crying, and she's wearing nothing at all that I can see.
"Hey," I say softly, though I can't help but have to fight the storm of frustration in my chest. She did the one thing I asked her not to do and it upsets me. But seeing her frightened and trembling, with fresh tears welling up at the sight of me, makes all of that go away.
"Tim," she whimpers, and she leans forward like she's reaching for me.
Instinctively, I shut the door and whip my tie off, sliding my jacket off to drape over the chair before I sit on the edge of the bed.
"What's happened? Tell me..." Her neck is ringed with a purple bruise, but I'm not sure what to make of it.
Dryden is a very violent man when he needs to be, but I've never seen him put his hands on a woman.
Besides, a secret phone call is no reason to choke her.
Maybe she really did slip in the shower.
"Tim," she whines again, burying her face in my chest. All I can do is wrap my arms around her and try to comfort her, shushing her as I press kisses to her head. I love this woman, more than I have ever loved anyone in my life, and whatever it is, I'm sure things will work out. I can handle it.
"Love, I heard that you made a call today?" My tone is edged with anger but she's sobbing now, clinging to me.
"I miss my family. I want to go home."
I tense, knowing how dangerous that could be if not handled properly.
But she's right. She's overstayed here because at some point, Sergei is going to start getting pissed.
He hasn't said a word, but then he never told us he secretly sent her in to be a mole, either.
He hasn't come to us for help because in doing so he'd have to report his secret activities, which go against our alliance. So far, it's been working in my favor.
But eventually, he's going to come looking, and what would I say?
"Kira—" I start, but she cuts me off.
"I didn't tell them anything," she mumbles, sitting back to swipe at her face. "I promise. I just miss them. I spoke to them but I never told them where I am or who has me."
Reaching up to cradle her cheek, I swipe a tear from her face and frown at how frightened she is. "Okay, I believe you." I pull her in, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "I believe you."
Kira clings to me again, trembling. Her damp hair is proof she did, in fact, have a shower like Dryden claims. She has no reason to lie to me about that call, and when I asked her, she was honest. If Sergei knows, he hasn't openly said a word yet, so I don't think anything is going to erupt from it.
But it pushes my timeline. I do have to speak up soon now in order to avoid any backlash.
But it's manageable.
"Hold me, please," she whimpers, and how can I say no?
"Of course..." I stand, peeling off my dress shirt and slacks, and crawl into bed wearing only my boxers.
Kira is trembling as I curl around her, but I get the feeling it isn't from the cold.
And when she turns into me, facing me, and wraps her arms and legs around me, I know it's from fear.
Something happened that she's not telling me about, but other than Morin scaring her, I don’t know what it could be.
"Are you okay?" I ask, smoothing her wet hair down her back. The ringlets are almost dry, the dampest part of her hair being the thick swaths of tangles she never brushed.
"I need you," I hear her whine, but it's so soft I almost can't make it out. It pulls at something primal inside me, and I feel my own need rising.
Carefully, I tilt her head up so my lips can brush over hers, and she doesn't pull away.
So having read her intention correctly, I deepen the kiss.
Kira moans softly into my mouth as her body presses closer.
Her bare breasts flatten against my chest, and her nipples, already tight little peaks, drag across my skin.
My hands roam down her back, tracing the curve of her spine until I reach the swell of her ass.
No panties mean easier access and my god am I swelling.
I grip her firmly, pulling her hips flush against mine so she can feel how hard I’m getting.
She whimpers again, rolling her hips instinctively, grinding her slick heat against my pelvis.
“Christ, Kira,” I murmur against her lips, breaking the kiss just long enough to speak before claiming her mouth once more. Our tongues tangle deeper this time and I shift us slightly so she’s half beneath me with one of my legs sliding between hers.
My thigh presses against her pussy, feeling the unmistakable moisture coating my skin as she rocks against it.
Her hands clutch at my shoulders, pulling me in as she kisses me back.
She's so supple and hungry, like she's desperate to have me touching more of her. I don’t know what's gotten into her but she's an animal now, clawing and pawing at my flesh.
My palm slides up, cupping one full breast, thumb circling the hardened nipple before I pinch it gently.
She gasps, arching into my touch, so I do the same to the other, rolling the sensitive bud between my fingers until she’s panting into my mouth.
I pull back from the kiss just enough to look down at her flushed face, her lips swollen and parted.
Then I lean in again, trailing open-mouthed kisses along her jaw, down her neck, sucking lightly at the pulse point there.
Kira tilts her head, giving me better access, and whines softly as my teeth graze her skin.