Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Leonid
“I told you to be discreet!” I slam my palm against the desk.
“Discreet. Not parading yourself in plain sight so she has to confront you about it. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Dmitri shifts his weight, eyes on the floor. "I’m sorry, Boss. I swear, I had no idea she'd figure out I was following her. I kept my distance."
"Of course she figured it out." I lean forward, palms flat on the desk. "She's smart. Smarter than you apparently gave her credit for. That's the problem."
He mutters an apology, head dipping lower. I turn to Sergei, who's been silent in the corner. "You're taking over. Start following Laurel. Stay in the shadows this time. She can't know. Understood?"
Sergei nods once. "Understood, Boss."
They file out, footsteps fading down the hall. The door clicks shut, and Igor, sprawled in the leather chair like he owns the place, lets out a slow whistle.
"Why don't you just tell her?" he says, tilting his head. "Let Laurel know what you actually do. So she's aware of what she's getting herself into."
I narrow my eyes. "What do you mean? I'm a businessman."
Igor leans back farther, smirking. "Come on, Leonid. You know that's not what I'm talking about. Tell her what we really do. She needs to know."
"No." The word comes out sharper than I intend. "I don't want to scare her off."
He studies me for a beat, then shrugs. "If she gets scared away, maybe she's not meant to be in your life."
I throw him a warning look. He raises both hands in mock surrender.
"I'm just saying."
"I'll tell her when the time is right," I mutter, turning toward the window so I don't have to meet his gaze.
Igor lets the silence stretch, then chuckles under his breath. "Whoa. You're scared of losing her."
I whip back around. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Yeah. It's true." He leans forward now, elbows on his knees, grin widening. "I've never seen that look on your face before. You're in love, brother."
He throws his head back and laughs, full, loud, delighted. "I didn't think I'd live to see the day."
"Shut it," I snap. "Don't you have better things to do than poke your nose into my business?"
"Nope." Still grinning.
"Well, I do." I point toward the door. "Get out. I have work to finish before I go pick up Alexei."
His eyebrows shoot up. "You're picking up Alexei from school? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"
I glare. "Out."
He stands slowly, still chuckling. "I like this Laurel effect on you. It's... softening the edges."
"Get. Out."
He raises his hands again, backing toward the door. "I'm going, I'm going."
The door closes behind him. I exhale, drop into my chair, and rub a hand over my face. Damn it, he's not entirely wrong.
I’ve thought about it. More times than I care to count. Late nights when she’s asleep against my chest, I’ve stared at the ceiling and rehearsed the conversation in my head. The truth about the blood on my hands and the dark things I’ve done.
Every single time, I shut it down before the words can form. Because I know exactly what would happen. She’d look at me the way people look at storms—wary, then gone.
Laurel is pure. My sunshine. She’s not built for the darkness in my world. A good man would cut her loose right now. Let her walk away untouched by the rot that clings to me. That’s what decency would demand.
But I’ve never claimed to be decent.
What I feel for her isn’t soft or noble. It’s deep, possessive, rooted somewhere primal I didn’t even know existed until she walked into my life. I’m not letting it go. Not her. Not what we have.
And the watching? She’d be furious if she knew Sergei was now on her tail, that I never really stopped. I promised her I’d back off. I lied. Because the second I let my guard down, someone could use her to get to me.
I have enemies who don’t forgive, don’t forget, and don’t care that she’s innocent. I protect what’s mine. She’s mine. I won’t gamble with her safety just to keep her from hating me for a while.
If she catches the new tail, then maybe that’s the moment I come clean. Hopefully she doesn’t run. And if she does… well, I’m going after her.
My phone buzzes on the desk. I glance down.
Laurel: Guess who’s playing with his classmate?
A photo loads: Alexei hunched over a colorful board game on the classroom rug, shoulder-to-shoulder with a little girl his age.
A real smile tugs at my mouth before I can stop it. I type back: Good to see him mingling with the others.
Her reply is instant: YES! I’m so happy for him. He’s finally opening up.
I lean back in the chair, still staring at the photo. The way she pours herself into this, into Alexei getting better, chips away at something hard inside me every damn day.
I’m neck-deep in work when a soft knock pulls me out of it. Elena, my assistant, steps in halfway.
“Mr. Volkov, it’s time to pick up your son. School lets out in fifteen minutes.”
I glance at my watch. Damn. I’ve completely lost track of time. “Thank you, Elena.”
She nods and slips out. I shove the papers aside, grab my coat from the back of the chair, and head down.
Traffic is light for once. I pull up to the school gates just as the last stragglers are leaving. I walk straight to Alexei’s classroom.
He’s sitting at the back of the class, face buried in a thick picture book at his desk, legs swinging under the chair.
And there she is, behind her teacher’s desk, grading papers or something. The second she looks up and sees me, her whole face lights up. That wide, unguarded smile hits me square in the chest.
She stands, starts toward me, and then catches herself. Another parent breezes in behind me to collect their kid. Laurel steps back, smooths her skirt, composes herself.
“Hi,” she says softly.
“Hey.” My voice comes out rougher than I mean it to.
God, I want to touch her. Just reach out, brush that loose strand of hair that’s escaped her ponytail, tuck it behind her ear the way I do when we’re alone. My fingers flex at my side.
“How are you?” I ask instead.
“Good.” She tilts her head. “You? How’s your day going?”
“Fine.” A lie, but close enough.
She glances at Alexei, then back at me, surprise flickering in her eyes. “I didn’t expect to see you picking him up today.”
“Yeah. Thought I’d surprise him.” I nod toward my son, still lost in his book. “We’re getting ice cream after. Want to come?”
Her smile softens, but she shakes her head. “You know I can’t.”
I want to argue, pull her out of here with us, damn the rules, but I nod instead.
She turns toward the desk. “Alexei, honey, your dad’s here.”
His head snaps up. Eyes go wide when he sees me. “Papa?”
He scrambles to pack his backpack, books thumping into the bag. When he reaches us, I ruffle his hair.
The driver’s waiting by the door. I jerk my chin. “Take him to the car. I’ll be right there.”
Alexei hesitates, looks between us, then goes.
I turn back to Laurel. Lower my voice. “You sure you don’t want to come?”
“No.” But her eyes say she wishes she could. “Have fun, though. Both of you.”
I step closer, just enough that only she can hear. “Can I at least kiss you?”
Her eyes dart around the empty room, then widen. “No.”
“A peck on the cheek then?”
She silently screams no, lips pressed tight, cheeks already flushing.
I groan low in my throat. “I hate this. Not being able to touch you in public.”
She bites her lip, fighting a smile.
I lean in anyway, voice dropping to a rasp only for her. “Tonight. Your place. I want you in bed. Naked. Waiting for me.”
Her face goes crimson, the instant flush spreading down her neck. She nods once, quick and jerky, then turns half away, smirking.
“Get out of here,” she whispers, voice shaky with laughter and heat.
I smirk back, force myself to step away.
I walk back to the car and slide into the back seat beside Alexei. He’s buckled in, iPad balanced on his knees, but he’s staring at me like I’ve grown a second head.
“What happened?” he asks, eyes wide.
I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You’re picking me up.” He says it like it’s proof of something impossible.
I let out a short laugh, though it doesn’t quite reach my eyes. “I’m your father, malysh. I can pick you up from school.”
He shrugs one small shoulder, already reaching for the iPad again. “Okay. Can I watch cartoons on the drive home?”
I shake my head. “I was thinking we should get ice cream instead. Those flavors you like, the ones with the cookie chunks and the rainbow sprinkles.”
His whole face lights up, like someone flipped a switch. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
“Can I have the chocolate peanut butter one? With extra peanut butter swirl?”
“Of course.” I ruffle his hair again. “Anything you want.”
The guilt washes over me. He shouldn’t be this surprised to see me picking him up from school.
The grin on Alexei’s face fades a little as he studies me. “You’re frowning, Papa. Frowning isn’t good for your face.”
I blink. “Who told you that?”
“Ms. Harper.”
A real smile tugs at my mouth this time. “Do you like Ms. Harper?”
He nods fast, curls bouncing. “She’s my favorite teacher.”
“Mine too.”
He tilts his head, looking at me like I’ve said something ridiculous. “But you don’t go to our school.”
“Doesn’t matter.” I lean back against the seat, watching the city slide past the tinted windows. “She’s still my favorite.”
Alexei giggles and goes back to his iPad, but not before sneaking another look at me, like he’s checking to make sure I’m still here.
I need to start being more present in my son’s life.