“Soon, zaika,” I whisper.
Standing back up, I hold another bone out for Peanut, letting him sniff my hands and get used to my smell. I pet him for a few minutes and then quickly leave. Vadim looks relieved when I open the door and get in.
“Thank god, I thought she’d caught you.”
“All in good time,” I tell him. “I need to go home first and get cleaned up. I don’t want to smell like prison when she sees me. I need to make a good impression.”
“She’s going to freak the hell out when she sees you.”
I look out the window at the passing houses and nod. “She will, yes, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
He doesn’t say anything else, just drives me home. The sight of my house cheers me up instantly. I’m still reeling from being outside the confines of my shitty cell, and even though the house has always been beautiful, it looks like a fucking palace right now. As soon as the car stops, I get out and whistle for my dogs. They come barreling towards me seconds later, and I drop to my knees to greet them. Laughing, I hug and pet them while they go crazy, licking and wagging their tails as their paws tap dance around, too excited to sit still.
I speak to them in Russian, noticing the way they also run up to Vadim. It’s obvious they’ve grown to love him, and he seems much more at ease with them.
“Thanks for taking care of everything while I’ve been gone,” I tell him while still petting my dogs.
He lifts a brow at me. “Did prison make you soft?”
I laugh and stand up, giving Grisha one last pat since he’s the only one still whimpering with joy. “Not a chance in hell,” I tell him. “If anything, I’m meaner than ever.”
He laughs and follows me inside. The place looks just like how I left it. It’s obvious that Vadim’s been cleaning and keeping everything aired out and ready for my return.
“The fridge is stocked,” he says, opening it to show me the packed shelves. My eyes run over the food that I’ve been dreaming about while locked up. It’s crazy how much a person can crave fresh fruits and vegetables, anything that isn’t processed, lukewarm, and tasteless. I grab a handful of grapes and pop one in my mouth.
“Holy shit that’s good,” I say, closing my eyes and savoring the tart juice.
“So what’s the plan?” he asks, leaning against the counter across from me.
“I’m going to get cleaned up, and then I’m going to get Lydia.”
“What about Ivan and Enzo?”
I shrug. “They don’t know I’m out yet. I’ll handle them both, but it’ll be on my timeline. Let them sweat it out. Ivan’s going to shit himself when he realizes I’ve escaped,” I say with a laugh.
“He is,” Vadim agrees. “He’s gotten a lot weaker since he lost you. Everyone can sense it, and the stress is eating him alive.”
“Good.” I finish my grapes and grab a bottle of water. “I’m going to get cleaned up.”
“All right. I’ll let myself out. Call me when you need me.” He runs a hand through his hair and gives a soft laugh. “I have no fucking clue what to do with myself. My entire life has revolved around you and Lydia.”
“Take a few days off. You’ve earned it.”
He raises a hand in a goodbye and walks out while I head up the stairs. I ditch my clothes and walk naked into my bathroom. I turn the water on as hot as I can tolerate and stand under the spray for what feels like hours. It’s pure heaven. I wash the prison grime and stink from my body and hair before finally turning off the water. Drying off, I wrap a towel around my waist and then shave. Prison haircuts aren’t the best, and it’s shorter than I like to keep it, but it’ll have to do for now.
When I step into one of my handmade suits, I start to feel human again, and when I add in my favorite cologne, I start to feel like me again. As soon as the sun starts to set, I grab my car keys. It’s time to go get my girl. I leave the house with a smile on my face, and the purr of my Porsche’s engine just makes my smile grow. By the time I park outside Lydia’s house, I’m the happiest I can ever remember being.
Under the cover of darkness, I slip into her backyard again and watch her through the open windows. She’s pacing the kitchen, worrying her bottom lip while petting Peanut. Looks like someone found the message I left for her. I give a soft laugh imagining the look she must’ve given when she’d seen the word mine written across her skin from the sun. I’d hoped she would remain outside long enough for her skin to tan around the sun-screened word, and it looks like my wish came true. My poor sweet girl is all in a tizzy. I can’t wait to make her feel better.
I lean against her house and watch her until she finally cooks a pizza, disappearing into the living room with it when it’s done. I’m going to need to improve her diet. She can’t live off frozen pizza and licorice. It’s not healthy. I wait until I see the lights go off downstairs before picking the lock and stepping inside. I take my time, looking around her house and learning more about her. She’s not a slob, but she’s clearly not a neat freak either. I smile at the stacks of paperbacks in the living room, the shoes that were obviously kicked off as soon as she walked in the front door and the used mug she left on the coffee table. Looks like she had hot chocolate after her frozen pizza.
When I’m sure she must be asleep, I grab another dog bone and head for her bedroom. Stepping in, I see Peanut lift his head, but he doesn’t bark. He recognizes my scent now, and when I hold up a bone, he wags his tail and jumps off the bed, walking over to me and sitting for his treat. I hand it to him, and then watch him run off, shaking my head at how trusting the little guy is. Oh well, she doesn’t need Peanut to protect her. She has me.
I stand at the edge of the bed and watch her sleep. She’s curled up on her right side, the blankets kicked off, revealing the pink tank top she’s wearing, and when I see her pants, I smile. They’re the ones Vadim put in her care package after she sprained her wrist. She knows I’ve escaped, she saw the message I left for her on her skin, and I know she’s scared, but even after all that, she still chose to sleep in the pants I gave her.
Not wanting to wake her, I sit in the chair by the window and watch her. I can’t take my eyes off her sweet face. She’s twenty now, not the naïve eighteen-year-old I first saw, but the added two years have only made her even more beautiful to me. I straighten when I see her brow furrow and her fingers tighten around the edge of her pillow. When she starts to whimper softly, my body instantly reacts. My hands clench into fists as my cock strains against my pants. I would kill for this woman, I would do anything to keep her safe, but that doesn’t mean her scared whimpers don’t turn me the fuck on.
Before the first scream is even out, I’ve closed the distance between us.
Chapter 6
Lydia
The nightmare surrounds me, clinging to me in a claustrophobic embrace that makes it hard to breathe. Even after all the letters Kirill has sent me, it’s still his face I see in my dreams. He’s the one pointing a gun at me, and he’s the one who pulls the trigger. I gasp for air and reach for Peanut, but he’s not beside me. Before I can sit up to call for him, a strong arm wraps around me. My whole body freezes as a panic unlike anything I’ve ever experienced washes over me. I know who it is before I even hear his deep voice and accent.