Page 46 of The Stalking King

He shakes his head. “That’s not my place.”

“Are you good people?”

The question bursts out of me. Even to my own ears, it sounds naïve, childish. But I have to know.

“I’ve been thinking about this business of yours, the information you gather. What if they’ve done something truly evil? What if⁠—”

“Maksim didn’t tell you?” Nikolai seems shocked. “He’s the one who made this stand, right from the very start. But maybe he’s too accustomed to presenting himself as the big bad wolf. If we find any truly nasty stuff, that goes to the authorities. If the authorities can’t deal with them, we can.”

Tension grips me. “Deal with them… how?”

“Again, not my place.”

“So, you just came here to offer me riddles?”

He smirks. “I can see why Maksim likes you. Few people speak to us like this.”

“I’m tired, and I’ve been through too much to tiptoe around anything,” I say.

“Then you should make Maksim tell you the whole story.”

He’s right, I know that. But I’m also aware that I enjoy being with him too much. When we’re together, it’s easy to forget. To forgive. Another woman might still hate him for watching her. But I can’t.

Nikolai drains his beer in a few gulps, then puts down the bottle. He leans forward and stares at me. “I came here to learn if you care about him. Do you think you have a future together? Or has my brother spilled all our deep, dark secrets to a woman who might leave him?” His eyes dart left and right, as though he can’t meet my gaze. “Because he cares about you. I know that for a fact.”

“It’s early,” I say. “And these aren’t exactly normal circumstances. How can I answer a question about whether we have a future or not? It’s not fair to ask me that.”

He stands. “You’re right. But you should know by now, life isn’t fair.”

“I’m very aware of that fact.”

He inclines his head. “All right then.”

Once he’s gone, I go to the window and watch him walk down the street, wondering what that was. A threat? Brotherly concern? Something in between?

CHAPTER 18

MAKSIM

I’m shouting down the phone at Anton. It’s the sort of thing the boss has to do sometimes. No progress—no damn progress. It’s starting to grate on me. We’re living with the looming threat of destruction over us.

The only aspect of my life that makes me forget, of course, is Lia. Once the phone call is over, I bring up our text thread and look through our conversation.

I texted her at around ten AM.

Maksim: You better not be up yet. I don’t want you out of bed until lunchtime at the earliest.

She sent me a selfie, still in her PJs, a big smile on her face, her hair fanned out around her shoulders.

Maksim: That’s what I like to see.

I told her I liked the view, though there’s more I’d want to see. But after watching her for so many months, I’m trying to be civilized. It’s an uphill battle.

Lia: I’m finally up. Made some lunch. Guess where I am now?

Maksim: Bed, I hope.

Lia: You’re so clever, Maksim.