Page 217 of Marrying the Savage

“You need strength to do that.”

“Then I should eat.”

“Yes.”

I hate him.

I don’t. That’s the problem.

I take three spoonfuls because the baby is not responsible for my pride. Damir watches every one like a man observing a treaty being signed.

Then a knock comes at the door. A guard speaks from outside in Russian.

Damir stands at once. His entire expression changes.

I put the spoon down. “What is it?”

He looks at me, and for one second I think he might actually answer.

Then he says, “Stay here.”

I laugh. It comes out flat. “Where else would I go?”

Something passes through his face. He doesn’t respond.

The door locks behind him.

I stand and go to the window. Below, the front courtyard is suddenly full of movement. Two cars are at the steps. Men run toward the garage. Nikolai crosses the drive with a phone to his ear. Irina appears from the side entrance, her face white, holding Maksim against her chest.

Damir comes out seconds later, moving fast. He takes Maksim from Grigori without hesitation, one arm under the boy’s legs, the other around his back. Maksim’s head falls against Damir’s shoulder.

Something is wrong. Very wrong.

Damir carries Maksim into the first car.

The door slams, and the cars tear out of the courtyard.

I stand frozen at the window.

Maksim.

Little Maksim with his wooden horse and serious face and ridiculous military negotiations.

My hand goes to the door before I think. I pull the handle. It opens.

For a moment, I simply stare.

Unlocked.

For the first time in days, the door is unlocked. I step into the hallway slowly, half expecting someone to appear and order me back inside. No one does.

The guards who usually stand at the end of the corridor are gone.

I walk farther. The hallway is empty.

Not quiet in the normal way. Empty in a way that feels wrong. Doors are open that are usually shut. One of the side tables has been knocked slightly crooked. A glass lies on its side near the stair landing, water spread across the floor.

Everyone left in a hurry.