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“I promise.” He carefully tucks a few loose strands of hair behind my ear. The gesture is so gentle for a man who is about to leave here to commit murder. “You have nothing to worry about, Fiorellina. I will always come back to you, and I won’t break that promise. Especially not tonight.”
“Okay.” A smile finds its way onto my face despite the ache increasing in my chest. “Then kiss me one more time before you go. Please?”
He doesn’t hesitate to press his lips against mine, his hand sliding around the back of my neck, holding me with a possessive touch. The kiss is slow and tender. The perfect combination that sends my heart into overdrive.
My fingers twist into his shirt, holding him tighter as a sliver of fear races through me.
What if this is our last kiss?
Internally, I shake my head as we slowly part.
I blink away tears that try to reach the surface and stand before he can see them. I take a step around his desk. “Okay, well, be safe. I’ll be waiting—”
My eyes land on a picture lying at the corner of his desk. I blink a few times to confirm what I’m seeing isn’t my imagination.
“Alex…” I reach for the photograph, carefully placing it between my fingers and holding it before my eyes. “Why do you have a picture of Liliya Vasiliev?”
Silence stretches between us.
Frowning, I glance over my shoulder.
His whole posture is frozen, his eyes glazed over as if in shock.
“Alex?”
He shakes his head, coming to. “Did you…” He swallows hard, dragging his fingers through his hair before gripping the ends. For as long as I’ve known Alex, I’ve never seen him look like this. He’s scared. But what could possibly make one of the world’s deadliest men afraid? “Did you say Liliya Vasiliev?”
“Yes…” I arch a brow. “Why do you have this?”
He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “This is going to be a fucking disaster.”
I look back at the picture. Liliya’s vibrant red hair spills over her shoulders, her face beaming as a beautiful smile graces her full lips. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her smile this big before, and for a moment she looks like someone entirely different. Like someone whose whole life isn’t ruled by her brothers’ reign.
Her hand stretches out in front of her, intertwined with someone else’s as they’re climbing a set of metal stairs. “Wait… Are those the stairs to the office in Red Eleven?” I narrow my eyes, studying the man’s back as he holds her hand.
Broad shoulders…
Dark black hair…
“And is that…Vin?” I glance at Alex, who nods solemnly, his face appearing paler by the second.
He lets out a big breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re positive that’s Liliya?”
I nod. “I’ve seen her several times over the last few years. Garrett used to take me with him to the Vasiliev Tower in Chicago whenever he didn’t want me out of his sight.”
The second the words leave my mouth, Alex closes his eyes. “Cazzo.” He tips his head back and stares at the ceiling like he’s searching for patience.
“I don’t understand.” My eyes flick to the picture, then back to him. “Why do you look terrified right now?”
A humorless laugh escapes him as his eyes find mine. “Because I’m going to have to tell my brother that the woman he swore he wanted nothing to do with and the woman he’s spent months tearing apart the world looking for is the same fucking woman.”
Chapter thirty
Alex
Our fleet of vehicles pulls up outside the Lake Placid Country Club, every guest’s eyes turning toward us as our presence carries a familiar darkness that doesn’t go unnoticed.
I step out of the SUV, looking over the impressive stone building as I adjust my jacket, and a server immediately appears with a tray of champagne. I shake my head, and he quickly moves toward Vin.
