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I smile and pull back the covers before pressing her naked body up against mine, not caring in the slightest that we’re a sticky mess. I run my fingers through her hair as she wraps an arm and leg around me, dancing her fingers along my chest and tracing my tattoos.
“It means little sun,” I tell her. “You looked so vibrant in that yellow dress, the only spark of color, of life, in that entire room. You lit the whole place up.”
She kisses my shoulder and cups my face, turning me enough to look into my eyes. “That’s unbelievably sweet, Roman, and I had no idea that’s what you were thinking that night. You were scary and stern and super possessive for a man I’d just met.”
I laugh and grab her wrist so I can kiss her palm. “I feel very protective of you, and I didn’t like how the men were staring at you, especially that Connor fucker.”
“Well, brace yourself because you’re about to see him again. He’ll be on the yacht this weekend.”
“He’s not getting anywhere near you,” I tell her.
She studies me for a second, running her fingers down the side of my face like she’s trying to sear this moment into her memory. “Who are you, Roman?”
“You know who I am.”
“No, I don’t. I know your name, I know you’re after my dad and what he’s involved in, and I know you’re very good at making me come, but beyond that, I’m clueless.”
I smile and drag a finger along the curve of her breast before giving her nipple a soft pinch.
“Stop trying to distract me.” She snuggles against me again. “Why do you carry a gun?”
“Because I might need to shoot someone.”
She doesn’t laugh, which I guess is a good thing since I’m not joking. Kissing her hand again, I set it back on my chest and let out a sigh, knowing she needs to know the truth, but not really wanting to tell it.
“The five of us grew up together. We all came from broken homes, some worse than others, but we always stuck together, had each other’s backs. We were sick of being poor and powerless, so we changed it. We formed our own family and became something powerful.”
“What do you mean?” she whispers against my chest.
“Do you know what the Bratva is?”
I can tell by the way her body stiffens that she does.
“Well, you’ve just spent the evening with one.”
She uses my chest for leverage and lifts up, giving me a wide-eyed, shocked stare. “So you and your brothers kill people for a living is what you’re telling me right now?”
I give one of her strands of hair a soft tug. “Well, we don’t just kill people.”
She does not join in my laughter.
“Baby, it’s okay. We’re not quite what you might be thinking. I’m not saying we don’t have blood on our hands, but we’re not mindless killers who just go around shooting people. Anyone who dies by our hands deserves it.”
“Why are you interested in my dad?”
I pull her head back to my chest and run my fingers through her hair. “I have a sister,” I tell her, feeling the familiar pain in my chest that always comes when I think of Alina. “She’s seven years younger than me. She used to always want to hang around me and my friends. She had a massive crush on Matvey.” I smile at the memory, wishing like hell things had gone differently. “She disappeared a year ago.”
“I’m so sorry,” Emily says, wrapping her arms tighter around me. She doesn’t ask me for more information, doesn’t pry into the worst moment of my life, and god do I appreciate that. She just holds me, surrounding me with her body and scent, and it’s more of a comfort than anything else ever could be. Being around Emily makes my heart hurt less. She makes me feel things, good things, not just the constant stress and fear and worry that always haunts me when I think about my sister and what could be happening to her.
“We’ve been trying to find her ever since. When she was little, she always said she wanted to be a nanny in America, that rich couples hire Russian women all the time to help raise and take care of their kids. She wasn’t stupid, but she had a big heart and was way too trusting.” I run a hand through my hair and try to push away the guilt. “That’s my fault. I sheltered her too much, tried to keep her from the truth of how vile this world can be.”
“It is not your fault,” Emily quickly says, lifting back up again and turning my face to hers. “You’re not responsible for this because you tried to be a good brother.”
I appreciate what she’s doing, but my guilt runs deep, and I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon.
“We think Alina was taken by sex traffickers, and that’s why we’re here. Danil has been following any lead we could find, and everything points to this city. I was at the fundraising dinner to meet your dad and get a feel for him, and when I saw the card you found in his jacket, I knew it was something important.”
“You think your sister might be on the flight that Sam was talking about?”
