Page 55 of Sinful Union

Vlad stands there, arms folded, a half-smile on his face. But I can see the tension in his jaw, the questions in his eyes.

Are you okay? Did you find out anything about Piotr’s plan?

I swallow, giving him a tight nod. He can tell I’m not fine, but at least he won’t press it in front of Ana and Camille.

Ana pulls back just enough to beam up at me, pushing a lock of her curls out of her eyes.

“We went to a hotel! It was so cool, Mama. There was a giant pool inside the building!” She stretches her arms wide as if to show me how enormous it was. “There was a slide, and it went round and round,” she starts making twirling gestures with her little hands, laughter bubbling out.

My chest feels tight, torn between happiness at seeing her and fury at Piotr for forcing this entire situation.

“A hotel, huh? That sounds like fun.”

Behind Ana, Camille stands politely, carrying a small overnight bag and wearing a serene smile. The picture of elegance as always. She gives me a quick nod of greeting.

“It truly wascharmant. We turned it into a mini vacation, considering the circumstances.” A flicker in her eyes tells me she knows there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Ana bounces on her heels. “But I have to do lessons again tomorrow,” she complains, wrinkling her nose. “Why can’t we stay on vacation forever?”

Before I can answer, Vlad’s gaze flicks toward me, his expression shifting from concern to apology. That’s when I realize Camille may not have known I wasn’t aware of the hotel. She must’ve assumed I knew about the plan from the start, not realizing that it was all Piotr’s doing.

Frustration rises within, but it’s not Camille’s fault. I know she would never do anything to harm Ana.

“Thank you,” I say to her, standing up with Ana’s hand still clasped in mine, “for taking care of her. I really appreciate it.”

Camille dips her head. “A pleasure, as always. But perhaps next time I’ll be more…in the loop, as you Americans say.”

You don’t know the half of it.

Ana tugs on my hand. “I’m hungry. Can we have lunch?” It’s at that moment the grandeur of the penthouse hits her. “Wow…this place isso big!”

I rub her gently on the back. “Yes, it is. Of course we can have lunch, baby.”

I shoot a look at Vlad, who merely shrugs. There’s a heaviness in his eyes that suggests we’re about to encounter bigger problems.

“Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?” Ana asks.

“Sounds perfect.”

With that, we head to the kitchen.

Camille clears her throat gently as we walk, offering me a small smile. “She’s been asking for you nonstop. I’m glad we could bring her here.”

I force a shaky smile in return, running my fingers through Ana’s hair. “Me, too.”

“Where’s Uncle Piotr?” Ana asks.

My throat closes up. He’s the last person I want her around right now.

“Um, he’s busy.”

“Okay,” she says simply. She’s used to the Andreev men always being busy.

Camille steps closer, placing a hand on Ana’s shoulder. “We can come back if this is a bad time.”

Camille’s picking up on the fact that something is amiss. I’m doing a bad job keeping things close to the chest.

“No,” I respond immediately, shaking my head. “No, it’s fine.”

---