Page 25 of Cruel Russian Monster
But for now, I just wanted to please her the best way I knew how. I lay her down gently onto the bed and made love to her all over again.
After we both collapsed once again in each other's arms, I whispered against her lips, “I love you, Vera.”
“I love you too, Jaroslav.”
I wrapped my arms around her, and she nestled against my side.
How had I gotten so lucky to find a woman like her?
I kissed her on her forehead and smiled. I closed my eyes, looking forward to a shared life with the woman in my arms.
Images flashed behind my eyelids…me pacing the hotel room, my phone clenched tight in my hand, waiting for a message from Vera. Dread is eating away at my stomach. She should have been there two hours ago. My calls and messages went unanswered. And then my calls went straight to voicemail.
Did my enemies find out about her? Had they taken her?
Days passed without sleep, without food, without focus.
Then, her message came. She said she’d used me. That none of it meant anything.
The rage that followed was unlike anything I’d felt before.
I was supposed to interrogate a man caught skimming from our drug shipment, selling on the side. I was meant to extract information, find out who else was involved. But all I saw was red.
I pummeled him with my fists until he was unrecognizable. The boys had to pull me off him. My hands were soaked in blood, my breath ragged.
Later, I sat in the back seat of the car, pain stabbing through my chest as Tomas drove us back to headquarters. My fists were still stained red. My jaw ached from clenching, my heart from something worse.
I groaned and shifted in the seat.
My arm was wrapped around someone.
My brows pulled together.
A soft, familiar voice mumbled beside me, then she nestled in closer.
My eyes snapped open.
Vera.
Her hair was mussed as she slept next to me, not in my car, but on a bed. One hand curled on my chest, the other curled tight in the narrow space between us. I glanced down at my stomach. I was shirtless, bandaged, and wearing sweatpants. The pain in my side throbbed dully, more of an irritation than a real ache.
I looked around.
We weren’t in my room; we were in hers.
But what the hell was she doing sleeping next to me? Tucked against my side? And should I even be complaining about it?
My eyes landed on a bowl of water, and as I looked closely at the hand curled on my chest, I saw there was a rag in it.
How long had I been out?
I looked back at Vera, studying her closely. There were dark circles under her eyes, exhaustion carved into her face. She must’ve stayed awake to monitor me, to take care of the wound. I shut my eyes for a second.
She’d wanted to escape and had stolen one of my damn cars to do it. I only found her because of the tracker.
And yet…after she realized I was injured, she could’ve easily left.
But she didn’t.
