Page 79 of Cruel Russian Monster
I chuckled as I tapped her name and brought the phone to my ear. It was crazy how I went from hating her so damn much to not being able to imagine my life without her.
She’d become the reason I woke up with something to look forward to, the reason I wanted to go home instead of drowning in work. She made me feel human…not the monster I had to be to keep the faction in check.
She was the light to my dark, the calm in my storms, the joy in all my gray.
She hadn’t been feeling well the past few days and tried to hide it, like I wouldn’t notice. But she’d been sleeping more than usual, which was a dead giveaway. I’d make sure she saw a doctor tomorrow. But tonight, if she was up for it, I wanted to take her out for a nice dinner.
Her phone rang until it went straight to voicemail. I frowned and tried again, but had the same result. I tried a few more times. Still nothing.
Leaning back in my chair, I sighed. Maybe she was just sleeping. If something was wrong, Tomas would’ve called me. And if she was still asleep when I got home? I already knew exactly how I’d wake her up.
I chuckled, forcing the image of Vera squirming under my mouth out of my head. I needed to finish these training reports. The faster I got through them, the sooner I’d be home with her.
***
Two and a half hours later, I pulled up to the house and went straight for the bedroom, anxious to feel my lips on Vera.
But she wasn’t there.
I checked the bathroom. Empty.
Living room. Kitchen. Balcony. Still no sign of her.
There had to be a reason she wasn't in the house.
Tomas.
She probably had him take her somewhere. I called him.
“Tomas, is Mrs. Safin with you?”
“No, sir. She isn't with you?”
“Tomas, what do you mean? She's not with me.”
“Sir, she left about three hours ago. She said that she was heading to the office. She told me not to tell you anything because she wanted it to be a surprise.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Thanks, Tomas.”
“Sir, I'm sorry I didn't say anything.”
“It's not your fault. She wanted to surprise me. I'll call around. Katya or one of the others probably called with an emergency.”
At least that was what I hoped.
“If you need me, I'm here,” Tomas said.
“Thanks.”
I cut the call and called Katya.
“Hey, brother-in-law, what's up?”
“Is Vera with you?” I asked.
“No.” Then, more panicked, “Is something wrong?”
“Honestly, I don't know. She left home to meet me at my office, but never arrived.”
