Page 61 of Toxic Salvation
I’m expecting a mark, an imprint, maybe even a scar. But the belt comes off and my wrists are free and clear, not a scratch in sight. I guess the pain was all in my head.
Or in my heart.
“Thank you,” I murmur.
“Osip and Pavel are actively covering up your tracks as we speak,” he informs me. “After tonight, no one will be able to trace those falsified documents back to you.”
I grip his arms, my body curving into his, seeking out his warmth. “You’re burying the evidence.”
“Let’s just call it ‘cleanup.’ A little light housekeeping.”
“You shouldn’t. I deserve to be caught. I deserve to have my medical license suspended. I deserve to be fired. I’m a bad doctor. I’m a worse person.”
“No, you’re not.” He shakes his head. “Maybe an outsider might look at you and see a bad doctor. But me? I just see a person who’s willing to go to any lengths to protect her family.”
“You don’t have to do this for me, you know.”
“Yes, I do,” he says fiercely. “She’s your family. And you’re my family.” He places his hand on my belly. “And in this Bratva, family is everything.”
He approaches me. For a moment, I think he’s going to kiss me. I wait, breath held, eyes half-closed…
But in the end, he bypasses my lips entirely. His mouth brushes against my ear, so close that I can feel his gentle breaths. “Take my hand.”
Disappointment settles softly in my stomach as I take his hand and he pulls me to my feet. “Where are we going?”
“We have an appointment, remember? We’re going to go see our son.”
22
VESPER
I’m trying to be objective, I swear. It’s the only way I can keep my head and heart intact.
Objective,I tell myself as I look at him.Stay objective.
It’s hard, though. I’m studying the sharp angles of Kovan’s cheekbones while he concentrates on backing out of his parking spot. His jaw works in this particular way when he’s focused, a kind of humming, pulsing tension.
His hair is glossy, looks soft.
The straight line of his nose.
Eyes. Green eyes. Bright green eyes that make smart women do stupid things.
It all makes objectivity impossible.
And that’s not fair. The looks would be enough all on their own, but even if they weren’t, there’s more. He’s so charming when he wants to be. Caring. Thoughtful. Seductive in ways that bypass rational thought entirely.
The man can be terrifying one minute and protective the next. He can play the villain or the knight depending on what serves him best. He manipulates people like a master puppeteer.
And the worst part is, by the time he’s got his fangs sunk into you, youwantto be manipulated by him. Youaskfor it.Begfor it.
Knowing all this should make me immune.
It doesn’t.
Somehow, despite all my sneaking and spying, I managed to leave his office with more questions than answers. Not only did I fail to discover anything useful about his operations, I handed over my deepest secret. The one thing I swore I’d never tell anyone except Waylen and Charity.
He coaxed it out of me, sure. But I didn’t have to make it easy for him. I could have demanded information in return. Instead, I gave him everything and got nothing.
