Page 38 of Sin Wager
But every time I think about making that call, I see Pavel's empty eyes staring up at me from the stable floor. I think about what happens to people who become liabilities in this business.
I need more time. More time to assess the Radich threat, more time to find a solution that doesn't end with Vera disappearing into an unmarked grave. More time to figure out when protecting her became more important than completing my assignment.
More time to understand why the thought of losing her makes my chest tighten with something I refuse to name.
"Stay close to me," I tell her. "Until this is over, don't go anywhere alone."
"Okay."
"And Vera?"
"Yeah?"
"Pavel's death wasn't an accident. Someone wanted him silenced before he could talk. The same people who've been using you."
Her grip on my shirt tightens. "You think they'll come after me next?"
"Not if I can help it."
It's another promise I'm not sure I can keep. But as I hold Vera in the growing darkness of the break room, listening to her breathe and feeling her trust in the way she relaxes against me, I know I'm going to try.
Even if it means going to war with the Radich family.
Even if it means defying my own people to keep her safe.
Even if it means admitting that this assignment stopped being about business the moment she looked at me like I was worth trusting.
15
VERA
My hands won't stop shaking. Even with Misha's jacket around my shoulders and his arm steady across my back, I can't make them still. Every time I close my eyes, I see Pavel's face from this morning—alive, laughing at someone's joke by the coffee machine. Now he's dead, and the whispers about criminal involvement follow me through every conversation.
"I can't be alone tonight," I tell Misha as we walk toward the parking lot. The words tumble out before I can stop them. "Please don't leave me alone." There is a killer out there and if it has anything to do with Sonya, I know I'm not safe. If she had Pavel killed to silence him, I could be next.
He stops, turning to face me under the harsh fluorescent lights of the track's exit. His ice-blue eyes search my face, and I see the exact moment he makes his decision. "I'll stay until your shift ends. Then I'm taking you home."
Relief floods through me so fast my knees nearly give out, and he holds me steady for a moment. "Thank you," I whisper as he wraps his arm around me, pulling me close as we walk back toward the stable complex.
For the next few hours, he's never more than a few feet away. He sits in the break room while I finish my paperwork, walks with me as I check the horses one final time, stands guard while I gather my things from my locker. By the time my shift ends, some of the panic has faded, replaced by exhaustion and the steady comfort of his presence.
Misha keeps one hand on the steering wheel and the other on my thigh as he drives me home, his thumb tracing small circles against my jeans. I don't know what I'd have done if he hadn't been there when Pavel's body was found. As it is right now, I don't know if I can go back. I'm terrified. It might be because of his warning about the woman similar to me who wasn't protected, or maybe it’s because I knew from the beginning who Sonya was and I pretended it didn't matter.
When we pull up outside my building, I see the lights on in our third-floor windows. Batya and Elvin are home, maybe sharing dinner and watching the evening news. The normalcy of it makes my chest ache. They have no clue the danger I've put us all in, and I'll feel better when I see their warm smiles.
"Come up with me," I say, surprising myself with the request. I turn to him and reach for his hand, but his touch isn't as warm as I expect it to be as he pats my hand and then pulls away.
Misha cuts the engine but doesn't move to get out. "Vera…"
"I want you to meet them. My family." Even as I say the words, I'm not sure if it's a good idea. "I know there's an age gap between us, I know you probably think they won't understand, but they will. Batya respects character, not age."
He stares out the windshield for a long moment, his jaw working. "Your father's going to take one look at me and decide I'm too old for his daughter."
"Maybe. But he'll also see that you're good to me. That you make me feel safe, like you did today at the track." I reach for his hand again and this time, he lets me take it. "Please…"
There is another long pause, then he nods. "If this is what you want."
"It is."
