Page 113 of Wrapped in Perfection

She never insinuated that.

She can't ever know.

I'm losing it.

"Sorry. We saved and invested in businesses."

She looks at her lap and fidgets with her fingers. It's dark, but I can see her hurt expression.

I put my hands over hers. "Anna, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

She closes her eyes but then says, "Why won't you trust me?"

"I do trust you, kotik."

She shakes her head then locks eyes with me. "You don't. There are only two times I've ever heard you speak to me like that."

"I'm sorry—"

She puts her fingers over my lips. "You accused me of assuming you were in the Russian mob. Now you just said I didn't think your businesses were legal. I don't know what the situation is, but there's a reason you got triggered."

My pulse beats hard in my neck, and I wonder if she can see it.

"I'm not sure what else happened in New York, but I do have assumptions. I've not asked you. Mitch hasn't contacted me in any way. I doubt it's only because he lost his job. And I haven't been asked to press charges for him stealing my money. So something happened. I'm naive about a lot of things, but I'm not so ignorant I don't realize this."

The air is thick in my lungs. I may break out in a sweat. Blood pounds loudly between my ears.

I don't want to lose her. No one has ever meant so much to me. I also don't want to hurt her or lose her respect.

"You are right. More happened in New York."

"Is he alive?" she asks in a deadpan voice.

"Yes. I promised you I would not kill him. I kept my word. And I have eyes on him."

Surprise registers on her face. "You're watching him?"

"For the time being, yes. To make sure we got the message across forever that you are not his."

She takes a deep breath and stays silent.

"Say something, Anna."

"Do you want to tell me what you did?"

"No. I don't want to go into details other than he didn't get anything from us you didn't receive from him."

She inhales sharply and puts her hand on her rib cage. "'Us' meaning you and Boris?"

"Yes."

She continues gripping her rib cage and turns to the window. The car stops at a light, and traffic passes in front of us.

My stomach twists. I quietly say, "You did not ask me what happened because you do not want to admit the man I am."

She jerks her head and glares. "No. I didn't ask you because I thought if I needed to know, you would tell me. I already know the man you are and what you are capable of."

"You don't, kotik. No matter what you think you know, you don't know all parts of me."

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