Page 80 of Beast

A smile crept across Timofey’s face. “Well, that’s good. I’ve been telling him to stop hiding and just let you see him, that you wouldn’t jerk away like the others, but he was afraid to believe in you. I’m glad you proved me right. Now you gotta convince him he’s more than just your plaything.”

Yeah, but how? After the amazing time we’d spent in bed, I believed he was starting to accept that I truly cared about him, but he might need more convincing. And I couldn’t erase the nagging fear that he might not wantmelong term, that I was just a way for him to pass the time until he left.

I hesitated, then voiced my fear aloud. “What if he doesn’t want to be in a relationship with a woman in my condition? I might never walk again, and what if that’s too much for him?”

Timofey cocked a brow. “You didnotjust say that. Adrik don’t care about shit like that. He’s not that way. He’s the type of guy who would enjoy taking care of his lady, doing things for her all the time. He’s got a heart of gold.”

Something shifted in my chest, softening. I’d already witnessed Adrik’s kindness. I had no doubt he would be an attentive partner. But I still hated being a burden.

We turned back to the monitors and began scrolling through the camera feed again.

“He told me what happened to him,” I whispered, referring to the dog attack when Adrik was eight. “His father sounds like a horrible man.”

Timofey paused, casting a quick glance toward the hallway, then murmured, “Kirill Volkov. Never met him, but I heard he’s not a nice guy.” He paused, lowering his voice even more. “He used to work for the Bratva, back when Adrik was just a little kid, but he was caught stealing money that he should have been handing over to the boss. They would have killed him, but since Kirill had a wife and two sons, they decided to fire him instead.” He paused, holding my stare. “Your family are good people, Miss Annika, and it’s been a privilege working for them. Even if I get woken up after only a four or five hours of sleep to protect damsels in distress.” He winked.

I giggled. My familywasthe best, even if they were overprotective. And Ihatedbeing a damsel in distress. We needed to catch this guy. And soon.

Adrik strode into the room, his gaze darting between us. “Got three lookouts posted outside,” he advised, sliding back into his seat. “And one at the front door. I turned the heater on in the boathouse and plugged in the coffee maker out there so they can get warm and drink coffee in between shifts.”

Timofey stretched and yawned. “I’m going to get some coffee to help keep me awake. You guys want any?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Timofey rose, heading for the door.

I glanced at Adrik.

He stared back with those beautiful obsidian eyes that made my pulse jump.

Harley barked from somewhere in the house, reminding me I hadn’t let him out of the room where Timofey had put him earlier. “Harley probably needs to go out. I’ll be back.”

Adrik nodded, turning back to the monitors.

I found Harley in the game room a few moments later. The moment I opened the door, the dog came barreling out of the room. I laughed and petted him until he settled down, then wheeled my chair down the hallway to the back door with Harley trailing happily beside me. Timofey wasn’t in the kitchen, but the coffee pot was on. I wasn’t sure where he’d gone. Maybe he was taking a bathroom break.

I let Harley out into the yard, mentally reminding myself to let him back inside in a few minutes, then headed back to the surveillance room.

Adrik was staring intently at one of the monitors, but Timofey hadn’t returned yet. I followed his gaze, noting he’d paused the screen on something.

I wheeled forward. “Did you find something?”

Adrik turned to meet my gaze. “Yeah. Look.” He pointed at the monitor. “See that shadow there in the corner by the fence? That’s a man trying to see inside the property. He obviously knows where the cameras are because he’s got his head turned away and lowered so we can’t see his face. He didn’t set off any alarms, so he also knows where the sensors are.”

Uneasiness crept in. “So, he’s already found me.”

Adrik’s gaze locked on mine. “Looks that way.”

“What day was the footage from?”

“Yesterday.”

A chill crept down my spine. “So, he’s been here since at least yesterday.”

Adrik heaved out a sigh. “Yeah. But we’ve got extra help now. And he can’t get inside. Even so, I think it might be smart to move you somewhere else just in case. But it’s not my call. I’ll call Efrem back and let him know what we found on the footage and wait for further instructions.”

Adrik fished his phone out of his pocket to make the call.

I recalled the last text message I’d received.

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