Cruel Love Read online

  Nina doesn’t blink but a little of that happy rouge fades from her cheeks.

  Luka lays a hand on her shoulder. “He’s in Moscow,” he says slowly. “And I’ll make sure he doesn’t leave again.”

  She nods. “How?”

  “Guns!” Yuri shouts. “Lots of guns.”

  Luka turns to sit down at the table next to Lucian’s highchair. “A bullet is too good for Gio. I want him alive.”

  “Well, I want him dead.”

  “Yuri…” Nina says. “Luka is right. The Obuvi is dead center in the city. He’ll see you coming and make an escape. It has to be quiet.”

  Yuri sinks back in his chair again, officially outnumbered. “Well, whatever you decide, then,” he murmurs.

  “Sofia,” Luka says, drawing my eyes. “What’s on your mind?”

  I bite my inner cheek. “We’ll only get one shot at this,” I say. “If he slips free now, he may never come back.”

  Luka nods.

  Nina’s brow furrows. “Why did he come back?” she asks.

  Markov appears again in the kitchen doorway. “Luka,” he says.

  Luka reads his face. It’s a moment I’ve seen plenty of times before. Markov gives him that look. Luka stops whatever he’s doing, kisses my cheek, and leaves.

  A snake has been spotted.

  This time, Luka doesn’t move. Instead, he looks at me. Catching and killing Snake Eyes agents has been his priority for so long, but now… with Gio in the city?

  He pauses, his eyes locking on his son’s face.

  “How many?” he asks Markov.

  “Two, maybe three. Nikita is there now, waiting for your call.”

  Again, Luka’s gaze flicks over to me. Finding even one agent nowadays is considered a great blessing, but three?

  “Go,” I tell him. “It’s important.”

  “No.” He gestures at Markov. “Have them taken to the warehouse. Dispose of them quickly.”

  “Luka, they could be questioned.”

  “Gio is more important, lyubov’ moya.”

  I stand still, feeling his sharp tone travel down my spine.

  Markov nods. “I’ll take care of it myself,” he says.

  “Thank you, Markov,” Luka says.

  Markov turns around, flashing the briefest glance at Nina before disappearing into the hallway. Her face shows nothing, and Yuri and Luka continue on as if nothing happened but that soft twinkle in her eye hides everything.

  And here I thought I was good at keeping secrets.

  I still have much to learn from Nina Lutrova.

  Chapter 19

  Archer

  London. Long time no see, old friend.

  Not that I missed it. The bad memories here outweigh the good ones by a steady margin. And yet, I still feel a prickle of excitement as I stare out the window of the airport terminal.

  It’s the first time I’ve seen it with her.

  I’ve seen where Lilah Hart grew up. I’ve seen how her history shaped her into the woman she is today. When I saw her standing at the end of the dock by the lake, I understood her better. Knowing that piece of her made me love her even more.

  Now, she gets to experience a little piece of my past as well, even if it’s just a view from the airport during a few hours of layover.

  Lilah appears beside me and scoffs loudly as she stares out the window. “Jeez, what a dump,” she says.

  I laugh.

  She leans in to brush her face against my shoulder. It’s a quick show of affection that warms my heart. Either that or she had an itch. It’s hard to say with Lilah Hart.

  “Have you ever been?” I ask her.

  “To London?” she asks. I nod. “Yeah, of course. Killed a guy here last summer.”

  “I don’t mean for work,” I say, smirking. “I mean for play.”

  “There’s a difference?”

  I glare at her playfully and she smiles.

  “No,” she answers. “I haven’t really done the tourist thing in London.”

  “We should come back here someday. Just the two of us. See a show. Go to the aquarium.”

  She shrugs. “If you want.”

  I keep my eyes on her, letting my mind roam a little too wild. “I do.”

  It takes a moment, but she finally looks up at me. “Then, we will,” she says passively.

  I take a deep breath. “Lilah, I—”

  She raises a hand. “Hold that thought.”

  I lower my voice as she spins around and darts several feet away with just a few quick paces.

  “I want you to move here with me,” I murmur to myself. “But I guess I’ll just stand here and ask the wall instead like a bloody idiot.”

  It might be a bad idea but not one unworthy of consideration. When all of this is over, I have to deal with a few realities, one of which is the very expired American visa in my name.

  I can’t go back to the United States. Not legally, anyway. Sure, I could have Boxcar’s sketchy friend make me up a fake ID, but one savvy cop could bring it all down. I’ll have to face the music sooner or later.

  I promised Lilah she’d go home again. I promised Dante I’d keep her alive. I promised Elijah I’d give her a future.

  I might have to break one of those.

  “Okay. New plan!” Lilah slams her hand down on Boxcar’s shoulder, drawing the attention of the others sitting around. “Grab your shit, Spunky,” she tells him. “You’re coming with us.”

  Fox stiffens in his chair.

  “What new plan?” Dante asks, his voice on the edge of annoyance.

  Lilah grabs her bag and tosses it over her shoulder. “Well, as much fun as Russia sounds, I think we ought to split the party.”

  “No, we shouldn’t.”

  “Dante, we’re wasting time,” she says. “You guys go recruit the big, bad mobster guy. Meanwhile, Archer, me, and Scrappy will go check out the house in Paris.”

  “Sparky,” I say over her shoulder.

  “Whatever.”

  “It’s Boxcar, actually,” he says, pinching the bridge of his nose beneath his glasses.

  Dante shakes his head. “You don’t know what’s out there, Lilah.”

  “Exactly,” she says. “All the more reason to send a small recon team in first to case the area and report back. I know you’ve been out of practice for a while, but you at least remember some of your training, right, big brother?”

  Dante sighs and glances over at Fox. Neither of them says a word, meaning Lilah is either absolutely right or incredibly wrong.

  Fox looks at Boxcar. “Are you okay with that?” he asks him.

  Boxcar shrugs. “Sure, why not?” he says. “Just don’t tell my wife…”

  Lilah digs her nails into his jacket and yanks him out of his chair with a solid grin on her face. “Wife, schmife. She’ll get over it.” She sidles over to Lucy’s chair and leans over to give her a quick hug. “We’ll keep in touch,” she says.

  I straighten Boxcar’s jacket collar. “Sorry, mate,” I say. “But it’s not a bad idea, all things considered.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He sighs. “Just not looking forward to it, that’s all.”

  “You’ll be all right,” I tell him. “It’s just a little trek through the woods. We’ll be done before you know it and end the day with a few croissants. How about that?”

  He chuckles to hide his hesitation and walks off, pausing briefly near Fox to share a quick, friendly handshake with him.

  I steal one last look at Dante. He stares back at me with that same desperate look he had back at the lake house.

  Lilah is all I have left in this world.

  I know what’s going through her head right now and it ain’t good.

  Dante’s been right about that so far. Lilah clearly isn’t in the best headspace. Her judgment is weak but not entirely illogical. She’s driven by vengeance, pure and simple, but Dante and I have been able to keep her centered together so far. When one of us blinks, the other steps in.

&n
bsp; But if we split up…

  “Archer, let’s move!”

  We both look over my shoulder as Lilah waves an impatient arm at me.

  Keep my baby sister alive and I’ll never question you again.

  One tall order, coming right up.

  Chapter 20

  Dani

  Fox runs his fingers down my arm, being careful to avoid the bruises still lingering around the gunshot wound on my shoulder. We lie together on his bed with nothing but a cotton sheet draped along our waistlines. I tingle on the edge of sleep, still reeling from our last climax. He rests on his side behind me, his touch never leaving my warm skin. His arm curls around me as he kisses the back of my neck. I grab his hand, entwining our fingers together.

  “It’s so quiet,” I whisper in the dark.

  “That’s why I like it,” he says.

  “Me, too.”

  I should have stayed.

  I furrow my brow, confused by the thought. Should have stayed? Did I leave?

  Why would I ever leave this comfort? This safety.

  This paradise.

  As I turn to face him, I realize my shoulder doesn’t hurt. I look at it. My skin is clear. There’s no gunshot wound at all. No bruises. No pain.

  I look at Fox lying beside me. The scar on his cheek is gone. All of his scars are gone.

  Even his cobra tattoo is missing.

  Did we win?

  I smile, succumbing to thoughts and imagines of a different life. No more running. No more looking over our shoulders.

  Just me and Fox in our cabin, kissing beneath a star-filled sky.

  But then, blood.

  So much blood.

  Bang. Bang.

  Two bullets. I can’t tell where they came from, but crimson red tears fall from Fox’s eyes.

  I scream for him, but I can’t hear it over his cold laughter behind me.

  I look over my shoulder, coming face-to-face with Mercer’s icy blue stare and the barrel of his gun.

  Bang. Bang.

  I jolt awake but the loud banging sound continues. It takes a moment for me to remember where I am. A motel room. Double twin beds. It’s pitch-black. The clock says 2 A.M…

  Another hard bang. There’s someone at the door.

  Oh, god. They found me.

  Is it the police? Is it my father?

  Or Snake Eyes?

  Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  “Dani, it’s me. Open up!”

  I exhale with relief. “Caleb...”

  I roll off the bed, feeling my heart pounding against my ribs as I cross the dark room.

  Caleb stands outside with a giant bottle of water in one hand and a grocery sack dangling by her side in the other.

  “Sorry,” she says as she barges in around me. “I forgot my key.”

  “Where did you go?” I ask, eying the bag. I notice a small stack of boxes shoved inside, along with a few words that instantly jump out at me through the translucent bag. “Are those...?”

  “Pee sticks.” She nods, not stopping as she plows through to the bathroom.

  My jaw drops as I lock the door behind us. “Are you pregnant?” I ask.

  “Fox didn’t tell you?”

  “No.”

  “Oh, cool. Loyalty. That’s nice.”

  Caleb kicks the bathroom door shut behind her. I linger outside of it, wondering which friend I’m supposed to be right now. Do I congratulate her? Tell her how wonderful it is? Or do I give her a shoulder to cry on while I search for the nearest clinic between here and Iowa?

  After a minute, I knock once. “Caleb, are you okay?”

  The door flies open. I startle backward.

  “False positives happen all the time,” she says. “Right?”

  “Uh…” I squint. “I think so?”

  “I’m probably not pregnant, I mean…” She stares at the three used sticks fanned out in her hand and scoffs. “Sure, Box and I haven’t been super safe since he came back but that’s what the IUD is for. It worked like a damn charm when we were boinking out in the desert. No reason for it to stop now. And who the hell knows if he has any active swimmers left at all considering how much of his life has been spent surrounded by electronics. Ya know what I mean?”

  I raise a brow. “Yes?”

  “I’m not pregnant.” She shakes her head. “There’s just no way. This is all just one big misunderstanding and in about sixty more seconds, we’re both going to have a huge laugh about this.”

  “Caleb,” I say slowly, “are you okay?”

  “I am fine,” she says. “And I gotta pee again, so hold these.”

  She drops the sticks into my palm and slams the door closed again.

  I fumble them together and pinch the handles, holding them at half an arm’s length while I wait for her to come back.

  I haven’t known Caleb Fawn for very long but if I were to describe her in one word, it’s calm. She might not always have her shit together on paper but take one look at her and you’d never know. She’s strong and confident, never a slave to her emotions, but right now?

  She’s panicking.

  I look at the tests in my hand, and honestly, I don’t really blame her. If the roles were reversed, I’d be teetering on the edge in that bathroom right now, too.

  The door swings open again. Caleb emerges with a fourth test in her hand.

  “Are you pregnant?” she asks me.

  I blink. “No.”

  “Are you sure? I have more tests.”

  “Pretty sure.”

  “You should get pregnant,” she says. “Fox wants babies. Did you know that?”

  I take a step back. “No…”

  “He told me. Well, not directly, but he said that it’d be nice if my kids grew up with his kids, which means he wants kids. So, if our kids are gonna grow up together, then you need to get pregnant with me. Did you guys have sex yesterday?”

  “Okay…” I breathe out. “I think you should sit down.”

  “I don’t want to sit down.” She taps the stick against her palm. “I want this damn thing to hurry up and tell me whether or not I’m about to be a single mom because if that’s the case, then I need to sell my shop. Maybe move back to Oklahoma. Really crash on back to square one.”

  Her face wrinkles as she looks down, trying to hold back the tears just beneath the surface.

  “Caleb, you’re not going to be a single mom,” I say. “You have Boxcar.”

  “Yeah, for now, but he didn’t exactly go on a field trip to the science fair,” she says. “He’s in the air, on his way to fucking Russia right now. Russia. He’s hanging out with killers and mobsters and I’m not there to protect him—”

  She bends at the waist, sobbing hard.

  “Cal…” I rest my hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay…”

  Caleb wraps her arms around me. I stumble back but I right us quickly, holding her up as she cries into my shoulder.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I tell her again. “Boxcar is a smart guy and Fox is with him. They’ll keep each other safe. Okay?”

  I take a deep breath, quietly repeating the words back to myself in my head.

  It’s going to be okay. They’ll keep each other safe.

  Fox is coming home.

  The ring he gave me glimmers on my finger. I’ve been so messed up about current events, I didn’t stop to think about what would happen when Fox came back. He asked me to marry him. That means planning a wedding and actually getting married. Somewhere between now and then, we have to decide what our marriage will look like.

  I look at the pregnancy tests still clenched in my palm. Three little plus marks.

  I pat Caleb’s back. “It’s going to be okay,” I say again, exhaling hard.

  Chapter 21

  Fox

  “No offense, Fox, but you don’t look like a maniacal killer.”

  I blink at Lucy. She stares up at me from the airport hallway, her eyes squinting in deep thought.

  “No offense tak
en,” I say.

  “I pictured you meaner,” she says.

  I glance toward the bathroom. “Why?” I ask, genuinely curious.

  She shrugs. “The things people say about you…” Her eyes fall to my shoes and back. “I figured you’d be this roided-out douche covered in teardrop tats wearing a dirty wife-beater but, other than that scar, you look totally normal.”

  “Because I am.”

  Her head tilts in disbelief.

  I look straight ahead at the bathrooms again. “I’m just a normal guy who had to do some not-so-normal things to survive.”

  “Bet it came in handy.”

  “What?”

  “I took one look at Dante and I knew exactly what he was,” she says. “If I ran into you in a dark alleyway, I wouldn’t think you were there to kill me.”

  “Yeah.” I nod slowly as I repress a few of those not-so-normal memories. “That did come in handy once or twice.”

  She gives a smug smile as she studies my face.

  Dante finally emerges from the bathroom across the hall. He looks in both directions before heading toward us through the small, constantly-moving crowd.

  “And no offense to you, Lucy,” I say to her, “but you look a little out-of-place in the Hart family, too.”

  Her brow bounces in amusement. “No offense taken,” she says.

  Dante bends over and grabs his duffel bag next to Lucy’s feet. “So, how do we get to Lutrova’s estate?” he asks.

  “It’s a bit of a drive,” I say. “How’s your Russian?”

  He laughs. “Rusty.”

  Lucy perks up. “You speak Russian?”

  “I speak a lot of languages,” he says.

  “I didn’t know that. Say something in Russian.”

  He shakes his head. “No.”

  I look into her rejected face. “YA vas lyubil. Lyubov' yeshche, byt' mozhet,” I say softly.

  Her eyes widen with every word and I see her pupils dilating behind her long lashes.

  “Hey,” Dante says. “Fox…”

  I ignore him, locking eyes with her. “V dushe moyey ugasla ne sovsem…”

  “Not cool.”

  Lucy’s jaw drops. “What the fuck was that?”