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“What else do you have for me?”
“Raven Monroe.”
“Sabrina's friend?” I ask, a little confused.
Niko frowns with a wince, hesitating a bit. “Did you know she was the girl on the RMU campus that went missing, only to be found three days later by the custodian shoved into her locker with a broken leg?” He scrubs his hand down his face, then shakes his head, looking like he's gonna be sick. “Khristos, what they did to that girl…”
I blink rapidly, trying to remember, but all I hear is my wife’s words coming back to me like an echo.“She went through something horrendous…”
“Boss,” Niko runs his fingers through his shaggy brown hair, but it falls forward. He hands me the manilla folder and clears his throat. “She was thrown into Lorne Wood Falls’ Mental Institution until her twenty-fourth birthday. She just got out. Went back to Rayne-Moore for a semester and transferred out to Juilliard for the Spring.”
My mind shifts to what Niko said on my wedding day.“There hasn't been a death on campus since that kid died in December.”
“Spit it out, Niko.”
He lifts his brows and then points to the file with a large finger. “We had to dig a lot deeper, but I think that file will speak for itself, Boss. I'd feel bad for the girl… but it turns out she's a total fucking badass. I wouldn't worry about her relationship with your wife. On the contrary... I think I'd encourage it. There's something about a woman that makes ballsy moves like that in complete and utter silence. Those three men of hers know exactly what they got. Fuckinggold.”
I let out a sigh and lean back in my chair, holding onto the arm rests. But, feeling restless, I scrub my hand down my face. “Sasha, leave us. Go home to your wife.”
“Okey, Boss. Do svidaniya.”Goodbye.
Once the door closes behind Sasha, I look over at the man I've known since I was fourteen – the man I made my second as soon as my father handed me the crown. “You don't think their relationship is… messy?”
His expression turns a little confused. “Sexually, no. I think it's hot. I've shared a few women with other men, and torturing them with orgasms is always fun. Now, emotionally, I think it works for them. They treasure her, and she looks at them like they hung every star, planet and each of their moons as well. They aren't hurting anyone… Well, not anymore. But their relationship doesn't offend me. If I'm honest, they look incredibly happy. I'm a little jealous.”
“Would you… enter a relationship like that?”
“In this life? In our world? If it meant my woman had extra protection - hell yeah. This world we live in, it's a fucking disaster, Maksim. I think if you find love,goodlove, you gotta do what you can to protect it. So what if you share her? This world is changing every day. Besides, it's no one else's business but your own what you do behind closed doors.”
I look at my vodka then back at the man I've known for twenty years, the man I consider closer to me than my own cousin, then back to my thumb on my tumbler. “My wife-”
“The bodyguard. Parker Savage.”
I snap my eyes back to his.
“Can I speak freely as a friend and not your employee?”
“Da.”Yes.
“That man... He'slethal, Maks. We looked into him, too. Those two tours he did in the Middle East? He's lucky all he walked away with was a scar down his face and a few burns on his leg and back. It sucks, but I respect the fuck out of him,” he sighs and leans forward, putting his elbows on his knees, then shakes his head. “She was right to keep him on as her detail. And I'm sorry to say this, but you could see how much he cares for her from the moon. That guy has the literal map to your wife's heart. His only soft spotisher. But his need to protect her is stronger. Especially now that she's married to you. So if… somethingwereto happen… I would understand it. But again, it's not my business.” He finishes and downs the rest of his vodka only to stand up and fix his coat. “You need me for anything else?”
I shake my head. “Go home. Get some sleep. I'm about to do the same.”
“Sure thing. Need a ride?”
“Yeah, let's go.”
“Don't forget your laptop.” He reminds me.
“Got it.”
“And the folder. You'll want to see what's on that file.”
I make a quick turn and grab the file. Seems like I got homework to do.“You need a haircut.”
“You need a shave.”
“Your left hook is weak.” I quip.