Page 45

He swallows and shakes his head.

Anissa whistles.

“Irma, let’s go.”

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Anissa calls sweetly after them as the door shuts.

We look at each other in silence for a long minute. She doesn’t speak, just traces her finger along the rim of her glass.

“Got the shit end of the stick with parents, eh?” But her eyes are pained when she sips the vodka.

I shake my head. We drink in silence for long minutes. The sun has begun to set outside, but I don’t move to turn any lights on. I like the dark.

“When were you going to tell me about my sister?” she asks quietly, her throat working up and down.

“Tonight.”

“Before orafterI met her?” She doesn’t hide the note of sadness in her voice. “No wonder he didn’t come after me. Jesus.A sister.” She shakes her head. “That’s so fucking weird.”

“You have a mother too. She’s in New York. Matriarch of the Romanov family.”

Her eyes widen. She’s never had a mother. I have no clue how that lands.

“And when were you going to tell me about your brother?” she asks. “There’s more to that story, and it sounds fucking brutal, Matvei.”

“Eventually. Probably when we were snuggled up on the couch, sharing our hopes and dreams.” I shrug a shoulder. “Funny, we haven’t gotten there yet.”

She chews her lip.Thoughtful.

“Any other siblings?”

I shake my head. “Not anymore.”

She blows out a breath, meeting my eyes. “Another story for another day?”

“Yeah.”

I sip my vodka, and the alcohol surges through my veins. I need to eat. We both do.

Her gaze drifts to the kitchen clock. “When are Rafail and Polina coming?”

“We’ve got two hours.”

She nods. “Enough time for me to wash and dry my clothes, right?”

“Yeah. Or we can buy you new ones.”

“Maybe another day. This one’s been long enough.”

No fucking shit.

I lean against the wall, sipping my drink. “Do you think the small talk will help me forget that I told you not to leave the room? How long did you last? Thirty seconds?”

With a shrug, she looks away. “More or less. I didn’t like the tone of voice they were taking with you.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “You’re still in trouble.”

Her heated gaze meets mine. “Is that a promise?”