Page 113 of Beautiful Secrets

“Because—” I cut off hurriedly, swallowing what I’d been going to say. “Because your father’s a prick.”

Her frown deepens.

“I’ll do anything to piss him off.”

Her face clears in an instant like she just had an epiphany of her own. “Oh.” She drops her eyes, clears her throat. And then rummages through the jacket and takes out the card. Tries to give it back. “I do not need this.”

“You don’t have any money.”

She swipes away a tear that trickles down her face. “I do not need—”

“You will take the card, Mika, and you will use it.” I snatch it from her hand, hauling her up against me so the entire airport can’t see me shoving the card back into the jacket. I’m hoping it looks more like a last embrace than me manhandling her again.

Fuck, I’m going to miss putting my hands on her.

“Now go, before I change my fucking mind and send you back to Daddy Dearest.”

I shove her away from me, drink her in one last time, and turn my back.

My entire body resists, but if there’s one thing Cole Hendry has a fuck load of these days, it’s willpower.

At least, until I met Mika.

But as if she was a magnet, the further away I drag myself, the easier it becomes. Her zone of influence dwindling, dwindling, vanishing.

I don’t look back.

It wouldn’t do any of us any good, anyway.

Plus, I have a date with Dimitri Vasiliev. Wouldn’t want to be late, would I?

I crack my knuckles, and take my phone out of my pants pocket. I do my best to ignore the final call for Mika’s flight, but it gets to me anyway.

And despite all my fucking willpower, Idoturn to look back just before I leave behind the boarding gate.

My heart gives a hard, unhappy thump when I realize she’s already gone.

41

Cole

Ishouldn’t be surprised that Dimitri wanted to meet Derek here. Vasiliev is as traditional as…well, I guess as that horrid-lookingkholodetsMika hates so much. I’m sure the only thing he keeps this abandoned warehouse for is to exchange illicit goods—like his kidnapped daughter for a few million bucks.

But while I expect the warehouse, I don’t expect to see so many goddamn Russians.

Dimitri, his two sons, the Barisovas. And some muscle on top of that, as if there weren’t enough dicks in the room already.

Did they think I’d show up with a fucking army at my back?

“Where is she?” Dimitri drawls, a cigarette dangling from his lip.

It makes me want to light up, but I don’t doubt for a second I’d have twenty bullet holes in me if I so much as blink wrong. Reaching for my pants pocket? That shit just won’t fly.

“Change of plans,” I tell him.

“That is not how this works,” Dimitri says. “We make deal.”

“Aye, and you make a piss poor excuse for a dad.”