Page 62 of Claimed By the Boss

Only Alek remains. He leans against the table with a casual air, but I know him too well to miss the way he studies me, as if he’s waiting for something more.

“Have a nice trip?” he asks.

I raise a brow. “It was fine,” I say, noncommittal.

He smirks. “I assume it wasn’t a solo venture.”

“Do we have any booze around here?” I ask, changing the subject.

“Only the finest.” He laughs and reaches under a cabinet, pulling out a bottle of vodka.

He takes a swig before handing it to me. Alek watches me carefully as I down at least two shots’ worth.

He tries again. “She’s not just some fling, is she?”

He catches the way my jaw tightens.

“Damn,” he mutters, taking another drink. “Should I start helping you pick out rings?”

I know he’s joking, but the thought has crossed my mind more than once. It’s getting increasingly difficult to imagine my life without Lyra in it.

“I was just going to give her my mother’s,” I say with a shrug.

His eyes go wide as he realizes that I’m serious.

“You really want to marry her? It’s only been a couple of months.”

I give a short nod. “It’s fast. I know that. But when you know, you know.”

Alek exhales through his nose, thoughtful. “Does she know who you really are?”

I go still at that. It’s the one thing I’ve been putting off telling her. I don’t know how she’d react. But after this week, I know she feels the same way I do, even if she can’t bring herself to say it.

“I’ll tell her soon enough,” I say, because it’s the best answer I can give him.

He tilts his head. “And what if that makes her run away from you? You can’t control how she feels, D.”

“I guess I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it,” I answer carefully, not even wanting to consider that possibility.

“Well, then,” he says. “I support that. We’ll protect Lyra as a part of the family.”

I nod once, the weight of that promise settling deep in my chest. After Rurik is dead, I’m going to put a ring on her finger.

“Thank you,” I say to Alek, my voice steady but my chest still tight.

Just as we’re starting to relax, Radimir stops by. One look at him, and my body tenses.

He’s not the kind of man who hesitates. Not ever. Even with the worst news, he delivers it with a detached ease. Whatever he isn’t saying weighs heavily on him, and that gives me pause. I straighten immediately, already running contingencies through my head. If this has something to do with Rurik, if that bastard has changed his plans again after we’ve put so much work into this setup…

“I have some news about Lyra,” Radimir says, his voice low.

I freeze, and Alek fixes me with a look. He takes one final gulp of vodka before he puts the bottle back where he got it, then politely excuses himself. He’ll be chomping at the bit to hear this later, I’m sure of it.

I narrow my eyes at Radimir. “What is it?”

“As you may remember, you asked us to keep a tail on her,” he begins.

My stomach turns before he’s even finished speaking. For a second, I don’t respond. I forgot I even gave that order. It was a gut reaction, a precaution. She seemed off, and I told myself it was just me being cautious. I didn’t expect anything to come of it.