Page 92 of Lethal Torture

“They were cut into my back by Vilnus Orlov’s knife.” Darya speaks without looking at me. “The sparrow was his mark. His men held me down while the tattoo was done. When I tried to run away, Vilnus cut the wings from the sparrow to teach me a lesson.”

She pulls her dress back up and turns to me. “I understand more than you might think, Zinaida.” Reaching for the pitcher, she fills my glass. “So feel free to talk, about anything you want. There are no topics that are off-limits. Not here, and not with me.”

22

LUKE

Christ,it’s good to be on the water again.

I hit a four-foot swell and let the wind catch the sail, shooting me into the air above it. I twist and land on the next wave, scooting along the crest for as long as it holds.

Mak’s beach house is in Tarifa, which has some of the best kiteboarding breaks in Europe. Roman and I rode down here on two brand-new Kawasaki Ninjas he apparently bought just for the occasion, a thrill-seeking rush through mountain roads that left Roman satisfied enough to open a beer with Mak, and me itching for more adrenaline. I can just make out their two figures on the cliff high above, leaning over the fence of Mak’s house as I take another wave.

Let’s face it: while I’m definitely looking forward to a stiff drink, I need this even more. The mindless space and solitude only the ocean can give.

I need anything that will take my mind off Zinaida’s naked body, and the fact that she’s managed to avoid me for days now.

I hit another wave and cast the board into the air, suspended in the sunlight for a seemingly endless moment.

Emails. Texts. One-sentence exchanges.

That has been the sum total of communication between Zinaida and me since Avonmouth.

I’m torn between wanting to push her to talk to me and the uncomfortable fear that if I do, I’ll find myself locked out of her life for good.

I’ve no doubt she’d do it either. What I don’t know is if she’s avoiding me because she regrets what happened or because she wants it to happen again.

I know which side of the aisle I sit on that one,I think grimly, leaning out from the board and skimming across the surface at a fierce speed.There’s no chance it’s not happening again.

But although I might know that much with a cock-hardening certainty, what I don’t know is how it works from here.

And I’m definitely not enjoying that kind of uncertainty. Let’s face it, as someone who likes to plan for every contingency, I definitely didn’t fucking think this one through.

Because you weren’t thinking in that shipping container.

I fly up the side of a wave and into the air.

Your brain left the fucking building around the same time Zinaida’s clothes left her body.

The board comes crashing down, and I turn the sail toward shore.

I know I can’t treat Zinaida as a client anymore. The idea of taking her money makes me want to punch a wall. The only way I can still put on a suit in the morning and turn up at her door is if I know it’s my choice.

But I also know that is an unsustainable situation for us both. And if I know that, so does Zin.

Which is the other reason I haven’t pushed her for answers.

Well, that, and the fact that, if I’m honest, I’m still reeling from the intensity of being with her. Even days later, the memory of her gasping under my hands and mouth licks through me like lightning every moment I’m not focused on anything else. I’ve been almost grateful for the frenetic pace that has kept me glued to screens and in meetings. Work has been the only barrier between my sanity and a savage longing that makes me want to break Zin’s door down, throw her on the bed, and show her exactly why avoiding me isn’t a good idea.

Christ.

I turn the sail back into the waves.

I need to wear myself out completely if I’m going to get through a night under the twin laser beams of Mak and Roman’s scrutiny.

“Three hours riding back roads,two on the water, and you still look grim as hell.” Roman pulls a beer from the cooler and throws it to me as I come through the house and out onto the sleek, modern terrace. “I take it working for the lovely Miss Melikov has had its challenges, then?”

That didn’t take long.