Page 24

Moya so?lnyshka has many fears, and she will face them one by one. Her bravery today proves it, but until she’s ready to get behind the wheel again, I will drive her wherever she needs to go.

Her eyes narrow on a car parked on the other side of the street.

A glance reveals Vilen, a man I brought from Russia with me, sitting in the driver’s seat.

His partner Sergei occupies a table on the sidewalk in front of the coffee shop three doors down.

Camilla gives him a second study as well before meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror.

She pulls the phone away from her mouth before whispering, “Do you know those two men?”

At my nod, she relaxes and returns to her phone call.

Whatever nuances she noticed will serve her well in the future. Whether earned from a life in the mafia or recently gained from her experience, she will always be mindful of the danger lurking in each person.

I wait until she hangs up and passes me her phone with the directions on the screen before I shift into drive and pull out onto the busy road.

“Where are we going, so?lnyshka ?” I ask.

She sneaks her fingers into my collar again. Lust simmers in my veins from the casual yet intimate touch. I lean into her digits, encouraging her to take as much as she wants.

“A specialty shop for jewelry with GPS tracking. Aurora recommended them. Tristan has several sets he loves to wear, so he’s never without an extra layer of protection. They’ll be able to find him no matter where he goes,” she says.

When I stop in front of a building with a nondescript storefront, I decide to circle the block a few times before parking. Camilla sits in silence the entire way, caressing my neck and regulating her breathing.

The nervous energy emanating from her as I usher her into the store isn’t from our surroundings.

Her mind no doubt runs through every horrible thing that could happen as she meets my children.

Words will not comfort her, so I off her my silent support as a woman wearing a black suit and white gloves greets us.

After introducing herself, she leads us to the back of the room where multiple jewelry display cases sit on black cloth covered folding tables.

“What ages are you shopping for?” the woman asks.

When Camilla answers without hesitation, delight pulses through me. It may not be easy, but she’ll be the perfect mother figure my children so desperately need. She is already looking out for them, even though she hasn’t met them yet.

Their plane lands in less than four hours, but I don’t rush Camilla. Between shopping, self-defense with Loretta, and traveling to the airport, I plan to keep her as busy as possible so she doesn’t have time to overthink her way into panic.

As the saleswoman continues down the list of features each set of items contains, Camilla listens with rapt attention.

“What are their favorite colors?” Camilla asks me.

“Maksim loves any shade of green. Artur does not have one and Zoya will not say,” I respond.

Camilla taps her chin with a finger and peruses the first few boxes before lifting a matching watch and pair of shoelace tags from the case.

Maksim will love the green accents. When she looks over the rest and doesn’t seem to find what she wants, the saleswoman steps forward and asks how she can help.

Camilla points between two different sets and says a few words. The woman nods vigorously and disappears through a door at the back of the store and returns a few minutes later.

With her brows furrowed, my wife inspects the new items before turning and offering them up to me.

Mostly black with minimal silver accents, the child-sized watch is a miniature version of something I would wear. A small knife, complete with holster, and the shoelace tags are a sleek black while the necklace is a simple silver chain.

“Yes. We’ll take this set today, but I also want to put in a custom order before we leave,” Camilla says.

I shouldn’t find watching her shop erotic, but her decisiveness as she pampers my children makes my balls throb with need.

After a brief discussion, the saleswoman shows Camilla to the tables on the other side of the room. Moya so?lnyshka takes her time choosing Zoya’s gifts. She adds a few extra hair bows and a small stuffed rabbit with no prompting.

We pay for our purchases, wait for the saleslady to wrap our items, and step out into the afternoon sun. Camilla leans on me to hide her uneven strides, but her features tighten in pain.

It has been a long day, both emotionally and physically. Maybe a lesson in self-defense is too much.

I open my mouth to suggest we reschedule, but Camilla rises onto her toes and presses a chaste kiss to my chin.

“Yes, I’m tired. No, I’m not skipping my lesson with Loretta.” It’s eerie how well she reads my mind. “Self-defense is about more than physical strength. She told me earlier we’d mostly talk during this session, so don’t try to stop me. I need this, Dimitri,” she says.

I lean into the car, trusting my men to have my back from dangers on the street as I pin her in place with a stare.

“I will protect you even from yourself if you make me. Do not push yourself too far, so?lnyshka. Da? ” I murmur.

Her lashes widen. She swallows. Her nostrils flare and hunger sparks in her dark brown eyes as she flicks a glance over my shoulders.

“ Da. Capisci . I understand,” she stutters.

She’s too gorgeous when she’s flustered. I steal a quick kiss before shutting her door and wedging my body into the driver’s seat.

No matter what happens, I will protect, support, and nurture my new wife, Camilla Volkov. Watching her grow stronger is now my favorite addiction. I never want to leave her side.

Impatience pulses through me. Feliks has been too free for too long.

I’ll enact her revenge and make him wish he were never born.

As soon as I catch the mudak .

I trust my men to find him and believe Camilla’s brother is doing everything he can to catch Feliks, but it’s taking too long, so the moment I pass Camilla off to Loretta in Giorgio’s private home gym, I step away for a few minutes to hail the mafia don.

We can’t tiptoe around each other any longer. With my children arriving in New York City soon and my wife’s resilience maxed out, capturing my exiled brother is more important than ever.

Feliks Volkov must die a slow and painful death.

Now.