Page 25 of Sergei

That thought took me to a warm and fuzzy place, and before I knew it, I was thinking about the sharp line of Sergei’s jaw and the way his gorgeous eyes seemed to cut right through me. He looked at me like he was searching for answers that I had no idea how to give, and yet, I couldn’t look away.

I wanted to give them to him. I wanted to give him whatever he needed, and that had my heart racing in a way it hadn’t in years. I pressed a hand to my chest, willing it to slow. This was insane.

Sergei was the last man I should be thinking about, much less fantasizing about.

He was trouble wrapped up in a pretty black suit.

But God help me, when I closed my eyes, he was all I could see.

And what a sight he was.

Oh man, I was in even more trouble than I’d realized.

9

SERGEI

The office was calm and quiet, but my mind wasn’t. Not even close. I kept replaying Alina’s words over and over in my head. Every step she’d taken. Every turn she’d made. Every person she’d talked to. I’d written it all down and mapped it all out, making sure I hadn’t missed a single detail.

It was a lot. If I missed one single thing, it could cost us everything. Damn. I should’ve called Viktor. I should’ve handed her over and let him deal with the mess she’d brought to our doorstep, but I was too hard-headed for that.

Instead, I listened.

I questioned, and little by little, I started to care.

That unsettled me more than any of it. I needed to just rip the fucking Band-Aid off and call him. I grabbed my phone, and my finger hovered over Viktor’s name. He would’ve been furious at me for not calling him sooner, and he would have every right to be. But that didn’t stop me from scrolling past his name and onto Preacher’s.

He picked up on the first ring and chuckled, “I was wondering when I’d hear from you.”

“I need a favor.”

“Figured that would be coming. What do you need?”

“Alina left a trail. I need help making it disappear.”

I would’ve had Jenson erase Alina’s trail, but he was busy working on our accounts in the Cayman’s. I didn’t want him distracted, so Shep was my next best option.

Before he had a chance to ask what the hell I was talking about, I added, “I have some security cameras that need to be wiped. Traffic feeds, too. Anything they might use to find out where she went. You think Shep can handle that?”

“He can certainly try. He’s going to need to know exactly where she was and when.”

“I’ve got it all down. I’ll send it over.”

“Anything else?”

“Have him look into Alek Morozov.”

“He the husband?”

“He is.”

“Something tells me he’s a real fucking tool.”

“You have no idea. Grew up with the asshole and never did care for him.”

“Sounds like you already know what you need to know.”

“It’s been almost two years since we left New York. A lot’s changed. I need to know what he’s up to now. Who he’s dealing with and where he stands with the family.” I let out a breath before adding, “I have a contact I can reach out to, but not sure how much he’ll know. Anyone else would be too risky. Last thing I need is any unnecessary attention.”