Page 156 of Sins of a King

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” I quipped.

Flynn chuckled and shook his head while looking at me in amazement. “I do have confidence in you. Why would Petrovich do this for you?”

“Because he watched what I went through to get back to you,” I said quietly.

Would Dolinsky always be between us? Would his ghost linger? Would his touch on my skin fade? I wondered if Flynn and I would ever be able to move past all that had occurred. I was different now. We might be able to forgive, but we’d never be able to forget.

Though our foundation had once been solid, it was now full of cracks and shifting ground. I hoped we could rebuild it, make it stronger than it was before.

“Okay, Barrett. We’ll work with the Russians.” He took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Let’s get back to the city. Let’s deal with this once and for all.”

And just like that, I knew where we stood. We were partners, now and forever.

We arrived at The Rex around midnight, entering through the back entrance, not wanting to draw attention that I’d returned. Everyone would know soon enough. Getting ready for bed, I tried not to think about the fact that I didn’t feel safe in the hotel. I’d been kidnapped from a massage table in The Rex Spa, when I was supposed to be enjoying a luxurious day laughing and kicking back with the girls from the burlesque club. Even when Flynn took me into his arms, my heart beat like a jackhammer.

By two, it was clear I wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep. I moved to get out of bed, but Flynn’s hand on my thigh stopped me. “You’re awake,” I said quietly.

“Hard to sleep with you tossing and turning.”

“Sorry.” I settled back against the pillows.

“Talk to me,” he commanded.

“I can’t live here. It’s not a home, Flynn.”

“You don’t feel safe,” he stated astutely.

“No, I don’t. Even when I did feel safe, it never felt like home. You know that.”

“I know,” he said. “We’ll start looking for a place.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Dolinsky’s no longer a threat, so we can find a real home. For us.”

He leaned over to kiss me, his mouth discovering mine. I sank into him, loving the feel of his hard body and warm skin. Soon, I was too caught up in Flynn to worry about anything. Exhausted and sated, I fell asleep.

The next morning, we ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant and halfway through, Duncan joined us.

“You’re still here?” I asked in amazement, standing up to hug him.

“Wanted to make sure you came back safe and sound,” he said. “Glad you’re here with us, lass.”

“I’m happy to be back. Will you join us for a cup of coffee?” I asked.

He sat down and began to regale me with tales from his childhood, no doubt picking up the uneasiness between Flynn and me and wanting to distract us from it.

After we finished eating, I said, “I need to call Sasha.”

Flynn’s jaw hardened, but he nodded. We headed to the security office and met up with Brad who looked through me. Clearly, he had judged what he thought he knew. He would not sentence me—he had no idea what I’d lived through.

Brad handed me a burner phone, and I immediately dialed Sasha. Before I’d ditched the cell Dolinsky had given me, I’d memorized Sasha’s number.

He answered immediately. “We’ve got a problem,” he said by way of greeting.

“What now?” I demanded.

He explained and a stream of curses went off in my head. “All right,” I said when he was finished. “Can you meet me in an hour?” I hung up and then looked at Flynn. “Sasha seems to be having a little problem with a certain FBI agent.”