Page 26

I was the one who played games, not the one who got played, but it felt like Mila was the one currently holding all the cards.

She actually packed a bag and moved out, and since this ridiculous palace was like a small town on its own, that actually meant something.

It took a great deal of strength not to demand she unpack and sit her beautiful ass back down so we could talk, but it was clear she was much too angry.

Some time later, she went for a dip in the pool, and watching her move gracefully through the water was almost my undoing. I was seconds from ordering her back to our room, except that was exactly what she wanted.

Oh, she might not have realized it, or maybe it was so she could prove I was the tyrant she believed me to be. It wasn’t for the reason I wanted, though, which was because she couldn’t be without me. It was beginning to feel very much like I couldn’t be without her.

After she finally went inside, I had no other choice but to get up to my room before I went after her.

I had a few things to check in on in Moscow, and it was time to update her family by answering their messages.

That was getting tough, and I was considering sending out a decoy so someone they knew would have an eyewitness account of seeing her, alive and well.

That was dangerous because if my decoy got caught, everything would crumble, and I’d have to play my hand.

I wasn’t ready for that. Mila was mine, was going to stay mine.

The near fight we’d had at the slightest mention of her brothers made everything more difficult.

I could no longer just keep her away from them, not when I also wanted her to be happy now as well, damn it.

I couldn’t exactly invite them over for a wedding reception, either. Talk about starting a war to end all wars.

I finally fell asleep with this sticky problem on my mind, determined to come up with a way to shake things up between Mila and me. Get her talking again, and perhaps smiling.

In the morning, I woke up to bright sunshine streaming through the opening in the curtains, and a much brighter outlook to match. Until I checked my phone. There was a string of messages from my brother. Kolya was heading to Rome.

Nope, not happening. That wasn’t at all what I had in mind when I decided something had to change. I called him, hopping out of bed and pacing until he picked up.

“Turn around,” I ordered as soon as he answered. “Go back to Milan. Hell, go anywhere, just not here.”

“Are you telling me not to come to my own house?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter whose house it is,” I snapped. “I don’t want you anywhere near my wife.”

The little shit cracked up at that. “So that’s actually true? I didn’t believe Uncle Eldar when he told me. Come on, I’d love to meet my only sister-in-law.”

“Not happening. I hope you’ve turned around by now?”

“You’re being awfully ungrateful. Have you forgotten it was me who tipped you off that she was in Milan in the first place? I basically introduced you two.”

“Fuck off, Kolya. And turn around.”

“It’s too late,” he sighed, not sounding at all sorry. “I’m practically there.”

“Let me guess. Your last deal went sideways, and now you need a place to lay low for a while.”

As usual, he’d pissed off the wrong people, and now they were out for his blood. And as usual, he was laughing and carefree about it, filling me in on how much money he managed to make off with before they found out he was ripping them off.

I ended the call and raced to Mila’s room to get her up and out before Kolya arrived. She looked much too adorable, all rumpled and bleary-eyed, when I shoved the desk she crammed up against the door out of the way and burst in.

I scowled at the dainty writing desk. Really? A barricade? A useless one, but it still stung.

“What’s going on?” she asked, instantly sitting up. It was easy to see how she’d been raised, on high alert at the slightest hint of trouble.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said, only a small lie. “But we’re leaving. Now. Don’t even bother packing. I’ll buy you new things at our next location.”

“And where’s that going to be?” she asked, making a point not to get out of bed.

Good question. “Never mind that,” I said. “Just be ready to leave in ten minutes. No longer.”

As I left the room, I got a text from the gate guard and swore, hurrying to the front door.

Kolya hadn’t been exaggerating about how close he was.

He was already here. Furious at my younger brother, I rushed out to get rid of him, ready to physically throw him off the property until I could leave with Mila.

By the time I made it down to the front, his bright red sports car was zooming up the long driveway.

I didn’t wait for him to get out, but I was ready when he parked the car to block the door. “Turn the engine back on and get the hell out of here,” I said. “You can come back in an hour.”

He raised a brow at me, not at all as intimidated as he should have been. As if sharing the same parents would keep me from bashing his face in. Not only was he not scared, he had the audacity to shove open his car door and barrel out.

I smacked him in the chest, keeping him from advancing toward the door. No amount of threats would get him to change his mind and choose another hiding spot, so I switched to cajoling. I even offered him a bribe.

“Fifty thousand?” he asked, pretending to be offended. “Now I’m really determined to stay.”

My last hope was to barricade the door and try to get the guards, who were on his payroll, to side with me against him. Or else get in a knock-down, drag-out fight that Mila was sure to see. Most of the ten minutes I’d given her were already gone.

As soon as I was inside and slamming the heavy doors behind me, she came down the stairs, at first curious, then alarmed.

“Who is that?” she asked, looking around for a weapon.

I had to smile at her bravery, despite being annoyed enough to be grinding my teeth to the gums. “Is that why you wanted me ready to go in ten minutes?” She peered past me, out the windows on either side of the doors.

“Oh my God, I know who that guy is.” Glaring at me, she shoved me aside and swung open the doors.

“Where is Nat? If you hurt her, I’ll make sure you die good and slow,” she shouted at Kolya.

Kolya gave me a shocked look as he blew into the entryway like a hurricane. “She’s perfectly fine,” he told Mila. “Just not too happy with me at the moment.”

Ah, so he’d gotten himself mixed up with Mila’s friend; that was how he’d known she was in Milan.

Nat must have recently learned the true nature of my brother and lost herself a bunch of money with the lesson.

This was typical of Kolya and normally nothing more than an annoyance, but now it was affecting me.

And Mila, who was spitting mad at him. “Was it you who tipped him off that I was in Milan?” she demanded. “It had to be, don’t bother lying.” She turned to me, then back to Kolya, her eyes narrowing. “Are you two related?”

“This is my younger brother,” I said. “Unfortunately.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m pleased to meet you again,” she said.

“I, for one, am enchanted to see you again,” he said, and I didn’t like his flirtatious tone one bit. “You know you’ve got a huge fan club back in Milan.”

Mila looked confused, and my fist clenched, itching to punch him in the mouth. Let him open it one more time.

Being Kolya, he did. “All the men who lost the auction,” he explained to her. “They’re hoping you’ll put on another show.”

All the color drained from her face, and my fist flew, landing with a satisfying crunch on the side of Kolya’s jaw for upsetting her.

“What the actual fuck?” I demanded, holding onto his collar to keep him upright. One more word from him that wasn’t an apology: He’d be using his recent windfall for dental work.

Kolya was no stranger to getting socked in the mouth and recovered quickly, having the sense to say he was sorry to my wife. Then, he got somewhat serious and informed me that our uncle was on a rampage in Milan.

“What?” I asked, about to blow a gasket. “I told him to get his ass back to Moscow right after the—” I shut up, not wanting to bring up the auction and upset Mila all over again.

“He didn’t listen,” Kolya said with a shrug. “He’s running his mouth and making underhanded deals.” He pulled me a few steps away and lowered his voice. “With the men who still think they have a shot at Mila.”

That was it. She was no longer safe in Italy. And as far as I was concerned, Eldar was no longer a member of the family. I turned and gave her a long look. She ignored me, recovering from having to recall the ordeal Eldar had put her through.

“What did you do to Nat?” she fearlessly demanded, giving Kolya a look that should have dropped him on the spot. “If you cheated her, I swear—”

“Never mind that now,” I interrupted, dragging her toward the stairs. “You still need to pack.”

“Oh, come on, we’re barely getting to know each other,” Kolya called with a laugh as he headed toward the kitchen. As usual, not giving a single damn about anyone but himself.

“Are we still leaving?” Mila asked, looking around like she might run.

Before she could dig in her heels and start fighting me in front of my brother, which would have only amused him to no end, I picked her up and slung her over my shoulder.

“Yes,” I said, hauling her to our room and pointing at the closet. “Take as much as you want, but be quick about it.”

“I—I want to stay in Italy,” she said, fear creeping into her voice.

So she hadn’t overheard Kolya tell me that the men who’d failed to win her in the auction were looking for another chance.

I would have rather taken a knife to the gut than scare her with that information.

I only shook my head. I recognized that she felt safe in Italy, but it was no longer an option.

“Or take me back to LA,” she said, grabbing my arm.

Really not an option. “No. You can open a boutique if you want, but even if you don’t, we’re going to Moscow as soon as I can arrange my plane.”

I could protect her there. Anyone who crossed me on my own turf would have to be insane. And have a death wish.

If she’d been pale at the mention of the auction, she was ashen at learning we were heading to Russia. The look on my face warned her not to argue, and after a brief hesitation, she turned and went into the closet. A moment later, I heard the sound of hangers being pulled off the racks.

As soon as I was sure she was getting ready, I got on the phone to figure out where my plane was.

It should have been in Russia after taking Eldar back, but for all I knew, it was still in Milan.

That would have been all the better, but I wasn’t going to give my uncle any credit for inadvertently helping me out. I didn’t like being deceived.

Perhaps I was partly to blame. Being so consumed with Mila, I didn’t check in as much as I should have, but I did check in and got the answers I expected. That meant someone in Moscow was lying to me, too.

Fuck. First Kolya, and now this unwelcome news. This wasn’t at all what I meant when I planned to shake things up. I went into the closet and saw that she’d given up after tossing only a few things into a suitcase. She was definitely shaken up by this turn of events, her face still stark white.

She looked like she hated everything, with me at the top of the list.