Page 150 of These White Lies

“We should go, too. I promised Jax we could go to the playground,” Alex says, looking at his watch.

I shake my head trying to reconcile the idea of a gangster and a playground.

“Do you want something to eat? Coffee?” Brady asks, walking with me to the door.

Before I can answer, the door opens and Sera steps inside, her expression neutral. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the way Liev stands straighter, his gaze tracking her as she crosses the room.

Sera doesn’t look at him directly, but I notice how her gaze flicks to Liev before she leans down, whispering something into Rhodes’s ear.

“Elizabeth?” Brady prompts.

“What?” I shake my head. “I just need rest.”

“I’ll come with you.”

My throat feels tight. “No, I’m fine.”

Brady’s jaw flexes, but he doesn’t say anything about my word choice, and for some reason that makes me sad.“I’m sure you have things you need to take care of. I’ll see you later.”

I can feel Brady’s eyes on me as I climb the stairs, heavy with worry. He thinks I’m fragile. Maybe I am. But the thought that he’ll only ever see me as something broken scares me.

42

BRADY

It’s been four days since we brought her home.

Four days of watching her drift.

Elizabeth sleeps more than she’s awake, and when she is awake, it’s like she’s not really here. She eats if I put food in front of her. She curls up on the couch next to me at night. But her spark—the fire that makes her who she is—hasn’t come back.

It scares the hell out of me.

The doctors say it’s normal. That her brain and body are processing the trauma. This is part of the recovery curve. I don’t give a damn what’s normal. I just want her back. I want to hear one of her sharp remarks—see that little sideways lift of her mouth when she’s annoyed and pretending she isn’t. I’d give anything just to see her smile again.

Sera finds me standing in the kitchen, staring blankly at the coffeepot.

“She still in the room?”

“Yeah,” I mutter.

Sera leans against the counter trying to look casual, which immediately has me alert. “Who were those two guys? Not the Blooms.”

“Justice Department and FBI,” I answer, knowing that isn’t who she meant. Rhodes already gave me the heads-up she was asking questions.

“Not them. The other two.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Why?”

“I’m curious.” She shrugs, but I’m not buying it.

“Alex Kovalyov and his cousin Liev. Alex runs Koval International… He’s married.” I watch her closely.

“And the other one?” She sounds bored, but I can see her fidgeting with her cuticle.

My stomach tightens. “Liev Kovalyov is Alex’s head of security.” Her nail rises to her mouth, and she chews. Fuck. “Listen to me, Sera. They might appear to be legitimate businessmen, they aren’t. Alex’s brother is thepakhanof the Kovalyov Bratva, and Liev’s father is one of his top vors.They may be on thelegalside.” I put air quotes around the word. “But they are as deep into the bratva as you can get. Stay away from him.”

Sera rolls her eyes, pushing away from the counter. “Dramatic much? I was just asking a question.”