Chapter 44: Chapter Forty-Three

So near and yet so far. – Russian Proverb

Maya

I ached in all the right places. Did he have the same delicious afterglow I was experiencing? I reached across for his warm body, but my hands met the cool sheets.

He was gone.

I should have left with him, but I'd been so tired when he'd mentioned something about working at the clinic that he'd kissed me on the head and told me to go back to sleep, this time promising to allow me to do it the right way, the natural way, no finger snapping or trigger words.

Was that hours ago? Minutes?

My feet touched the cold slate floor just as a throat cleared.

“I sure hope you have clothes on.”

With a scream, I jerked back against the headboard, pulling the sheets up around my naked body.

One of the Italians, the scary one, the one with the bird name, peered at me over a ceramic mug, his face a mask of cool indifference.

My eyes darted to the door, already planning my escape, if I needed to escape that is.

He sighed. “If I was going to kill you, you'd already be dead.” He took a long sip out of his mug.

“How reassuring,” I grumbled.

“That's me,” he said in a low voice. “Reassuring.”

My ass. “Why are you here? Standing in my room?”

“Guard duty.” He looked away. “Nikolai called me in hours ago. I hopped on a private jet, and here I am.”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “To protect me while I sleep?”

His lips pressed together in what looked like a hint of a smile. “Sort of.” He ran a hand over his semi-buzzed hair.

“I'm Phoenix De Lange, you probably don't remember much about meeting me since it was such a… traumatic—” He seemed to choke over the word.

”—week, but I'm the boss to the Nicolasi family and…” His eyes shifted from me to the floor like he was uncomfortable.

“Chat?” I repeated. “Why do we need to chat? Aren't you just here to guard or whatever?”

He smirked. “Sure, I can do that, and while I'm at it, I'll be sure to fill you in on who your father is, I mean, unless you don't want to know?”

“What?” I clenched the sheet harder. “What are you talking about?”

“I'm good,” Phoenix whispered a veiled threat. “At killing. At making it look like an accident.

“I'm the best at hiding when I need to… but my specialty, at least the specialty that's been passed on to me is that of secrets… it's how I make deals, how I trade.

“It isn't money that makes this world go around, Maya, it's information. If you own someone's past, you own their future.”

I swallowed the nausea building up in my chest. “Are you telling me you know more about my past?”

“I'm telling you, I know everything... and so does Nikolai. Look, my wife wouldn't appreciate me talking to you while you have nothing but a damn sheet covering you, and I actually like staying alive.

“Wouldn't put it past Nikolai to get crazy and shoot me or inject me with whatever the hell new medical invention he has and make me talk like a chicken for the rest of my life, either.

“Sis?” I blurted out.

He nodded slowly. “Coffee's getting cold.” And walked out.