Page 106 of Sinful Wrath

“Yeah, I fucking do. Because I don’t want my first act as Lucia’s husband to be cleaning her blood off my hands after Igor’s shot her dead,” I growl.

“I’m not canceling this wedding, Koslov, so I suggest you find a way to deal with the threat.”

I run my hand over my face as I try to think of a plan.

“What if we move the wedding to Alexei’s place? I know you already trust the security, seeing as Lucia’s been staying there for the past week.”

“Is it strong enough to withstand Igor should he come sniffing around?”

“I’ll make sure it is.”

“I have your word on this?”

“It’s like I said, I don’t take the your daughter’s safety lightly.”

“We’ll see about that, Koslov.”

When I arrive backin Forest Hills, I know my first priority should be to sit down with Alexei and go through the security plan for the wedding, but all this talk of Lucia being in danger has put me on edge, and I need to get my hands on her even if it’s just for a second.

I need to see for myself that she’s all right, and then I can go back to trying to save her life.

I head straight into the kitchen and breathe a sigh of relief as I see her standing at the counter with her back to me as she chops some vegetables.

“Hey,kisa.”

I wait for her to turn around to flash me that smile that sends me to my knees, but she doesn’t even glance over her shoulder at me.

I frown. “How did the wedding chat go with Bianca?”

Still nothing.

Has she got earbuds in and not realized I’m in the room?

I move to lean against the counter.

She ignores me.

“Lucia?”

The way she’s aggressively chopping the carrots is making me feel uneasy. She seems angry and completely lost in her own head, which is a recipe for disaster when she’s holding a sharp knife.

I reach out to grab her wrist to halt her movements, and she flinches, dropping the knife on the counter as she pulls away from me.

“Lucia? What’s going on?” A low level of panic starts to build inside me.

Her face is pale, and she’s refusing to meet my eyes.

What the hell has happened?

I reach out to cup her cheek, to offer her some comfort even if she doesn’t want to talk, but when my fingers brush her soft skin, she jerks out of the way, swatting at my hand like I’ve stung her.

“Leave me alone, Mikhail.” She stalks out of the kitchen.

“Lucia—” I’m so taken aback by her coldness toward me that I don’t follow her.

I’ve seen Lucia pissed before, but this is different. There was nothing but icy indifference in her tone.

What could have triggered her to suddenly act so differently?