Page 57 of Blinded By Loyalty
He dropped his head, shaking it. I reeled him in and hugged him just as I had when the cops came to our trailer to tell us our mom was dead. The slight tremble in his shoulders told me he was crying. He would carry guilt after all was said and done. I couldn’t do anything about it. I just needed to be sure before I left, he would be okay.
“Don’t go. Those Russians are ruthless. I’m so fucking sorry I got involved with them. For sleeping with Anya. I did this. I should take them the money.”
“No. It’s done. I’m going, and after today, you walk the straight and narrow. I want you to have a good life. Fall in love, get married and have a shit ton of babies. Make sure to name one Axel, should I not return.” Jesus, I hated lying to him.
“You’re coming back. I need my brother.”
“No matter what happens, I’ll always be with you.” I gave him a final squeeze before releasing my grip.
“Ax, I have a bad feeling about this. Find another way.”
“It’s too late. No matter what happens, I love you. Never forget it.”
“You’re walking into a trap, aren’t you? You’re not telling me the whole fucking truth, are you? Don’t be a fucking hero! Tell me the truth, goddammit!”
“I don’t know what I’m walking into, so I’m covering my bases. It’s why I’m not staying here tonight. I’m going back to my girl. I need to be with her just in case this shit with the Russians go south. Do you understand? I’m taking precautions.” My stomach was in goddamn knots. I was doing everything I could to not bend at the waist. It hurt so damn much.
“Your woman? The client is your girl?”
“She’s more than my girl. She’s the love of my life.”
“Holy fuck. You’ve been hiding a lot of shit from me. Don’t appreciate it.” He shook his head and wiped away the wetness under his eyes. “What’s her name? What if you don’t come back? How will she know what happened to you?”
“She doesn’t know about your debt to Morosov. And she won’t. As far as she’ll know, I just left and never came back.” I looked away, blinking back tears. “I gotta go.”
We hugged one last time, and I got the hell out of the hotel as fast as I could. Then I broke down in the truck. Shit was about to get a whole lot worse before the night was over. Simone was sure to sense the impending doom hanging over me. I’d do everything possible to keep it away from her, but a person was only so strong.
And I was hanging on by a thread.
22 Axel
DARWIN WAS GUARDING Simone’s door when I exited the elevator. He nodded and smiled. “Evening. She’s doing just fine.”
“Thanks. You know, I depend on you to keep her safe when I’m not around.”
“I won’t let you down.”
I gripped his bicep. “I’m counting on it.” I opened the door and dialed into the instrumental music playing in the background.
“You’re back!” Simone ran into my arms, and I lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Her laughter melted my heart.
“Dance with me.”
“I was hoping you’d ask.”
We swayed to the music, staring into each other’s eyes. All the sadness I’d felt leaving my brother was temporarily numbed just having Simone in my arms.
“Kiss me.” She puckered her lips.
“I was hoping you’d ask.” I teased, giving her words back to her.
When our lips met, fireworks lit up the sky in my dark world. Each time we kissed, there were sparks of some kind. I took it as a sign. Simone was my person and we were electric together.
It was approaching ten o’clock. I didn’t want to waste another minute. I needed her under me, our skin touching, bodies joined together.
I walked her backward toward her bedroom. She unbuckled my belt and lowered the zipper on my jeans as we walked.
The backs of her legs hit the bed. We undressed each other frantically while continuing to kiss. By now, we knew how we worked together. It had only taken a short amount of time for our hearts to be bound together. The last eleven days would go down as the best of my life.