“Don’t be silly. I’ll have it transported. The guys already told me about your little fit when they were putting it together. It will be treated with the utmost care.” He was back to grinning, as carefree as if this were a vacation he was planning and not an escape.
When I set out the plates on the table, he pulled me onto his lap. “Now that you’ve learned how to break into my office, I’ll have to make sure this new place has better locks.”
His tone was teasing, but I also knew he was deadly serious about increasing security.
“The cameras,” I said, going stiff in his arms as embarrassment flooded me. I forgot about the damn cameras.
He pulled me closer and kissed my nose, then tried to feed me a bite from his plate. He didn’t seem to care at all about how close I came to breaching his inner sanctuary, which only made me all the more determined to ramp up my efforts in the new location.
Everything moved at lightning speed once Kon made his decision to leave. He and his guards huddled together to put the final plan together while I packed up the things I’d need for the next day or two. Kon promised everything would join us eventually, but they had to make sure no one was staking out the apartment to be able to follow us.
I came out with an overnight bag to find Kon and the guards looking like they had some bad news for me.
“You’re not going to like this,” Kon said while the guards refused to make eye contact.
That was how I ended up being carried out of the apartment in the container the loom came in, jostled down the elevator, and into a van in the middle of the night. Kon was going to head in another direction to throw them off, only meeting us at the final destination when he was sure no one was tailing him.
I had been given strict instructions to stay in the box until one of the guards opened it, no matter what happened. That and the long, winding drive that seemed to never end should have terrified me, but somehow I was no longer scared.
How could I be after Kon held me tight, his lips brushing my hairline, before he helped me into the box.
“You’re going to be fine. I swear nothing bad will happen to you.”
“Besides getting stuffed into a crate?” I asked, mostly teasing. But I would have much preferred going with him instead of the guards.
“They’re after me,” he said. “It’s me they’ll follow. I want you with me, too, but not if it means you could be in danger.”
“What about you being in danger?” I asked, and he finally smiled.
“It’s sweet that you care. I like it too much.”
“Well, you’re not going to like how pissed off I am if you get hurt. Or…”
“Nope,” he said, leaning back to tip up my chin. “Not going to happen. I’ve got to take care of you, remember?”
“Hmph,” I said.
Any other argument was stolen by his kiss. Firm and soft at the same time, assuring me in a way that words never could. It was over too soon, but I could still feel the heat and pressure of his lips on mine as the van bumped over the roads. The only fear that registered was for Kon, and that set off a small war in my mind, cramped and curled up in the box that had just tipped over.
“Sorry,” the guard shouted from his seat up front.
I shoved the guilt from worrying about Kon aside. I knew what was important; I wasn’t forgetting my true goal. But when we finally got to the rendezvous point after hours of making sure no one was on our trail, my heart soared to see Kon waiting for us there, safe and sound.
He stayed alive so he could continue protecting me. He kept his promise. This time, anyway.
Chapter 28 - Konstantin
It took twice as long as it should have, and it was dawn before we ended up at my nephew Dima’s beach house in San Diego. Tati was exhausted after the roundabout route we had to take, and stiff from being crammed in the crate for so long. I promised her she’d have a massage as soon as there was a security perimeter set up, and she managed a cheeky smile, asking if I’d be the one giving it.
I would have much preferred to be doing that instead of assigning the newly assembled army to posts all around the property, going as far as sending a few men out in a heavily armed boat. Disguised as half-drunk fishermen, they could dodge any curiosity by the coast guard, but keep the shore behind Dima’s mansion from any unwanted visitors.
There were also more guards inside the grounds and the house, too, not just for Tati’s safety, but to keep a closer eye on her. It was cute watching her pick the lock on the security livestream, and there was no way she would have gotten into the safe to retrieve her phone, but I wouldn’t take her skills for granted again.
I was stunned that her weaving skills were no joke, either. The project she had begun in the few hours of having the loom had been truly impressive and definitely expert work. She had seemed so bereft at the thought of losing the new loom because of our sudden move that I was already having it transported to our new home.
Maybe there really was nothing out of the ordinary about her dropping out of college, now that I saw she was so passionate about weaving, but I still wasn’t a hundred percent convinced.My own men had learned skills to assimilate for undercover jobs.
One bright spot in the dark sea of chaos was Mat, and his team thought they had located the shooter whom Tati was able to recognize. Things quickly got dark again when he was identified as none other than Riku Yoshida’s second in command. It didn’t bode well for Grigor’s claims of innocence that such a man had been invited into his home.