Rodion sat across from Dmitri, and I took the seat beside him.
Dmitri’s gaze landed on me. “Well, look at that. I never thought I’d see him take a girl shopping.” I gave a polite smile, not sure if he was teasing or testing me. “Nice to see you. What was thename again?”
My mouth opened to answer, but Rodion spoke first. “What do you have?”
Dmitri picked up his glass and sipped “Matvet is awake.”
The name Matvet pulled my attention, and I looked between them. But before they could continue, a waiter came. Rodion ordered a grilled chicken with salad. I asked for pizza, heavy on the cheese, and Dmitri said he would eat my pizza.
They switched to Russian. I couldn’t follow, but the tone sounded sharp. Dmitri scoffed and switched back to English. “Call him yourself. He’s been sneaking around with Grandmother. That’s Roman for you.”
Roman was their brother. I remembered him being mentioned once before, but just barely. Rodion replied in Russian, his tone lower and heavier. Dmitri’s smirk faded, and for a second, it felt like the air went cold between them. My pizza arrived just in time to give me a reason to look away.
We ate in silence. Dmitri reached for a slice and leaned back. He was full of sharp turns. He could cook, say something that split your thoughts wide open, and then sit like nothing in the world ever mattered to him.
Rodion moved with care, always in control, even when he ate. His table manners were flawless. But when his phone rang, he dropped his fork and knife. It buzzed between our plates. I looked without meaning to, and the name on the screen had my heart stalling a beat. Romero.
My father? He stood and walked away. I kept chewing, but my mind was racing. Was my father really calling him?
“Do you want to follow him?” Dmitri asked. One of his eyebrows lifted.
“No,” I lowered my gaze. “I’m just trying to find the right place to look.”
He laughed under his breath. “You’re interesting,” he said. “Ihaven’t worked out why, but you are.”
“I don’t think so.”
“You are.” He sounded sure. “You’ve got him moving like a possessed man. Rodion doesn’t shop with anyone. Not even his grandmother.”
“You have a grandmother?”
Dmitri smiled, but his eyes stayed still. “What do you know about him? People say you should know the man you sleep with.”
I choked on my pizza and coughed until my eyes watered. Grabbing the glass of water, I drank fast, letting it clear the burn in my throat. When I looked up, Dmitri was still watching me. The smirk had stayed on his face like he had been waiting for that exact reaction.
Rodion returned to save the moment, but he didn’t sit. His face was tight and held something he wasn’t ready to speak out loud.
“Give me the bike key,” he said to Dmitri.
“What?” Dmitri raised a brow.
“Take her to the safe house. I’ve got something to handle.”
“Babysitting again?” Dmitri pulled the key from his jacket but kept it in his hand. “You know I’m not built for daycare.”
Rodion tossed his car key to Dmitri without a word. He moved but stopped, reached into his jacket, and walked back to me. He handed me a phone. It looked worn, like something forgotten. It took me a second to realize it was mine.
Surprised, I asked, “You kept this?”
“Don’t do something I’d hate,” he said and left.
The phone had a crack on the corner and a slight scuff near the camera. My old life lived in it. The warning in his voice still rang in my ear, but something about the phone brought everything back at once.
Chapter Thirty-three
Rodion
Alessia’s father called. He saidhe had a clear photo of Luigi. That was all I needed. I didn’t ask how or where he got it, but if that picture leaked, Luigi would vanish. And I wasn’t letting that happen.