Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

C aroline

"Say it. Say you're mine."

His voice was imploring, the tone igniting the deepest part of me. "I belong to you."

"Not just for now. Forever."

"Forever."

Warmth.

I shifted slightly, feeling nothing but a warm glow throughout my body. As I swam up from the depth of an abyss and an amazing vision, I sensed I was yawning but it was far too comfortable to move just yet. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that I'd been deep asleep, the refreshing feeling only hindered by the slight cramp I felt in my neck.

A thudding heartbeat pounded into my ears, which finally forced me to open my eyes. Blinking, the light in the room I was in was just bright enough I winced. Where was I?

I scanned the area, finally starting to wake enough the memories flooded into my mind. Had I fallen asleep in the man's office? A yawn stifled my thinking as I lifted my head, realizing my body was tilted. And still oh-so warm.

As I looked over, the sight of Vadim still asleep on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table, was the most delightful thing I'd seen in a long time. I didn't want to disturb him, but his scent was driving me crazy, the feeling of being curled up underneath his arm as unexpected as the man.

It was tough to believe he'd slept so long that the late morning light was already streaming into the room. I would never have imagined he'd relax as much as he had. Shifting slightly, I brushed my hand down his chest, even daring to slide my index finger between the folds in his somehow still crisp white shirt.

His dry cleaner had used way too much starch when pressing. I resisted a giggle, daring to continue teasing him while he took a deep breath.

The few moments of quiet, of simply being around him were special. But it wasn't real. None of this was. He was fooling himself if he believed what we'd shared could continue. He was smarter than that and I had to accept he was right. The thought sent a wave of sadness through me. But I was a realist. This wasn't the kind of life I'd ever wanted, nor one I could accept. My father's world had been oppressive, but this was… too dangerous.

I didn't have a death wish.

When I blew into his ear, he finally stirred, shifting his head away from the tickling sensations. I did it again, stifling a giggle. I hadn't known I was allowed to feel so lighthearted after the shit that had occurred.

Suddenly, voices caught my attention. His men sometimes came and went, which would make being caught this way embarrassing as hell. Possibly for both of us. He did everything in his power to act as if he cared about nothing but his daughters.

I was about to fully awaken him when a stark realization hit me.

They were female voices, both of which I recognized.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Sofiya and Daniella had entered his house.

"Vadim," I whispered, pushing him gently.

"Hmmm?"

"We have company."

The man hadn't achieved such tremendous power without sleeping with one eye open, prepared for anything including an attack at all times.

He jerked up, obviously trying to focus just as I'd done. The moment he narrowed his eyes, he hissed, likely realizing we were no longer alone.

The two girls were suddenly in the room before either one of us could react quickly enough. And from the position of our bodies, there was no possibility of denying what had occurred between us.

"What. The. Fuck?" Daniella glared at her father first then shifted her hate-filled gaze toward me. We'd certainly never been as close as I had been with Sofiya, but to see the venom in her eyes was horrible.

Damaging.

No matter what happened, or if any explanations were provided, the fact remained I was in a slinky silk robe with nothing underneath and their father was disheveled beside me, our bodies still intertwined.

I jerked away, feeling a horrible, heated flush on my face.

He was cool as a cucumber, slowly dropping his legs from the table and rising to his feet. "You should have called," he told them, the tone clearly admonishing the fact they'd come in without an invitation.

"I thought this was still our home, Dad ," Daniella said completely sarcastically.

Vadim had more than just a soft spot for his daughters, but I could tell the morning hadn't brought him any additional patience.

"That doesn't mean you aren't required to have a sense of decorum," he told them.

I did what I could to make myself small as possible, shifting off the couch and heading around the coffee table in the opposite direction.

"You mean like you?" Daniella continued.

"I don't think we need to be nasty, sis," Sofiya finally interjected. "I already told you they were involved." Her tone wasn't necessarily any better than her sister's but at least she didn't have the same hatred in her eyes.

A horrible wash of realization kicked into my system. What the hell had I done by even coming to Vadim for help? The tiny nagging voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I'd had no other choice if I'd wanted to live. That had been proven by almost being killed again.

But this wasn't just awkward. It was damaging to too many lives.

"Neither one of you do. The simple fact is that Caroline is in my life whether you understand or want it. So, I suggest you both get used to the idea." His tone was stern but whether or not he was looking at me, wondering about my reaction I had no clue about. I couldn't look any of them in the eyes.

In my mind, the best thing for me to do was to help figure out the mystery and get the hell out of their lives.

The thought was terrible and something I didn't want to face, but I was just being a realist.

"You'll forgive me if I don't understand the appeal," Daniella retorted.

"Enough!" he snapped. "What are you doing here?"

It was my cue to leave. I did my best to skirt around the two girls, two women who'd once been my friends. The ache in my heart was entirely different than anything I'd felt before. It was as if clawed fingers had wrapped around my throat and I was close to suffocating.

"Just stop it, Danni," Sofiya said quietly as I tried to pass. "Daddy is allowed to live his life."

Daniella's response shocked everyone in the room. She grabbed my arm, swinging me around, then issuing a hard slap across my face.

The jarring effect wasn't nearly as painful as it was embarrassing but tears still sprang to my eyes.

"Daniella. You are my daughter, but you will show some respect to anyone inside this house. Is that fucking understood?" Vadim walked closer but I threw out my hand.

I was a big girl. I could fight my own battles, even if all I wanted to do was crawl under the covers and cry my eyes out. "They have every right to be angry with me. I didn't plan this. I didn't set my sights on your father. I never thought of him as anything but a mentor figure before all this happened. However, he's right in that we all deserve to live our lives the way we want." I cupped my face, holding my own as I shifted my gaze from one daughter to the other.

No one was ever going to treat me like second class because of my age or anything else. A single tear slipped past my lashes and I hated my body for betraying me this way. I was stronger than that.

Yet for all the supposed strength I had, I jerked my arm away and fled the room like some scared little girl.

Damn it. Why couldn't I be stronger?

Because he doesn't belong to you.

Maybe that was true, but I was the one who hadn't laid the claim. I was certain Vadim would change his mind given their hatred of me. Fine. I could handle it. Something had to give. I needed to be the one to figure this out.

It all had to do with the information I'd been so close to finding on the brutal night in my apartment. I bounded up the stairs, wondering if anything significant could be found by working with Vadim's people. Once it was, I was prepared to step out of his life. That was the only thing that could happen.

Instead of returning to his room, I headed to the one I'd been given, closing and locking the door. As I stood against it, trying to collect myself, I closed my eyes. Joshua was in danger. I'd felt it from that moment I knew my search had been discovered. But the guy acted as if nothing could hurt him. I glanced around the room, trying to remember where I'd left the clutch.

Had he tried to call me back?

I searched the bedroom, including under the pillows just in case. I doubted I'd put it inside a dresser drawer, but I checked anyway, becoming more frustrated.

Hissing, I turned in a full circle, finally heading into the bathroom. There it was. I'd tossed it on the bathroom counter. Why were my hands shaking other than out of anger? Because I wasn't used to being treated the way I'd just been.

I had to shake it aside for now. As soon as I grabbed the phone, I almost felt relief that he'd called back after our connection had been lost.

After glancing over my shoulder to make certain Vadim hadn't forced himself into the room, I half closed the door and pulled up the voicemail. His voice was startling.

Terrifying.

And it rattled me to my core.

"Listen to me, Pink Flamingo. There are some things you need to know. I wasn't honest with you and that's my fault. I'm going to need to trust you. I have something that will blow this city wide open and you're the only one who can bring justice and peace."

What the hell was he talking about? I'd never heard this kind of fear in his voice. He'd always been a cocky son of a bitch. I had to strain to hear the rest of the message, even playing it back twice to get all the details.

He had something for me, information he wasn't able to discuss. He also wanted me to meet him at his apartment. That meant Vadim had been right. The hacker was in serious danger. Fuck. I was honestly shocked the location was in the heart of Brooklyn and not far from where my apartment had been.

I'd tried a few times to find him but the man was damn good at keeping everything about him, including his real name off the grid.

When he mentioned he'd hidden a jump drive in his apartment in a special compartment, I knew he was running scared.

Fuck. What was I supposed to do? Could I believe Vadim would protect him? I hated myself that at this point I wasn't entirely certain. That was a sad statement given our level of passion. But other than what I'd seen, I had no idea how he handled business. If the other night was any indication, he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Including murder.

Well, I refused to be the reason Joshua was killed. Whatever the case and perhaps against my better judgment, I knew what I had to do.

Find a way off this goddamn estate by myself.

Damned be the consequences.

However, I had to admit to myself that I was in a terrible habit of making very bad decisions, including coloring my hair pink.

I'd been fighting so hard to get away from my parents' suffocating control that I'd lost myself completely along the way. Maybe I'd hoped doors would open for me bursting with sunshine and unicorns. Instead, I'd learned how much corruption there was in the Big Apple and beyond, including around my father.

All those hacker abilities I'd fine-tuned had only enflamed the curiosity I'd always had about how my father made his money. I hadn't needed to delve too far into the man's world to realize there was very little difference between his methods of handling his business and what I knew about Vadim's austere, posh world.

Had I been searching for a father figure this entire time?

Oh, dear God. That made our passion seem reprehensible, icky as hell. No wonder Daniella had slapped me.

Time for a shower and a fresh change of clothes. Who knew. Maybe I'd become the heroine in this twisted love story for a change, besting even a ruthless man like Vadim.

Someone I craved.

Someone who'd set my soul on fire.

And someone I shouldn't surrender to ever again.

Yeah, a hero who faded into the sunset like the good guys in movies.

Or maybe, just maybe I'd end up dead.