Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“I’m sure we could call down to the front desk and send someone out for supplies, though.”
Alexei groaned. “I’m not making that phone call.”
Soren gave a small laugh, but not the usual laugh that he gave. Alexei could almost guess where his mind was despite his earlier snarky comments: What the fuck was up with the Russians? Did he know who Alexei really was? Who his family was?
He thought he’d left all of that behind when he and his mother escaped Russia. He’d never expected to find it in the middle of Paris while stuck in the middle of a job with a cat burglar.
What was he even thinking anymore? He should have ditched Soren already and told Marilyn that he was walking away from the job. At this point, he didn’t give a damn about his reputation. He was trying to stay alive and put some distance between himself and his past.
“A hotel will be good,” Soren suddenly proclaimed. “It’ll give me a chance to reach out to the buyer. See if he’s ready to arrange a meeting. We’ll also have an opportunity to plan and talk.”
Alexei nearly shuddered. Was there a more ominous-sounding word?
Talk.
Sadly, he knew that he was going to be the one doing most of the talking, and that wasn’t fair. There was plenty he didn’t know about Soren. But he was also the assassin. He was the one who was demanding that Soren trust him, and he’d just had some crazy encounter with Russian agents. He needed to come clean about a few things, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
Chapter 14
Alexei chose one of the nicest hotels close to the Champs-Élysées. It was overflowing with tourists. The idea had been that no one would likely try anything if they were constantly surrounded by people, but as they got their room key, he realized the Russian agents weren’t likely to give a shit about innocent bystanders, considering they’d chosen to approach him and Soren while they were standing right in front of one of the busiest tourist attractions in all of Paris.
Bastards.
They would have to make do.
For now, they had no clothes, no computer beyond their cell phones, and no idea what to do next.
Soren surprised him, though. The moment the room was secured, the older man walked right over to him, gathering him close in his arms, and just held him.
“Soren? You okay?” Alexei cautiously asked while he was pressed tight against Soren’s chest.
“Shut up and let me be old for a minute.”
Alexei’s eyebrows jumped on his forehead, and he tried to pull back to look into Soren’s face, but Soren refused to release him. “Are you having a heart attack or something?”
The cat burglar made a disgusted noise in his throat. “I said old, not dying.”
“What’s going on?”
“I…” he started and stopped again. This time he sounded annoyed, but Alexei didn’t think it was with him. Not the way Soren was still clinging to him. “What I do has always felt like a game until now. All the danger and chaos was all part of the job, and it was fun.”
A lump grew in Alexei’s throat. He knew what Soren was saying. He needed to get out of his arms, to escape this sensation of falling down into a black pit that would simply swallow him alive, but Soren’s arms wouldn’t loosen.
“I get it. Having me around is sucking all the fun out of the job.”
Soren released him from his brutal bear hug only to grab his arm and shove him out to arm’s length to look him in the face. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying you’ve finally given me a reason to stop acting like a selfish ass.”
Alexei could only blink at him for a second. Soren wasn’t making any sense at all. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s a lot I can’t tell you, but I want to. I want to tell you everything. And I have never wanted to tell anyone anything about my past.”
“Why can’t you?”
“Because it’s all wrapped in some other people, and I will never do anything to put their lives in danger. Not without their permission.” Soren released his arm and lifted his hand to gently rub his thumb along the edge of Alexei’s bottom lip in the sweetest caress. No one had ever touched him with such care. It was humbling. “I’m hoping, though, that our paths will stay merged long enough for me to tell you.”
Goo. He was a freaking puddle of goo when Soren said things like that.
Marcia Brady for Davy Jones.
Deadpool for Spider-Man.
Pooh Bear for a pot of honey.
Just stupid, speechless goo, and it was embarrassing.
“But everything that’s happened since we’ve met has put you in more and more danger. It’s my fault, and I will never forgive myself if something happens to you. I need to keep you safe.”