Chapter 29 Marlena
I couldn't sleep – hadn't been able to for hours.
I sat on the living room sofa, wrapped in a blanket, staring at the elevator doors, waiting for Nikolai.
The clock on the wall read 2:47 AM.
He'd left at seven, almost eight hours ago.
Where the hell was he?
I'd checked my phone compulsively every few minutes, half expecting a text that never came.
He'd said it was a business meeting but business meetings didn't run until three in the morning and they didn't make his jaw clench like that before he left.
Something was wrong. I felt it in my bones.
The elevator dinged.
My head snapped up, heart suddenly racing.
The doors slid open and Nikolai stepped out.
The first thing I saw was the blood splattered all over his shirt in dark patterns.
There were some smeared on his jaw and dried on his hands.
"Nikolai –" I was moving before I could think, throwing off the blanket, walking toward him.
His eyes met mine. They were wild and angry, like an animal caught in a trap.
"Don't touch me." His voice came out rough but I was already reaching for him, my hands going to his chest, checking for wounds.
"Are you hurt? Where –"
"I said don't touch me!" He shoved me away hard.
I stumbled back, catching myself on the sofa.
He stood there, breathing hard, his chest heaving beneath the blood-stained shirt.
I'd never seen him like this. He looked dangerous and unhinged, like he might do something he'd regret if I pushed.
I took another step back.
"Okay." My voice came out small. "Okay. I won't."
He stared at me for another long moment, those grey eyes burning into me, then he turned and walked toward the bathroom on his floor.
The door slammed and I heard the lock click.
Water started running.
I stood there, frozen, my hands shaking.
The blood hadn't been his. I'd felt his chest. There was no wounds or injuries, which meant it belonged to someone else.
Someone he'd – no, I couldn't finish the thought.
The water ran for a long time, about ten minutes or was it twenty?
I moved back to the sofa but didn't sit. I just stood there, wrapped in the blanket, waiting.
My mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last.
Was it a fight, an ambush or assassination attempt.
The meeting had gone wrong. That much was obvious.
But how wrong? And who had bled all over him?
Finally, the water stopped. Silence filled the penthouse. Then the bathroom door opened.
Nikolai stepped out wearing clean clothes – black sweatpants, a t-shirt. His hair was wet, slicked back from his face.
The blood was gone but his face was empty, as if someone had erased every emotion and left nothing behind.
He moved past me without looking, heading toward the kitchen.
I watched him pour a glass of whiskey. He took it all in one gulp then poured another.
"Nikolai." My voice cracked. "What happened?"
"Nothing."
"That wasn't nothing. You came home covered in—"
"It's handled." He drank the second glass more slowly, his back to me. "Go to bed, Marlena."
“Who's blood was that?” I pushed.
His shoulders tensed."No one's."
"That's not an answer." I said. Why did I even care?
"It's the only answer you're getting." He turned finally, his eyes meeting mine across the room. "We're going to Monaco next week. Pack for two weeks. Business casual, some formal wear."
The change of subject was so abrupt it took me a moment to process.
"Monaco?" My voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Business."
That word again. He said business, like it explained everything and make me stop asking questions.
"What kind of business?" I asked, even though I already knew.
I'd seen the files. Read the protocol. Knew exactly what Monaco meant.
Viktor.
"The kind that doesn't concern you." He set down his glass, "Just pack what you need. We leave Monday morning."
"And if I don't want to go?" I asked, meeting his icy gaze.
His smile was cold, humorless. "Then you go anyway. That's how this works, remember?"
The reminder stung more than it should have.
Of course. I didn't have a choice. I never had a choice.
I was just bait on a hook, being dangled wherever Nikola
i decided.
"Fine." I pulled the blanket tighter around myself. "Monday. Monaco. I'll be ready."
"Good."