The Enemy in My Bed by L.K. Shaw

Chapter 26

Pierce

“Do you think you could love him?”

Like a coward, I move away from the open window, not waiting for Mila’s answer. I’m not sure it’s one I’m ready to hear.

Thank fuck, my phone rings to distract me. “De Luca.”

“Wójcik is willing to negotiate a price,” Jacob gets right to it.

“That didn’t take him long. Are we sure he’s not going to double cross us?” I wouldn’t put it past the bastard. Take our money, keep the girl, and align with the remaining Russians, as well as anyone else they can find, to try and bring us down.

“He knows that going up against us and the Irish is a mistake he doesn’t want to make. Not after what just happened with Mikhail. He’s greedy enough to take our money. There are plenty of women out there they can purchase from other sources. Or steal off the streets.”

The whole business is repugnant to me. I’d rather spill blood than pay for a human being, but if that’s what it takes to get Mila’s sister back, then I will.

“When does the deal go down?” I ask.

“Tomorrow at eight. Same place as this morning. Once the money is transferred to his off shore account, he’ll make the trade.”

There’s a burning in my gut. “I hope Wójcik doesn’t try anything stupid.”

“If he does, we’ll take care of it. I’ve contacted Dino, who’s ready to gather some of our forces at a second’s notice. I’ve also reached out to Donnelly. He’s alerted Cormac they may need to have their soldiers ready as back up as well,” Jacob says. “The Polish have to realize they can’t win if they try to pull some shit.”

“And what about Maksim? Any word?”

Jacob shakes his head. “My father had heard rumors of Mikhail having a son, but it seems their relationship has been one of contention. To the point that the elder never acknowledged the younger as his heir. He delegated him to be a foot soldier.”

“If Maksim is selling women to the Polish, then my guess is he was doing it without Mikhail’s knowledge. Or at least, without his approval. It’s also possible he might try to regroup and rebuild, now that his father is out of the way.”

“That’s certainly a possibility,” Jacob agrees.

“Wherever he is, he can’t stay hidden forever. Not if he wants to continue doing business with Wójcik. Which means I’ll find him.”

The two women step inside.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” I disconnect the call and meet them in the middle of the living room. Mila is having trouble meeting my gaze. I swing it to Francesca. Her anger seems to have cooled a little, but she still doesn’t look completely happy with me.

“I’m heading home,” she says.

“Text me when you get there, please.”

She nods. “I will.”

I breathe a sigh of relief when she gives me a brief hug, before doing the same to Mila, who remains where she is while I walk Francesca to the front door. She waves when she reaches the car and driver waiting for her at the curb. I stand there a moment longer, not sure if I’m giving the woman behind me a little more time or myself. When there’s no longer any reason for me not to, I close the door and head back to the living room. Mila has settled into her favorite position on the couch. I take a seat in the chair next to it.

“Did you two have a nice visit?” I ask, not giving any indication that I’d overheard their conversation.

There’s always been a certain distance between us, a hesitancy, because of who we are, but the chasm seems even bigger tonight. No doubt because things have changed since just this morning. It feels so long ago.

“Yes.” Mila doesn’t elaborate.

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her about the meeting tomorrow with the Polish, that in twenty-four hours I’ll have Anya back, but hope is such a fragile emotion for Mila. It’s better that I don’t give her some, only to take it away if shit goes sideways.

“I’m glad. Francesca hasn’t really had a lot of friends. Not since…everything. Aside from Brenna anyway. Although, I’m not sure the three of you together is a good thing. I have a feeling you guys will cause Jacob and me to have a few heart attacks.”

Mila swings her gaze toward me, and a smile tugs at her lips to match the one on mine. “That might actually be something I’d like to see.”

I cover my chest in mock offense. “You want to see me have a heart attack?”

Her soft giggle is a punch to my gut. I want to do whatever I can to make it happen more often.

“Not necessarily,” she clarifies. “But I’d definitely pay to see your face when the three of us get together and you wonder what we might be scheming about. I think I’d like to see you a little unsettled for a change. You do far too much of the unsettling.” Her smile widens to soften her words.

“I think I’ve felt more unsettled since I met you than I have since I was a kid,” I admit.

“That makes two of us.”

“Are you feeling better about things? Between you and my sister?” I pause. “Between us?” I shouldn’t have asked, but I can’t help myself. This is too important. I still can’t get Francesca’s last question out of my mind.

“After everything with Maksim, I stopped trusting anyone. Including myself. Especially myself. It’s going to take time for me to get back to a place where I don’t think everyone I meet has an ulterior motive,” Mila says. “You’re going to have to be patient with me, because I’m not always going to get it right.”

“I’m not, either,” I admit. “For the last twenty years I’ve closed off every emotion except anger. I’ve nurtured it and let it grow so big it nearly consumes me. Showing my emotions means I’m weak. So I locked them away. Or I tried to. Then you came along, and like a key, unlocked everything.”

“Who made you think feeling something besides anger made you weak?” she asks with narrowed eyes.

Telling Jacob my secret should have made it easier to say the words again, but they stick to my tongue. Even all these years later, Sofia De Luca has the power to reduce me to nothing. Instinct makes me want to lash out. To hurt Mila like I’d been hurt. I force myself to rein it in. To look her in the eye. “My mother.”

Her expression shifts to understanding. “That’s why you hate her.”

“Yes.”

She curls tighter into herself and wraps her arms around her knees, where she rests her chin. “Every time Maksim cut me or burned me, I screamed in pain. He enjoyed my tears. Which is why I stopped shedding them. Because he used every single one of them against me. To prove how weak I was. I understand why you closed yourself off. You were protecting yourself.”

The more I learn about her, the more I discover exactly how much alike we are. Both of us were taught to bury parts of ourselves, to hide, so others can’t hurt us. I rise from the chair, lift Mila off the sofa, cradling her in my arms, and look her in the eyes. “I’m done hiding behind the anger.”