Broken Together (18 page)

“Sierra
Leone.” I stepped out of my work clothes and tugged a camisole over my head as
soon as I stepped foot inside my bedroom. “English is their official language,
so we don’t have to learn a new language. That will free up more time to research
the issues and develop the training materials.”

“Sierra
Leone,” Rafael repeated contemplatively.

“There
have been no reports of government killings, no politically motivated
disappearances, and the government doesn’t punish people for criticizing their
policies,” I offered reassuringly. I climbed into bed thoroughly exhausted.

“Well,
that’s certainly an improvement over Ukraine.”

“And
Rwanda.” I rolled over and hugged his pillow.

Frustration
road his next breath. “Jase was in the meeting?”

“Yes.
Jase thought Sierra Leone was a good choice,” I assured him.

“What
type of conflicts will you be discussing in the training?” A cupboard door
closed while he spoke.

I
glanced at the phone. I could have sworn I heard the crinkling of a pastry bag.
“We’re going to discuss vigilante violence, human rights violations in mining
communities, forced initiations into tribal secret societies, and the excessive
use of force by law enforcement.”

“Interesting,”
Rafael mumbled around a mouthful of food.

A
pained expression claimed my face. “Please tell me you’re not eating
croquettes
.”

He
laughed. “That is precisely what I’m eating.”

“No
fair.” I really missed those savory little pastries.

“I
found your note,” he murmured. “Very sweet.”

“Which
one?” I hid a bunch of notes in Rafael’s flat while he was showering so he’d
know I was thinking of him when he returned to Lisbon.

“There’s
more than one?” He sounded surprised. “I found the one inside the cupboard.” A
number of cupboards and drawers thudded all at once.

I
tried not to laugh. “I hid forty-five notes, but I don’t want you looking for
them all at once. I was hoping you’d find a few each day.”

“Okay,”
he conceded agreeably. “I’m game.”

“I
miss you,” I confessed in all seriousness. “How am I supposed to sleep without
you lying next to me?”

“I
don’t know.” Rafael sighed. “I was wondering the very same thing.”

I
burrowed under the sheets. “Are you going to bed after you eat?”

“Yes.
I have to go into work early tomorrow morning,” he answered sullenly. “Where
are you? Have you climbed into bed yet?”

“Yes.
I wasn’t up to doing anything else. I miss you too much.” A single tear crept
through my lashes.

“I
miss you too, baby,” Rafael whispered softly.

I
swallowed around the lump in my throat. “I hope everything goes well at work
tomorrow. Say ‘hi’ to Chief D’Souza for me.”

“I
will,” he agreed. “Dream of me.”

I
took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. I’d found the soothing scents of his
cologne on his pillow. “I already am,” I whispered. “I love you.”

“I
love you too.” Rafael ended the call.

I
rolled over and plugged my phone into the charger. The room blurred as my eyes
filled with tears. I curled around Rafael’s pillow.

Jase
popped his head inside the doorway a few minutes later. “Rafael asked me to check
on you. Are you okay?”

“Yes,”
I answered, but my raspy voice betrayed me.

“Need
tissue?” Brady pushed past Jase. He set the tissue box on my nightstand before
checking the windows.

I
grabbed a couple of tissues from the box before propping myself up. “I miss
Rafael.”

“You
just need to stay busy; bury yourself in work.” Brady strode toward the closet.

Jase
glanced inside the bathroom. “Can you purchase your books and get an early
start on your coursework?” Spring semester was still seventeen days away.

I
rubbed at red rimmed eyes. “That’s a really good idea.”

“The
more coursework you complete now, the less you’ll have to do when Rafael visits,”
Brady encouraged.

I
checked the bookstore’s schedule on my phone. “The campus bookstore is closed.”

Jase
shrugged. “So. Order the books from Amazon.”

I
requested the syllabi from my professors and had the books overnighted the very
next day.

*
* * * *

I
sliced the French bread, wrapped it in tinfoil, and tossed it inside the oven. The
two pans of lasagna I’d layered last night were already bubbling inside the
oven, scenting the house with oregano and garlic. I glanced at the clock. Maxim
and Oni were due to arrive any minute.

“Does
this look like enough?” Brady gave the salad a final toss.

I
joined him at the center island. “I think that looks great. Thanks for chopping
everything up.”

“Table’s
set.” Kadyn poked his head inside the refrigerator and popped open a Sprite.

I
pulled the cork out of a bottle of Chianti. “Thanks, Kadyn. Where’s Jase?”

He
leaned against the black and copper speckled countertop. “Outside. He wants to
see how many men Maxim plants around your house when he arrives.”

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. “You guys act like Maxim’s planning a
hostile takeover. He’s not here to kidnap me. He’s delivering Oni.”

As
if on cue, the doorbell rang. I set the corkscrew on the counter. “I’ll get
it.”

Kadyn
pinned me with a look as he pushed off the counter. “Stay. Put.”

I
followed him into the foyer. “That would be extremely rude.”

Kadyn
peered out the window before opening the door. “Maxim.”

“Kadyn.”
A single eyebrow rose along Maxim’s forehead. “I wasn’t aware you lived here.”

“I
don’t.” Kadyn didn’t elaborate.

I
fisted my hands on my hips. “Behave. Both of you.”

Maxim
cracked a smile as they shook hands.

I
gave Maxim a hug after tugging him inside. “Where’s Oni?”

“Here,”
she answered in a small voice. She followed Lev inside.

I
pulled her close. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so excited to see you. Did
you have a good flight?”

Oni
laughed. “Yes. The flight was fine.”

Lev
reached for my hand. “Kristine. It’s nice to see you again.”

I
followed his handshake with a hug. “What? No coffee?”

He
laughed, recalling an inside joke from Simferopol. “No, although we still make
the occasional coffee run.” He shook Kadyn’s hand. “I was happy to hear you
survived Mexico.”

 Kadyn
nodded. Once.

Lev
patted Brady on the back. “It’s good to see you on your feet again.”

I
pulled Kadyn closer. “Oni, I’d like you to meet Kadyn. He’s one of my dearest
friends.”

Oni’s
cheeks pinkened when she reached for his hand. “Hi, Kadyn.”

Kadyn
studied the two of us with an inscrutable look on his face. “Nice to meet you,
Oni.”

“Where’s
Rafael?” Maxim inquired from directly behind me.

I
turned around and ran smack dab into his chest. I took a step back. “Rafael’s
working tonight.” Thankfully, that wasn’t a lie. He was still working… in
Portugal.

Jase
tugged the storm door open before Maxim could ask any more questions.

Maxim’s
eyes narrowed. “And you are?”

“Your
worst nightmare,” Jase announced flatly.

Maxim
laughed. “My nightmares make you look like a fluffy bunny.”

I
choked down a laugh. “Maxim. Be nice. This is my bodyguard, Jase. Jase, these
are my
friends
; Maxim, Oni, and Lev. Please note the emphasis on
‘friends.’”

Jase
offered a brief nod. “Are you going to invite the rest of your men in?”

Maxim
shook his head. “No. They’re guarding the perimeter.”

Jase
locked the door just as the timer went off on the stove. He didn’t mention that
Ethan, Aidan, Brogan, and Chance were also guarding the perimeter.

“Oh!
That’s dinner.” I bolted toward the kitchen. “Feel free to wash up or grab a
seat at the table. Bathroom is on your right.”

Jase
was on my heels in a single stride. “Maxim has nine additional men positioned
outside this house. Why the large security detail?”

“He
had a large security detail in Ukraine,” I answered dismissively. I pulled the
lasagna out of the oven.

“I
don’t like it.” Jase grabbed the salad bowl. “And that,” he nodded toward the
wine, “is a very bad idea.” He strode toward the dining room.

I
uncorked a second bottle of wine halfway out of spite. I knew Kadyn, Jase, and
Brady wouldn’t be drinking, but the rest of us could easily drink two bottles
of wine. Brady and Kadyn carried the lasagna. I followed behind with the aforementioned
wine.

Jase
pulled the chair at the head of the table. He used every last one of his
nonverbal communication skills to demand I sit in it. Of course, Maxim was
sitting at the opposite end of the table.

I
sidestepped Jase so I could set a bottle next to Maxim. “Would you mind doing
the honors?”

Maxim’s
hand clamped around my wrist. “Where’s my ring?” His eyes darkened as he rose
to his feet.

I
raised my left hand before Jase could intervene. “Here, on my left hand.” I’d
retrieved the ring from my jewelry box this morning because I knew he’d react
like this.

“So,
Rafael finally proposed.” He released my wrist.

“Yes.
Shortly before Christmas.”

“Then
we should celebrate,” Maxim conceded in a dark tone. He sampled the wine, then motioned
for my glass. He poured wine for Lev and Oni before filling his own glass.
Kadyn, Brady, and Jase weren’t drinking wine. They were drinking Sprite.

Maxim
tucked a glass of wine in my hand before raising his glass. The room fell away
when his penetrating eyes met mine. “To those who dare to love despite the
tragedies surrounding them.”

My
heart stalled. I couldn’t tell if Maxim was referring to himself, Rafael, or me
as the one who dared to love. He worded the toast so that it could be perceived
either way. “To those who dare to love,” I repeated cautiously.

Lev
and Oni joined in the toast. Kadyn, Brady, and Jase did not.

Maxim
kissed both of my cheeks before whispering in my ear. “You still owe me a kiss,
kotyonok
.”

I
backed away. “Kadyn, do you mind cutting the lasagna?” I sank into the chair
between Brady and Jase. Oni was sitting between Kadyn and Maxim. Lev was
sitting on the other side of Jase.

Brady
heaped salad onto his plate before passing the bowl to me. “How are things in
Ukraine?”

Maxim’s
eyes darkened. “Aside from the fact that President Yanukovych embezzled more
than one hundred and thirty billion dollars’ worth of public funds and fled the
country?”

I
handed the salad bowl to Jase. “When did he flee the country?” I’d been
following the protests in Ukraine, but I hadn’t seen the news over the past few
days.

“Yesterday,”
Maxim growled. “He fled to Russia after ordering our security forces to kill the
protestors.”

“Yanukovych
belongs in Russia,” Oni opined, “since every domestic and foreign policy he’s
ever implemented has helped Russia destroy Ukraine.”

“His
decision to seek refuge in Russia will bring a fitting end. Putin will have him
killed for his cowardice and for compromising his ability to manipulate
Ukraine,” Lev weighed in.

Kadyn
dug into his lasagna. “Who’s serving as president in Yanukovych’s absence?”

“The
Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament will serve as the acting president until
the special election in April,” Lev answered over the top of his wine.

An
awkward silence fell over my Ukrainian friends.

My
eyes narrowed. “What?”

“The
People’s Front has asked me to run as their presidential candidate,” Maxim revealed
rather stoically.

My
jaw dropped. Everyone stopped talking at once.

“But
you’re in the mafia,” Jase sputtered.

“Not
anymore,” Lev rebutted. “He resigned from the mafia so he could run for
president.”

“You
resigned from the mafia?” Kadyn repeated.

Maxim
nodded. Once.

I
felt extremely nauseous. Running for office seemed far more dangerous than
working for the mafia, especially in Ukraine. “Do you
want
to be
president?”

A
shadow passed briefly through his eyes. “I will do whatever it takes to free my
people from the corruptive elements that hold my country hostage.”

“What
is your political platform based on?” Kadyn inquired curiously.