Page 79 of The Pakhan's Dangerous Secret
"The person who called me," I say slowly, my voice tight. "I recognized the voice."
"Who was it?"
I meet her eyes, seeing my own shock reflected back at me.
"It was Yegor. Your father."
37
MARIYA
Ican't stop staring at Andrey as we sit in the library. My mind keeps circling the same impossible question. How did my father know where I was?
The answer settles in my chest with uncomfortable certainty. Papa knew because he's been watching, keeping tabs on me even while he's on the run from half the Bratva. The thought should terrify me, but instead it fills me with a strange warmth. He hasn't abandoned me. He's still protecting me the only way he can.
And he trusted Andrey to rescue me.
That realization hits harder than I expect. Papa could have come himself, could have risked everything to pull me out of Anatoly's house personally. But he didn't. He sent Andrey instead because he knew my husband would move heaven and earth to get me back safely.
The thought makes my pulse quicken. I glance at Andrey again, studying his profile in the dim light from the lamps.
"How did he know?" I ask quietly.
Andrey's pale eyes flick to me briefly before returning to the road. "Your father has resources we don't fully understand yet. Contacts. Information networks that survived even after everything fell apart."
"But to know exactly where I was…" I trail off, shaking my head. "That's more than just resources. He trusts you," I say softly.
Andrey's hands tighten on me. "He should. I'd burn the entire fucking city to the ground before I let anyone hurt you."
The fierce possessiveness in his voice sends heat through me despite everything that's happened tonight. I reach over and place my hand on his thigh, feeling the muscle tense beneath my palm.
"I know," I whisper. "Now, you need to go to bed." My tone sounds like a mother scolding a child, but I don't care.
The fact that he doesn't argue and instead stands, holding a hand out to me, tells me just how exhausted and weak he is. We go to our bedroom and I immediately help him get undressed. It's not a sexual thing. I'm playing nurse, not wife right now. Once we're undressed, I pull back the covers and he gets under them.
"I need to hold you," he says roughly. "Just for a while."
I nod against his chest, my arms wrapping around his waist as I listen to his steady heartbeat beneath my ear, his hands moving slowly up and down my spine.
Finally, he pulls back just enough to look at my face. His fingers brush along my jaw, tilting my head up so our eyes meet. He leans down and kisses me. It's gentle at first, almost tentative, like he's afraid I might break.
I kiss him back harder, needing to feel his strength and the reminder that we're both safe now. His hands slide into my hair, holding me steady as the kiss deepens. When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard.
"I was terrified," he says into the darkness. "When I realized you were gone, when I couldn't find you… I've never felt fear like that."
"Well, you took your damn sweet time rescuing me," I say, but there's no heat to my words and I even offer a small smile to let him know I'm teasing.
He frowns and shakes his head. "They disconnected the GPS we had on you and then somehow lost us. None of my men saw where you went. I wanted to kill them for messing up like that, putting you in such danger. I still might."
"It's over," I say soothingly. "It's not their fault and you need your men, so don't kill them."
He blinks, then chuckles, pulling me back into his chest. "They're lucky you're here to talk sense into me."
"I was scared I wouldn't see you again," I admit softly after a few minutes.
His grip tightens. "You'll always see me again. No matter what happens, I'll find you. I'll always find you."
The certainty in his voice makes something warm bloom in my chest. I reach up and trace my fingers along his jaw, feeling the slight stubble there.
