Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Azelie looked wildly around the room. Billows and a tall woman who looked familiar, like a model out of a magazine, were at the door being greeted by the hostess. Terror froze her in her place. For a moment, she couldn’t breathe. She was risking Andrii’s life for selfish reasons. What was wrong with her? Andrii deserved so much better, someone who would put his wants and needs first. His safety. He was thoughtful and protective. She couldn’t allow Billows to know she was dating Andrii.
Azelie could only be thankful that Billows hadn’t come in when Andrii was playing the piano and singing her song. He was back playing the guitar. She knew he noted Billows the moment he entered the club.
“I’m not feeling very well,” she told Lana. It was the truth. She texted Andrii that she’d meet him at her apartment. “I’ll take an Uber home.”
“We’ll see you home,” Kasimir said immediately. “We have a car.”
It was too late. Billows headed straight to her table, while the host escorted his supermodel to their much more intimate table.
Azelie plastered on a smile. “Alan. How good to see you, although we were just about to leave.”
“Alan Billows.” Billows held out his hand to Kasimir, his gaze sweeping over Lana. “Azelie works for me.”
“Kasimir Popov,” Lana’s brother replied. “This is Lana.”
Billows gave Lana his charming smile. “Nice to meet you. I hope we have a chance to meet again. Azelie can give you the particulars, but any friends of hers are always welcome at either of my clubs.” He handed Lana his business card. “Show that to the doorman. He’ll contact me and I’ll show you around.”
Azelie found it significant that he gave his card to Lana, not her brother. She also found it extremely interesting that Billows didn’t connect Kasimir with her, or if he did, he didn’t respond with jealousy or threats. Was that because he’d brought a woman with him to the club and thought it would be inappropriate? That didn’t seem to mesh with his personality. The Billows she knew couldn’t care less about acting inappropriately.
SIXTEEN
His woman, protecting him again. Maestro let himself into her little studio apartment. Immediately, he heard the muted sound of her crying. His heart reacted, hurting. Aching. He desperately wanted to take her back to Caspar, to his home. Somewhere safe. They could put her in the Torpedo Ink clubhouse, and Billows wouldn’t have a hope in hell of finding her. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to take much more.
He’d searched her home and backpack numerous times for the key they needed to access the underground rooms. He wasn’t the only one. Each time he took her away from her apartment, several of the others searched it. It should have been easy to find. She didn’t have a car, and the apartment was tiny. They were well-versed in ferreting out secret places in floors and walls and even the ceiling. It was nowhere. He no longer believed she kept it in her home. But where, then?
She’d worn a necklace when she was at Billows’ offices, but Maestro hadn’t seen her with it on. She’d gone to the apartment, hung her backpack in the closet and spent the night with him. He was tempted to just ask her where the hell it was, explain everything and take her to safety. If he did and Billows suspected something was wrong because she wasn’t available, if the man was holding prisoners in his underground labyrinth, he would move them or kill them. Neither was a good scenario.
Maestro followed the sound of Azelie’s soft weeping straight to the bedroom. “Solnyshkuh.” He sank down onto the bed to remove his shoes.
“No.” She sat up, trying to drag the covers with her, but he was sitting on them. “You can’t be here. You can’t, Andrii. You saw Billows come into the club. He was looking at my friend Lana in a way I really didn’t like. If he knows about us, and he could have found out from anyone at the club that you were singing to someone, he could have you killed. I know he would. You have to believe me.”
He simply reached out and picked her up, settling her onto his lap, his arms around her. Her face was wet with tears, swollen from crying so much. He bent his head and feathered kisses from the corners of both eyes down her soft, wet skin to her chin.
“Shh. You’re breaking my heart.”
“My heart is already broken. I was so selfish, Andrii. It was already such a risk with you coming here. I wanted to believe you could hide yourself from Andrew McGrady. You seem so capable, invincible even, and I needed to believe with your skills you could easily outwit Billows’ man. But I knew better than to be seen in public with you.”