The Deep End

Chapter 21

•Riot•

The following days are chaotic. Toni and Luca caught the two Bratva members that had been spotted on the outskirts of Easthill. They'd been hiding in the mechanics garage just as I feared they would be, unintentionally supplying me with more support to my current theory. I tortured Kirill and the low level lackey that had been with him but the information that they gave to us didn't lead to Mikhail, just one of many dead ends. Nolani fled the community with Angelo which ended in his death and her being taken by the Russians again. She caused a wreck while the Russians were transporting her and Giovanni and I found her and our mole, who turned out to be Matteo, on the side of the road. I took Matteo to Toni's to be questioned but Nolani killed him before I had the chance to torture a single secret from him. We found out Angelo was actually Nolani's brother and that her Mom is alive and living a whole new life in France. She abandoned her by ratting on Nolani's father and then she went into the witness protection program.

Things got messy fast and it put me on edge. I've begun to unravel. My thread of control has always been sewn up tight, not a stitch out of place but it's quickly become frayed. I've barely slept, my conversation with Polina constantly weighing heavily on my mind. I question how much longer things can stay the way they are, how much longer I'll wake up with her between Luca and I. As one day turns to two and two days fades to three then four I become restless. It doesn't help that we've barely had time to spend with her, working tirelessly to investigate my current theory on who the person is that's helping Mikhail because I know damn well it wasn't just Matteo. He may have been feeding the Russians information but someone much higher in the ranks of organized crime has to be helping him stay hidden.

A soft feminine sigh comes from my right, snatching my attention immediately. I look over, my eyes meeting Polina's sleepy gaze as she begins to wake. The sun rose about an hour ago, bright beams of light making her pale skin glow and her blonde hair appear golden. She looks like the ghost of a goddess come to haunt me. An ethereal apparition that's equipped for battle and I can feel myself quickly losing the war. She wields many weapons. Her determination and fire that burns in her veins being the most lethal, but you can't underestimate her smile or the storm that consumed you every time you looked into her eyes either. Those may seem like small daggers but the blades of them were much sharper than they appeared.

She reaches out, running the tip of her finger under my eyes and across the dark smudges that have been permanently placed there as of late. "Did you even sleep?" She murmurs the question quietly.

"A few hours." I reply, my voice gruff from hours of unuse.

Her brow dips, eyes scanning my face, searching for an explanation. I doubt she'll find one, there's too many things on my mind to pinpoint which one is causing my restlessness although I could easily guess. Her gaze softens, her palm cupping my cheek and we stay like that, basking in one another's presence.

Sometimes she still looks at me as if she fears me but right now isn't one of those moments and I'm thankful for it. I've spent half of my life striving to see that emotion in the eyes of anyone who looks at me but I've found myself not liking it as much on her anymore.

She breaks the silence first, her tone soft and inquiring. "Who is the man in the picture I dropped in your office?"

I'm surprised it took her this long to ask. How long had she been thinking about it?

"What has your mind on that?" I ask, mentally preparing myself for the answers I'll give her to the following questions she will have once I respond to her first.

"I had a dream that I was hiding in that wardrobe in your office and when the door opened the man in that picture was standing there. He smiled and offered me his hand. He helped me to my feet and then he thanked me." She explains and I grow quiet, thoughts of them meeting making my body stiffen.