Claim Me(Capture Me: Book 3)(36)
“What’s up?” I ask, letting go of the bar to land on the grass. The sun is unbearably hot, and I use the bottom of my shirt to wipe the sweat off my face. “Were you looking for me?”
“We need to figure out the Rosa situation,” he says without preamble. “Nora is after me to lift her house arrest, but we still don’t know if—”
“We do, actually,” I interrupt. “I was going to talk to you this afternoon. I just got confirmation from Yulia that Nora was involved.”
Esguerra’s face darkens. “What did your spy say, exactly?”
I convey my conversation with Yulia almost word for word. “So yeah,” I conclude, “looks like it wasn’t Rosa’s own initiative—not that it means she should get away with it.” Nor should Nora, in my opinion, but I know better than to say that.
“Fuck.” Esguerra spins around, his posture rigid with fury, and I see the moment he spots the approaching figures. Turning back toward me, he says incredulously, “Is that—”
“Yes.” I meet his gaze coolly. “That’s Yulia and her brother, Michael. I told you we grabbed him during the trip to Ukraine, remember?”
The corner of his real eye begins to twitch. “Grabbed him, yes. Gave him free run of the compound alongside his treacherous sister, no. What the fuck are you doing, Lucas? You said she’s not getting off scot-free.”
“And I said I’m keeping her.” The steel in my voice matches the iciness of his expression. “She’s mine to punish or not. Just as Nora is yours.”
For a moment, I’m sure Esguerra’s going to hit me, and I tense, ready to strike back. But he takes a breath instead and steps back, his hands hanging loose at his sides. Turning, he looks at Yulia and her brother, who are now less than fifty feet away.
Yulia must’ve spotted him because she’s moving slower now, her face white with anxiety. Her brother is walking next to her, but as they get closer, she grabs his wrist and steps in front of him, as if trying to hide him from Esguerra’s view.
“She’s mine,” I repeat in a low, hard voice as Yulia comes to a complete stop some thirty feet away, her gaze flitting from me to Esguerra and back again. “If you do anything to them…”
Esguerra turns his head to look at me. “I won’t.” His eyes gleam coldly. “But, Lucas, do us both a favor. Keep her as far away from me as you can.”
I incline my head, but he’s already walking away, heading in the opposite direction from where Yulia and her brother are standing.
* * *
On our walk home, Yulia is silent, and I know she’s worrying about Esguerra. Diego came back to get Michael shortly after my confrontation with Esguerra, and Yulia smiled and gave her brother a parting hug. Since then, however, she’s barely said a word, her gaze distant and her shoulders tense as she walks next to me.
I want to reassure her, tell her that she’s stressing over nothing, but the words stick in my throat. Esguerra’s estate is large in terms of acreage, but population-wise, it’s more like a small village. Everybody runs into each other on a regular basis, and keeping Yulia out of Esguerra’s hair won’t be easy—at least if I do as I promised and let her roam on her own.
Esguerra might not harm her in the near term, but he won’t forgive her either.
As we get closer to the house, Yulia’s gait slows, and I realize the long walk must’ve tired her out, depleting her body’s all-too-recently replenished strength reserves. Without a second thought, I bend down and swing her up into my arms, ignoring her startled squeak and my ribs’ faint twinge of pain.
“What are you doing?” she exclaims as I resume walking. “Lucas, you don’t need to carry me—”
“Hush.” I press her tighter against my chest, ignoring her half-hearted attempts to push me away. “I’m carrying you home.”
She stops struggling, and after a moment, she winds her arms around my neck and lays her head on my shoulder. “Lucas…” Her voice is as weary as I’ve ever heard it. “It’s not going to work, you know.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You and I.” She lifts her head to look up at me, and I see the dark shadow of despair in her gaze. “It’s not going to work.”
“Bullshit.” I pick up my pace, a burst of fury propelling me forward. “It’s going to work if I want it to.”
Yulia slowly shakes her head. “No. Maybe in another life—”
“In another life, our paths would’ve never crossed, beautiful. This is the only way you could’ve been mine.”
If her parents hadn’t been killed in that car crash, if I hadn’t been working for Esguerra, if UUR hadn’t given her that assignment… The number of ways I could’ve not met her is endless, but I did meet her, and there’s no fucking way I’m giving her up.
Yulia sighs and places her head back on my shoulder, letting me carry her without further protests. I know she’s not convinced, however.
Like me, she’s seen too much of this world to believe in happy endings.
* * *
“Lucas, I think Misha should go home.”
I pause with the spoon halfway to my mouth. “Home?”
“To his parents,” Yulia clarifies, putting down her own utensil. Her bowl of soup steams in front of her, mostly eaten. “His adoptive parents.”
“I thought he was with your agency.” I put down my spoon and wipe my mouth with my napkin.
I’ve been expecting something like this since the incident this morning, and I’m not looking forward to this conversation.
“He was with UUR of his own free will, yes, but by all indications, he’s also close to his parents.” Yulia’s gaze is unflinching. “They let him join against their better judgement, and I’m sure they’re going crazy with worry for him now.”
I drum my fingers on the table. “So you want me to what, bring him back to them? What about the fact that you haven’t seen him in eleven years? Don’t you want to spend some time with your brother?”
Yulia’s face tightens. “Of course I do, but I can’t be that selfish. Misha doesn’t belong here, and he’s not safe. I saw the way Esguerra was looking at him… at us both. He hates us, Lucas. I know you said you’ll protect us, but—”
“He won’t lay a finger on either one of you,” I say, and mean every word. As much as I respect Esguerra, I’ll kill him before I let him harm Yulia. “You’re safe, and so is your brother.”
“But for how long?” She leans forward. “Until you get tired of me? And then what? We’re at Esguerra’s mercy?”
“I won’t get tired of you.” I can’t picture a day I wouldn’t want her. I’ve lusted after women before, but never like this. My craving for Yulia feels like a part of me now, like something imprinted on my DNA. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“You can’t expect me to believe that, but okay, let’s assume for a moment that it’s true.” She pushes her bowl aside. “That still leaves us with the fact that your job is dangerous, Lucas. Your life is dangerous. Just look at what happened when you went to Chicago. If there’s a bullet coming at Esguerra, it’s more than likely to hit you first.”
I look at her silently, knowing she’s right. I’d said as much to Michael. If something were to happen to me, Yulia and her brother would be on their own, in a place where nobody will raise a finger to help them.
No, it’s worse than that. If I were gone, they’d likely be killed on the spot.
“I can’t send Michael back right now,” I say after a couple of moments. Leaning back, I lace my fingers behind my head and give Yulia an even look. “Not if you want him to remain safe, at least.”
All color drains from her cheeks. “Why?”
“Because Operation UUR is in full swing.” The hacking program we used during our raid on the black site downloaded and transmitted a lot of confidential data from the agency’s computers. We now have names and cover identities of just about every UUR operative, and we’re systematically taking them out. I don’t explain that to Yulia, though. All I say is, “It would be too dangerous for your brother.”
She understands, and her face turns impossibly paler. “What about his parents? Are they—”
I lower my arms and lean forward. “I already put out word that Obenko’s sister’s family is not to be touched.” I did that as soon as I realized Michael’s connection to them. “However, their names are in our files,” I continue before Yulia can say anything, “and given your brother’s very direct involvement with the agency, it’s best if he stays here for now.”
“Oh God.” She pushes her chair back and stands up, her hand pressed to her mouth. She’s visibly shaking. “You’re murdering them all, aren’t you?”
My eyebrows snap together. “You asked me to spare Michael, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.” I rise to my feet and walk around the table. Reaching Yulia, I curl my fingers around her wrist and pull her hand down, away from her trembling lips. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t?” I tug her closer to me. “Your brother left unharmed, even though he’s connected with the agency? And I’m even extending the courtesy to his adoptive parents. So you see, it’s all going to work out.”