Chapter 11: Konstantin

Thursday. Home, Arlington, VA.

KONSTANTIN PACED THE LIVING room, taking care to step over the line of stuffed animals each time. He didn't know why Zasha had them there, but he wasn't going to fuck it up.

He wanted to be in the bedroom, soothing Zasha, but he couldn't deny that this job was best done by Haley. She had become Zasha's security, the person who made Zasha feel safest. And Haley was going to leave them.

That was not today's problem.

He glanced down the hall at Ivana's open door.

Konstantin had told her to go in there and wait until he could speak to her. At least that was what his head had wanted to say. He was pretty sure he'd snapped, "Get out of my fucking sight," at her when she'd tried speaking to him. He'd also told the rest of his security to cool it in his condo, out of Zasha's sight, but still close enough they could be useful if anything happened.

His rage was simmering and very close to boiling over. He had to stop, stare out the window and draw in