I brought Yulia back to my beach house. It probably wasn’t the smartest move, going straight there from the Audaz headquarters, but all I could think about was getting her back to someplace that felt safe. Someplace where Audaz would have to be stupid to mess with me. The Volkov family would skin them alive if they dared trespass on my property.

I immediately went into the living room and poured myself a drink at the bar, taking a big gulp of the sharp-tasting liquor, reveling in the burn in my throat. Yulia was still watching me fearfully, her eyes wide. She hadn’t said anything since I had rescued her, I suddenly realized, feeling worry flare up inside of me.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he?” I asked, setting down my drink and coming closer to the woman, wanting to reach for her. But I held back, waiting for some sign from her that she was okay.

Yulia shook her head and cleared her throat. “I know he said—that. About sex. But I don’t even think we…”

I breathed out a breath I hadn’t been aware I was holding. “Good,” I said. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Один – два – три … When I opened my eyes, I stared at Yulia for another long moment. “I’m serious, if you ever do something that stupid… I’m not sure I can promise I’ll be able to save you so easily next time,” I told her. “You’re lucky he believed that stupid story, I didn’t know what else to tell him.”

“My father would have-“

“Your father is bankrupt,” I interrupted coldly. It wasn’t my secret to tell, but it was time she realized what she was really tied up in. “What the hell did you think he was doing here, doing business with Evgeni? He wants this just as little as you do, but he couldn’t see any other way out. And the last thing he wanted was to let his beautiful young daughter know that her father was a failure.”

“He’s not a failure,” Yulia said tearfully.

I sighed and pulled her into my arms. “I’m sorry,” I said, holding her close. “You don’t know how worried I was when Nikolai told me…”

“Nikolai told you where I was?” Yulia asked in surprise.

“He recognized Estevan when you were still there in Ritmo with him. He made sure to follow you.” I paused and then said bitterly, “Of course, you made it impossible for him to intervene since you willingly followed the guy right back to Audaz territory.”

“I think they drugged me,” Yulia said, her voice barely a whisper.

“I saw,” I snarled. “You were so busy trying to make me jealous that you weren’t paying attention at all.”

“You saw him drug me and you didn’t step in?”

“We couldn’t start a fight with Audaz on our territory,” I told her, pulling away. “Anyway, don’t you think you got what you deserved? I can’t believe you. Dressing up so sexy like that and just trying to make me angry as you went off with someone else. What the hell were you playing at?”

Yulia dropped her eyes, and I could see tears pooling on her lashes. “We can’t…” She swallowed hard. “I miss you, Alexei,” she finally said, her voice plaintive.

I felt my heart break a little, just staring at her. I folded my arms across my chest to keep from reaching for her. “You’re going back to Russia tomorrow,” I said, my voice thick.

“I have to,” Yulia said, looking up at me.

I sighed and ran a hand back through my hair. “Yulka, as much as I wish things could be different, I don’t think I can leave Barcelona.” I paused and then continued frankly, “I don’t like it here, to be honest. I wish I were back in Petersburg. I wish I were back with you. But I’ve made my discontentment known—for years now. Evgeni can still use me here, and I can’t just abandon my family.”

“What are you doing that no one else could do, anyway?” Yulia asked bitterly. “Sure, you’re family—but your family is big enough that surely Dmitry or Vanya or Nikolai or anybody could do everything that you’re doing for them.”

“It’s not that easy,” I said, shaking my head. “You know I studied diplomacy. I’m the one with all the contacts with the local police. I’m the one who ensures that our position here stays comfortable. None of my cousins have the level of tact required for that. And money will only get us so far, especially when it’s not like Audaz is lacking in money either.”

Yulia stared at me for a long moment and then looked away. “If you really wanted to leave, you’d find a way,” she said with quiet conviction.

I scowled, but I didn’t want to fight with her anymore. She would leave Barcelona the following morning, and that was already going to be difficult enough without us fighting through it. I didn’t like the thought of losing her again, and especially not on bad terms.

“Come on,” I finally said, leading her through the house towards the kitchen. “You’re probably hungry. Let’s spend your last day out on the beach and then I’ll take you back home to your father.”

“Can we have a picnic, like we used to?” Yulia asked as we went into the kitchen.

I smiled a little, remembering those summer days when we used to take the tram out to Tarkhovka. That sandy beach had been nothing special, but on warm days with Yulia, there had been something almost magical about it. I shook my head, trying to forget those memories and keep myself in the present.

“Sure,” I told her, already thinking through what I might have that was picnic-worthy.

We brought sandwiches and some side dishes out to the beach with us in an old cloth shopping bag that had been in the house since before I had moved in. Yulia spread out the blanket on the sand and we both sat down.

For a long time, I just watched as she stared out over the water, wriggling her toes in the sand. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that I wanted to say to her—but it wasn’t worth saying that I loved her now. It would only make things more difficult on both of us the next day.

“I have a dog back in St. Petersburg,” Yulia said suddenly, watching as a man threw a frisbee for his dog further down the beach. She laughed. “He’s such a stupid dog, you’d hate him. He can’t fetch, he can’t do any tricks. He’s big and dumb, and he likes to sleep on the whole couch. He isn’t allowed in bed with me anymore because I got sick of him rolling on top of me in the middle of the night. But I love him.”

“What’s his name?” I asked, trying to picture Yulia with a dog. Yulia with a life that didn’t involve me.

“Ginger,” Yulia said. She laughed again. “But he isn’t ginger at all. He’s got dark fur, and it’s usually all tangled. I have to brush it more often than I have to brush my own hair!”

I snorted. Then, I paused. “Do you still live…in the same apartment?”

“No,” Yulia said finally. She shrugged and looked over at me. “It was too difficult after you left. I kept expecting you to walk in the front door. But I like my new place.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Of course, it’s not a palace like your place here! But it’s cozy.”

I smiled over at her and then got to my feet. “I’m going to go for a swim before I eat,” I told her. “Do you want to join me?”

“I don’t have a swimsuit,” Yulia said, frowning at me.

I rolled my eyes. “You’ve got a bra and panties, and it’s a private beach,” I pointed out.

She stared at me for a moment and then accepted my hand up, quickly stripping off her dress and running down into the spray.

I smiled after her, thinking about how she wasn’t the woman that I had once loved—but I still loved her all the same. I sighed and followed her into the water, reminding myself again that I couldn’t keep her there in Barcelona with me.