Page 179
Then the man on the steps threw back his head and laughed.
The sound shattered the illusion.
“What the fuck are you driving?” he said, opening her door.
Felicity blinked.
The accent was all wrong. Not wholly Russian. Not American either. Or English. Instead, it was an odd amalgamation of all three — a by-product, she supposed, of a man who spent his time moving between countries.
And just like that, Sergei vanished.
The pugs immediately set about making fools of themselves.
Millie and Maggie scrambled for position at Felicity’s feet, barking furiously while Maisie added a series of outraged wheezes for good measure.
Andrei jumped back, eyes wide. “Bozhe moi!” My God. He stared at the trio. “What the hell are those?”
“Don’t insult my girls.” The fact that he had echoed her exact first thought upon meeting the pugs was entirely irrelevant. They were hers now.
She climbed out of the van and lifted the dogs down.
All three made a beeline for Andrei. He stiffened. Millie immediately began snuffling his expensive leather loafers while Maggie investigated his trouser leg. Maisie leaned against his shin and sneezed.
Felicity readied herself to jump in and defend her girls.
Instead, he chuckled and crouched, giving the three pugs a thorough rub-down, seemingly unconcerned about the dog hair clinging to his woolen trousers. Apparently satisfied by his performance, they waddled off to the manicured lawn.
Only then did Felicity allow herself to relax.
Andrei straightened, a smile playing across his lips. His gaze moved from the retreating pugs to the van, and finally to her. His expression turned serious. “Hello … Katerina.”
The slight pause held a world of meaning. Raegan had not trusted their cousin with her new identity, and Felicity had decided to follow her sister’s example.
Felicity tipped her chin. “Andrei.”
Had she not been watching him so intently, she might have missed the flash of disappointment in his eyes. “I’d say welcome home, but I reckon that’s not what this place is to you.”
She couldn’t stop the snort.
He gave a soft, half-laugh. “That’s what I thought.” He gestured toward the front door. “I’ve arranged a light lunch.”
She stared at the yawning entrance.
You’re a big girl now. It’s just a house. Stone walls. A roof.
“Or,” Andrei said, “we could walk around, enjoy the sunshine after weeks of miserable weather. We can eat on the patio.”
Surprised by his insight, she shot him a grateful look. “Let me just grab the ladies’ things.”
She slid open the back door, conscious of Andrei’s gaze following her move.
“You live in the van?” There was no judgment in his voice, only curiosity.
“For the last four months, yeah. Been doing some sightseeing.”
“Sounds very … freeing.”
Slinging what she considered the canine equivalent of a diaper bag over her shoulder, she considered him. “That, and healing.” She swept an arm around them. “Coming here … it’s the last part of that journey.”
