Dancing with a Stranger

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Nikolai and I spent nearly every day together for the next week, falling back into our same routine from before he went to Russia.

I haven't given him an answer yet, and he hasn't pressured me into one either. I'm still trying to determine what is making me stall. Is it the fact that he's a criminal? Knowing this hasn't exactly kept me away from him. I know it's not because I want to go back to Braden. Even if everything he's said is true, I just can't picture myself in a relationship with him anymore. Perhaps I'm waiting to see if Nikolai will stay true to his word and wait for me.

"Hey, Lacey, your desk drawer is ringing." Emma calls out from the front of the library.

Who could be calling me at his time?

"Lacey, it's Ernesto. I'm returning your call."

"Oh, Ernesto, hello. I hope you're well."

"I am, thank you. You say you've finished the project?"

Instinctively, I reach into my bottom drawer and pull out the folder with all the files for him. "Yes, it's all complete and ready to go. I can FedEx it to you if you'd like."

"No, no, no, dear. Information this sensitive cannot be trusted with parcel pickup. I will send someone to collect it. They will have your compensation as well."

"Sure, that works for me."

We make the rest of the arrangements for pickup early next week and as I'm putting my phone back in my desk, it goes off again. Nikolai.

"Hey, Nik," I say, unable to contain the smile on my face.

"Hey, Lacey. I need a rain check for tonight. Something's come up at work that I need to take care of."

"Are you sure it's a work thing and not you trying to get out of my cooking?"

His laughter fills my speaker and warms my soul. "I promise it's not that. If I could get out of this, I would."

"It's no problem. I'll catch you tomorrow hopefully."

"You can count on it, beautiful."

I hang up the phone and carry on with my day. The disappointment that settles in the pit of my stomach reminds me of just how deep my feelings are for this man, and I realize I can likely give him an answer tomorrow.

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A shrill sound jolts me from my sleep. There's no way it's time for work already. In my sleepiness, I grab my phone to shut off the alarm and realize it's an actual phone call. Nikolai. "Hello? Nik?"

"Lacey." His voice sounds gruff and strained. "I'm outside your apartment. Can you let me in?"

"You're here now?!" I glance at the clock and see it's two-thirty. "Yeah, okay, one second."

I buzz him up and throw on a robe, shuffling groggily to meet him at the door.

He stumbles out of the elevator and limps towards my open door, his right arm clutching his left shoulder. Once he makes it past the door, he falls against the wall in the entryway, groaning as his body hits.

"Nikolai! What happened?!" I shriek, closing the door behind him. A gasp escapes my lips as I see drops of blood falling on my floor. My hand flies to my face to cover my gaping mouth.

Nikolai looks in the direction my eyes are focused and sighs. "I promise I'll clean that."

"We can worry about that later. Let me get you out of your jacket." Placing my hands on his lapels, I start removing his jacket. A sharp grunt from him causes me to stop.