Chapter Twenty-Four
5 MONTHS EARLIER, IDAHO
A reprieve. A refuge. That’s what Nikolai’s remote mountain estate is supposed to be. It’s a timeout from my regular life, a safe place where I don’t have to worry about Alexei. So why do I feel so restless, so uneasy? I can’t stop thinking about him, about what happened in that coat closet, and it’s slowly driving me mad.
Unsettled, I take one last drag on my joint and put it out before heading out of the woods. The pot has been keeping the headaches at bay for the most part, so I haven’t had to resort to anything stronger. I don’t know why I’m having the headaches at all; I can’t imagine a more relaxing place than Nikolai’s new compound.
My brother’s ultra-modern mansion is perched on a cliff, with i********:-worthy mountain views all aroun
