Chapter 495: Are You Still There… Beloved?

[FROLO]

Katya wasn’t feeling too good after last night’s operation.

His father had insisted he shift departments so he would know what to do and how shit worked. And Katya had agreed, of course. This was his way to his stubborn boyfriend anyway.

But after the first two days of being in the line of fire, Katya’s team no longer came face to face with situations that needed them to use their weapons on people.

Of course Katya knew it was his father’s doing.

He could have assumed it was Sergei’s, but Sergei had no influence on his father. Mr. Romanov scared the living shit out of Sergei, and Katya knew it so well. Especially now that all of this was easily traceable to Sergei.

So Katya took an off day.

He hadn’t been to either of the penthouses in a week, and he knew for a fact that Sergei hadn’t gone there either.

He’d checked the footage, including that of the helipad on Moskowsky Holdings.

His boyfriend hadn’t gone there.

Which made it easier for him because if Katya was being honest, he was still angry at the way things had turned out.

He still despised what Sergei had done, and while he had seen the alpha try to apologize, Katya didn’t trust that Sergei would stay long enough to believe in home again.

And of course Katya turned on the radio and set his morning favorite station.

The segment with Sierra.

It always had the most diabolical of takes, and Katya needed that madness to get through his day.

Until he heard his voice.

His Vladimir.

Oh, but Katya had never swerved that fast on the road.

Not trusting himself to keep driving while listening to Sergei speak more words than he had spoken to Katya in three months, Katya parked on the roadside.

He needed to hear it all.

And he did.

Every word.

Then he turned to the video feed because he knew Sierra always broadcast on their app.

And he saw him.

His Vladimir.

Sergei looked different.

Stressed as hell.

Pissed as fuck.

Every word from him was a warning in its own way, and it didn’t take long for Katya to figure out that this stupid man was on TV because he couldn’t go to Katya and tell him to his face.

Then again, to be fair, Sergei had tried to talk to Katya, and Katya had not paid him any attention.

Didn’t mean he had to go out there on TV for everyone to see.

Katya replayed it.

Over and again.

He had even lost track of time because by the fifth watch it was already nine in the morning.

He really needed to catch up on sleep.

Sighing, he changed stations and went back on the road, only for his boyfriend to send him a text.

Oh, this little shit.

"I’m sorry for what I just did. I didn’t know any other way to keep them clear of you. It doesn’t excuse my distance, and you don’t have to forgive me. Good morning, little wolf."

Of course it had to be an apology.

Of course it had to be Sergei explaining himself again.

Of course he would try to keep his distance again.

Katya was going crazy.

His boyfriend was bound to be the reason he ended up in a mental hospital at this rate.

Sighing, Katya responded.

He didn’t care that he had sworn to make Sergei feel what he was feeling for a little longer.

He needed to look that man in the eyes and figure out what to do with him because a public threat wasn’t what he was joking about.

Who even went on TV and threatened a whole city against touching Katya, or they would end up like their decapitated president???

Oh, Sergei.

"Where. The. Fuck. Are. You. Vladimir!!!"

Only when Katya sent it did he notice the Vladimir.

He had intended to use Mr. Moskowsky.

Mr. Sergei Moskowsky.

But of course his heart was a stubborn little thing even when he needed to make Sergei choose home on his own.

"I can be anywhere you want me to be, little wolf," Sergei responded instantly, and Katya rolled his eyes at the man. He was talking like all of this wasn’t because he disappeared and refused to come home.

"Meet me at home in ten minutes. If you’re late, I’ll be gone by then," Katya typed and sent, lying through his teeth.

He was too sleepy to even find his way around. So he set the car on autopilot and set coordinates for Moskowsky Holdings.

Took him ten minutes to get there, and when he did...

Sergei was waiting.

Alongside a Volkov who looked like he had suffered a thousand strokes because of Sergei.

"What the hell happened to you, Volkov?" Katya asked in earnest as the poor sniper-secretary held his knees for support.

Volkov didn’t respond.

Just glared hard at Sergei, who was standing stiffly like he’d barely managed to get to where Katya needed him.

"There are protein bars in the ground-floor kitchen; help yourself," Katya said before he walked in, not even acknowledging Sergei again.

But he looked at Sergei when he reached the private elevator, and Sergei took it as his cue to go in with him.

Still, Katya didn’t talk to him.

Not even when the elevator stopped on the seventieth floor and they saw Anya.

"If both of you blow up this building, I’ll kill you myself," she warned them, not getting in.

Katya just smiled softly while Sergei stared blankly as the elevator closed and headed for the penthouse.

When it stopped, Katya got off first.

Sergei followed wordlessly.

Carefully, like the penthouse wasn’t Sergei’s home.

"Well? Aren’t you going to say something?" Katya asked as he looked at Sergei, who kept his distance from him.

He could smell the desire Sergei had to get close, but Katya wouldn’t indulge him just because Sergei didn’t want to talk.

"Nothing I say is going to be appropriate enough, Solnyshka," Sergei breathed.

"What the hell was that? Why the fuck would you..." Katya fumed, breathing in harshly before he continued, hands now folded, or rather trying to stay folded and failing miserably.

"On national television? What the hell?" Katya asked in rage.

Yet Sergei found himself falling in love again.

Gods, Katya was so beautiful.

"Focus on the subject! You can’t just call me beautiful after you... After you left and... What the fuck was that interview?!" Katya scolded, and Sergei realized he’d said it out loud.

But to be fair, Katya was indeed very, very beautiful.

Even when angry with him.

"I’m sorry I crossed a line today, Solnyshka," he breathed, and Katya raised a brow.

"What?"

"I... The interview... I love you, even if I’ve been a terrible boyfriend these past months. I just didn’t know how to warn people without, you know—"

"Oh goodness, you’re just making my headache worse," Katya sighed, and Sergei reached out to him, only for Katya to stop him.

"Stay back," he warned.

Then...

"You can’t just go on television and tell people you’ll paint the city streets with their internal organs like some barbarian!"

"THAT’S what you’re mad about?" Sergei asked sheepishly.

"Why? Do you have any more colorful threats I should know about, Vladimir?"

"I..."

"Unbelievable... I can’t even believe this... Your new curfew is at four o’clock. You mess that up, I never want to see you ever again," Katya huffed before adding:

"I got some tension on my neck, C’mere."

"Yes, Solnyshka."