Warm My Bed, Brother-in-law Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Someone is Watching.

Read chapter 6 of Warm My Bed, Brother-in-law by PayalSinghRajput on NovelPedia.

ELENA - POV. The reflection in the massive, gold-framed mirror of the master bedroom didn't look like me. I stood there in a sharp, tailored black trousersuit, a silk white blouse buttoned all the way to my throat, and my hair pulled back into a sleek, tight bun. There were dark circles under my eyes, but a heavy layer of concealer hid them. My face looked completely blank. Cold. Today, I was supposed to pretend I could run a criminal empire. I didn't want this. I didn't know how to run an empire, negotiate with captains, or sit in Richard's chair and pretend I belonged there. But Richard couldn't do it. And if no one else was willing to step in, then it had to be me. The thought terrified me. Every part of me wanted to walk away from it all, but I couldn't. Too many people were depending on me now. I took a deep breath and walked out of the bedroom, stepping into the sprawling, minimalist living room of the penthouse. A tall, broad-shouldered man stood by the window, looking out at the foggy morning skyline. He wore a dark military-style jacket and held a white mug. Even from behind, I would have recognized those shoulders anywhere. "Lev," I called quietly. My cousin turned around slowly. He was thirty-five, with sharp features and a faint scar across his left eyebrow from his years in the Russian Special Forces. His brown eyes moved around the room out of habit before finally settling on me. “El.” He said, his voice low and rasping. It was the only time he ever used my nickname. He set his coffee mug down on the glass table and took two steps toward me. For a second, the cold, professional look he always kept up seemed to soften. He reached out, his large hand briefly touching my shoulder, giving it a firm, supportive squeeze. "How are you holding up, El?" he asked. "I'm surviving," I replied, forcing a faint nod. "Did you just get in from the airport?" "An hour ago," Lev said, his expression turning serious again. "Everything was briefed to me on the flight. Richard’s crew is fractured, and the captains are already testing the boundaries. But nobody is touching you. I brought six of my own men from St. Petersburg. They are stationed downstairs and at the hospital." "Thank you." "Don't thank me yet," Lev murmured. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, clear plastic bag. Inside, there were three tiny, black electronic discs, no larger than a shirt button. "I did a sweep of the penthouse the moment I walked in. Your husband’s security team is completely useless." I frowned, looking at the tiny discs in the bag. "What are those?" "High-end surveillance transmitters," Lev said, his brown eyes darkening. "Military grade. Very expensive and difficult to detect unless you know exactly what frequencies to look for. I found two hidden audio bugs and one pinhole video lens." I frowned, looking at the tiny devices in the bag. "Where?" "The library," he said, referencing the room where I had received the hospital's phone call just last night. "A camera, pressed into a book spine on the third shelf. Two audio transmitters as well. One under the kitchen counter. One in the living room light fixture." A cold chill ran down my spine as I stared at the bag. Someone had been watching me and recording me in my lonely penthouse. Why? "What about the rest of the apartment?" I asked, my voice dropping as a sudden creeping dread began to wrap around my chest. "The... the bedroom?" Lev's brown eyes locked onto mine, his face turning grim. "I haven't searched the master suite yet, El. I wanted your permission before I started tearing apart your private quarters." The thought of someone watching me sleep, watching me get dressed, or listening to the silence of the bedroom Richard had abandoned years ago made my skin crawl. It was creepy. The more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable I felt. "Search it," I whispered, gripping my forearms to stop the shivering. "Search every single inch of it." "I will," Lev said, slipping