7. Ivan
7
IVAN
H er defiance amuses me. I see her chest rising and falling, anger flashing in her eyes as she backs away until she’s leaning on the locked door, not yielding an inch. She’s no clue how dangerous I am, how many I’ve killed.
So many men have begged for their lives at my feet. None would ever attempt to defy me this way.
There’s a fire in her that I hadn’t fully expected, and while it’s foolish on her part, it’s also intriguing. She isn’t like the others I’ve dealt with—so compliant, eager to please, willing to fold under the slightest weight of my will. They’re no sport at all.
Cathy stands there, injured and cornered, her pride refusing to let her submit. I feel a small tug of satisfaction watching her, knowing the power I have over her, over everyone, the power of life and death. The power of a God.
She moves with a slight limp, and I catch myself cursing Jimmy again for what he did to her.
The son of a bitch threw her from the car. Then he stopped and was about to do what? Load her back in and take her home? Pretend it was all her fault?
Whatever it was, his plans changed when he saw me. One hint of recognition in his eyes and he was gone.
I should have gone after him, ended this once and for all. But she would have died left alone in the street like that. I made a decision. I put revenge aside for her. Wondering why has filled my nights ever since.
Now she’s here, and I’m starting to get answers. It’s because of her innocence. That wounded animal look she gave me when she looked up at me that night. Whenever my father struck our guard dogs they’d give him the same look. That ‘What did I do wrong?’ look.
He threw her out of his car and she thought it was her fault. He sure did a number on her, same as on Elena.
“I want to leave,” she says, her voice firm but just short of a demand.
I raise an eyebrow. “The twenty-five thousand I gave you—will you be handing that back?”
Her face reddens, and she holds her head high. “Yes, of course.”
“I don’t need it.” I laugh, soft and low, letting the mockery sink in. “I’ve seen your accounts, Cathy. You have nothing. Keep it.”
Her jaw tightens, but she doesn’t look away. “Then let me work to pay it back. You wanted a cleaner, right?”
“I have a dozen. What I need is an heir for my empire and the Bratva does not have children out of wedlock.”
I take a step toward her, close enough to see the tension in her shoulders, the way she stands her ground even as I loom over her. “You’re not leaving,” I say, my voice a calm certainty. “Not unless my ring is on your finger and my child is in your belly.”
I lift her off her feet in one swift motion, throwing her over my shoulder. She kicks, struggling, but I hold her easily. She’s no match for my strength, and I sense the moment her resolve cracks, the fight fading as she realizes I won’t let her go so easily.
“Put me down!” she demands, her fists pointlessly beating against my back like flies on a window.
“Keep that up, and you’ll find out just how locked in you truly are,” I say, calm and composed.
I unlock the door, carrying her upstairs to a bedroom before setting her down. She fights me the entire time, her eyes blazing with a fury I enjoy far too much when I stand her on her feet.
“You can’t keep me here,” she snaps, taking a step back from the door as though her words could somehow change my mind.
I meet her gaze, letting her see exactly who’s in charge here.
“Watch me.”