Chapter 13
I takea final swig of the whisky left in my glass—my first and last of the night because there’s still work ahead. The drink does little to distract from how un-fucking-comfortable I am in this tux and the shitstorm brewing inside of me.
My other hand holds a phone to my ear as I lean back in an armchair, in a room in the penthouse suite I’ve commandeered as an office.
From the other end of the line, Pavel mutters a curse under his breath. I just filled him in on everything that went down with Anatoly last night.
I usually stay out of people’s business—less shit for me to wade through—but the minute I saw Liza upset, every protective instinct inside of me flared.
When I was fifteen, I failed to protect my mother from my abusive father. I vowed to never make that mistake again. If a man is sick enough to hurt a woman, then he deserves to have hell rain down on him.
“So this is the kind of man we’re in business with?” Pavel snarls. “A man who thinks nothing of taking a teenage girl out all day without checking in with her family?”
My fingers tighten on the now empty whisky glass in my hand. “Until we find out what actually happened, our hands are tied. Savin”s keeping an eye on Sofiya—we”ll see if Anatoly makes a reappearance or if anything else happens, for that matter.”
“What did Liza say?” His voice is as dark as mine.
“Nothing. Either she doesn’t know about the drinking or she’s keeping her mouth shut, but she was rattled—that much was clear.”
“If he fucking put a finger on that girl, I’ll take great pleasure in ripping him to shreds.”
A vein in my temple ticks. As much as I want to see Anatoly pay for his every sin, he’s currently in possession of a cargo ship full of our product. We can’t go for the jugular… yet.
“Whatever skeletons he’s hiding, we will unearth them. But we better have solid proof before we go to Maxim. He’s got enough shit on his plate, and we can’t fuck with this deal unless what we have is ironclad.”
“Whatever it is, I guarantee you it’s shady as fuck.”
“No arguments here,” I agree. “Let’s get eyes on him. See what he’s really up to.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Pavel vows.
We say goodbye, and I turn to face my reflection in the window, straighten out the lapels, and run my hand down the pant legs, smoothing out any creases in the tux.
This is our last night in London before we fly back to Moscow, and Kira has something special planned, though she won’t tell me what.
As if sensing the dark cloud over my head, Kira comes breezing into the room, her eyes narrowing when she finds me staring hard at my reflection. “Why the brooding face?”
I meet her gaze in the window’s reflection. “Who says I’m brooding?”
She steps fully into the room, closing the door behind her. Kira looks as glamorous as ever in a gold evening dress, her blonde hair swept up in a loose bun.
”I know that look. You”re not happy about something.” She crosses her arms and leans against the wall. “Out with it.”
I run my tongue over my upper teeth and turn to face her. “I know you want tonight to be a surprise for Liza, but I can”t do my job properly unless I know where we”re going.” I gesture to my computer. “The club has no listed address, no website, and it’s not on Google. It’s like it doesn’t exist. I need more to go on.”
She blows out a breath. “Promise me you won’t freak out.”
My shoulders hitch. This woman is trying to kill me. “I make no promises. Just say it.”
“Fine.” She tilts her chin higher. “We’re going to a sex club.”
I literally choke on air. “Goddamn, Kira. What are you thinking?”
She laughs at my thunderous expression. “This is why I didn’t tell you. Chill, okay? We’re not going to do anything. It’s just a show. We’re there to watch. Maxim and I have been there before, and he can confirm the security is top-notch.”
“Why?” It’s the only word I can manage. Another thought occurs to me. “So, Liza doesn’t know?”
Kira shakes her head slowly. “All she knows is that it”s a bit out of the ordinary.” She gently nudges my arm. ”Come on. Doesn”t Liza deserve a good time? She”d never let loose like this in Moscow, but she deserves a crazy night at least once in her life before she”s tied down.”
I clear my throat. “A nightclub is cutting loose,” I point out. “But a sex show?—”
“Erotic show at a sex club,” she clarifies. “There’s a difference.”
“Right.”
Kira’s face falls. “She should know what she’s missing. Because sooner than later, she’s going to be tied to that asshole for the rest of her life. And she’ll never know what good —Kira raises her eyebrows—“you know what is. Because Anatoly will be her first and last.”
Jesus. My thoughts are diving straight into the gutter. If Liza”s curious about what good “you know what” I’d be more than happy to show her. I know Anatoly prizes her virginity—the pig made that clear enough in the banya—but maybe I’m just as twisted because the thought of being the first man to spread her legs and push inside of her tight heat has me straining against the zipper of this damn monkey suit.
I hold up a hand to stop Kira. “Yeah, I get it. You don’t need to spell it out for me.”
She sighs. “I want to give her a wild night to remember. I know it won’t change anything, but it might open her eyes a little.” She gives me a hopeful smile. “We don’t have to make this weird. You do your job, I’ll make sure Liza has the time of her life, and we’ll never talk about it again.”
My knuckles whiten as my hands curl into fists, and my mind sinks to a dark place. I’ve killed, maimed, and tortured dozens of people without a second thought. But this might be my hardest job yet—watching Liza experience pleasure up close and personal for the first time and not being able to do anything about it.
Man, the universe has a messed-up sense of humor.
Actually, I shouldn’t blame the universe, this is all Kira.
There’s a soft knock, and then Liza pushes the door open.
Our gaze snags and I instantly regret it. She”s peering at me through those thick, dark lashes, looking like a goddess descended among mortals. Her gown is a bold scarlet that wraps around her curves like a flame, and a delicate gold necklace is looped around her elegant neck.
My hand would look so much better around that throat.
Just fucking great. My thoughts are already getting away from me.
I drag in a heavy breath, straighten my spine, and focus my attention on sliding my gun into the back of my waistband.
“Damn, girl.” Kira whistles. “You look incredible.”
Except that’s an understatement. I look away because every illicit fantasy that’s been running through my head is likely written all over my expression, plain for all to see.
A puff of air escapes Liza’s lips and she holds her arms out. “All dressed up and no idea where we’re going.”
Kira links arms with her friend. “All will be revealed soon.”
A fierce heat ripples through me. I graze my teeth with my tongue and stalk past Liza without a second look.
I’m here to do a job. Nothing more.
“Get your coats,” I bark behind me. “I’ll have Feliks bring the car around.”
I can feel the uncomfortable silence as I storm from the room. I know I’m being a dick, but the alternative is losing control. I can’t afford to let this reckless obsession continue. Even entertaining these thoughts is insane.
I just need to make it through tonight, then I can keep my distance. Forever.