Chapter Fifteen
Dmitri Volkov is an asshole. First, he accuses me of theft. Now, he’saccusing me of trying to poison him and his family. Who does he think I am? If I wanted him and his family dead, I damn sure wouldn’t poison them. That is too subtle. Too silent and not nearly as much fun as using a blade. It’s not my style. If I wanted them dead, I’d carve them up into pieces and feed them to the wolves one by one.
Except for Yvonne and Lilianna. They’ve been nothing but nice to me. Practically angels. I don’t know how they manage to stay here with these overbearing, rude, broody men. It’s possible I would keep Kaz around, too. He’s useful and, for some reason, entirely smitten with me. I don’t think he’s let me out of his sight since the night he brought me here.
“What are you muttering about, Princess?” Kaz asks from behind his desk.
He looks at me, his eyes dripping with lust as he takes in my body. Kaz had taken his suit jacket off hours ago. His tie too. He looks so relaxed like this sitting in his white button-down; somehow, it makes him even more handsome. Stupidly handsome. It’s annoying.
“Just working on my plan to carve you and your brothers up into pieces before feeding you to the wolves.”
Kaz quirks an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say it was violent to feed a body to a dog?”
“It’s justified in this case.”
“Whatever you say, princess. Just let me know when and where.”
“You’re so weird,” I mutter.
I hate that he’s so cool with this. The rumors in Vegas painted him a monster. All I fucking see is a teddy bear.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Seriously, how is anyone afraid of you?”
Kaz pushes his chair back, walking over towards me. He perches on the couch right next to me. “You just haven’t seen that side of me yet. But one day, one day, you will.”
“Is that a threat? Are you going to slice me up like you did so many of your victims?”
He shakes his head, staring at me with intense gray eyes. “No. The only place I’ll make you bleed is in the bedroom.”
My mouth drops open. Did he really just say that? Why would he want me to bleed? And why the hell are my panties damp just thinking about Kaz cutting me open? I’ve heard of knife play and blood play before, but I’ve never trusted anyone enough to try it out. Maybe this is my chance to do so. But do I really trust Kaz? Do I trust him to leave marks on me? I can feel my celibacy gripping to its last thread of hope. The more time I spend with Kaz, the closer it gets to falling to its death.
Kaz leans in slowly. He gives me more than enough time to pull back. To stop him. That’s exactly what I should do. I should pull away like a good little captive. But then again, I’ve never been the good girl.
Our lips meet. Kaz’s kiss feels more like a reckoning of raw passion. It’s different from any other kiss I’ve ever had. He groans as he slips his tongue into my mouth. My mind shuts off, and nothing beyond the two of us exists. All I can hear is the heavy thump of my racing heart. His hands roam all over me, heating me through my short pajamas. He squeezes my hips before grabbing my ribs roughly, pulling me closer to him. This is so wrong. Kaz drugged and kidnapped me. I shouldn’t be kissing him. But I can’t stop. My pussy aches. Madam celibacy long forgotten. I’m sick for wanting him. I know. But it doesn’t change a damn thing. I want Kaz. Just once. To get it out of my system.
His hand runs down my back. Goosebumps come to life all over my skin. Kaz bands his arms around me like snakes of need. His hands cup my ass. I melt into him just as there’s a knock on the door.
“Vivi,” Lilianna calls through the closed door.
Kaz and I break apart. Our chests rise and fall with every desperate breath.
“What do you need, Lilianna?” Kaz calls, his voice hoarse.
“Uh, it’s movie night,” she replies.
“Movie night,” I whisper.
Kaz looks disappointed as he pushes himself off the couch. His eyes stay on me as he walks to the door, only peeling them from me when he pulls the door open.
I’m quick to sit up and straighten my clothes. My hands are smoothing my hair up into a bun as Lilianna walks in. Her gaze darts between me and her uncle.
It still amazes me that Mikhail is a father. I would have never guessed it. No one knew Mikhail had a daughter. Much less a fifteen-year-old one. How did he manage to keep it a secret for so long? The Volkovs do business all over the world. Do they just leave her behind to hide her? Where’s her mother? It feels like each speck of information I find out, the more questions I have.
“Is everything okay?” Lilianna asks.
“Yes,” I reply.
Lilianna nods, but the knowing glint in her eyes tells me she’s not buying my answer. “Okay, well, everything is ready for movie night.”
Without looking at Kaz, I reply. “Sweet. Let’s go.”
Kaz takes a step towards us.
“Girl’s night, Uncle Kaz. You know that.”
“I hate it,” he mutters.
I know why. In the short four days I’ve been here, I’ve learned that Kaz doesn’t like me out of his sight for any reason. But his mother banned him from the living room tonight. I still haven’t figured out if the way he behaves is true or an act. I’m usually so good at reading people. Especially men. But with these three, I’m out of my depth. Every single one of them. Kaz, I would’ve expected him to beat me bloody by now. Mikhail, I would have expected him to play the good guy. The sweet one, but he’s just as broody as Dmitri. I’m not going to get started on that dickhead. He hates me, but last night, when he was holding me, his dick was hard. Very hard. Some part of him likes me, but I never would’ve known otherwise.
“You’ll be fine, Uncle Kaz. It’s one night.”
Lilianna grabs my wrist, pulling me towards the door. I turn to catch a glance at Kaz’s sad eyes before I cross the threshold. Why does that look make my chest hurt? This is all so confusing.
“So…” Lilianna says, dragging the word out. “What is going on with you and my uncle?”
“What?” I ask.
She gives me a look. “What’s up with the two of you?”
“Nothing.”
“Right. You might want to tell him that,” she nods towards Kaz’s frame standing outside his office door.
The shadowy hallway blocks me from seeing his face, but somehow, I know he’s looking at me with those stupid, sad eyes. I turn away from him and keep walking.
“He kidnapped me, Lili. Why would anything be happening between us?”
Her forehead furrows while she ponders that question. “Good point.”
“What movie did you and Yvonne pick?”
“Mrs. Congeniality.”
“A classic.”
“Is it? I’ve never seen it. My mother’s home wasn’t quite so… American.”
My ears perk up at the mention of her mother. I’m just about to prod for more information on the brave woman who carried a Volkov heir, but I’m stopped by Yvonne.
“Finally,” she says as we step into the living room. “I was going to start sprouting gray hairs if the two of you took any longer.”
“Your hair is too white to turn gray,” Lilianna replies. “You’d think a woman your age would have patience.”
Mama chuckles, not even bothered by the snark. “Patience is a virtue I don’t come installed with.”
“Me either,” I quip.
I plop onto the lush couch. Lilianna sits next to me, grabbing a bowl of popcorn from the coffee table to put between us.
“Thanks for letting me crash movie night,” I say as Yvonne sits in a plush recliner to the side of the couch.
“Of course,” Yvonne replies. “We love to have you, and I swear none of my boys will bother you tonight.”
Good. I could use a night off. What happened between me and Kaz has knocked me off kilter. I need a moment to get myself together.
The movie starts. It’s easy to get lost in the quirky film. It’s easily one of my favorites. I’ve always looked up to Gracie Hart. Ever since I was a kid. She’s just honest and direct. Yet somehow, people still love her. It’s not like that in the real world. The more true to yourself you are, the more everyone else hates you.
My favorite part starts, and I watch Lilianna’s face as she sees it for the first time. Gracie is performing an easy self-defense tactic. It was the first one I ever learned, and I learned it from this movie. My dad taught me to fight, but self-defense isn’t the same thing. I taught myself most of what I know.
“She’s strong,” Lilianna says.
“The move is pretty easy and effective.”
“Have you done it?”
I nod. “Many times. I teach a self-defense class back home.”
“Could you teach me?”
I almost ask her why she wants to learn. Does she feel unsafe here? Or is it for something else? Instead, I just nod my head and promise to teach her the move.
“I wish I could be like her,” Lilianna says the moment Gracie steals the crown and saves the day.
“Why?”
She looks at me. “She can be everything.”
“How do you mean?”
“Mother always said there were two types of women in the world; beautiful or ordinary.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I think women are all beautiful. We all just have our own definitions. What makes one woman beautiful won’t necessarily be the same for another.”
Lilianna nods. “Maybe.”
She doesn’t sound convinced at all. I don’t know what else to say. I’m not sure what all her mother told her. But I have to hope that not all of her philosophy was built on bullshit.
“What does your dad say about it?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from her mother.
She shrugs in response. “I’ve never asked.”
“Oh,” I reply. So, he was an absentee dad. Interesting. “I’m sorry he wasn’t there for you in that way.”
“He, uh, he didn’t know about me. At least that’s what he says.” She sighs.
Okay. I didn’t expect that.
“Why would he lie about that?”
Lilianna pulls her knees up to her chest. “My mother told me he knew. That he just didn’t want me. She said he was a mean man and that she ran away to protect us.”
“Oh. I can see why you would feel a little confused.”
“More than a little, and now, I’m in a weird place where everything is so different. It’s been a lot.”
“Can I ask what happened to your mother?”
“She died. A month ago. One of her clients murdered her.”
“Clients?”
“She was an escort. She said it was her job as a beautiful woman to serve men. It’s what all the beautiful women had to do.”
That’s not even logical. What the hell kind of woman did Mikhail marry?
“She used to tell me stories about this place when I was growing up,” Lilianna continues in my rageful silence. “They would give me nightmares. Sometimes, I think that’s why she told me them.”
My heart aches for the little girl Lilianna was. For all the ways she wasn’t loved. I grab hold of her hand and squeeze it.
“The worst one,” she says. “The worst one was a story of how my father chased my mother around the house with a gun. He only managed to hit her once, though. My grandfather was the only one to help her, but I’ve never met him. He died before I was born.”
There’s a sharp intake of breath behind us. Lilianna and I turn to see Mikhail standing in the doorway. He’s staring at her with a face full of guilt.