Chapter 24 - Konstantin
Damn this stubborn woman, who was nothing like the meek mouse I once believed her to be. But she had me over a barrel, because we were at a dead end, with no more leads to follow. Was I willing to break my word and shut her out, like she feared?
Underneath the anger that radiated off of her, there was something else that made me look away while I warred with myself over what to do. I could hardly stand the yearning and hope in her eyes.
I would have given her anything I had, everything I was capable of, to fulfill all her hopes and wishes.
Even if that meant handing over her father and letting them both walk away once this was all over? That question was tearing me apart.
I would have also given anything if Grigor was innocent, or if she had nothing to do with his perfidy, if he wasn’t.
Did she think I wanted my oldest friend, who was as much a brother to me as my actual brothers, to have betrayed me?
She’d end up destroying herself before she ever admitted her father was in the wrong.
I would have killed to have her loyalty… and so much more.
Damn it, my emotions were going to get me murdered.
According to my family, I had always been reckless, but in truth, I only jumped into something when I was completely sure it would work out in my favor, no matter what mayhem ensued on the way to that end.
I was normally always right and a good judge of character.
Now I wasn’t so sure. Was I leading myself to believe something only because I wanted Tati so badly?
“Fine,” I said, making a split-second decision and praying I was right. “You can be in on our discussion.”
She gave me a long look, finally reaching toward the mess of photos and finding the right one. “This is him. I wish I could remember his name.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” CJ said, practically bouncing with excitement to have something to feed into her tracking program. She grabbed up her pictures, keeping the most important one on top, and stuffed them back into her bag. “I hope you don’t mind if I take off?”
“Go,” I said. “We’ll be here.”
I had already promised Mat that I’d stay in LA as long as I was needed, even after my own objective of finding Grigor was met.
I had to spill the real reason why Tati was staying with me, including my rash decision to snatch her off the street.
He had sworn he wouldn’t tell anyone else in the family, after he stopped laughing his fool head off.
When CJ was gone, Tati was bursting at the seams.
“What’s next?” she asked, and there was that damn hope again that I couldn’t do anything about. “What can I do to help?”
“You’ve already done the most important thing. And please don’t pout, but all we can keep doing right now is wait until CJ can find your guy.”
She bristled. “I don’t pout. And he’s not my guy. I’ll kill him myself if you let me.”
I would have heartily disputed her claim of never pouting, but her following declaration had me bursting out with laughter. I reined it in and held up my hand when she did the exact thing she claimed never happened.
“Stick this back in,” I said, unable to keep from reaching out and stroking her bottom lip with my thumb. “If we find the guy and get what we need, I’ll let you pull the trigger.”
She had to laugh and placed her hand over mine, which I had laid alongside her cheek. “I’m starving,” she said. “I couldn’t eat lunch, but now I feel like I could devour a horse.”
I already had my phone out the moment she mentioned her hunger. “I don’t think I can get a horse delivered,” I said. “But how about some Mexican food? I’ve discovered that I can’t get enough of it since I’ve been here.”
“Sounds great,” she said. “Do you think this might really help us?”
Us. I liked the sound of it too much. “It’s something,” I said. “More than we had yesterday.”
I didn’t want to talk about her missing father, which would only start a fight eventually, or work, which I’d been trying to keep up with in the midst of these family problems, or the late-night stakeouts that led to nothing and kept me from sharing a bed with her. I wanted to talk about tacos.
I held out my phone, and she stood close, looking over the online menu. Her soft hair fell across her cheek, and she absently brushed it away, sending a hint of apple fragrance wafting up to me. I breathed her in, leaning closer to feel her body heat meld with mine.
Once the order was placed, I found some mariachi music and hooked my phone up to the speakers in the living area, shoving the leather chairs out of the way and holding out my hand.
“Maybe we can go to Mexico one day,” she said, frowning for a moment as if she’d made a mistake. “Have you ever been?”
“Only once. It’s beautiful along the coast.” I stopped before I promised to take her, before I stopped dancing and booked the flight.
The food came much too quickly; my hunger redirected when she was dancing in my arms. Instead of eating in the kitchen, we set up a picnic on the coffee table, sitting across from one another on the floor.
Her eyes watered at a bite of spicy pepper, but she refused to let me pick them out of the salsa for her, claiming she wasn’t weak.
The salsa nearly burned my esophagus out, and I had to run to the refrigerator to chug some milk. “No more of that for me. I surrender.”
She grinned smugly, loading up a chip with an alarming amount of the deadly mix. “I quite like it now. You’re right, this food is amazing.”
“I like hearing you admit I’m right,” I told her, and her adorable tongue jutted out at me. “Careful,” I said. “That gets me thinking.”
Instead of a crack, she leaned across the table, her eyes drifting shut as I gave her the kiss both of us craved.
At least we were on the same page about this one thing, and we were definitely compatible with it.
As her lips opened for my tongue, I shoved the takeout aside and wrapped my hand around the back of her neck to pull her closer.
At the sound of something hitting the floor, she broke away, her eyes slightly glazed but a happy smile on her face. The raucous mariachi music shifted to something slower, and she stood, sliding her hands down her sides, her eyes never leaving mine.
“More dancing,” she said.
She was in my arms again a second later. No way I could resist her, no reason to try. Wasn’t she mine after all, at least for now?
Her body melted against me and her hands slid up my chest to lock around my neck as we swayed. This was better than fighting, better than worrying. As her chin rose, I dipped my head to kiss her again, smiling at the feel of her mouth, warm and sweet and pliable.
Nothing like the Tati who had faced off with me earlier, making demands and wringing promises out of me. Which one was the real Tati? Didn’t matter, I wanted all of her.
The music sped up again, and she pulled back, holding up her hand so I’d twirl her. And then the playlist ended, and we were breathless and laughing as we fell onto the couch.
“What’s next?” she asked.
“I can think of a few things,” I said, reaching for her.
She smiled, but her eyes were no longer carefree. “I meant when CJ finds the shooter. What part will I play to help out?”
My mouth dropped open, and I shook my head, ignoring the storm brewing in her eyes. “You’ve already done the most important thing in identifying him as working with your father.”
“But he knows me. I can—”
“No, you can’t.” It took all my strength to keep my voice level. “Didn’t I tell you you’re not leaving this apartment again?”
“You’re being ridiculous.” Her jaw was set, her hands clenching in frustration. She was mad, but I was madder.
“What’s ridiculous is trying to serve yourself up on a platter to the Yakuza.
” Before she could say another word, I turned to her and let it all out.
The exact reason I wanted to keep her from those men.
“Let me tell you what I know about them, Tati, and listen well. The last person we lost to them came back to us in pieces. The one and only person I know about who ever escaped from them shot himself in the head to stop the nightmares. And those are big, strong men.”
She shook her head and turned away, but I gripped her chin and made her turn back.
“If they get you in their clutches, they’ll pass you around.
Dozens of men will be all over you. Then they’ll sell you to the highest bidder, and he’ll sell you to someone else when he’s bored.
You won’t be in a nice apartment with massages or pedicures.
You’ll be lucky if you get a closet instead of a dog kennel when you’re not in use. ”
Tears streamed down her chalk-white face, and I finally stopped, sick at what I told her, though it was the truth. I refused to apologize even though I’d scared her half to death. But it wasn’t herself she was afraid for.
“Those are the people who have Papa,” she said, voice breaking.
Damn it. I reached for her, but she was already on her feet, hurrying from the room. A moment later, the guest room door slammed shut.