“It doesn’t look like he’s stopping the investigation after all,” Demyan informs me. “Our back channels say everyone is scoping us out—local PD, feds, everyone in between. The fucking Fish and Wildlife service probably has some agents detailed to our case. Two Bratva locations in particular have been flagged.”
“Not surprised,” I say. “She told him about the fucking scarf.”
“Question is, why didn’t you tell the owner of the scarf?” Demyan asks.
I roll my eyes. “She’s got enough on her plate.”
“In another world, the two of you would be the perfect couple, wouldn’t you?”
For the second time in as many seconds, I roll my eyes. “Moving on. Which spots got flagged?”
“Don’t duck the question. The warehouses on Daley Street and Scottswick.”
“They think I’m going to be hiding kidnapped women there?” I snort. “I’d have to be the world’s biggest idiot.”
“Are you surprised? You are the big, bad woman stealer.”
“Apparently, that’s a popular opinion.”
“Good thing you don’t care about other people’s opinions,” he says.
“True. But I care about the consequences that come from their opinions.”
“The ol’ Catch-22 in action. How are you going to deal with this?”
I lean back in my seat. “Put pressure on Lawrence. He’s going to have to cave at some point or else he’s compromising his sister’s safety.”
“Are you sure you can bring yourself to hurt her?” Demyan asks.
“I can bring myself to do anything,” I snap. Then I relent. “But I don’t need to hurt her. No, this is a psychological game. One I’m going to win.”
“She’s not the shrinking violet she seems to be though,” Demyan warns. “Girl’s got some spunk.”
“You noticed, have you?”
“Nothing gets past me, brother,” he says, tapping his forehead. “I’ve also noticed something else.”
I frown. “Do I even want to know?”
He gestures past me towards the lake. I can only see a sliver of it from our vantage point, but the wheels of my father’s wheelchair are shining bright under the slanted sunlight.
The person sitting next to him is not Mike, however. I can see her long brown hair flowing down her back. She’s on the grass beside him, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.
They’re cute, I must admit. Charmingly wholesome.
As if to complete the picture, Olivia tips her head back and laughs.
“Look at that,” Demyan says with a wry smirk. “Your wife and your father are getting along. It’s enough to make a guy tear up.”
“Where the fuck is Mark?”
“You mean Mike? That handsome devil is probably hitting on Melissa.”
“Come again?” I growl.
Demyan cackles. “You really don’t pay attention to your staff, do you?”
“That’s what I pay you for.”
“Apparently, he and Melissa are having a little… thing.”
“Jesus,” I grimace. “That is not what I pay him for.”
“So then fire the horny devil.”
“I would love to. Except he’s the only one that gets along with my father,” I say. “So he’s staying.”
“Fire Melissa, then?”
I throw my hands up in the air. “It’s not worth the breath it would take to do it. What they do is their business, anyway. I don’t give a shit—as long as their drama doesn’t bleed into the work. Which it is right now.”
“Technically, your father’s being taken care of at the moment.”
“I don’t need the two of them talking.”
“Why not?” Demyan asks, genuinely curious.
I glare at him. “It’s too close. She doesn’t need to ingratiate herself into my household. She’s not really my wife, after all.”
“Not until you fuck her within the sanctity of your marriage vows, she’s not.”
“Vows?” I snort. “Those vows are worthless. My vows are written in fucking blood.”
“Oh, how romantic!” Demyan claps his hands with sarcastic fake glee like a schoolgirl. “Tell Olivia that—she’ll love it.”
I shove him away from me and start down the stone steps towards the lake edge. I’ve had more than my dose of Demyan for the day.
“Hey, what are you gonna do?” he shouts out after me.
I don’t bother to answer. I just keep going until I reach the lake.
Neither one of them notices me until I’m right on top of them. Of course, Father doesn’t move, but his eyes land on me instantly.
Olivia tenses, but she stays in her spot.
“Where the fuck is Mike?” I snarl.
“He… he went to the bathroom,” she stammers. “But, um… that was a while ago now.”
“Go get him,” I order her. “Now.”
Her eyes narrow immediately as she slowly gets to her feet. “I’m busy, actually. And also, you don’t have the right to boss me around. I’m not your servant.”
I’ve learned to read my father’s expressions over the years since his stroke. I’ve learned to read his body language, too. It may be subtle—practically nonexistent to the untrained eye—but when you spend enough time with someone, you start to develop other languages.
And right now, he’s amused.
“You’re right about that. You’re not my servant. You’re my property.”
“Excuse me?” she spits. Her eyes are aflame, fists clenched, cheeks scarlet with anger.
“You will—”
Before I can finish my sentence, I hear Mike running down the path towards us. He’s nervous, but he’s trying to be casual about it, slowing to a walk and sticking his hands in his pocket as he approaches.
“Hey, everyone—wow, it turned into a party out here! Sorry, I—”
“Where were you?” I demand.
He comes to a stop, but he refuses to meet me in the eyes. “I… I was just… using the restroom.”
“Here’s a tip: next time, try doing it without shoving your cock in a maid first. It might go a little faster.”
His eyes go wide with guilt and he drops his gaze immediately. “I’m sorry, sir. I… it won’t happen again.”
“Get out of my sight,” I snap. “And take him with you. It’s cold out and he needs another blanket.”
Mike jumps into action, leaving little time for Father to say his goodbyes. He mumbles something that Mike doesn’t bother translating. The nurse just gives Olivia an awkward nod and embarks back up the path.
“Was that necessary?” she explodes the minute they’re out of earshot.
“I’d say so.”
“What even was that about?” she demands. “We were enjoying a peaceful chat by the lake and—”
“There’s no need for ‘peaceful chats’ about anything with my father, Olivia,” I say. “I expect you to keep to yourself and not involve yourself in my affairs.”
“You’re kidding. I know you’re kidding. Tell me you’re kidding.”
I don’t answer immediately. She takes a step towards me and pushes her finger into my chest. “It’s because I’m getting too close to your life, isn’t it? You’re scared that I’ll find out things you don’t want me to know. You’re terrified that I’ll learn what’s behind that big, scary mask you wear all the time.”
I scowl down at her. “The last man who poked me in the chest lost his finger. Then his head.”
She doesn’t back off, though she trembles from head to toe. She just stands her ground and stares up at me. “Go ahead then. Take my finger, take my head, I don’t give a shit. You’ve taken everything else already.”
I can tell by the way her chest is rising and falling that she’s not used to this kind of anger. No one has ever pushed her this far.
But now that she’s unlocked this part of herself, she’s having trouble reining it in.
“Is that what you want, little lamb?” I murmur. “You want me to start taking body parts?”
She nods fiercely. “Like I said, go right ahead.”
I’ve seen that expression before. It’s false bravado. And it’s going to start wearing off soon. She’s high on adrenaline right now and the anger is clouding her judgment. But the moment it starts to fade, so will all her courage.
I take another step forward. Despite her best efforts, she finds herself caught between me and the trunk of the ash. I put one hand on the tree and lean in.
“Don’t you see, Olivia? I’ve already taken what I need from you. I took your body the first time I ever saw you. Actually, that’s not quite true. You gave it to me before I ever even needed to ask.”
Her hand lashes out in a slap aiming for my face, but I stop her before she has a chance to strike me. I twist her hand back just as lightning zig-zags through the sky. A storm rolled in when I wasn’t paying attention. An ugly, violent storm.
How fitting.
“Nothing to say now?” I press. “Have you run out of arguments, Olivia?”
She grits her teeth and tries to rip free from my grip, but I’m not about to let her go anytime soon.
Resisting her has been more difficult than I anticipated. Every time I’ve ever wanted a woman, I’ve had her. Then the desire fades.
But with Olivia, it’s different. My craving for her has only increased with proximity. There’s something about those soft brown eyes and the innocence that still clings to her.
She’s begging to be ruined.
And I’m just the man to do it to her.
“I have no one here,” she whispers. Her voice quivers, but it’s shot through with steel at the same time. “The only people who have been kind to me are your parents.”
I lean in a little, forcing her back against the trunk. “Do you think about the day we met, Olivia?”
She’s silent for a long time. More lightning cracks through the sky, followed by the low rumbling of encroaching thunder. She doesn’t even seem to register when the first few drops of rain fall on us through the leaves.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“What do you think about?”
I can practically hear her heartbeat thudding frantically against her chest. I press my palm against it to feel it. It reverberates through me like the steady thrum of drums.
“I think about the kiss. The first one, when we were in the lounge in the airport. I wanted it so bad. I’ve never felt that before. I’ve never wanted something that much.”
“And how did it feel when you got it?”
She shakes her head, trying to break eye contact.
But I grab her chin and force her eyes to mine. “No,” I growl. “You will look at me. Now, answer the question. How did you feel?”
“I felt… strange. Like I was floating out of my body.”
Rain patters against the leaves above us, but neither one of us moves.
“You still want me,” I tell her softly. “But you’re afraid.”
She nods slowly, not even bothering to fight back anymore. “Men like you… you’ll just use me and discard me. You’ve said as much yourself. For a year, I’m the most valuable thing in your world. And the day that year ends, I’m worthless.”
“Why worry about the future when you have now?”
She shakes her head and reaches up to push my hand away from her face. But instead, her fingers become entangled with mine.
“Because I’m not like you,” she whispers.
“No,” I agree. “You’re not like me.”
Maybe that’s why I can’t get you out of my head.
Her fingers are still entwined in mine. When she shivers, I feel it run through her entire body and then mine in turn.
“You’re going to destroy me,” she murmurs.
“Only if you let me.”
Confusion passes over her face. She has no idea what I mean. She doesn’t have the tools or the experience to understand.
Which means she’ll have to learn the hard way.
I push off the tree and leave her huddled against the tree trunk. When I take one slow step backwards, the curtain of rain swallows me up.
Olivia watches me the whole time, her eyes hungry and desperate. If I were the kind of man who wore my heart on my sleeve, she’d see that I feel the same. That this game we’re playing has grown far more tense than I ever anticipated.
That I am addicted to the woman I swore to break.
But despite the aching need pounding through me right now, I refuse to give in. I refuse to yield. I refuse to bend.
If she wants this, she’ll have to come to me.
And when I take one last look into her heartbroken eyes, I see my answer.
She will.
