32. Nik

Chapter 32

Nik

“There you are, darling. As delicious as ever,” a familiar voice purrs behind me.

Kat and I turn to see Edna Smith.

“Edna, you flatter me,” I say with a polite nod. “It’s been a while.”

“Far too long,” she replies, her smile sharp and amused. “Though, I suppose it’s a good thing when someone in your line of work doesn’t need someone in mine.” She waves me off and focuses on Kat. “But I wasn’t talking to you, Nikolai. Katherine, it’s been ages. And I never did thank you for helping me with that Brussels mess. Love the dress, by the way.”

I blink, caught off guard. Kat and Edna know each other?

Kat smiles warmly, like they’re old friends. “How are you, E?”

Edna is… something else. Barely five feet tall, yet she somehow manages to look down her nose at everyone, even through her black-rimmed glasses. She has to be pushing sixty, but she doesn’t look a day over thirty. Blunt, eccentric, and often irritating, she’s not exactly likable—but she doesn’t care.

She doesn’t have to. Being the best at what she does means Edna doesn’t need to be liked. She only needs to be respected—or feared. And she is.

“I’d heard the rumors, but I dismissed them as gossip,” Edna says, her sharp eyes flicking between us. “The two of you? Romantically involved? It sounded ridiculous. What could possibly bring you together?”

“What, indeed?” Kat says, shooting me a playful smile and a wink.

I narrow my eyes at her, and she blows me a kiss. God help me . I sigh, taking a long sip of whiskey.

“Ah, I see it now,” Edna says, a sly grin spreading across her face. “Raw, animalistic sexual attraction. Obviously.”

I nearly choke, whiskey burning as I cough. Kat pats my back, laughing softly.

“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” she says, smirking as I recover.

“And your timing is impeccable,” Edna adds, flipping her short hair back. “Nothing like new love to distract from grief. I was so sorry to hear about Maxim, Nikolai.”

I nod. “Thank you, Edna. I appreciate that.”

Her gaze sharpens. “But what’s this I hear about his body disappearing?”

“Nothing to worry about,” I reply evenly. “Just a mix-up at the funeral home. It’ll be sorted soon. An oversight, that’s all.”

Edna arches a brow. “An oversight? Nikolai, what kind of oversight makes a body disappear? Something doesn’t add up here.”

I take a slow breath, choosing my words carefully. The truth? I’d love nothing more than to tell Edna to fuck off. But that’s not an option—not when she’s so crucial to the bratva .

“What can I say, Edna?” I say with a tight smile and a shrug. “We’re working on it. You wouldn’t happen to have any useful information, would you? I’d make it worth your while.”

Edna scoffs. “Don’t insult me, Nikolai. You know how fond I was of that boy. I’d never get involved in anything so crude as stealing his body. Poor thing. Strangled with a garrote, wasn’t he? At least it was quick—small mercies in your world.”

Beside me, Kat gasps, but I keep my expression neutral. I know Edna doesn’t mean to offend; her frankness is just how she is.

“Was an autopsy done?” she asks.

“Not yet,” I reply evenly.

“Well,” she says with a shrug, “it’s probably too late. Even if you recover him, he’s likely decomposed by now. People who steal bodies aren’t concerned with keeping them fresh. And let’s not kid ourselves—they probably have more sinister goals than just hiding evidence.”

My stomach turns, and Kat shoots me a worried look, her small hand gripping mine. I squeeze back, focusing on her instead of the mental image Edna just planted in my head.

It’s a better use of my energy than wringing her neck.

“To be honest, Nikolai,” Edna says casually, “you’re wasting your time looking for Maxim’s body. Whoever took it didn’t leave anything worth finding. Best to accept it’s gone.”

Kat steps in quickly with a polite smile, but there’s an edge to her voice. “Thanks for your advice, but?—”

“You’re welcome,” Edna interrupts, waving her hand like she’s doing us a favor. “Really, though, Nikolai, what’s the point? Even if you found him, he’d just be rotting skin and maggots by now. Do you really want to see that? Just do what everyone else does—bury an empty casket and move on. You’ve got Kat now. Focus on the living.”

I grip my whiskey glass tighter, forcing myself not to react. Kat notices, her hand sliding protectively over mine as she leans into me.

She tries to steer the conversation. “You’ve given us so much to think about, Edna. Love your bag, by the way. Where’d you get it?”

Edna brightens at the compliment, oblivious. ”Oh, this old thing? A darling shop in Rome. I’ll send you the address. Now, about Maxim?—”

Kat straightens, cutting her off with a voice sharp as steel. “Listen, Edna, I’ve been trying to change the subject, but you’re not getting the hint.” She fixes Edna with a glare. “Nik doesn’t need to hear your play-by-play of how his best friend’s corpse is falling apart, okay? You’re upsetting him, and I won’t stand for it.”

Edna blinks, clearly caught off guard.

But Kat isn’t finished. “Nik’s too sweet to tell you to shut up, but I’m not. No more Maxim talk.”

Edna opens her mouth but shuts it again, clearly not used to being told off. For once, she’s left speechless. She recovers quickly, tilting her head with a smug smile. “For old time’s sake, I’ll pretend you didn’t just talk to me like that. Go ahead, apologize.”

Kat takes a sip of her drink, her smile cool and effortless. “Oh, honey, you’ve always been so practical. Don’t start losing touch with reality now.”

Edna squints at me, her tone sharp. “Nikolai, talk some sense into her. She clearly doesn’t understand who she’s talking to.”

Kat doesn’t miss a beat. “Maybe we’ve all had moments where we forgot who we were talking to.” She sets her drink down casually. “Like that time in Brussels. Funny how things can come full circle, isn’t it?”

Edna’s expression freezes for a moment, her composure slipping ever so slightly. “Let’s not dwell on the past, darling,” she says, her tone noticeably lighter.

Kat smiles. “Exactly what I was thinking.”

Edna nods quickly before looking away. Out of nowhere, she jumps up. “Oh, is that Garrett? I have to go bother him. If you’ll excuse me…” She waves us off and rushes toward the poor guy.

Kat and I watch her go. When I glance at Kat, she frowns.

“What?” she asks. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“My knight in shining armor,” I say with a dramatic sigh.

She rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch into a smile. “I couldn’t take it anymore. Someone had to stop her.”

I pull her close, my hands resting on her hips. “My hero,” I murmur.

Kat loops her arms around my neck, mock annoyance dancing in her eyes. “I won’t let anyone mess with you like that. If anyone gets to put you in your place, it’s me.”

“Try it and see what happens,” I murmur, leaning closer. “Try it, I’m begging you. You’ll make my day.”

“Nik,” she sighs, her tone dripping with exaggerated sweetness, “we both know you’re all bark and no bite when it comes to me.”

I smirk, brushing my lips over hers. “Big talk for someone who just stared down Edna Smith for me. That woman knows how to dissolve bodies, Kat. Admit it—you're not just into me. You like me.”

“That’s for me to know and you to wonder about,” she quips, pressing her chest against mine.

The moment her body touches me, I go rock-hard against her stomach. She notices immediately, raising an eyebrow with a knowing smirk.

“Two can play this game,” I say, nipping at her ear.

“Aw, baby, don’t threaten me with a good time,” she purrs, echoing the words she threw at me the night we met.

But before I can make good on my promise, a voice grates behind me.

“Ah, Kat,” McGuire says smoothly, his presence enough to ruin the moment. “There you are.”

Kat pulls back, shooting me a heated look before turning to face him with a polite smile. “Here I am, Patrick.”

“Would you like that tour now?” he asks, holding out his arm like some pompous ass.

She glances at me, her eyes flicking to mine in a small, subtle question only I would catch. It’s a tiny shrug, a silent Should I?

I nod. I hate it, but I nod.

As McGuire leads her away, she looks back at me, blowing me a kiss he doesn’t catch.

I wink in return, though my fists clench at my sides, every muscle in my body straining against the urge to rip him apart limb by limb for touching what’s mine.