4. Katya

There goes my ‘take no shit from nobody, fight tooth and nail’ persona.

I closed the door to my bedroom and let out a long shaky breath.

I should have told my father and put a stop to Yuri, but he was right – I chickened out.

I was selfish.

I was a coward.

I was a traitorous daughter.

I wasn’t going to let my father run my life, the way he did my brother Dmitry. Nor was I going to let Yuri do the same thing to me.

The thought of Dmitry hung heavily in the air. I thought of my brother every day, and it still hurt sometimes to say his name out loud. He’d been Viktor’s perfect son, and I’d just been a spoiled little brat after his death.

But for a moment, I had thought I was now the chosen child. The one to take over for father.

“You think that now that Dmitry is gone, I’ll want you to run the business? You? You’ve never gotten your hands dirty in your life.”

“I’ll be just as good as Dmitry. You’ll see.”

But Viktor was right. I couldn’t put the action behind the words. After Dmitry’s death I ran and cowered, I didn’t fight. I didn’t seek revenge. I gave up.

This wasn’t the life for me.

I know this business is dangerous. But he’s my father, and I love him. I don’t want to be without him. I just want a life that I can lead on my own. That’s all. He’s still family. After Dmitry, he’s the only family that I have left.

It ate me up for three whole days, but none more so than that first night. On the third day, I went to college and moved into my new apartment.

If I had told my father, it wouldn't have changed anything, all it might have done was buy me another slap from father – and have Yuri’s other threats come true.

It’s not like Dad ever put any value into what I told him or cared at all, really. Would he have listened to me that I had uncovered a plot to overthrow him?

I doubt that.

I owed him for my life, but beyond that …

I’m still a traitor.

And it’s not like my treason bought me something grand and worthwhile.

I had a little bit more freedom but not for long. College truly was my only way out. Being Yuri’s wife surely wasn’t.

I know what being a Bratva wife is like – worse than being a daughter.

Nobody is going to come to rescue you.

Or save you.

Or give you your happily-ever-after.

You must take it yourself.

Grab it with both hands.

But I know better than to trust his words at face value. This is a trap of his and he wants me to fall right in, blindly. Not this time. My eyes are wide open.

“This is an opportunity, Kat.”

Yeah, for some reason, I doubt that.

“I’m giving you the chance to start over.”

Start over in the same place, under someone else’s control.

“You’re a smart girl, always have been.”

I am smart. Somewhere along the way I forgot that. The stupid decisions I keep making don’t help. And the biggest one was sleeping with Yuri that night. Not stopping him from sleeping with me, anyhow. And briefly, for begging him.

“I’ll find us a place to live. Since I can’t keep track of you 24/7, I’ll get another.”

“A roommate?”

“Another bodyguard.”

I still felt guilty being here and not saying a word about Yuri’s plan to my father, but it was for the best. He had been terribly mismanaging the territory since Dmitry died, and even though I briefly thought I could takeover, which was shot down quick.

If Yuri doesn’t overthrow my father, then someone else will, and even though Yuri might be the devil himself, there are worse men than him out there. Better a devil you know than one you don’t. Besides, I would do everything within my power to make sure he doesn’t kill Viktor. He shouldn’t be leading the Kolesova Bratva, but he doesn’t deserve to die, either.

In any case, Yuri wouldn’t make any moves while he was here with me, so this delayed him, got my dad a stay of execution. I hoped I could figure something out in the meantime, while going to school and figuring out my life.

I unpacked my stuff, decorated the apartment, bought my books, but I hadn’t met my other bodyguard yet.

Yuri had given me the run down on her though. Of course my other bodyguard is a woman – there would only be one rooster in this hen house. And Yuri was that cock.

Tasha was an MBA student, was a lawyer for 3 years before that, and a bodyguard in the Bratva before that. She went back to school because the Bratva wanted someone with an MBA.

She was the worst: smart, beautiful, and deadly. In another universe that was supposed to be me.

The very worst thing about her, though, was she was likable. She wasn’t horrible and miserable and ugly inside, no, she was completely unfair. No one should be that smart, beautiful, and accomplished and still be likable. If you’re a total asshole for being so amazing, at least have the decency to be a total asshole and/or be terribly unhappy.

But when I meet her, Tasha doesn’t have a single hair out of place and has impeccable manners and social graces.

“Sorry to intrude on your meal,” are the first words she says to me when she comes to my apartment.

“You’re fine,” I say. “I’m done. Want any of this?” I waive my hand over the sparse grapefruit breakfast I made for myself.

“I already had the same thing,” she says.

“Great minds think alike, right?” I try to joke, maybe I’ll have wit over her everything else.

She cringes a little, “Well, the rest of that quote is ‘ and fools seldom differ’ so I’ll take it as a compliment this time, but it can be used the other way, too.”

Nope, not going to have wit over her either . She was very slim, but you could tell it was exercising not just diet— trim, toned, strong, and healthy.

“I just wanted to meet and exchange schedules and let you know I won’t be intrusive, but I will be around you a lot. It’s better if we’re friendly but it’s not at all a requirement.”

“I’m not sure you’re a requirement at all. I really hate to have you wasting your time protecting me from nothing,” I try to go easy, but I should have known a woman like this wouldn’t go down easy.

“Thank you, but I don’t work for you, I work for Yuri. He thinks I’m necessary, and like I said, it’s better if we’re friendly but not a requirement. You can hate me and resent my presence, but I’ll still do my job.”

The information that she reports directly to Yuri, not me or my father, or anyone else said all there was to say. She was an extension of him and his control over my life.

“If you’re working for Yuri, you should charge him double. An asshole tax.”

She smiles. “Double nothing is still nothing, though.”

“You’re doing this for free?”

“Well, Yuri is paying for my school. This is like his own work-study program.”

What the hell? Who pays for someone else’s school? The MBA program costs $80,000 per year. I start to feel queasy and wonder how this relationship started. I want to know details of their entanglement.

Fuck, I’m jealous.

And it’s doubly stupid because I’d have zero chance competing with this chick. She’s better in every single way.

None of that is my business but it’s another reason to be irritated by Yuri.

“I appreciate everything, but I just don’t need your help.”

“And I appreciate that, but I still have a job to do.”

“I can take care of myself.”

Tasha watches me calmly, takes a deep breath before continuing, “I’ve been apprised of a Petya Antipov. He’s not a good guy. I think he could be a danger to you,” she says. “And I can make sure he isn’t. I’m very good at what I do.”

She’s probably good at everything . I don’t hate her, but I want to hate her. Why is Yuri wasting his time with me when he could be with her? She’d look perfect on his arm.

It’s none of my business – he can sleep with whoever he wants.

“I bet you are, but I decided to not accept any help from Yuri. Partly to drive him crazy partly because I don’t need it.”

“That will make him angry, “she smiles to herself and again I wonder what she was picturing there. “Yuri’s not all bad, a control freak, many other bad qualities but plenty of good ones too to balance them out. His ledger is in the black.”

“If you knew him like I did, you might feel differently.”

She smiles, “I was going to say the exact same thing, to you. I guess it’s all in where you’re standing, right? Your perspective and point-of-view. Maybe you’re right, maybe we both are.” She stands up and smooths out her dress, “It was nice talking with you, Katya.”

I’m glad to see her leave, but also pretty sure I’ll see her around campus. Like she said, she doesn’t need my permission, and my unfriendliness won’t deter her in the least from doing her job.

Is she heading to report my obstinacy to Yuri? Will Yuri visit her in her apartment for the report?

Will they end up in bed together?