11. Nik

11

Dmitri's voice greets me as I enter my dark office. "Look what the cat dragged in."

After flipping the light switch on, I glare at him. Dmitri lazily lounges on my chair, his handmade Italian shoes boldly propped up on my desk.

"Hiya, Nik. So good of you to join us, hardworking men, on this fine morning. Or is it afternoon yet? Did you sleep well?" The impudent fool smirks at me.

I sigh. "It's clear to me now that your saint of a mother—God rest her soul—must've dropped you on your head a few times when you were a child. That's the only explanation I can come up with for your complete lack of self-preservation," I say as I walk towards my desk.

"Where's your better half, Romeo?" Dmitri asks, still comfortably occupying my seat.

"If you don't remove yourself from my chair in the next five seconds, you'll never get to know."

With an unconcerned smile, Dmitri complies, slowly standing up. "I expected you to be in a much better mood today after spending the entire night—and the better part of the morning—in your little kiska's arms," he says impishly, unhurriedly taking a seat on one of the chairs in front of my desk. Not a care in this world.

"Dmitri…" I say with a sigh, finally dropping my weight on my own fucking chair. "One of these days, you will push me too far. And you won't like what'll happen then."

He shrugs, completely unrepentant. "Maybe I like to live dangerously."

With a shake of my head, I tell him, "For your own sake, I sincerely hope you haven't been twiddling your thumbs all morning. I trust you have something new to report."

"Of course. Once we're done talking about the actual important stuff. Come on, Nik. I've been waiting all day. Don't leave me hanging now. I'm too invested in your romantic life. Are you going to make me beg?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but if you must know, I spent the night with Kat, yes. Now that we got that out of the way, about McGuire?—"

Dmitri chuckles incredulously. "Hang on. Come on, Nik. You can't just leave it at that."

I sigh again, accepting I won't get anywhere with him until I give him what he wants. I suppose I might as well indulge him. "What can I say, Dmitri? It was great. Everything… clicked into place, I guess."

"And…?" he asks, staring at me, avidly waiting for more.

I take a deep breath. "And I've never met anyone like her. Obviously, she's exceedingly charming and attractive. And it's no secret to you or anyone else that she often drives me to distraction. I can't pretend to understand it, but she has this mind-boggling way of getting under my skin like no one else. Half the time I'm with her, I don't know if I should throttle or kiss her. But there's just something about her—no matter what I do, I can't seem to shake her. Honestly, I'm not sure I ever really wanted to."

After an unprecedented amount of blissful silence, Dmitri whistles. "Wow," he says, slowly shaking his head. "Damn. I knew it. She is the one, isn't she? I called it from the start, remember? I'm sure you do. I just know you too well. I knew there was something different about the way you were obsessing over her."

"Well, to be fair, she had stolen the Flame of Mir. And I don't know about your choice of words, Dmitri. Obsessing sounds a little melodramatic?—"

"I call it like I see it, Nik. I could tell your obsession wasn't about the diamond. You were just so emotional about it," he says apologetically, as if the term is a curse word.

Exasperated, I can't help laughing a little. "Regardless," I say, "I see your point. You aren't wrong. She certainly made an impression on me from the beginning. And she does affect me like no one has before. I guess last night was just us finally being on the same page at the right place and time."

"I'll say," Dmitri pointedly remarks. I shoot him a warning glance, but it's pointless. We both know he'll never learn to behave appropriately.

"The timing could be better, with everything coming to a head with McGuire," I say with a slight shrug. "But hey, I'll take it. Gladly."

Dmitri grins at me, almost beatifically. Then, with a slight shake of his head, he sighs theatrically. "I can't believe my eyes and ears. I never thought this day would come. Nikolai Stefanovich is taken."

"Okay, okay," I say, lightly reprimanding him. "Don't push it, Dmitri. Now that our little heart-to-heart is over, I can't wait to hear how productively you've spent this morning, certainly chasing after McGuire."

Still smiling, Dmitri is finally persuaded to change the subject. I listen to his report about last night's and this morning's recent developments in our search for the Irish family boss until we're interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," I say.

Kat enters the room. Naturally, just seeing her face is enough to make all rational thoughts vacate my mind. She smiles, and my heart practically somersaults in my chest.

She's dressed in a black silk dress that hugs every delicious curve of her body. Her long, dark hair is down, flowing around her shoulders.

She narrows her eyes at me in mock accusation. "You promised me food. Croissants, I was told. And orange juice."

"My word is my bond," I say, rising from my chair. "Whatever my Kat wants, she gets."

"Empty promises. Do you know what else is empty, miliy? My stomach." She sighs. "Oh, hello, Dmitri. Nice to see you in one piece, too."

"Hiya, Kat. I told you I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself," Dmitri says, winking at her. I can't bring myself to care about his unabashed flirting too much right now, not after everything that happened last night.

I find myself grinning at Kat's new pet name for me instead. I come around the desk to grab her hand.

"Let's go," I say to her. "I have a reputation to protect. I can't have you thinking I'm not a man of my word, can I?"

"Chop-chop, then, mister. Lead the way."

In the kitchen, Kat's over-the-top reaction to the baked goods she demanded makes me laugh, even as the strangest warm feeling spreads inside me.

She sighs, effusively kissing my cheek. "You're a prince among men. A king, even."

"I need you to do me a favor and bring this same energy tonight," I say, pouring some coffee for myself and her.

Kat rolls her eyes at me, laughing. "Well, it is true that good food and drink are often the way to my heart."

"I'll make sure you have nothing but lobster and champagne, then. If only I'd known it was that easy this entire time…"

"Cute," she says with a chuckle. "As far as you're concerned, I've been pretty easy?—"

I scoff. "You can't be serious."

She shrugs. "It's true. But I'll have you know, I'm not that easy. You're going to have to work for it, miliy."

I brush a quick kiss on her lush lips. "Of that, I have no doubts."

While smiling so beautifully it almost physically pains me, Kat shrugs. "It's not like you didn't know what you were getting yourself into."

I wrap my hand around her neck and pull her closer until her face is a couple of inches away from mine. "You're damn right, Kat. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. Every step of the way." Unable to restrain myself for a second longer, I kiss her hard, clasping her against me. "Now eat your food. You're going to want your energy later."

Kat's lips curve in a dangerously tempting smile that has me straining against the zipper of my pants, not even a full hour after spilling myself inside her.

"Well, Nik, you certainly talk the talk. But will you walk the walk? I wonder…"

I lean forward towards her, narrowing my eyes at the little minx. "That sounds a lot like a challenge," I say in a low voice. "Make my day, kiska, and call my bluff. You seem to have forgotten who you're speaking to, so maybe it's time I remind you."

With a smirk, she asks, "Is that a threat or a promise?"

"Keep fucking around, and you'll find out."

Openly giggling now, she wraps her finger over the collar of my sweater, drawing me close enough for her to place a quick kiss on my lips.

The sound of her carefree, cheerful laugh warms me all the way to the pit of my stomach.

"I'll never finish this meal if you keep shamelessly teasing me," she says, playfully chiding me with a shake of her head. "And trust me, you don't want to see me hangry. Now, please try not to be so irresistible for a moment, will you? Just so I can manage to take more than two bites of my flaky croissants before having to fight the urge to steal a kiss from you."

"I don't know why you'd feel the need to steal something I'm dying to give you."

She sighs, pointedly glaring at me. "Nik, please! This is exactly what I'm talking about."

I laugh. "Fine. My lips are sealed. I won't say anything else until you're done eating."

"Thank you," she says, spreading even more butter on the already pretty buttery croissant. "You're a doll."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I say with a scoff, and she holds up one finger as she chews.

A moment later, Kat shuts her eyes, her face shifting into an expression of pure bliss. "Mmm," she moans, and I have to adjust myself as my jeans grow increasingly uncomfortable in the crotch area. "I swear, there's nothing better than a fresh croissant. Certainly better than drugs. Maybe even better than sex."

"Is that right?" I ask.

Kat's eyes glow with amusement. "I said ‘maybe.' And obviously, I was referring to inferior, underwhelming sex. As in, with anyone else but you."

"If you think that talking about sex with other men will appease me, you're going to be really disappointed."

With a sigh, she presses a quick kiss on my cheek. "I just love it when you get all jealous. I think I could watch you throw tantrums in a fit of jealousy all day long."

"Oh, no, you don't. Don't even think about it. I won't put up with you going out of your way to make me jealous on purpose."

Kat winks at me, but before I can put the fear of God into her, she takes another bite of the flaky pastry. After closing her eyes again, she throws her head back, moaning once more.

"For fuck's sake, Kat," I say with a groan. "Mercy."

Bewildered, she glances at me. Then she smiles. "Am I getting you all hot and bothered?"

"Always," I say through gritted teeth.

Kat laughs with delight. After setting her plate aside, she rises from her seat, strolling towards me. A second later, she plops her plump ass down on my lap, wrapping her legs and arms around me.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to react to this fortuitous turn of events appropriately since Vladmir walks in with an envelope in hand. "Nikolai," he says, expressionless, handing me the item. "A courier just delivered this. He didn't know who hired him. It was all arranged via phone, and he was paid in cash."

Curious, I forget about chewing him off for interrupting Kat and me again. With a nod to me, he leaves without even acknowledging Kat's presence. I'll have to speak to him about it. I won't tolerate him touching or upsetting her again, but that doesn't mean he gets to ignore her or be rude to her.

"What is it?" Kat asks.

I flip the white paper envelope, surprised when I see it's addressed to her. "No clue," I say, offering it to her. "Why don't you tell me? It's for you."

With a frown, Kat picks it up. She doesn't waste any time before prying it open with her index finger. Her frown deepens as she reads the letter contained inside the mysterious envelope.

"Well?" I ask, unable to contain my curiosity.

"It's from Erin," she says as her eyes scan the message.

"Erin McGuire?" I ask, shocked.

Kat nods. "Yeah. It's bizarre. Erin says she can't tell me all the details right now, but she wanted to share something with me. She's now certain her dad didn't kill Maxim. She claims it's just not possible that McGuire murdered your friend. But she can't explain how she knows that yet."

"Convenient," I say dryly. "Why would she tell you any of this?"

"She and I had a moment at McGuire's party. We sort of connected. She was a little hesitant, but I believe she meant to tell me everything she knew about Maxim's death before she disappeared. And she hinted at knowing a good bit. I'm not shocked to learn she feels compelled to share her feelings with me. I'm surprised, considering everything else—but not shocked."

"Well, I wouldn't trust her so easily. She's her father's daughter, after all. Besides, we can't know for sure she's even the actual author of this letter."

"There's more," Kat says, still reading the note. "Erin warns me not to trust your men. She specifically says I should trust no one but you, actually."

I laugh humorlessly. "See? This sure looks like some plot from McGuire himself. I wouldn't pay it any mind. This message isn't worth the paper it's written on."

Kat doesn't seem convinced. "Maybe. But maybe not. We can't know for sure. I've been meaning to talk to you about this, actually. I feel like perhaps we shouldn't have been so set on McGuire from the start. I'm not completely sold on the idea that he's the only one who would have—or could have—killed your friend. Maybe we should step back and rethink our approach to this whole thing."

I scoff. "You can't be serious."

"Why not?" she asks, raising her eyebrows at me.

I don't want to upset her and start an argument, especially not about something so pointless. But now is not the time to get sidetracked by irrelevant musings. Not when McGuire sent his men after Kat not even a day ago.

"Look," I say in my best diplomatic tone. "It means a lot to me that you care about finding Maxim's killer. And I value your input. I appreciate the fact that you've given this matter so much thought. But you'll have to trust me on this one, Kat. McGuire is our guy."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am. I know him better than you do."

Kat frowns at me. "Sure, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't consider all the options."

"I have," I say. "How can you suggest I haven't?"

"I don't mean to insult you," she says cautiously. "But we both know you haven't. Not really. You've been set on McGuire from day one."

I sigh wearily. "Because he did it. No one else had means, motive, and opportunity. Or the fucking balls to take my best friend from me just when I got him back. Besides, it doesn't even fucking matter—not after he attacked you and me. I have to kill him for that alone. Anything else would be a waste of our time and resources. Look, I understand you disagree with my judgment. I respect that. But we won't waste time on any Hail Marys or wild goose chases while McGuire is out for our blood. I need you to go with me on this one and stay out of trouble while I deal with him. After I handle him, we can discuss this again."

"Nik…" she says, shaking her head in disbelief. "You wanted to avoid a war, remember? That's why you asked my for my help in the first place. Just give this some thought."

"No, Kat. I won't. And I'd greatly appreciate it if you didn't, either. As a matter of fact, I don't want to have this conversation again. Not while McGuire's still breathing. I want to focus on getting rid of the man so we can move on with our lives. And I want you to focus on staying safe while I do just that."

Kat scowls at me indignantly. "You can't tell me what to believe. And you don't get to just lay down the law and tell me a subject is off-limits. I'm not a child."

Suddenly exhausted, I ask, "Can't you just trust me on this one?"

"I trust you, Nik, but you're not being reasonable."

"I'm not being unreasonable just because I disagree with you. I value your insight, but I understand this game and the players better than you do. Think about it—you've just entered my world. I've been living in it my whole life. I've known McGuire for over a decade. In a perfect universe, we'd have all the time and resources to pursue every lead and make peace with him. But my world is far from perfect. All I can do is make the best decision available to me with the information at hand. Right now, that's focusing on ending the man who's actively trying to kill you and me. I can't have you undermining me or distracting me from this by putting yourself in danger chasing this far-fetched idea of yours."

She glares at me in disbelief. "All I'm doing is trying to save you. These mafia disputes have a way of getting deadly and bloody fast. I don't want to lose you. And I know you don't want to lose your men. You're also being so unfair. You want me to disregard my thoughts in favor of yours when you didn't consider my opinions even for a second. You say you appreciate my insight, but that's just not true. It's clearly worthless to you."

"That's absolutely not true," I say. "I think you're brilliant. The way you see the world fascinates me. But I don't have the luxury of getting sidetracked. Not about this and not now. Not when I'm in open conflict with one of the heads of the Seven Families. I really don't want to upset you, but being the pakhan means I have to make tough decisions sometimes."

Kat sighs exasperatedly, shaking her head. "I just think you're making a mistake. I don't want it to cost us your life—or Dmitri's or your men's."

"Kat, you've come to know me better than most. You know I wouldn't make a decision that I wasn't sure was the best one. Not with this. After everything we've been through, can't you just trust me? Can't you blindly follow my lead this one time? Just this once, can't you let it go and drop this topic until McGuire is gone?"

"You've come to know me, too, Nik," she says, her eyes sparkling with unconcealed anger. "After everything we've been through, I thought I earned a little more respect than this from you. If Dmitri or Vladmir suggested you take a second to think this through, I'm sure you'd hear them out. I'm sure you wouldn't tell them to just drop it."

"If Dmitri or Vladmir even thought about questioning my authority so openly and brazenly, I assure you I wouldn't be half as tolerant with them as I am with you when you do it on a daily basis."

Kat narrows her eyes at me while crossing her arms. "Why don't you just give me a comprehensive list of all topics that are off-limits? For my personal edification, of course. God forbid I insult you by disagreeing with you ever again."

I laugh humorlessly. "If you're so eager to talk about things one of us doesn't want to discuss, why don't we begin by discussing whatever happened to my diamond? I've been dying to know. You might've noticed I've been gracious enough not to press you about it, but if we're tackling uncomfortable topics, maybe we should start with that."

Kat's eyes widen, and she gasps, staring at me as if I had struck her. Her incredulous and wounded expression gives me pause, making me wish I could take my hurtful words back, especially considering what she shared with me about her motives for stealing it. She told me it wasn't greed or any other frivolous reason that motivated her to steal the damned thing. She did it for love—to protect herself and someone she loved.

Stupidly, at the first opportunity, I betrayed her confidence and trust. I made a mess of things. It was a spiteful thing to say, a mistake made out of anger. Even worse, it was uncalled for and unfair. After all, she's just trying to help.

Kat blinks at me, swallowing deeply. Utterly ashamed of myself, I watch with horror as her big blue eyes fill up with unshed tears.

"Kat, I'm so sorry. No, don't cry. I'm an idiot, dusha moya. I didn't mean any of it. Tell me how to fix this."

Without meeting my eyes, she stands up. Losing the feel of her body against mine makes everything a hundred times worse.

"Kat—" I say, pleading. I grab her hand as I rise from my seat. "Come on. Give me a chance to apologize."

She shakes her head, refusing to make eye contact with me. "There's nothing to apologize for, Nik. You've made a good point. Will you excuse me for a second? I could use a moment for myself."

Wordlessly, Kat untangles her hand from mine. After shaking me off, she exits the kitchen without looking back at me.

Helpless, I watch her leave, terrified I just might have fucked things up.