6. Kat

6

I'm shocked to find the penthouse crawling with people at the crack of dawn.

After the previous day's excitement, I expect to wake up feeling completely drained and exhausted. Instead, to my astonishment, I rise with the sun, eager to learn what surprises today will offer. That's why I make quick work of getting ready for the day and exit my room less than half an hour after waking up.

To my surprise, the rest of the place is practically buzzing with Nik's men's restless energy. Most of them pay me no mind as they march up and down the hallways, off to do our master's bidding.

I go straight to Nik's office, not even bothering to search for him anywhere else. The room's paneled door is wide open, so I enter without knocking.

From behind his desk, Nik raises his eyes, surprised to see me. He smiles at me, and it's hard for me to suppress a sigh. He's exceptionally breathtaking this morning, dressed in a black cashmere sweater and jeans. His sleeves are rolled up, and his hair is an adorable mess.

"You're up early," Nik says.

"Clearly, not as early as everyone else. Did you even get any sleep?"

"Enough."

"What does that mean? How many hours are we talking about here?"

Nik picks up his steaming coffee mug before shrugging. "Definitely less than I wanted, but probably more than I could afford."

"Well, you obviously have a lot going on." I wave my hand around, pointing towards the activity outside his office. "So I don't want to bother you. Just give me my marching orders, boss, and I'll get out of your hair."

Nik's eyes soften, and he comes around his desk until we're mere inches apart. He pulls me into his arms. As soon as the comforting warmth of his body envelopes me, I sigh, melting against him.

"You could never bother me."

I scoff, burrowing myself deeper into his arms. "You and I both know that's not true."

Nik chuckles. "Speak for yourself," he says against my ear.

Dmitri's voice reaches us from the doorway. "Ah, love's in the air, I see."

"Good morning, Dmitri," I say in greeting. Nik's only acknowledgment of him is a disapproving grunt.

"Good morning, Kat. Nik. Am I interrupting something? Please tell me I am," Dmitri says. He sighs whimsically, and I can't help giggling.

"Stop encouraging him," Nik says, chiding me. "He'll grow even more annoying if he thinks he's amusing you."

I shrug. "Well, he is amusing me. Besides, I'd argue he's doing it for your benefit. Your visible disapproval of his teasing remarks is all the motivation he needs."

"No comment. I won't confirm or deny anything," Dmitri says. Nik rolls his eyes.

"Since you're here, Dmitri, there's something you can do for me. You're taking Kat shopping. Or wherever she wants to go," Nik announces. He raises his voice an octave in warning, shooting Dmitri and me a serious look. "Within reason, of course."

I sigh, shaking my head. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but what the hell are you talking about, Nik? We have work to do."

Nik wastes no time in correcting me. "No, I have work to do, which is why I need you to go for a ride with Dmitri. You're just too distracting. I can't think straight with you this close to me."

"Oh, come on, Nik," I protest, somehow resisting the urge to kiss him. "It's the bottom of the ninth and the bases are loaded… you can't just bench me now. Not when I'm about to hit a home run. I was so close to getting McGuire to brag about killing Maxim before you threw your little jealous tantrum."

Dmitri groans. "Come on, guys. You're killing me here," he says. "Do you have any idea how frustrating it is that nobody will believe me about this?"

Nik ignores him completely. "Kat, that's out of the question now. McGuire thinks I took his daughter. It's too dangerous. You're not getting within a mile of him."

I sigh. "Just because he's out for your blood doesn't mean he's out for mine. Maybe now he'll be even more motivated to steal me from you. He sure seemed pretty eager to do so last night."

"Thank you for the reminder, but it's unnecessary," Nik says through gritted teeth. "I assure you, I haven't forgotten."

I roll my eyes at him. "My point is that now's the time to strike. He's angry and desperate. Easy pickings."

"No. And that's my final word on this. The risk is too high."

"But the reward outweighs it by a metric ton."

Nik scoffs. He scowls at me, shaking his head with outrage. "It sure as hell doesn't. I won't put you in danger."

"Just think about it, Nik," I plead with him. "Maybe his rage is solely directed at you. For all we know, McGuire might think I'm completely innocent."

"It doesn't matter if you think he does. We're not taking the risk."

I groan in frustration. "Nik?—"

He cuts me off before I have a chance to protest. "Save your breath. I won't change my mind about this. The only way you're getting within a mile of McGuire is over my dead body. And I'm a hard man to kill."

"It's true," Dmitri adds, amused. "Better men than you have tried, Kat."

"Maybe I'm the right woman for the job."

"I know you think I'm being unreasonable, but trust me, I could say the same thing about you right now," Nik says. He has the nerve to smirk at me. As I narrow my eyes at him, he adds, "Hey, if you want to make me pay, here's an idea—take my credit card and put it to work. Do your worst."

"Careful now, Nik. I think you're dangerously close to underestimating me."

Nik grins at me, and my anger dissipates a little. "Oh, I'm not making that mistake again. Trust me on that one." He winks at me.

Dmitri sighs, shaking his head in mock despair. "He just winked at you," he says. "I never thought I'd live to see the day Nikolai Stefanovich would playfully flirt with a woman."

I roll my eyes at Dmitri before grabbing his arm. "Come on, Ken," I say. "We're going for a ride."

"I think you just insulted me," Dmitri says with a laugh.

I turn to face Nik again. "No goodbye kiss for you this time," I inform him.

Nik sighs, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Six figures really don't buy you as much today as they used to, do they?"

I scoff. "Six figures? Please. So much for you not underestimating me. For your information, I happen to know how much you're supposedly worth. I wouldn't bother getting out of the house for anything less than a cool million."

"Get something red, skimpy, and lacy, and I'll consider it money well spent," Nik says under his breath.

Dmitri chokes back his laughter as I level Nik with a no-nonsense look and stop by the office's door. "Feeling lucky, are you?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Ask me later tonight," Nik says, winking at me again. He gives me a sexy, sexy smirk before grabbing his phone from his back pocket.

"Let's go, Dmitri. We aren't coming back until Nik gets a call from the bank. I won't stop swiping his card until he begs me for mercy."

Dmitri chuckles. "Yes, ma'am."

"Dmitri," Nik says before we have a chance to leave. "Keep her safe. If anything looks off, get her home immediately."

"Don't worry, Nik. I'll keep your little kiska safe and sound."

"Watch it." Nik halfheartedly throws a paperweight at him, but Dmitri easily dodges it with a laugh.

I roll my eyes and pull Dmitri out of Nik's office.

Dmitri and I drive mostly in silence. He hums to himself through most of the ride, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of my playlist. For his benefit, I picked the most bubblegum pop soundtrack I could find, hoping to annoy him as payback for not taking my side with Nik earlier. Of course, it didn't work. Much to my chagrin, Dmitri took my girly music in stride.

While he dutifully and gleefully takes me from one designer shop to another, I cheer up. A content sigh escapes me as we enter one of my favorite high-end boutiques downtown. The crisp air-conditioned air blissfully welcomes us.

"See, this isn't so bad, is it?" Dmitri asks, with a teasing glint in his eyes. He smiles at me.

"I suppose not," I say with a slight shrug.

"I'll tell you something, Kat. If I had a multibillionaire man handing me his credit card and telling me to do my worst, I wouldn't waste my time pouting about it. Not a second, I tell you."

"Pouting, huh?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him as we look around the store.

"Well, don't worry. It's a good look on you. You pull it off beautifully," he says diplomatically. "Which is why Nikolai Stefanovich, of all men, handed you his credit card in the first place."

"Are you saying I'm all beauty and no brains?"

Dmitri emphatically shakes his head. "Of course not. I know better than to underestimate you, believe me. Besides, you obviously have more brains than all of us together, if the way you have him wrapped around your little finger is any indication."

"Dmitri…"

He shrugs. "Well, it's true. You've managed what no one else has before. Congratulations, milaya."

"You're going to get yourself into trouble."

Dmitri scoffs. "Just like you, Kat, I'm very rarely actually in trouble. Especially when women are involved."

"Oh, I see. Silly me. All this time, I assumed you were clueless about your good looks. But clearly, I was wrong if you're bragging about exploiting the power of your boyish charms."

With a heart-stopping smile, he dramatically winces, clutching his chest. "Ouch. Boyish charms, huh? You wound me, Kat,"

I roll my eyes at him. "I really doubt that. Besides, as you know very well, I meant it as a compliment."

"All I know is that you're ignoring the fact that I'm obviously all man. I won't hear any of that boyish charm talk. I'm not that much younger than you."

"Oh, yeah, right. Refresh my memory… How do you know that, exactly? You mean from when you spied on me for Nik, right?" I playfully punch his arm.

Dmitri shrugs, smirking. "Hey, it's not much, but it's honest work."

I scoff. "Not even close."

"Well, maybe not. But the way I see it, I was doing God's work in a way."

"Is that how you refer to Nik now? Laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?"

It's Dmitri's turn to roll his eyes. With a grin, he playfully messes my hair. "No, smart-ass. I mean it was all part of the process of bringing the two of you together. If you think about it, I was basically playing Cupid."

"I don't think you realize how ridiculous that sounds."

"Well, what can I say? I'm a romantic, milaya."

"Watch it, Dmitri. I happen to know Nik has broken men's hands for less than that."

Dmitri sighs. "I still can't believe he did that. I was half sure you two were fucking with me until I saw Vladmir with his hand in a cast with my own eyes."

"All I'm saying is I wouldn't push Nik if I were you. He's under a lot of pressure right now."

"No kidding. And unlike some of us, I doubt I'd get his black AmEx as a reward for challenging him."

"Maybe not," I say with a smug smile. "But it's obvious he has a soft spot for you. And you know it."

"Perhaps. But who knows? It's a brave new world I'm living in right now, where my good friend Nik does wild things like breaking his soldier's hand over a woman. But don't worry, Kat. You're safe with me. When it comes to you, I'm no threat to Nik, and he knows it, too."

"Well, duh, Captain Obvious. You don't need to tell me that."

His grin grows wider. "Oh, I'm telling him you said that."

I roll my eyes at him for what feels like the millionth time today. Curious, I say, "I'm guessing you're referring to the mysterious woman you mentioned before."

Dmitri sighs. "You make it sound so dramatic."

"Am I wrong?"

"I guess not," he says noncommittally.

"Don't get shy now. You seemed eager enough to stick your nose in my business."

"Your business is my business."

"Is that right?"

"You bet. As long as my pakhan is your business, I'll always get up close and personal with you."

"Lucky me," I say sarcastically. "Well, turnabout is fair play. So, spill the beans. I'm dying to know all about your secret girlfriend."

"Girlfriend isn't the word I'd use," he says with a sigh, mindlessly fingering a necklace half hidden under his shirt.

I study him for a moment. The always ice-cold Dmitri is restless, his slender fingers—covered in a ton of minor cuts—anxiously fidgeting. It's so out of character for him that I don't immediately notice the gorgeous emerald hanging from his delicate gold chain.

Curiosity almost bursting out of my chest, I ask him, "Well, does your not-girlfriend have a name?"

Dmitri gives me a distant look, and I know he won't answer my question. Still, I'm eager to hear what he says instead, having a feeling that whatever comes out of his mouth will be another piece of the delicious puzzle that is his love life.

I never get to find out for sure, though, as an ear-splitting scream startles us.