Chapter 19

Maksim~

W hen Katja had texted me that she needed to speak with me, I had immediately suspected the worst. However, she quickly regained my trust when she arranged for me to meet her at her work. Used to late-night emergencies, no one would think anything strange about reporting for work so late at night. Plus, with Artur now in charge of Mr. Antonov's care, Katja could come and go more freely.

So, after faking an emergency call, Katja went to the office to make it look like she was getting her necessary equipment, then she met me at one of our warehouses that was disguised as a legitimate business. I'd also had one of our kryshas meet her at the front door, taking the chance that Nikel wouldn't recognize him as one of ours. However, even if he did, it would make sense that I'd call my ‘girlfriend' to help me out with some computer issues, considering what she did for a living.

Watching as Jurik walked out of the room, once he shut the door behind him, I turned to Katja pacing the floor, then asked, "What was so important, Katja?"

"Klive ambushed me again," she announced, making my back straightened. "He keeps doing that, and it's starting to worry me."

"When you say again, do you mean after the first time?"

Katja shook her head. "No. He ambushed me at work the other week, and then he ambushed me while I was eating lunch at Birdsoup."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I snapped. "Why am I only hearing about this now?"

If looks could kill, then I'd be ash at her feet right now. "I don't exactly have permission to contact you, Maksim," she spat. "Plus, the last time that I saw you, I was too busy auditioning for you. I was more worried about keeping my grandfather alive than I was about Klive fucking Simpson."

"Watch yourself, lyublyu," I warned. "I am not in the mood to be generous."

Her eyes glowed like fire. "Are you ever?"

"You're still alive, aren't you?" I pointed out coldly.

I watched her take in a deep breath, doing her best to remember who she was speaking to. "After I first met him, he pretended to make an appointment for IT services, then showed up at my work," she said, beginning to explain. He wanted to know what I'd learn so far, but I had pointed out that you'd hardly give up all your secrets after only one night together. He mentioned us being cozy at The Swan, which confirmed my suspicions that he would be watching me to see if I followed through. As proof, he wanted details…details of what happened in the restroom, so I told him."

"You told him that I fingered your cunt in the men's restroom?" I asked, surprised that she'd do such a thing. After all, it wouldn't show her in a favorable light.

She looked like she hated my guts. "I told him that I did my best to impress you, and that it must have worked because you asked for my number. He didn't ask for it, which surprised me, but I wasn't going to borrow trouble. Anyway, I asked him what his endgame was, and he said that he wanted to kill you and Akim without it costing him his own life. He said in order for him to be able to do that, he had to find a way in, and he thinks that if you're…enamored of me enough, then you'll eventually give me access to your home. If that happens, then I can tell him what I know, helping him get into your home, or office, or whatever. When I pointed out that your death would bring down the wrath of Avgust Kotov, he said that he welcomes it."

"What else?" I asked. "What did he want this second visit?"

I watched her drop back against the table behind her, and I could admit that she looked exhausted. Though always beautiful, she looked genuinely worn out.

Letting out another heavy sigh, she said, "He knows that my grandfather is living with me now, so he wanted to let me know that he could still get to him, no matter where he lived. He also didn't like how I hadn't told him about the move, and when I pointed out that I had no idea of how to get a hold of him, he didn't like that, either. He warned me not to betray him and-"

"Do not leave anything out, Katja," I said, reminding her that I was far more dangerous than Nikel.

She licked her lips before saying, "He said that I had an incredible face and body, and that he didn't see why he couldn't…why you were the only one that got to sleep with me." Rage licked at the back of my neck instantly. "He…he wanted me to compare you both to see who the better lover was."

"Katja, I will say this only once," I told her. "If you let that man touch you, I will kill you myself."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Because you actually think that I would let him touch me? Are you fucking serious right now?"

"What did you say to him?" I asked, ignoring her outrage.

She let out another deep breath, seemingly trying to calm herself down. "I told him that he'd be risking any progress that we've made. I told him that you'd know, and not only would you kill me, but you'd never trust another woman again. I…I told him not to allow his anger to cloud his judgement."

"Did it work?"

She nodded. "He said that he'd leave it alone for now. However, once he's taken care of you and Akim, he said that…that he's coming for my pussy, and that I'd better be ready. He also told me that if he finds out that I'm double-crossing him, instead of killing me, he's going to keep me alive and do unspeakable things to me."

Though I already had plans on tearing Nikel Ovchinnikov to pieces, now I was going to make him pay for tormenting Katja the way that he was. If he wanted a front-row seat to the unspeakable, then I was going to be glad to show him.

However, before I could let Katja know that, she asked, "How have you guys not caught him yet, Maksim? He knows enough of our whereabouts that he has to be following us, so why haven't your men picked up on a face that keeps appearing wherever you or your brother are?"

I did not like her insinuating that we were incompetent.

"Contrary to what you may have seen on television, but we've a multi-million-dollar empire to run, Katja," I told her. "We've an entire state that we operate in, and so we don't have a lot of available bodies to just keep their eyes to the streets. I also do not appreciate you implying that we're not doing our best to catch the sonofabitch, because we are."

"Well, then your best sucks," she spat, and I had my hand wrapped around her throat before she could even blink.

"Would you like to repeat that?" I asked, my voice deceptively low.

"No," she bit out through clenched teeth, remembering her place.

Letting go of her neck, I said, "You will meet me at The Swan again tomorrow night. However, before we get to that, I want to make sure that the man approaching you is really Nikel."

Her brows furrowed a bit, but she didn't say anything as I pulled out my phone, then showed her a snapshot of the picture that Morocco had managed to get for us. If he was wearing a disguise, then she'd be able to tell us, and it was stupid that I hadn't thought of it earlier. My only excuse was that she was affecting me more than was wise.

"That's him," she finally confirmed.

"So, he's not wearing a disguise when he visits you?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. Now, that's not to say that he's not wearing one when he's spying on you or us, but when he's ambushing me, he looks exactly like he does in that picture, only a bit older."

Putting my phone away, I said, "You will meet me at nine o'clock at The Swan. From there, you'll accompany me to my home. If Nikel is watching as we all suspect, then he'll know that I am taking you to my place. He'll think that his plan is working, and I'm willing to bet that he'll probably approach you again the next day to satisfy his curiosity."

"Fine," she sighed tiredly. "Whatever you say, Maksim."

I took her chin in my fingers. "Nothing has changed between us, Katja. You will continue to spread your legs for me, no matter how angry at me you are. There is no way out of this for you, except for one, and that choice will leave your grandfather with no one."

Katja jerked her face from my hold. "You can save your threats, Maksim. I haven't forgotten my role in all of this."

" Lyublyu, you really need to learn how to control that temper of yours," I said, quietly reprimanding her. "I've little patience as it is. My graciousness will run out sooner or later."

Ignoring that, she asked, "Are we done here? I'm tired and want to go home."

"I will see you tomorrow night," I told her, refusing to give her attitude any credit. "Wear something that is designed to drive a man out of his mind."

"Of course," she bit out before turning to leave, and I let her go, giving Jurik the nod to follow her out to her car. While I did not like her driving around at night by herself, I had to remind myself that that was part of her job, and if I wanted to keep her, then I was going to have to find a way to make that work.

Saving my issues with Katja for another time, I pulled out my phone, then dialed Avgust to let him know what was going on, and that I was going to absolutely destroy Nikel once I got my hands on him.