An Obsession with Vengeance (Wanted Men Book 3) Page 9

  Maksim’s vision quivered with a quiet rage. Taking away a woman’s choice about who she welcomed into her body was something abhorrent to him—as it should be—ever since he’d had to sit helplessly by while listening to the girls in his neighboring cells get raped by their captors.

  “Did he touch you?”

  She shrugged. “He grabbed me, but my bouncers showed within seconds, so it was okay.”

  “It was not okay. Nor was what he said. When I punish him for both on your behalf, I’ll try to make it so you’re present.”

  She leveled a puzzled look at him. “For weeks now, you’ve basically been saying the same things to me. Just because you’re smoother and more practiced, why should he deserve punishment when you don’t?”

  “Don’t put me in the same bracket as a man who would most likely have to resort to rape to get inside you, Sydney,” he said bluntly. “I’m pursuing you because I find you too desirable not to. He wants to use your body to appease his hurt fucking feelings. One would be for pleasure, the other for vengeance. Tell me you see the difference.”

  Cheeks pinking up, she nodded as another shiver racked her.

  “Come here.”

  Her head tipped to the side, and her mouth went crooked. Had he spoken Swahili?

  “Sorry?”

  He patted the spot next to his thigh. “You’re cold. I’m not.” He was actually throwing off enough heat to melt a glacier. “You should be wearing a warmer jacket.”

  Her index finger waved like a wiper blade. “No, thank you. I’m fine.” She paused and then narrowed her eyes. “And really? I take back what I just said. That offer was like a middle school attempt at a grope. I’ve come to expect better from you.”

  He tried to smother a grin. “You’re uncomfortable, and I can help with that. There was nothing more to the offer. Not this time, anyway, since that part of our story has been put on the back burner.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that while we’re helping you deal with Morales, you’re going to have to keep your hands to yourself and your mind out of the gutter where I’m concerned. I know, I know,” he said in a long-suffering tone meant to chase that pinched look of anxiety from between her brows. “You were counting on a dirty weekend spent in my bed. But don’t worry—our time will come.”

  The sound of the wind whistling and the odd bird screeching was all he heard for a suspended moment.

  “I honestly don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so arrogant in my life. You think you’re really something, don’t you?”

  “It’s not arrogance, lover,” he clarified, having dealt with this accusation for years. “It’s knowing who you are without pretending you don’t. Do you go around bitching about needing a nose job or a chemical peel? Spew shit about liposuction or needing to go on a diet? Do you?”

  “No, of course not,” she said, as if doing so would be silly.

  “Why? Because you think you’re really something?”

  Her smile was slow in coming, letting him know she’d gotten his point.

  “It isn’t arrogance if you’re simply stating a truth. Fact one: you’re an exquisite little creature. Fact two: I’m a handsome guy. See? Nothing wrong with that.”

  “Other than stating it out loud and referring to me as a ‘creature.’ ” Crossing her arms over her middle, she changed the subject. “You never told me—why did Luiz contact your boss?”

  “As old-school as it sounds, most businesses in the area of Rapture are considered to be under the Tarasov umbrella. Which means other organized crime factions can’t touch you without going through us first.” Her slightly arched brow quirked, and something like pleasure flitted across her flushed features. That was appealing to her. Which part, though? Being protected? Belonging to a larger group? He filed it and went on. “What have you been doing with your buys?”

  Her eyes flared so wide, he reached a hand out and grasped her arm, thinking she was going down.

  “What is it?” he demanded.

  “Uh, nothing. I—I just remembered something I forgot to do,” she stammered.

  “What?”

  She shook her head and looked down, hiding her expression from him when her hair fell forward. He released her and set her straight, physically and verbally.

  “The time for evasion is over, princess. You’re no longer in a position to pick and choose what you want me to know. If you want our help, you’re going to come clean. When I ask you a question from here on out, I want it answered. Do you understand?”

  She hesitated and then nodded but didn’t raise her head.

  “What do you do with your buys?” he began again.

  “On the sixth of every month, I go to New Jersey and light a fire.”

  That was unexpected. “Do you?”

  She looked at him, and her crooked little smile was a beautiful fuck-you to Morales. She nodded.

  He frowned. “Today’s the sixth.”

  She nodded again, that flash of humor draining at his reminder. “I would normally have gone this morning after . . . uh, waking, but I didn’t sleep much and was too anxious about coming here to remember.”

  “Where is the product?”

  She said something but had turned to face the water again, so he didn’t hear.

  “Sorry?”

  “The trunk of my car.”

  He straightened with a jerk, his foot sliding off his knee to hit the wooden slats with a boom. “You have a load of illegal drugs in the trunk of your goddamn car right now?” he whispered fiercely even though they were the only two around, save for Micha and another of the boys.

  At another hesitant nod, he ripped out his phone and texted for a pickup.

  “You have a lot to learn about this business, little girl,” he growled as he replaced his phone when it was confirmed someone was on their way.

  “I don’t want to learn about this business, Maksim,” she said quietly. “I just want it to go away. I can’t believe I fucked up our lives so badly.”

  Hearing the strain in her voice, he watched her lean forward to rub wearily at her face. Realizing how out of her element she was, he softened and ran a hand down her back. She stiffened slightly as he found himself offering comfort to a female just for the sake of offering comfort. An oddity. “No one’s lives are beyond repair yet, Sydney. We’ll fix it up. Don’t worry.”

  She dropped her arms and turned to face him again. “I came to Rapture once.”

  He took his hand back, not sure his gesture was coming across as it was meant, and rested it on his thigh. “Did you?”

  “With Emily. It was just after I’d purchased Pant. We thought to check out the competition. Realized pretty quickly you weren’t it.”

  He grinned. “Did my place make you blush, Australia?” he teased. Her own place had cage dancers who wore next to nothing, so he didn’t think she was the squeamish type, but one never knew.

  She shook her head, and her spine grew long and straight in that way that told him she was adopting her high-on-her-horse attitude. “No. You practically having sex in the corner for all to see did.” She gave her attention to the Atlantic. “I guess we should talk payment for your services.”

  And there was the answer he’d been searching for. Or a part of it anyway. Why did she hold back even though she was clearly attracted to him? Because she knew who he was. Just as she’d said last night. She knew he’d fuck her and then toss her aside. Wouldn’t stop him from doing it, but at least now he understood a part of her reluctance. Why had she brought that up?

  He felt a pang of remorse that she’d seen what she had—not that he remembered the incident she was talking about. But then he thought, Why? He was a single man with no ties. Why shouldn’t he fuck who he wanted, whenever he wanted, and wherever he damn well pleased? And he wouldn’t have done so in his club. He�
��d have taken the final stage into the bedroom off his office.

  But he would have come damn close before changing locations.

  “Have I mentioned that high horse you sit on is an asshole? I hope you water it. Damn thing must be exhausted.”

  Her dainty jaw rippled. “I am not on a high horse.”

  He adopted a faraway call, as though he were trying to be heard from a great distance. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you from way down here.”

  “How old are you?” she asked with a sidelong look.

  He deliberately misunderstood. “Thirty-two. You?”

  A quiet sigh escaped her as she turned to watch a seagull riding the breeze. Or maybe her eye-roll took that long. “Payment, Russia? What will I owe you for your help?”

  “I’ll have to talk to Vasily about that,” he said and then got down to brass tacks. “Here’s the simple solution to your problem and what we’ve decided will work because it has before. You’ll pretend to be mine, because if you’re mine, Morales won’t dare touch you.” Her head swiveled in his direction as he continued. “You will do as I say—everything I say—at all times. You won’t argue, you won’t give me ‘a better idea,’ and you won’t tell me no. You will simply do as told. You also will not demand updates; if there is something you should know, I’ll make sure you know it. Do you agree? Say, ‘Yes, Maksim.’ ”

  Their gazes locked, and the banked heat swimming within those specks of green—that she swiftly blinked away and tried to hide—was a massive carrot dangling right in his fucking face. One he couldn’t do shit with until this was over.

  “I’d have to do everything you say?”

  In a perfect world, yes. But he doubted it would go down that way. “Yes. Starting with giving me this.” He reached into her front pocket and confiscated the small pistol he’d seen her feeling up when she’d first arrived. “Until I’m sure you know how to use it, you don’t carry it.” He continued before she could protest. “And rest assured, this will be strictly business. If I touch you or kiss you, I’m not doing it because I want to do it. I’ll be performing for our Mexican audience. Anything I do will be for the job. I will not, under any circumstances, force you into doing anything against your will—unless it will save your life. Because that’s what is ultimately at stake here.” She had to know how deep she’d fallen into the hole. “Once Morales learns that permission to engage you has been denied by our organization, he could be one of those who gets angry enough to seek you out and simply kill you to make himself feel better. You belonging to me will prevent the thought from ever manifesting into anything close to reality.”

  She was trembling steadily now, and he felt bad for that. But still he pushed. “Do you agree to those very loose and subject-to-change terms, Sydney?”

  With a resigned slump of her narrow shoulders, she gave him the only answer there was to give. “Yes, Maksim.”

  Something passed through him at hearing that. She’d sounded like the true submissive he was almost positive she was. He stood and pulled her up by her elbow. So tiny, he thought and was unable to stop himself from testing his theory. “You will obey me in all I tell you to do, even if you’re unsure. You will follow my instructions with the complete understanding that everything I do will be done with your best interests in mind.” Later that last bit would change to everything I do will be done with your pleasure in mind.

  Her anxious gaze remained on the stretch of sand beyond the boardwalk. “Okay,” she agreed. “Anything you say . . . I’ll do.”

  And that couldn’t have pleased him more.

  CHAPTER 5

  The bright fall sun had broken through the clouds and glimmered across the pool outside as Vasily sat at the twenty-foot dining table in his daughter’s kitchen; the scent of bacon hung in the air. He looked down the long stretch of polished wood and thought about Maksim’s new job, which would begin today. Looked as though they might have to add another chair. To keep up appearances, of course.

  Eva sat across from him, her long black hair shining. She was staring out the window, but her gaze kept flicking to him. She probably didn’t think he noticed, but since he normally watched her as closely as she watched him, it was hard to miss. And the bacon? Had to be her.

  “Kathryn also had cravings when she was pregnant with you,” he supplied because he knew she liked hearing about her mother. “She’d do with ham in a pinch but preferred bacon.”

  He was still having a hard time trying to process his daughter being pregnant. After being alone for so long, by his own choices, being blessed with Eva’s presence in his life had been incredible. But now she and Gabriel were giving him a grandchild, one he’d be able to watch grow from infancy into toddlerhood, then into a teenager and on to adulthood. He was warily grateful he was being given a second chance to enjoy all the things he’d missed out on by leaving Eva and her mother so many years ago. Even if his leaving had been in the interest of protecting them from his enemies.

  “As much as I love hearing about Mom’s cravings, it also makes me feel awful.” Her laugh sounded as though it had come from a constricted throat.

  He winced. “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that. You’re much more emotional than she was. I remember—shit, sorry. I was about to do it again.”

  “No. Dad, please.” She reached over and patted his hand where it was circled around his coffee cup. “I never meant I wanted you to stop talking about her. Please don’t ever do that.”

  She seemed sincere enough, so he finished. “I was going to say that I remembered reading about the runaway emotions caused by pregnancy, and I teased her the one time that she was missing a gene because she wasn’t suffering as most women did.” He chuckled, feeling an ache as he remembered Kathryn’s crestfallen expression as she’d stared at him across the pillows of their bed. “She certainly became upset then, asking me if I thought she would pass that on to you. I laughed but at the same time felt like hell for making her worry.”

  “That sounds so much like her.” Eva sighed, a small smile playing around her mouth as her gaze went outside again. Very preoccupied today. She pulled at the collar of her Columbia University hoodie. Going by that and her jeans, he guessed she wasn’t heading to the office today; she was normally dressed well enough to grace the cover of Fortune magazine.

  He’d been out of town and hadn’t contacted her but for a few quick phone calls. Could this be her version of the cold shoulder? He hid a smile. Her mother had never been able to stay mad at him for long. But Eva had to understand that if there was a chance a call could be traced, he would not make it. With her mother gone, killed by one of Vasily’s enemies, it was more important than ever that he do whatever he could to keep his daughter safe.

  “What’s the matter, precious? You don’t seem yourself today. Are you upset that I didn’t get in touch often while I was away? I only returned late last night, if that helps.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not upset about that. I know how busy you are.” She played with the corner of the cloth napkin in front of her. “Did you know Gabriel was going to ask me to quit working?”

  Boom.

  A cold blast of oh-shit hit him squarely in the face at the accusation layered in the question. As if she already knew what his answer was going to be. But he was honest with her. “Yes, I did. We spoke about the TarMor building not being quite as secure as we’d like. And the dangers of you traveling around the city, going to different board meetings without proper protection, hasn’t been sitting well with either of us.”

  Her eyes closed on a pained sigh. “I was hoping for a simple no. This sucks,” she whispered, and then said louder, “Why wasn’t I included in these conversations? I wish you both knew how awful it feels to have everyone know what’s going on but you. I thought we were through with this.”

  “When did Gabriel speak to you about it?” Had Gabriel demanded she quit, or had he gi
ven her the option to work from home, as they’d discussed?

  She reached out and quickly aligned the sugar bowl and creamer with her empty coffee mug before looking at him. He hadn’t seen her do that in a while. Her OCD—a condition Nika had been the one to tell him about—always kicked into overdrive when she was unsettled. “He told me last night. So you’re home just in time,” she said with a wry tilt of her lips.

  “What did he say?”

  “That he thought it might be better if I gave up my office in the city and worked solely from here.”

  Okay. That wasn’t so bad. Score one for the Italian. “That’s good.”

  Her expression fell, and she settled a glare on him. An actual glare. At him. He wanted to grin. She already saw him as nothing more than her dad. Not a ruthless organized crime leader she should fear. Just her old man.

  After having had to stay away for all of her childhood, it felt good that they’d reached this point. Especially since he’d never thought it would be possible for him to have a relationship with her at all.

  “Good? It’s not good. Believe me. After that suggestion—which I laughed at because I thought he was joking—he fired me! He freaking fired me! He can’t do that! He said I didn’t ‘need the goddamned job anyway.’ But it’s not just a job. It’s . . . I feel useful there. I went to college for four years to do what I’m doing now, and he wants me to throw that all away. I swear, just to spite him, I’m going to hand in my resignation and go to . . . to . . .” She snapped her fingers as though she’d missed an opportunity. “Not some random bottom-of-the-corporate-ladder gig. I’ll go see Lucian Fane! Markus said his brother is on his back all the time about needing someone with a good head for business. I’ll have to remember to throw that at Gabriel next time. Why do I always think of the good stuff after the fact? And why didn’t he tell me this was on his mind? Or you? You could have told me what was coming.”