“Are you listening?”Konstantine demanded.“I don’t have time to repeat everything.”
“I heard every word,” Mikhail said.“You’re explaining your company structure.”
“Yes, well,” Konstantine said, his temper appeased.“It’s time for a break.Organize coffee.”
Mikhail obligingly rang the kitchen for coffee to be delivered to Konstantine’s office.The older man clambered to his feet while Mikhail spoke with the housekeeper and wandered off to the bathroom attached to the office.
Konstantine reappeared, and with slow, ponderous steps, returned to his desk and sank into his chair.“Questions?”he asked, his features drawn but eyes bright with eagerness.Determination.
His father-in-law’s face was gaunt.His skin bore a yellow tinge, while two bright red balls sat above his cheekbones.He sounded utterly spent, with a weariness that went straight to the marrow.Yet, his resolve kept him going, and he never complained.
“No, everything is straightforward.You keep impeccable records.”
“When I took over from my father, the paperwork was messy.It took effort to organize everything.What you see here is the work of many years.”
“Why isn’t your son taking over?Or your daughter?”
Konstantine barked out a laugh.“My daughter?Huh!That one is brainless and incapable of running a business of this complexity.She has trouble choosing her nail polish color.And my son.”He heaved a heavy sigh, audibly releasing his frustration.“The boy has been a disappointment since birth.He inherited his mother’s cruel streak, and while I’m ruthless and act when necessary, my men accept I’m fair.My son is callous and lacks leadership qualities.The person taking power after I’m gone requires strength, determination, and an iron will.He must approach his decision-making with an even hand, harsh when needed, but never vacillating.I have watched you for years and admired your conduct.Your grandfather is one of my friends.You will be good for my daughter and produce grandsons worthy of the Smirnoff blood.With you in charge, I have no fear that everything I’ve built will burn to the ground.”
Konstantine meant every word.This was important to him, yet Mikhail had this niggling feeling—no, not true.After his early dawn interactions with Konstantine’s children, he wondered if he should walk away instead of stepping into the midst of a power struggle.Yet part of Mikhail understood the man’s wish to leave a legacy.
Dragging his mind back to the present, he didn’t comment on Konstantine’s assertions, deciding to humor the man.“What else do you want me to see?”
“You’re an experienced businessman who can turn your hand to any problem.I want to give you signing authority on my accounts.”His gaze locked with Mikhail’s, and a shrewdness crept into his eyes.“Don’t use this right until I am no longer here.While I have breath, I prefer to authorize payments.”
Mikhail dipped his head in silent agreement.
“I need your word,” Konstantine insisted.
“You have it.”Mikhail replayed Konstantine’s assertion of Mikhail’s business experience.It was true he understood Smirnoff’s business-speak, yet he encountered brick walls when he pushed for memories.Those walls in his mind were far-reaching and scary.Impenetrable.Why couldn’t he remember the past?Why?He bubbled with frustration but kept his expression composed.
In his memory, his life started here at the estate, but when Konstantine spoke to him, he had no difficulty dredging up the correct responses, the right experiences to join the discussion.Konstantine had mentioned a grandfather, but Mikhail couldn’t grasp a face to match the name.
The mystery woman floated in and out of his memories, fleeting and insubstantial, yet he sensed her importance.When she appeared, warmth suffused him.Happiness.Contentment.He felt whole when he thought of her, and he wasn’t sure what this meant.Then there was the tiger…
Realizing he had drifted again, he found Konstantine had also gone silent.Something had upset the older man because a tear ran down his face.
Mikhail stood, and when Konstantine glanced at him, he said, “I’ll sign whatever papers you want.Let me know when you’re ready for me.”
“My lawyer is visiting this afternoon,” Konstantine said.“I will need you to sign documents at two-thirty.”
“I’ll be here.”Mikhail offered a polite nod and left the office.No one loitered in the passage outside, and his steps slowed.Instead of returning to the main reception room where he was confident he’d find his wife or one of the many relatives who crowded the estate, he let himself out a side door leading into the garden.
A contented chuff reverberated through his mind, but his steps didn’t slow, and he didn’t analyze the weirdness of the strange sound echoing through his head.The pine scent tinged with flowers and grasses drew him deeper into the garden, away from prying eyes, and the two silent men who followed him whenever they spotted him leaving the main house.
Mikhail ignored their presence and kept walking until he reached the copse of trees surrounding one side of the estate.The green fragrance grew more potent, and he inhaled deeply, letting his breath and tension free.He freed his mind to drift and didn’t try to force his way past the walls in his brain.A vision of the woman floated into prominence, and he clung to that, holding the image in his mind’s eye.
Who was she?
His footsteps slowed, and a surprising feline purr rumbled from him.The woman wasn’t a classic beauty, not like his wife.Her body appeared strong rather than feminine, and her large breasts drew his eye.She radiated strength and determination.A woman like this, standing at his side, would be invaluable, and he wished he knew her identity.
Longing crept through him—a hint of despair.
Another weird growl rattled his brain, and his two silent guards burst from the trees and raced up to him, weapons extended.
“Get down,” one snapped.
Mikhail ignored the order.
