“And you will do what, Artim Ivanov? I don’t trust you. What would stop you from kidnapping me?”
He sighs, “You will be in the middle of a MacTavish club with bulletproof security. Even if you wanted me to, there’s no way I could get you out of there. I will scan your chip and upload the information. It takes a matter of seconds. Then, I can disable the chip for you if you wish it. We will send you a notification of your bank information within the week.”
“I don’t want anything from the Ivanov Bratva,” I say numbly. “Just take the codes and go.”
“You’ll be there, Morana Ivanova?”
Looking around my lonely bedroom, I shrug. “I’ll be there.”
Chapter Sixteen
In which we are introduced to the immortal phrase, “Ya’ finger licking shit monkey.”
Morana…
I don’t see Cameron until the next day, when he creeps into my bedroom, waking me up with slow kisses down my neck.
“Good morning, wife,” he murmurs, heading lower toward my breasts.
Grabbing his hair to halt his progress, I make him look at me. “A little presumptuous,husband.”
He chuckled, sitting up. “Aye, you’ve not seen hide nor hair of me for a day and a half, have ye’? I’m sorry. This new club has been a bear to open.”
I’m still puzzling over what a bear would have to do with it when he starts those diabolical kisses again. “Stop! What’s- what’s this about a club?”
“Aye, I’ll be taking you there tonight for the grand opening. Pick something sexy to wear. Not too sexy!” His gaze goes down the length of me, still in bed and clutching a pillow to my chest. “Something with a high neck. And long.”
Laughing a little, I try to ignore the ache in my chest. “I’ll see what I can find.”
“How many clubs and bars does your family own?”
We’re heading into the New Town section of Edinburgh, where the latest MacTavish club is opening on George Street.
“Twenty-eight,” Cameron says, intent on his texting. “Along with thirty restaurants, a handful of spas… they’re excellent for laundering money. Most are in Glasgow and London, a couple in Paris.Gnìomhan Dorchais our biggest one thus far.”
“Gnìomhan Dorcha?”
Now he looks up, a slow smile spreading over his face as he touches my nearly bare thigh. “Club Dark Deeds.”
Moving my leg away, I look out the window again. “Seems fitting.”
If my chilliness offends him, Cameron doesn’t say anything about it. Smiling rakishly, he says, “There’ll be a lot of media there tonight, we have most of the players from the Celtic F.C. coming in. Smile and show off your pretty ring, darlin' and I’ll show off my pretty wife.”
Forcing a smile, I remind myself that he’s just like the others. Everyone wants something from me. He’s not any different.
A flurry of shouts rises from the long line of people waiting to get in as we exit the SUV. As we pass the main entrance, the steel security fence breaks in two places and there’s a melee as the crowd tries to take advantage of it. I see Hamish urgently speaking into a headset and three of the security men racing to contain the breach.
“How the hell did that happen?” Cameron snaps at Hamish, who looks bewildered.
“I dinna’ know,” Hamish says, “all the security fencing was double-checked this afternoon.”
Just my version of malicious workplace compliance,I think. You wanted me. You get all my catastrophic karmic baggage too.
Smoothing down my glittering black dress, I notice I’m likely the most covered up of any woman here, though there’s a long slit up the side of my skirt. I picked a dress that left my shoulders bare to make it easy for…
What am I doing?
I’m really going to throw myself into the mouth of the dragon? I could tell Cameron that my horrible cousin is here tonight. He could take him and that would be one less threat from the Ivanov Bratva.
