“Who else lives with you?” I ask.
“It’s just me and my brother. I mean, the guys stay over all the time, but they don’t live there.”
“No one else?” I ask, lifting a brow at her because of course she wouldn’t think to mention her live-in maid.
“Well, there’s Maddie, but she just cleans for us.”
The dismissive tone of her voice has Vasily saying in Russian, “Don’t lose your temper, Volodya.”
“You guys are that Russian mafia group, aren’t you?” Kaylee asks. The fear is leaving her eyes, and in its place is a look that I’ve seen in far too many women’s eyes. Power is a potent aphrodisiac to most women.
“Tell me about Maddie,” I say, ignoring the hungry look she’s starting to give me.
She snorts out a harsh laugh. “Why do you want to know about her? She just cleans our house. She’s a loser. She couldn’t even keep her boyfriend. We went to high school together, and now she scrubs my toilet. Fucking pathetic.”
I’m standing in front of her before I’ve made the conscious decision to move. When she reaches her bound hands out to me, I smack them away roughly and lean down so my face is close to hers, wanting her to see how angry I am.
“You don’t get to touch me.”
She nods quickly, her eyes wide with fear.
Switching to Russian, I tell Vasily, “She can stay here until Scott cooperates, but I need to get the fuck out of here before I kill her. I’ll have someone come and help Oleg so they can watch her in shifts.”
Kaylee watches me, having no idea what I’m saying but knowing it’s about her. I don’t like her, and I don’t want her here, but we can’t let her go just yet. Standing, I turn to Oleg and switch to English. “I’ll give you a bonus for this. Anyone who has to babysit this bitch deserves one.” In Russian I add, “Don’t you dare fuck her. I don’t care how much she begs for it, because, believe me, she will. She’s not getting the attention she wants, and she’s going to want your cock to prove she’s still got what it takes.”
“I won’t touch her,” he promises.
I turn to leave while Vasily tells her, “We’ll give you some time to think about your options. Maybe a few days as our guest will help you to remember something important.”
“What? You can’t just keep me here against my will,” she screeches.
We ignore her and leave. I tell Oleg on the way out, “Feel free to duct tape her mouth again.”
He’s already reaching for the tape before we’ve even shut the door. Vasily scrubs a hand over his face. “God, she’s annoying.”
“Makes me happy I kidnapped the wrong girl. If the real Kaylee had been there, I’m not so sure she would’ve made it out of there alive.”
“You’re just irritated. I’ve never seen you kill anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
“First time for everything,” I mutter.
He laughs as he drives me back to the house. “I’m guessing you won’t need me there today while you question Maddie.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll let you know if I find out anything useful.”
He nods, and after he’s dropped me off, I go back inside with the dogs. It’s time to introduce them to Maddie.
Chapter 5
Maddie
When I wake, it takes me several seconds to piece together where the hell I am, but then it all comes crashing in. I’m tangled up in the blanket that smells like Volodya because he keeps the house freezing. I’d fallen asleep surrounded by him last night—his clothes on my body, his scent on the blanket, and the knowledge that he’s now my boss and I live in his house. I still don’t know what to make of him, but I do know that I can’t allow myself to become attracted to him, at least not more than I already am. I need this job, I need the money for my mom, and I can’t afford to let anything fuck that up.
Rolling over, I quickly sit up when I see my phone charging on the nightstand and all my things in a neat pile on the floor. What the fuck? He came in here while I was sleeping? A wave of embarrassment unlike anything I’ve ever known washes over me when I see the hamper full of clothes. Crawling out of bed, I kneel in front of it and pray to whatever god is listening for him to have not packed my underwear drawer. My face heats up when I dig through the clothes and see my purple dildo nestled on top of my panties and bras.
“Oh my god,” I groan, and barely have time to shove the clothes back down before my door is opened and his dogs come running in. I yelp and fall back on my ass. “Volodya!” I yell as the grey one comes running over, not looking the slightest bit friendly. I curl into a ball because I’m too damn scared to do anything else. I wait for the kill bite that I know is coming any second, but instead of fangs through my neck, I get a wet tongue on the hand that I’m cupping the back of my head with.
It’s the sound of a deep laugh that gets me lifting my head. Volodya’s leaning against my doorframe, clearly amused by what he sees.
