“No,” she says, crossing her arms. “Keeping me here without a phone is insanity, Anton. You can’t do that. What if I need to call for help? What if you’re not here and I need to call you?”
“You won’t have to worry about that anymore,” I tell her. “I’m going to ask Mikki to stay here and look after you while you’re here.”
“That’s not enough,” she says. “That… that woman came in here and threw me around like a rag doll and Mikki was a room away. If you hadn’t come home when you did?—”
“Katerina wouldn’t dare try to kill you,” I say with confidence. “And she won’t dare try to hurt you again. You do not have to worry about her.”
“Excuse me for not being convinced of that. I need a phone in this room, Anton. If I’m going to stay here, I should at least have that in case of emergencies.”
“Right. Emergencies. Who were you talking to just now? Was that an emergent call?”
“I don’t see how that’s any business of yours?—”
“Of course it’s my business,” I growl at her. “When are you going to get it through your thick skull that every time you use a phone in this house, somebody could be listening? If your little friend’s phone was tapped and you told her all about where you were, then that’s it. The wrong person just found out where you are. No matter what, Natalya, the best way for you to stay safe is if no one knows you’re fucking here.”
She stares me down, her jaw clenched. She’s still in my way.
“What did you tell your friend?” I ask her again.
She turns her head away from me.
“Natalya.”
“I didn’t tell her anything that would hurt you, okay? Not anything that she didn’t already know. I called her because I needed somebody to talk to after what happened. I needed my friend.”
I nod, feeling the sting from that statement. I guess I’m not safe enough for her to talk to. “That all?”
She shifts her feet uncomfortably. “My father went to see her. I needed to find out what he said to her.”
I tilt my head at her. “He’s been to her apartment?”
“Yes. That’s what I was trying to tell you before. He’s looking for me. I needed to know that she didn’t give him any clues to my whereabouts, which she couldn’t anyway because I hadn’t told her where I was.”
I nod. That’s some good news, at least. Still, one ounce of doubt and her best friend just became a liability. “You’re not to talk to her again. Not while you’re here. Not while you’re under my protection. Got it?”
She looks at me with big, hurt eyes. “I don’t understand?—”
“Do you understand, Natalya, that if someone kills you, then I’m going to have to kill them?” I tell her through clenched teeth. “And I don’t give a fuck who it is. Kat was lucky to get out of here with her head still attached for what she did to you. It took everything in me not to turn her into a grease spot on my front porch.” I sigh heavily, my emotions starting to get the better ofme. “I will burn down this entire town and everyone in it if harm comes to you. Get me?”
I see the realization hit her.Finally.
“This is for your own good,” I say to her. “Don’t defy me again, Natalya.”
She gives me a reluctant nod, then she steps aside.
I take the phone and put it in the safe in my room. When Iggy’s nephews get here, I’m going to have them go through all the other rooms and get those phones too.
Over the next few days,she’s avoided me for the most part. When Iggy sent his people came to clean up the blood stains and help her with the clothing, she interacted with them but gave me a wide berth.
I can’t be upset by this. It’s all probably for the best. At least for now. I understand now why I wanted to keep things platonic between us. It all gets complicated when sex is introduced.
The job Iggy did was perfect. There’s nothing of the mess that Mikki made. The sun is starting to set and the living room still smells heavily of cleaning products, but it looks pristine. So do my front steps. Thank goodness for Iggy’s connections.
I’m in my study, sitting by my writing desk, drink in my hand. What am I going to do with Natalya… especially given everything that Nikolai told me?
I’ve spent this week being introspective about it, thinking it all over carefully. Even if she were talking to me, I’d still bereluctant to tell her anything about the conversation until I’ve fully wrapped my mind around it. If he’s right, then it means I started a war with his Bratva because of the workings of someone else. And to that end, Nikolai could very well have sent his men to kill me before anyone was the wiser and someone else would be running this Bratva. A decision like that would send everyone into chaos. I haven’t even had time to choose a potential successor.
A knock on my wall. I look up to see Mikki standing in the doorway. I frown a little. I didn’t even know he was here.
