I roll my eyes. I sincerely hope this story is going somewhere. “So, she’s feeling remorse for attacking Natalya. I could give a shit.”
“You don’t understand. The patron was Vladimir Petrov. Iggy said that he was there asking questions about his daughter. So, Vladimir sits down and starts talking to Kat and she tells him that Natalya is staying here.”
I stare at him, trying to discern his meaning. “Okay. All the more reason to get Natalya back before he finds out.”
“Anton, she’s not with Nikolai. Iggy says that he ended up leaving with Kat. I’m willing to bet that she told him every detail about her staying here. I think he might be the one responsible for this.”
“Mikki—”
“Think about it. Why would Nikolai go back on his word less than two or three days after calling the truce? After telling you he wasn’t responsible for Maksim’s death? Vladimir Petrov finds out that his daughter is with you and a few hours later, she gets kidnapped? That cannot be a coincidence.”
It can’t. Damn Kat and her big fucking mouth. I need confirmation before I act. I need to hear what happened from her mouth. “Find Kat. Bring her here. Now.”
“On it.”
He turns and leaves. I watch him go, my mind spinning. If Vladimir’s the one behind this, he’s playing a dangerous game. I was about to break a truce and restart a war over Natalya. I still might. It’s all a matter of who gets it.
I senteveryone home and told them to wait for my instruction. That was an hour ago. Now I’m pacing the floors, waiting for Mikki’s return. Night’s fallen and Natalya’s been gone for hours now. Who knows what’s happening to her?
I don’t want to think about the possibilities, so I start to theorize about Vladimir’s intentions. On the surface, it seems like a father launching what he thinks is a rescue mission, something I could understand completely. If only Natalya hadn’t been so adamant about not returning to him.
Her resistance to going back to her father wasn’t about childish pleas for independence. She was already living on her own. If she thought it was safe to return to her father in the face of someone possibly hurting her, she would have done it. She might even have had me bring her to him.
But that’s not what she did. She opted to stay with me for protection instead of the man she’s known her whole life.
It’s the thing that’s been bugging me this whole time. The pieces that are missing about their relationship. All I do know is that Vladimir doesn’t have the best intentions in mind for her. If I know nothing about any of this, I know Natalya is afraid of her father.
I also know the rules about sleeping with the daughter of another Pakhan… who’s also twenty years my junior. Is this just about honor, what he’s done? I had to kill two of his men. That incident is enough to spark war with me, but wouldn’t I start a war for someone I loved?
It still tastes bad to me and I can’t quite put my finger on why. It’s clear to me that I would do the same for Natalya. I almosthavedone the same.
When I get the truth out of Kat, I’ll go to him and we’ll talk man to man about this situation. It’s not expected or even acceptable in our circles, but the bottom line is that I love Natalya and like it or not, she is an adult and can make her own choices. If she chooses to be with me, then we will leave his home together. Hopefully, Vladimir will see sense and leave us in peace.
Headlights flash through the living room windows and I stop my pacing. Mikki’s back.
I go to the door and open it as he parks his car in front of the house. He gets out and I hear Kat yelling at him. He gives me a look of exasperation as he walks around to her side of the car and opens the door.
Kat gets out, or rather, stumbles out. Still drunk.
“This is bullshit,” she slurs. “You think you can just come to my house and pull me out into the night and not catch hell for it? Wait until I tell Vlad…” She turns slightly, realizing where she is. Her head whips around to Mikki and she starts babbling. “Please, Mikki. Take me home. Don’t bring me to Anton. Please.”
He grabs her by the back of the neck. “Come on, Kat. Time to pay the piper.” He leads her around the car toward the front door,pushing her toward the steps. She stumbles but catches herself on the railing. The moment she sees me, tears form.
“Anton,” she says. “I haven’t done anything. I stayed away just like you told me?—”
I’m down the stairs and on her, grabbing her by the arm and wrenching her the rest of the way up the steps. “Just need a little information from you, my dear.”
I push her inside. She stumbles, tripping over her feet and falling to the floor. I squat down next to her, meeting her terrified glare.
“I’m going to ask you something,” I say. “And you’re going to tell me everything you know. Give me the answers that I want andmaybeI’ll let you live.”
“You can’t kill me, Anton,” she says desperately. “Please. I did what you told me?—”
I grab her by the hair and say, “Just answer the questions and everything will be fine. All right?”
She stares up at me, her eyes shaking.
“Do you understand?”
