“I see,” I growl. “Your father didn’t send you because he thought our past might sway me. He sent you because he thought I wouldn’t hurt a woman if she’s the one making threats against me and my family.”
Katrina smirks. “That fling of yours is hardly family, but yes, my father was counting on your chivalry overriding your ruthlessness.”
“He was right. I can hardly make a violent move against a woman in a public setting. But let me make myself very clear: you don’t know me, Katrina. You know the man I used to be. The man I used to be had a bit more of a black and white view of the world, and he definitely didn’t have as much at stake as the one sitting before you. My morals, when it comes to my enemies, have grown much, much looser over the years.”
I lean in close so that Katrina doesn’t miss a single word. “If your family harms one hair on Ella’s head, I will destroy all ofyou. Not just your father, not just his company,allof you. I’ll make sure your mother is left a penniless widow. I’ll make sure you are blacklisted from the corporate world. I’ll ensure your brother’s drug habit grows far worse. It’s so easy to overdose these days, isn’t it?”
Katrina blinks hard but remains silent.
“Your family is not the only one capable of ending lives. It would be extremely unwise to underestimate what I would do to protect the people I care about.” I shove away from the table. “I’ll be in touch.”
I stand and so does Katrina. She blocks my path and brushes a hand over my shoulder. She leans in close and whispers in my ear.
“This doesn’t need to turn ugly, Asher. But it will if you continue to be stubborn about this.”
She plants a kiss on my cheek before I know what’s happening, and I yank my face away from her lips.
“Threaten me again and see what happens,” I growl, pushing past her. Fury lashes through my veins as I make my way out of the restaurant.
“Call Jenkins,” I bark at Robert as we reach the elevator. “Ella is not to leave the penthouse today, for any reason.”
I take my phone back out and call Ella.
“Hey,” she answers in a bright voice on the third ring. “I was just about to call you. How was your meeting?”
Any other time I would settle in and enjoy the warmth she exudes, even over the phone, but I don’t have time for that, not right now.
“Fine. But that’s not why I’m calling. I need to you to listen and do as I say.”
She pauses. “What’s going on?”
“TDC is pushing for the sale,” I say in a clipped tone. “The contract has been sent to the board, and I got a less than subtle threat toward you should I not agree with the sale. I can’t sell; itwould jeopardize too many things. So, until I have a handle on what’s going on, I need you to stay in.”
“What about work?”
“I’ll inform Emily of the situation. You’ll need to work remotely for the time being.”
“I hate this,” she says through a groan.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. But I can’t risk you.”
“What happens after you block the sale?”
“We find out what else TDC has up their sleeve, and we take them out. I’m past negotiations and niceties.”
A plan starts to form in my head as a cold, remorseless vengeance takes hold inside me. If Sergei wants a war, I’ll give him one.
And I’ll destroy everything he holds dear.
11
ELLA
“Again,” Waters demands, holding up his gloves. He’s taken over my self-defense training since Robert is in Singapore with Asher. After the threat from Katrina, and the attack from Kyle, Asher and the security team are dead set on me becoming as proficient as I can be at self-defense. So far, I think it’s going okay. With my years of dance, I can lock on to most of what Waters instructs me to do, but this is a whole different type of movement from what I’m used to. There are times I feel about as coordinated as a newborn giraffe.
I punch again, and this time I hit the pad on his hand closer to its center. Today’s focus is on how to land a punch without injuring my own hands or wrists. Last lesson was on the pressure points of an attacker’s body and how to inflict pain quickly and get away. Sometime soon, I’ll even have handgun training. I won’t lie, I’m nervous about that one. I’ve never even touched a gun, so I’m not sure how I feel about handling or shooting one, but it’s apparently something very common in Asher’s family. Even his mom knows how to shoot one.
“Remember, keep your elbow slightly bent or you couldhyper-extend it and injure yourself. Your elbow should never fully straighten when you punch.”
