Something haunted dims the brightness on her face.
"You were there?"
"I was." Her lip wobbles and her eyes glisten but she reins herself in. "It took hours to wash off the blood."
Her tone of indifference is hollow. Katya is not the sort of woman who would so lightly brush off a man's death. I wouldn't allow her to be here if she was.
My people have dug into every aspect of her life. This Russian beauty is strong, independent and perhaps a little mercenary when it comes to protecting her bank balance, but she hasn't got a callous bone in her body.
In fact, all I've learned about Katya tells me she's extremely compassionate.
"So your father murdered Mikhail and then made peace with his brother?"
Katya nods. "With me as the sweetener."
"I'm surprised he accepted."
I may not have spoken to my brothers for a while but if someone hurt either of them I would bring the full weight of my wrath down on them.
Katya smiles tightly.
"He wants to fuck me until there's nothing left and then torture me to death."
She's a smart woman. My guess is that's exactly what Orlov wants from her. He isn't someone who's been on my radar until now, but I've heard he's known for his vengefulness. He won't take it out on Katya. I won't let him.
"And I'm your last resort?"
She shakes her head. "No, you're my preferred solution."
Interesting.
"You have other options?"
"I do."
That's where she's wrong. Until she walked through my door there might have been other roads she could take to save herself.
Now she's made a bed she'll have to lie in for the rest of her life because the moment she looked me dead in the eye she was mine.
I decide not to tell her that yet. Watching her playing the cards she thinks she holds is the most entertainment I've had in years.
"And where is your father in all of this? I assume the alliance you were trying to sell is unlikely."
She shrugs. "He's an opportunist. If you marry me, he'll look for the upside."
He won't find anything to take advantage of here. From what Katya's told me already I know I couldn't trust the man.
"You're not afraid of him, since he killed your lover?"
"Mikhail was a brief fling and no, I'm not afraid of my father. I can handle him."
The evidence suggests otherwise.
"Hmm."
I let the silence stretch between us. You can tell a lot about a person by how they handle a lull in conversation. Unlike most people, Katya doesn't rush to fill it.
Instead, she studies my face as closely as I'm examining hers. I'm surprised she's managed to stare at me for so long.
