Most women I've met since the attack haven't wanted to linger on my face but Katya has shown neither revulsion nor the pity I dread so much.
After a while, the quiet becomes uncomfortable for her. She wriggles on her seat, picking a piece of fluff from her skirt before clearing her throat.
"So you know I bring baggage."
"Baggage?" It seems Katya has a gift for understatement. "We'll be lucky if you don't bring all-out war down on us."
She sighs heavily. "Why did you agree to meet me? Knowing all the trouble I bring, why not simply refuse?"
"Because you interest me, Katya and I'm not afraid of getting bloody to possess the things I want."
"So you'll consider marrying me?"
That was decided before she walked through the door.
No matter how this meeting went, she was the most suitable woman who's crossed my path.
Again, I withhold my thoughts from her.
"I don't know, Ekaterina Olegovna Kuznetova." She stiffens at my use of her full name. "Are you worth it?"
She raises her chin, just a fraction. "Yes, I'm worth it."
"Arrogant little thing, aren't you?"
She shakes her head. "I'm aware of my shortcomings but I also know what I bring to the table."
It's a good response.
"There's something else I'm curious about, Katya." I lean forward. "How did you get out of Russia?"
"When I called Niamh and she said you'd agreed to meet, we arranged for her to collect me on her private jet. One of the guards has a soft spot for me so when it was time to go, I persuaded him to let me leave unaccompanied. I drove straight to the airfield and we flew here last night."
I nod, already knowing all this. "That guard was Peter Androvich?"
She blinks rapidly. "How do you know? Does he work for you?"
"No, he works for Boris Orlov. They landed in Rome two hours after you did."
"Boris is in Rome?"
"He is."
She swallows hard. "So Peter let me out so Boris could find me unprotected?"
"That would be my guess. You're lucky you got to Niamh before Orlov got to you."
Her face blanches as she realizes the seriousness of her situation. She clasps her hands tightly on her lap and stares down at them.
"Are you going to let him have me?"
How simple my life would be if I was the sort of man who could knowingly send an innocent woman to her death.
"That depends on whether you're willing to accept my terms."
"What are they?"
"We marry straight away and you fulfil your marital duties."
