“No reason.” She finally looked up. “Well, good night then, husband. I’m going to take a skin melting shower then go to sleep,” she said before tossing the phone on the bed, grabbing her smaller bag, and heading to the bathroom.
Staring at the door for a moment once she closed it, knowing she was disrobing as the water turned on, I almost took a step in that direction. Instead, my jaw clenched as I turned and headed downstairs for the night.
Chapter 14
Katarina
After a long, hot shower at my new home, I put on my comfortable cotton pajamas and climbed into bed, immediately texting Klara. I’d deleted the incriminating texts once we were getting close to our final destination but I didn’t need her sending more now that he had my phone. Plus, she needed the new number. Of course she was suspicious, and called to be sure it was me.
“Did he say why you needed a new phone?” she asked.
“No, but I’m not surprised. He’s very much like Papa in some ways.”
She laughed on the other end. “Well, you know what theysay, you always marry someone like your father.”
“Gross,” I said as I grimaced, not that she could see. She didn’t video chat, just immediately called once I’d sent a text to save my new number.
“Still no action, huh?”
Sighing, I said, “No. And he left me alone in his room. Our room. Whatever.”
“And?”
Picking at a tiny piece of lint on the soft, black comforter I asked, “And what?”
“What did you find?”
Sitting upright, I looked around.She’s right.I didn’t even snoop. I slinked off the bed with the phone to my ear. “I hadn’t had time yet, but I’m looking now.”
Pulling the drawers of the nightstand open, I found the charger he mentioned with several little cords coming off a block, so I tossed it on the bed. But besides a pistol, pocket knife, hand cream, and a deck of cards, there wasn’t anything else in the drawer.
“Hand cream and a gun.”
Klara asked, “Girly hand cream?”
“No, fragrance free.” Even though Klara wasn’t attached to anyone in the family, she still was around enough to not be bothered by guns lying around. Plus, of course he had them around. I didn’t know much about my father’s exact business dealings but overheard enough about guns between him andNiko. I was almost certain that’s why Hawk was in league with them. Why else would Papa be partnering with bikers?
“Any other drawers? What’s in the closet?” she asked.
Pulling the door to the closet, I said, “Mostly clothes, lots of jeans and some black pants. Boots. Oh wait.” I reached high up, but couldn’t get the box. “Hold on.”
Cradling the phone to my ear with my shoulder, I dragged the chair that was against the wall into the closet, climbed up, and opened the lid to the mystery box. “Oh, just another gun and some ammo.”
“Nothing else?”
Climbing down, I put the chair back and headed to the bathroom. “He has a lot of products.”
Looking at each one, I was intrigued. After grabbing the hair balm, I opened the lid. The woodsy scent with a touch of citrus that I’d already become addicted to smacked me in the face. But the label wasn’t anything I recognized.
“Hold on, I want to look this up.” Doing a search, apparently his hair and skincare products were all from a local business. “He shops locally. That’s sort of endearing.”
“And takes pride in his appearance. Clearly,” Klara said.
“Yes. Not what I expected when Papa said I’d be marrying a biker, that’s for sure.” I paused. “God, that was so snobby. But you know what I mean.”
“You’re not a snob. I know what you meant. He’s not a suit and tie kinda guy, that’s all. And honestly, that’s all you’ve been around your whole life. I still don’t understand how this allhappened.”
“Me either.” Closing the lid to the after shave lotion I’d been huffing as she spoke, I shrugged. “Either way, I’m some powerful man’s wife now. I just assumed we’d have gotten to know each other a little more–better– by now.”
