by Bella Rose
Viktor hid a smile. The idea of her hurting him in the night was ludicrous, but he would give her the benefit of her pride at least. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Chapter Three
Kira came awake slowly. She was deliciously warm, a change since she usually froze in bed at night regardless of the season. She did not want to open her eyes. It was like a glorious dream, and she didn’t want to wake and find herself back in her tiny studio apartment.
Then she realized that she was most certainly not in her apartment. This was not her bed.
Blinking away the sleep, she focused on a hand resting unobtrusively on her hip. It was large and male and most certainly not hers. She sucked in a gasp of surprise as the previous night came rushing back. Viktor. The threats to the local mafia women, and then coming here to this shabby little safe house where they’d had no choice but to share a bed.
Kira was curled up against Viktor’s chest. Her brain nearly fogged over as she tried to figure out how to extricate herself from the situation. Being next to him like this felt good. She couldn’t have even imagined how safe and secure she would feel within the embrace of a man. His grip felt gentle, and each exhaled breath whispered over her hair like a caress.
Her pride balked at the notion of letting him discover how easily she had been won over, though. Her father had spent years telling her what sort of man her husband really was. She did not want to be taken in so easily only to be cast aside once again after all of the danger was over.
Carefully slipping from the bed, she tugged her arms and legs away from Viktor’s grasp. He rolled to his belly in his sleep, and she couldn’t help but admire every sexy inch of him. Even covered in clothing, she could see the strength and vitality of this man. With a sigh, she left him behind and tiptoed to the kitchen to see if there was anything decent to eat in this dump.
VIKTOR WAS AWAKE just as soon as Kira’s feet touched the bedroom floor. He wished he could ask her what she had thought about the intimate way they had wound up sharing a bed, but that was out of the question for the moment.
He felt oddly rested in spite of the circumstances. In fact, he hadn’t felt this rested after a night’s sleep since Elena’s death. It was odd, but it had felt good to share his bed with a woman once again. Even if the woman in question would have probably preferred to share with a farm animal.
Rolling to a sitting position, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and contemplated spending another day exchanging barbs with Kira. Odd, but this didn’t actually sound too bad. Perhaps the two of them could come to some sort of agreement and be done with all the animosity. Getting to his feet, he padded out of the bedroom to find his estranged wife.
She was rummaging in the cabinets when he walked into the tiny kitchen.
“Did you find anything worth eating?” he wondered.
She didn’t startle at his voice, which suggested she was likely more aware of her surroundings than he gave her credit for.
Instead, she gave him a shrug. “There’s a box of some sort of sugary cereal with odd marshmallow shapes. Some milk. A few eggs. Nothing to actually cook with, but I believe these bananas are edible.” She gestured to the three speckled bananas sitting on the countertop.
“Any coffee?” Viktor asked hopefully.
“There is a coffee maker, but I have yet to find filters or actual coffee.” She gave a disappointed sigh. “I’m sure back at your place you have a cook or a housekeeper to make you breakfast.”
“Actually, I prefer to feed myself,” he told her with a laugh. “Although I will admit to having someone come in to clean twice a week.”
“That would be nice.” She picked up a banana and absently opened the peel. “I hate cleaning. It’s such a waste of time. If I have a moment where I am not at practice, I want to do something fun or relaxing.”
“Like what?” He chose another banana and opened it. Thankfully it didn’t have too many spots.
“I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies,” she mused. “But I certainly like to read.”
“There’s a library close to your apartment,” he recalled. “Do you visit there often?”
“Yes. Several times a week usually.” She cocked her head at him curiously. “I’m surprised you know where my apartment is.”
“I pay the rent.”
“Ah. That’s right.” Her face fell. “I forget.”
“I don’t mind,” Viktor found himself saying quickly. “It’s a pittance compared to what I would have offered you.”
KIRA COULD NOT tell if he was being nice or mocking her. She finished up her banana and tossed the peel into the garbage. Then she went and rummaged in her bag. She withdrew an exercise band and then sank to the floor to begin her stretching exercises.
“Are you preparing for the biggest rubber band war ever?” he asked.
There was nothing intimidating or mocking in his tone. He seemed to be just curious.
She gestured to the band. “These are low impact, resistant exercise bands. Many people use them, but I prefer to use these in my stretching to strengthen my feet.”
She wished she had not mentioned her feet, because his gaze went there next. She saw the slight widening of his eyes as he took in her bruised and calloused feet and toes. Hooking the band around the balls of her feet, she began flexing and releasing her toes to stretch her calves, Achilles tendons, and her actual foot muscles as well.
“I’m sorry.” He took a seat on the sofa, bracing his elbows on his knees and leaning forward with an earnest expression on his handsome face. “I mean no judgment, but that looks incredibly painful.”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” She removed the band and went into a straddle position. “When a dancer first goes up en pointe, the first few days after practice are agony. Our shoes are padded, but they are still fitted with wood blocks in the toe. We bind our feet to help. Still, it does hurt sometimes.”
“That doesn’t matter though, does it?” He was gazing at her with a sort of strange expression. She could not read it.
“I love to dance,” Kira told him. “It is really all I have ever wanted to do. When I am in the studio and we are practicing, everything else just goes away. There is nothing left but the music and the rhythm of Madame’s counting, and the dance. I love the challenge of learning a new movement and then shaping my body into that form.”
Kira knew he probably did not get it. Perhaps that was why she chose to show off just a little. From her spot on the ground, she lay on her back, bridged up, and then pulled her legs into a walkover. It was a simple tumbling maneuver that many dancers used in their agility training.
“Wow.” The warm appreciation in his voice made her blush with pleasure. “I could never in a million years do that! I don’t care how much I practiced.”
She pursed her lips thoughtfully. Not even noticing the forwardness of her actions, she reached out and tested the musculature of his calves. “I’m not sure. I think if you honestly wanted to try, you could probably master that in no more than a few weeks of practice.”
“A few weeks?” A grin played at the corners of his mouth.
“Sure.” She stood up and then picked up her right leg, drawing it up and holding it flush to her side with her toe pointing straight in the air. “Learning a movement like this one would take more time. You would have to first limber your muscles into being able to do the splits on the ground before you could attempt it while standing.”
He made a gesture as though he were grabbing his testicles. “Not to mention the severe damage to my equipment.”
Kira dropped her leg abruptly. “You know, I have always wondered how the male dancers manage. It must be so difficult when your anatomy is absolutely opposite of the body movement you’re trying to affect!”
VIKTOR STRUGGLED NOT to laugh out loud. The mystified look on Kira’s face was endearing. “Have none of the men you’ve taken to your bed answered that question to your satisfaction?”
She looked highly offended. “I�
��ve not taken any men to my bed. I’m a married woman.”
“Never.” Viktor felt ridiculous. “Not that I’m suggesting you should have, only that I had assumed…”
“Because you’ve taken plenty of women to your bed, that I would do the same?” Her tone was icy. “My father is very fond of telling me all about the women you parade around with.”
“Your father what?” Icy tendrils of fury wound their way through Viktor’s system.
“Papa has explained that a man has needs, and since I’m worthless at satisfying such things, you must fulfill them elsewhere.” She gave a shrug that led Viktor to believe she was more bothered by this than she wanted to seem. “It’s fair. I wouldn’t want to give up my dance career, and things like marriage and children often destroy a dancer’s ability to put in the hours necessary to achieve their goals.”
Viktor inhaled deeply and then exhaled. “It is true that I have slept with a few women over the years. They are always one night stands with no expectation of any sort of long standing attachment.”
Kira still didn’t seem to understand. “You said last night that you still belong to Elena. How would she feel about such a thing?”
He had never felt more convicted in his life. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Finally he found his voice. “I have always thought that by keeping my heart true to Elena, I was honoring her memory. But perhaps you are right. Perhaps I should have looked at what she would have thought of my actions.”
“I knew Elena a little bit,” Kira said quietly. “She was a kind woman. I liked her. But I cannot imagine her condoning something like a one night stand. Not that I’m particularly knowledgeable on that topic.”
Viktor wanted to argue. He wanted to say that Elena would not have cared one bit. But that would have been a lie.
“She was kind,” Viktor agreed. “And she probably would have smacked me upside my head for dishonoring the vows I made on my wedding day.”
“And yet I’ve hardly held up my end of the bargain,” Kira said with a sigh. “Therefore, I cannot hold it against you. If I wasn’t willing to act the part of a wife, I shouldn’t condemn you for finding someone who will.”
Viktor cocked his head to one side, trying to read through the careful expression she had in place. “You don’t really feel that way. I can see it behind that mask you wear.”
“No,” she admitted. “I don’t really feel that way.”
Chapter Four
Viktor steeled himself for the council meeting. Still, he could not get the image of Kira’s obvious emotional distress out of his mind. She had cared about his liaisons. Whether intentional or not, he had hurt her with those decisions. The notion bothered him a lot more than he would have imagined.
“Ah, Viktor!” Anatoly waved his hand to usher Viktor into the room.
The meeting was taking place in an empty restaurant one of the council members was currently renovating. For now, the place was a wreck of half finished walls and exposed brick and ductwork. Three tables had been set up in a horseshoe shape. There were seven council members, including Nicholas and Anton Berezin. Anton and Nicholas were at opposite ends of the room and glaring at each other. This did not bode well for Viktor and Kira.
By necessity, Viktor had left Kira behind in the restaurant’s foyer. Several of her father’s men were lounging about in there, so he felt confident in her safety. Although her reticence at being left with them did give him pause.
“Viktor!” Nicholas said sharply. “What’s this nonsense about letting Kira go back to the ballet?” Nicholas cast a dark look across the table at Anton.
Viktor approached his brother. “She has worked hard for a part in the ballet performance this coming weekend.”
“So?”
Anatoly and the other members of the council perked up at the argument going on.
Anatoly slammed his hand down on the table. “What have we discovered about these ridiculous attacks? Do we know who is behind this?”
“No.” Nicholas frowned.
Anton sneered at the elder Domnin brother. “And yet you are the one this council has backed to be our leader. I find myself unimpressed.”
Viktor ignored his father-in-law’s intentional ribbing. “And yet all of these attacks have occurred within Berezin’s territory. What has Anton to say about that?”
Anton sat back in his chair, looking smug. “I am a very important man. My men automatically become targets because of this. So does my daughter. I have three sons at home. Perhaps we should take her there for protection if Domnin isn’t capable of taking her in hand.”
Nicholas passed Viktor a glare before speaking. “No. We have it in hand. Kira is a Domnin, not a Berezin. We take care of our own.”
“And yet you think to let Kira prance about on stage in full view of whoever might want her dead?” Anton scoffed. “What idiocy is this?”
KIRA TRIED TO control the trembling of her limbs, but it was so very difficult when she felt like a lamb standing in a room full of wolves. She knew that Viktor had believed her safe with her father’s men, but that was because he did not know them.
“She has grown, has she not?” Vasily spoke to Ivan in Russian, knowing that she could still understand them.
Ivan nodded. “Ah, the boss would have given her to me had he not needed the connection to the Domnins.”
“That’s too bad.” Vasily made a big show of adjusting his crotch. “I’m sure you would have shared her with me had she belonged to you.”
“She’s a dancer, right?” Yakov chimed in. “Do you think that makes her more flexible in bed?”
“Da!” Vasily crowed. “You can take those legs and spread them wide open when you fuck her.” He began gyrating in an obscene fashion.
Kira bit her lip to keep from reacting. She knew what they wanted. They got off on her fear and revulsion. She did not know why her father kept such men around, but these three were the worst.
“Remember that last one?” Yakov said eagerly. “I got a few good thrusts in before she was broken.”
Kira started, unable to hide her shock as she stared at Yakov in horror. Was he alluding to an attack on another woman? Was there a real victim?
Vasily snapped something in rapid, halting Russian, using a dialect that Kira could not decipher. Yakov’s mouth closed and did not open again, and the men stopped their taunting.
Inching toward the entrance to the meeting, Kira wondered if these three men would actually pursue her if she left the foyer where she had been ordered to stay. She suspected they would not want to call undue attention to themselves if they had been committing crimes outside the jurisdiction and orders of the organization.
“Hey.” Vasily finally seemed to notice her. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going in to find my husband,” Kira said primly. Without waiting another second, she did just that.
There was a scuffle behind her as the three men tried unsuccessfully to catch her. Fortunately for Kira, she was not only quick but also agile. She spun gracefully around Yakov’s grasping hand and through the door into the room where the council was meeting.
All seven of the council members looked up when she entered. Kira swallowed nervously. She was a woman. She did not belong here. Yet she truly only wanted to find Viktor. For some reason, she felt safe with him.
“Kira?” Viktor looked confused. “I asked you to wait outside.”
“I was worried,” she said lamely. “I’ll just stand back here out of the way.”
Anton pointed at her. “See how willful she is? She needs a man to take her in hand, not to coddle her.”
“This is your daughter you speak of.” Anatoly narrowed his gaze at Berezin. “You are awfully eager to see her punished.”
“I simply find it ridiculous that she be allowed to continue dancing.” Anton’s lofty voice didn’t sound to Kira as though he meant what he said. How odd.
“Kira will continue to dance, and that is
final.” Viktor’s voice carried throughout the room. “She is my wife and my responsibility. I promised her the day we were married that I would not make her stop dancing. I’m not going back on my word now.”
VIKTOR COULD FEEL Kira’s gaze boring into his back. For some reason, this gave him resolve to defy not only her father, but his own brother as well.
“You would openly defy me?” Nicholas hissed in anger. “How dare you?”
“Is it considered open defiance to make a decision about my own family that is not consistent with your wishes, Nicholas?” Viktor demanded. “Or must we all choose the Nicholas method of handling our wives, children, and affairs of the home? You are my brother and my boss, and you hold my loyalty when it comes to matters of business. But this is personal. I must make this choice for myself.”
Behind him, Viktor heard Kira give a little squeak. He could only hope that was a positive thing, because he had just given the bear a mighty big kick in the pants. As evidenced by the particular shade of puce that colored Nicholas’s countenance as he responded to Viktor’s challenge.
“You dare?” Nicholas thundered.
Anatoly snorted. “Nicholas, the man has a point. This is his family business. The killer is council business. We have casinos to run and whorehouses to visit. We can hardly stand around spending all of our time worrying about everyone else’s women. This is a time that a man should be worrying about his own wife.” Anatoly made a sarcastic gesture toward Nicholas. “Perhaps if you would finally marry, you would have something else to occupy you.”
Nicholas opened his mouth, but apparently didn’t have a response to that.
Viktor sighed. “Have we any idea why they are targeting these women? I hate to ask, but has anyone tapped our contacts at the police department to see if they have leads?”
Anatoly sighed. “We have spoken with the police. They have no leads. But their detectives have noticed the same things our men have. These attacks may seem random, but they are almost perfectly planned and carried out without any sort of slip ups. That leads us to believe that there is a professional on the job.”
