by Bella Rose
She reached up over the counter and patted his hand. “I’m glad to hear that actually. Very glad. And I never saw you here tonight, or any other time. And I don’t know anything about you.”
“Thank you.” Viktor had never before been so pleasantly surprised by the goodness of humanity.
Chapter Nine
Katie glared at Sasha as she sat on a leather couch in a well-appointed study. She could only assume that this was Karkoff’s home. It was a little odd to think of a mafia boss living deep in one of the city’s oldest and most prestigious neighborhoods, but the man most certainly had the money for such a place. The furnishings were expensive. The rooms she had seen as her captor had carried her through the house were packed with beautiful antiques and modern conveniences all rolled into one.
“I cannot understand what Viktor sees in you,” Sasha commented with derisive amusement. He was staring at Katie as though she were on display in a museum. “You’re ill tempered, have a mediocre body, and your personality is like acid.”
She snorted. “Did you ever consider the idea that I don’t give a shit if you like me? Maybe I’m not like this with Viktor. What a concept!” She didn’t bother to soften the caustic tone of her words.
“You should have stayed away,” Sasha said darkly. It would have been better for everyone if you had.”
“I have a feeling it would have been better for you,” she told him thoughtfully. “But I get the impression that’s really your malfunction and nobody else’s.”
He snarled something at her in Russian, but an older man came striding into the study before Sasha could finish whatever insult he was giving her. The portly man with the gray hair and the bushy moustache glared at Sasha to silence him. Then he turned to Katie and gave her a very long and thorough perusal.
“Your mother would be horrified to hear you speak to a woman like that,” the old man said, wagging his finger in Sasha’s face. He looked back at Katie with his hands on his hips. “So you are Katie McClellan?”
“Yes, sir, I am.” She attempted to be polite. There was really no reason to be ignorant with this man. Even if he had been the cause of her getting dragged out of her house practically in the middle of the night.
“You look as though you were ready for bed.” The man frowned. He looked at Sasha. “Did you not tell her that I just wanted to talk?”
Katie almost laughed at the uncomfortable expression on Sasha’s face. Apparently his no-holds-barred approach to getting her here to this meeting had been mostly his idea. Now he was left trying to explain himself. It was amusing, to say the least.
“My name is Boris Karkoff,” the old man said with a grand sweep of his arm. “I apologize if Sasha was rather—enthusiastic in his method of getting you here.”
“Oh absolutely.” Katie tried not to laugh. “Because I always respond well to having my house broken into and my dog threatened.”
Boris Karkoff swung around to face Sasha with a towering frown on his jowly face. “You threatened her dog?”
“The rabid beast was going to bite me,” Sasha protested. “It had already bitten Nicolai. Then this stupid bimbo smacked Nicolai with a hot pan and burned his face!”
Karkoff looked back at Katie with an expectant look on his face. Katie sighed. “Of course Max bit the guy. You guys busted through my kitchen door screaming like crazy people. Max had every right to bite you. And of course I’m going to use whatever weapons I have at my disposal when you barge into my home uninvited and threaten to abduct me! You tied my hands and threw me in the back of a van. I think it was only logical that I fight you every step of the way.”
“Tell me she’s kidding,” Karkoff said to Sasha. He sounded annoyed. “You broke into her house and abducted her without explaining yourselves first?”
“We told her you wanted to talk to her,” Sasha argued hotly.
“I think that was after you’d already trussed me up like a turkey and threatened to shoot my dog if I didn’t come willingly,” Katie pointed out. She was not letting Sasha get away with minimizing his bad behavior.
Karkoff shook his head, but it was a bit like he was blowing off the antics of a high-spirited child, not trying to justify the bad behavior of a full-grown man. This didn’t bode well for Katie. Then Karkoff hauled back and slapped Sasha across the face so hard that Katie heard the man’s neck pop.
She covered her mouth with her hands, shocked. Sasha barely flinched. In fact, he curled his lip at the old man and sneered. Karkoff waved his hand to indicate that Sasha should just go. Sasha turned on his heel and exited the study, but not before he made a point of leering at Katie as though she were a prime item on some menu.
The study door closed and Katie was alone with Boris Karkoff. She had no idea what to expect, but there was no way she was going down without a fight.
* * *
Viktor stood at Katie’s back door with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. In the dim gleam of her porch light, he could see splinters of wood scattered about from where the door had obviously been kicked in. Inside the house, Max was barking furiously.
Moving carefully, Viktor pushed the door open. It had only been pulled closed. A quick examination of the lock proved that the entire handle would have to be replaced. The door was old and solid, but the lock had been flimsy.
The kitchen was a mess. There were muffins scattered everywhere and the place was boiling hot. Viktor noted that the oven was hanging open and was still on. Heat poured into the room as the gas appliance attempted to maintain the oven temperature. He shut the oven off and closed the door.
Stepping around the muffin debris, Viktor tried to piece together what might have happened. The pan appeared to be bent as though it had been weaponized somehow. He smiled grimly as he imagined that Katie would not have gone willingly or easily, which was probably why Max was shut in the bathroom.
Viktor tried the door of the hall bath. It seemed to be locked from the inside. Jiggling the handle sent Max into a renewed frenzy of barking. The dog actually sounded hoarse, a though he’d been locked in there for a while.
Pulling out his pocketknife, Viktor slipped the narrowest blade into the door handle until he heard the assembly inside click open. He started to open it, but realized that he might well have fifty or so pounds of pissed-off dog in his face as soon as he did.
“Max?” Viktor called through the door. “Max, it’s just Viktor.” He felt ridiculous talking to a dog as though it were human, but he knew that was the way Katie spoke to him.
There was a pause in the frantic canine sounds. Then there was an almost polite scratch at the door. Viktor pulled the bathroom door open and stepped back, but he need not have worried. Max bolted through the opening and ignored Viktor almost completely. He put his nose to the ground and began eagerly searching for Katie.
“She’s not here, boy,” Viktor said more to himself than the dog. “But I know where to find her.”
Viktor had thought to leave the dog behind, but the sad puppy expression proved too much for him to resist. Standing at the back door, preparing to leave, Viktor stared down at Max’s off-kilter eyes. Their expressive blue color was almost eerily human. Finally, with a monumental sigh, Viktor waved the dog through the door.
“It won’t lock right anyway,” Viktor reasoned. “And if you get out and get lost, Katie will never forgive me.”
Viktor paced off into the night with Max padding along beside him. It wasn’t a long walk to Karkoff’s mansion, but it felt surprisingly good to have company for the trek.
* * *
Katie crossed her arms and glared at Karkoff. “You do realize that Sasha is a very disturbed individual with some serious personal issues that make him really unpredictable, right?”
Karkoff sank down into a comfortable-looking armchair. He was treating this as if she had paid him a social call. It was rather odd. “Sasha is my older sister’s youngest child.” He said it as though that made all the difference
.
“It seems like he could have used a swift kick in the pants during his growing up years,” Katie commented darkly. “I know I’d like to kick him in the ass right now.”
Karkoff gave a hearty laugh. “I like you, Katie McClellan. And I think I can see why Viktor does too.”
“So is that it? You give your blessing and everyone leaves Viktor alone?” Katie almost stood up, ready to leave.
Karkoff waved her back down to her seat. “Not so fast.”
“Of course. There’s a catch, right?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Karkoff narrowed his gaze on Katie. “Viktor is a valuable asset to me for the very reason everybody thinks he is worthless. He is a free agent. He can go places and do things that my own men cannot because he is not pledged to me or to anyone.”
“No. Viktor is his own man,” she said proudly. “Which is why he should be able to do whatever he wants with his life, even if that means going to college and never working for you again.”
“Ah, but that I cannot allow.” Karkoff wagged his finger at her the same way he had at Sasha. “I need his services. You distract him. It would be better if you ended things with him and let him live his life the way he was.”
“But that’s not what he wants,” Katie said in confusion. “Why do you think your needs are so much more important than his?”
Karkoff laughed. “Because I am me and I have an entire family to think about and protect. All of my men look to me for guidance.”
“Yet Viktor isn’t part of that family, so he doesn’t benefit at all from what he gives to you.” She was getting angry. Her voice was rising and she couldn’t seem to stop it. “Do you not understand how wrong that is?”
“Calm down, my dear,” Karkoff said offhandedly. “Viktor is well compensated for what he does.”
“But it’s not a life!” she argued. “Don’t you think he wants more? Why has everyone always assumed that he doesn’t?” Katie couldn’t sit still any longer. She jumped to her feet and glared down at Karkoff. “He isn’t your monkey. He isn’t your man. He belongs to himself and that’s that! I’m not going to back off, as you put it. I love him. I think I always have. I left him once and look what happened!” She gestured wildly to the study. “He’s stuck being your errand boy. I don’t care what I have to do. I’m helping him get a real life for himself.”
Karkoff looked completely taken aback by her passionate speech. Then he made a low sound in his throat. “You are truly the pain in the ass everyone says you are.”
“You think so? Well you haven’t seen anything yet!” Katie crowed.
Chapter Ten
Viktor didn’t even pause at the front door of the Karkoff home. Denis was standing on the porch staring out into the dark night. Recognition lit his features when Viktor approached, but he didn’t react quickly enough. Viktor smashed the flat of his hand into Denis’s throat and the man sank immediately to his knees, grabbing his throat and wheezing desperately.
“I think that’s become my signature move,” Viktor commented to Max before plucking Denis’s handgun from the holster at the small of his back.
Opening the front door, Viktor looked both ways but saw no other guards or mafia men hanging about. Most were probably at the gaming tables downtown, or holed up in a restaurant somewhere listening to a sexy lounge singer and drinking themselves into a stupor.
“Find Katie,” Viktor ordered Max.
The dog immediately put his nose to work. He snuffled his way around the foyer before heading down the hall toward the study. Viktor followed, looking around in case Sasha should be lurking about.
Max stopped right in front of the study door, whining softly and putting his paw up against the wood. Viktor pressed his ear to the door. He laid his hand on the dog’s head to quiet him. There were raised voices inside, ones he knew belonged to Karkoff and Katie.
“All right, let’s go.” Viktor pulled the slide on Denis’s weapon and prepared to enter the study.
The door gave easily. Too easily, in fact, as it smacked the opposite wall and nearly bounced back into Viktor’s face. He fumbled his way inside the room behind an eager Max. The dog made a beeline for Katie, immediately placing himself between her and Karkoff.
“Max!” Katie’s voice registered shock.
She knelt and put her arms around the dog’s ruff. He licked her eagerly, nosing her as if he wanted to make certain she was unharmed. Viktor crept into the room and let the door slam behind him.
“You can put the gun down, boy,” Karkoff told Viktor. “It won’t be necessary. Ms. McClellan was just leaving.”
“So this was a voluntary meeting?” Viktor asked, confused. He looked back and forth between Katie and Karkoff.
Katie’s expression soured. “No, it wasn’t voluntary.” She glared at Karkoff. “And either you do something about your nephew or I will. I’m sick of his attitude.”
Viktor was almost dumbfounded with shock at the way she was addressing Karkoff. Nobody talked to the mafia boss like that.
* * *
Katie could tell that her behavior was shocking to Viktor, but she was afraid to stop blustering lest the old man start in again about her staying away from Viktor.
She touched Max’s silky head. The familiar feel of her dog’s presence at her side gave her courage. “I’m really not kidding, Mr. Karkoff. I want your flunkies to leave me alone. I have no time for their idiotic antics, and I can’t afford to keep fixing doors just because they break them down.”
At least Karkoff looked amused. He nodded to Viktor. “Your friend is certainly the bossy type. As I understand it, my man Nicolai has burns on his face from her wrath.”
“I warned Sasha about trying to boss her around.” Viktor was obviously trying to be conversational, which was good. There was no need to poke the bear, so to speak. “But Sasha likes to do things his own way.”
“Which seems to be a problem for your friend.” Karkoff was staring at Katie and it made her horribly uncomfortable. What was this guy’s problem?
Then Karkoff cleared his throat and gave Viktor a very pointed look. “I did not have much luck speaking sense to Ms. McClellan, Viktor.”
“Is that so?” Viktor’s glance strayed toward Katie, but didn’t focus on her.
Katie held her breath, tangling her fingers in Max’s fur for comfort. Then Karkoff went for the jugular.
“You are an important part of our organization, Viktor.” Karkoff’s lofty tone said it all. “This woman is a distraction of the worst kind.”
“And yet your men are allowed to have relationships, marry, and have children,” Viktor pointed out.
“Within the family,” Karkoff allowed.
Viktor stared at the ground. Katie wished she could tell what he was thinking. He looked so serious. Then he lifted his gaze to Karkoff. “You have made no secret of the fact that I do not have the pedigree or the connections to be accepted as family.”
“You are a valuable asset to us as you are,” Karkoff stressed.
Viktor’s low laugh was eerie to hear. “But I’m alone, sir. And if you have it your way, I will always be alone.”
“You are safer that way,” Karkoff argued.
Viktor shrugged. “Perhaps I would rather be happy than safe.”
Katie’s stomach knotted as she realized what was happening. She was watching the rift open. A part of her was glad, because this meant that Viktor could be his own man. But he was also going to be perceived as a threat whether he was or not. And that meant danger for them all.
Viktor seemed to be done talking. He held up the gun he was carrying to show Karkoff. “This is Denis’s. Please see that he gets it back.”
Then Viktor took Katie’s hand and walked away from Boris Karkoff and whatever it was he was offering without looking back. The back of Katie’s neck burned as she anticipated some sort of retribution. But nothing happened. Viktor, Katie, and Max exited Karkoff’s home with no interfer
ence.
* * *
Viktor reached down and took Katie’s hand. They were perhaps eight blocks from her house and that was his goal. The only thing that mattered was getting her home safe.
“You would rather be happy than safe?” Katie whispered. “Really? Do you think that was a good idea?”
“Do I think what was a good idea?” Viktor glanced around at the shadows created by streetlights and the porch lights of the other houses in the neighborhood.
Max’s toenails clicked on the sidewalk beside Katie. Viktor could see the dog’s outline in the moonless night, but the shadows made eerie patterns from the animal’s fur. Max looked calm, though, and Viktor took that to be a good sign.
Katie tugged on his hand. “Did you even understand what was going on back there?”
“Of course I understood.” Viktor wondered what she was getting at. “Karkoff was blustering about the fact that he needs me to do his dirty work for him because I can’t officially be tied back to his organization.”
“Oh.” She was quiet for another block.
Viktor couldn’t help but feel jumpy. There was no way they were getting out of this so easily. At any moment, Sasha was going to appear and try to make good on all his threats.
“Viktor, you can’t just turn your back on Karkoff,” Katie said in a low voice. “As much as I’d like to tell you that you should give that man the finger and never do another job for him, he would just as soon kill you as let you go.”
“What are you getting at?” Viktor finally asked. “You keep going round and round in circles, but you aren’t saying what you’re actually trying to say.”
“Karkoff wanted me to stay away from you,” she admitted. “He said that would keep you safe.”
“Safe? Maybe. Miserable? Definitely.” Viktor shrugged. “That’s not happening so it doesn’t matter.”
“But what if he makes good on his threats?” she worried. “I know you’re capable of more than working for that scumbag, but you never seem motivated to do anything about it.”
