by Bella Rose
Dominic pursed his lips. “You think someone close to him would betray him?”
“No. But I think someone close to him might give a way to draw him out without realizing it,” Gavril said with a wicked smile.
Raising his eyebrows, Dominic turned his head to stare at his friend. “Explain.”
“Kostya has an estranged daughter. We’ve dug into her background a bit. The woman knows that her father is a wealthy businessman, but she refuses to take any money from him. Apparently her mother has been dead for quite some time, and when the daughter was seventeen, she ran away and vowed never to come back. I’m not sure what happened between them, but her father still tries to communicate with her. She’s his only heir, and blood is important to Kostya.”
Dominic frowned. “So you want me to kill an innocent woman?”
“Christ, no!” Gavril exclaimed. “I want you to get close to her so you can get close to Kostya. She’s not unattractive, and you might actually enjoy yourself.”
“I don’t understand. Why would I waste time seducing a woman if she’s not close to him? What kind of information could I get from her?”
His friend shook his head in frustration. “You’re not listening, Dominic. Just because she’s not close to him doesn’t mean that her father isn’t close to her. When word gets back that you’re dating his daughter, Kostya will be in a bind. He’ll want you dead, but he won’t do anything to reveal his true nature to his daughter. He’ll be weakened, and you’ll have an in to strike.”
“Perfect,” Dominic breathed. “He’ll be so pissed about his daughter that he’ll make a mistake. I’ll have him right where I want him. Gavril, you’re a genius!”
“I know,” Gavril said easily. “I’ve already dug up some information on the girl.”
Reaching to his bag on the floor, he pulled out a file and handed it to Dominic. Inside were several pictures and a profile written up about Kostya’s daughter.
“Amaliya Polanski,” Dominic murmured as he traced a finger over her picture. Gavril was understating her beauty. She wasn’t just easy to look at. The blonde was a knockout. Her creamy complexion was unblemished, and her chocolate brown eyes were wide and filled with innocence. Dominic could imagine running his fingers through her long, blond curls and pressing his mouth to her luscious red lips. She had a slender waist but wide hips with an ass that a man could wrap his hands around. Her modest shirt showed just a hint of cleavage, and Dominic stirred as he thought about what might be hiding underneath.
“She graduated three years ago with a degree in World Literature, and she teaches at a college in Morava. I have a feeling that her father pulled some strings to get her the job, but I don’t think she realizes it. She lives alone in a small apartment right off campus, and she doesn’t seem to have much of a life outside of work. She doesn’t go out to drink or dance. She was dating a fellow teacher, but it looks like that relationship might be over,” Gavril explained.
“It’ll be hard to inject myself into her life if she doesn’t get out much,’ Dominic mused.
Gavril nodded. “We’re keeping an eye on her. If she doesn’t present an opening in the next few weeks, I’d suggest running into her on campus. We’ll have to come up with a backstory for you, but I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that.”
Dominic closed the file and stared out the window. The plan was a good one. Deep down, he knew he should feel bad about involving an innocent person in his scheme to take down Kostya, but the woman had his blood running through her veins.
How innocent could she be?
*..*..*
All the blinds were drawn in Liya’s small apartment, and she had only one lamp on. The blue light from the televisions bounced off the wall behind her, and she had the sound turned up, but she wasn’t paying any attention to it. Despite it being relatively warm outside, she had all the blankets bundled around her.
An hour ago she’d started cleaning, but she’d stopped halfway. A few dirty dishes still filled the sink, and she had laundry in the washer that she didn’t feel like putting in the dryer. The vacuum was still plugged in and standing in the middle of the bedroom.
In fact, the only this she had finished was dusting, and that was only because she couldn’t stop sneezing. Liya was usually a meticulously clean and organized woman, but the past couple of weeks had gotten away from her.
Her stomach rumbled, and she realized that she hadn’t eaten all day. Throwing the blankets back, she stood and stretched. Just as she was about to make it to the kitchen to find some food, there was a knock on the door.
For a moment, she could only stare at it. What if it was Nick? Was that hope blooming inside her? Anxiety? She didn’t even know. She couldn’t even trust her own instincts enough to discover whether she even wanted to see him again.
Not that she could avoid him. He did still work at the same school that she did, and she had to completely change her day to keep from running into him.
Creeping quietly across the floor, she cautiously lifted herself on her tiptoes to peer through her peephole. At only five foot three, she was just a hair too short to reach it.
“It’s me,” a familiar voice said impatiently. “Open the damn door, Liya!”
Halina, her best friends, stood on the other side with her hands on her hips. She looked angry. For an awful moment, Liya thought about lying to her friend and telling her that she was sick. But Halina was no doubt here to kick her ass for ignoring her phone calls, and that was probably what Liya needed.
Steeling herself for her friend’s hurricanelike energy, she opened the door and tried to fake a smile. “I was just getting ready to have some lunch.”
“Cut the crap,” Halina said as she stormed in. “Why aren’t you answering my phone calls? And don’t tell me that you didn’t hear the phone ring because I’ve been calling all weekend, and I know that you answered Sal’s phone call.”
“Sal’s my boss,” Liya said weakly. Halina put her hands on her hips and glared at her, and Liya slumped her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I found out a few days ago that Nick was cheating on me, and I really didn’t want to talk to anyone this weekend.”
Her friend’s expression darkened, and she scowled. “That bastard was cheating on you? I’ll kill him.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t tell you. Murder is illegal, and I’m too much of an introvert to visit you in prison,” Liya said in a small voice. She shut the door and turned just before Halina wrapped her arms around her in a hug.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” Halina whispered in her ear. For a moment, Liya let herself be comforted. Before she met Halina, Liya had no one to talk to about her feelings. Her mother had died a long time ago, and her father wasn’t exactly the warm, fuzzy type. By the time she finally found her independence, the damage was done. Liya was used to just being on her own.
When she started teaching, she and Halina had pretty much the same schedule, and they often ate together in the instructors’ lounge. They couldn’t be more different. In appearance, Liya was light-skinned, short and blond. Halina was tall with chocolate skin and big jet-black curly hair. Liya was quiet and kept to herself, and Halina was loud and boisterous. Liya had no idea how the two even became friends, but now she couldn’t imagine life without her.
“I was going to surprise him with lunch on Thursday in his office, and he had his pants around his ankles and his dick in a graduate student,” Liya muttered when they finally pulled away.
“We’ll get him fired,” Halina said instantly.
“The first thing out of his mouth wasn’t even sorry. It was that if I told anyone, he’d deny it,” Liya said as her mouth twisted in anger at the memory. “Besides, I don’t want to be the crazy ex who got her boyfriend fired out of jealousy.”
“Ex-boyfriend,” Halina reminded her.
With a start, Liya realized that she hadn’t actually broken up with him. “I just stood there like an idiot and stared at him. I was
so stunned,” she recalled with a flush.
“Are you upset? I know you two weren’t together for very long.”
“I don’t know,” Liya admitted. She and Nick had only been together for six months, but she wasn’t enthralled with the relationship. The only reason she stayed was because he seemed to dote on her, and she was tired of everyone asking her why she was single.
Her stomach rumbled again. “Want some grilled cheese? I’m starving, and I haven’t had a chance to go to the grocery yet.”
“Girl, I’m always down for grilled cheese,” Halina said as she sat at the kitchen table. “Which student was it?”
“I didn’t recognize her,” Liya said as she grabbed the frying pan. “In fact, I only knew that she was a student because Nick blurted it out.” She put the pan down and curled her lip in disgust. “I actually let him fill a drawer with a few of his things. I never do that.”
“Burn them,” Halina said instantly. “Or we could write messages on them and hang them all over campus. That would be hilarious. We could pin a sign on the cork board that reads belongs to the adulterous instructor dick who likes to stick it to students. If he wants his things back, he’ll have to take them in front of everyone!”
Liya laughed at the thought, and she instantly felt better. She’d never had many friends growing up, and it was a nice feeling to have someone share her vindictive thinking. “Can I leave a message on his car in permanent marker?” she asked with a twisted smile.
“Oh, that’s good. Revenge does a soul good.”
“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes.” Liya buttered the bread and layered it with cheese. As she tossed the sandwiches in the frying pan, she tried to swallow her down her pain. Despite her lack of feelings for Nick, it still hurt to know that she’d been played.
She could feel Halina watching her. “Let me take you out tonight. We’ll get drunk and talk about what a horrible person he is,” she said finally.
“I can’t. I still have some papers that I need to finish grading, and I’ll never get through my morning class with a hangover,” Liya said as she sighed wistfully. A drink sounded good. Several sounded better.
“Damn. I’ve got some tests that I need to grade too,” Halina said with a frown. “I should probably do them.”
Liya raised an eyebrow. “That is your job,” she said with a laugh.
“I’m a terrible teacher. I don’t know how I haven’t been fired yet,’ Halina said with a shrug. “I totally let my students bribe me with vodka.”
“Halina,” Liya said with a snort. “Vodka? Please tell me that it’s at least an expensive brand.”
“No, I’m pretty cheap.” There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“That we all know.” Liya plated their sandwiches and joined her friend at the table. “I guess this will teach me not to date anyone at the college anymore.”
“I wouldn’t count out coworkers. We’ve got some pretty hot ones.”
“But you’ve slept with most of them. I was lucky to snag Nick before you,” Liya grumbled. “We need to make a pact where you leave me at least thirty percent of any good looking men that we come across.”
She bit into her grilled cheese and immediately felt better. Company and food. Now all she needed to do was finished cleaning.
“You just need to work faster,” Halina pointed out. “You are gorgeous, fun, and smart, but you’re too damn picky. Stop analyzing everything and just get out there.”
Her friend wasn’t wrong. Liya was cautious by nature. She relied on her logic to keep her from getting hurt, but she’d made a serious miscalculation when it came to Nick. “He said he loved me,” she said casually.
Halina paused mid bite. “When?”
“Last weekend.”
“Did you say it back?”
“No.” Liya sat back and pursed her lips. “I don’t love him, and I’m not willing to say it just to appease his ego. Do you think that’s why he cheated? Because I didn’t say it back?”
“No,” Halina said quickly. “Don’t be ridiculous. He’s probably been cheating on you this whole time, and you probably didn’t get more involved because you knew. Women have those kinds of instincts.”
“I guess. Mostly he was just boring. All he wanted to do was talk about himself, and trust me, there wasn’t a whole lot to talk about.”
Halina cackled with laughter, and Liya felt a little relief wash over her. Her love life wasn’t much to talk about. Before Nick, she’d only dated two other men, but she just wasn’t one to get invested. Privately, she felt like she was too much like her father.
From what she could remember about her mother, the woman wore her heart on a sleeve. She was always crying over something her father did, but Kostya was cold and callous. Liya never once saw him show any kind of emotion. When her mother died, he took off only enough time to go to the funeral, and she had a feeling that was for appearance. When she finally left, he ordered her back, but once again, she knew it was just for appearance. Her father never cared for her.
A trust fund with her mother’s life insurance policy became hers when she turned eighteen, and she used it to pay for college. Since she’d left her father, she hadn’t accepted a single dime from him, but she was almost scared of how dismissive she was of her only family.
She feared that she was just as cold and callous as her father.
So she tried to date and feel involved with people, but she never quite got there. Sometimes it was just that the sex was good, and sometimes, like Nick, it was just that the men were nice to her. But love?
Liya had never been in love, and she was afraid she’d never be in love.
They finished their lunch, and Halina made her promise they’d go out Friday night.
“Even if you just pick up a one-night stand, you need to put a buffer between you and Nick. You’ll feel much better afterwards,” Halina said with a smile.
A buffer. That sounded good. If Nick found it so easy to find more women, she would show him that she could easily get another man.
Chapter Two
Liya dismissed her last class for the week and felt her heart flutter with excitement. It had been a long time since she’d been out, and even longer since she’d gone out with the intent to find a man. Nick had always claimed he wanted to stay in, but she had a feeling that was because he wanted to prevent her from running into any of his other girlfriends.
Scum.
“Instructor Polanski?”
Startled, Liya looked up to find that one of her students hadn’t left. “Sari, how can I help you?” she asked as she tried to keep the annoyance from her voice. The girl was struggling in her class, but Liya knew she was trying.
“I didn’t do very well on my last paper, and I was hoping you could go over it with me? I need a strong A on the final to pull a C in your class.”
“You should have come to me sooner,” Liya said disapprovingly. “You’re a good writer, and I can see that you’re making an effort, but you’re not going deep enough. Your paper on Tolstoy only backs up what other scholars have already said. These research papers should support your own hypothesis. And it would help if you actually turned then in on time.”
“Right,” Sari said abashedly and pulled out a piece of paper. “I jotted some ideas down for the final paper. Would you mind looking them over?”
As a rule, Liya tried not to take work home with her on the weekend. She kept pretty strict office hours, but she knew if Sari didn’t start on the paper this weekend, she’d probably fall even further behind.
“Fine. I’ll email you this weekend with my thoughts,” Liya said begrudgingly as she took the paper. At first glance, she could tell the girl had put in quite a bit of effort to outline the paper. And she could already tell that Sari was overcorrecting. It would take far longer to research these ideas than the girl had time for. Still, it was something they could both work on.
Dismissing the student, L
iya packed the notes in her tote bag and slung it over her shoulder. She was just about to head out when she heard Sari’s voice from around the corner.
“Have a good weekend Instructor Kavanof.”
Shit. Nick was standing in the hall. If she wanted to avoid him, she’d have to hide out in the classroom, but she had too much pride for that. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want to look her best. Smoothing a hand over her hair, she immediately unbuttoned another button on her blouse and squared her shoulders back.
She didn’t want Nick back. She just wanted Nick to know what he was missing.
As she walked out of the classroom, his voice hit her like fingernails on a chalkboard. Shuddering as he said her name, she wondered how she could ever find him seductive. “Nick. What an unpleasant surprise,” she said coolly. “How can I help you?”
Nick was average height, but he had a nice face. Smooth features and pretty green eyes. It was easy to see how he’d turned women’s heads. He’d easily turned hers.
Tugging a finger through his blond hair, he gave her that smile that used to make her heart flutter. “Amaliya, I was hoping you could find some time for me tonight so we can talk. I made a mistake, and I really want to make it up to you. I’m prepared to grovel.”
Amaliya. He always used her full name, and she hated it. “I’m busy tonight,” she said shortly as she tried to push past him. He immediately reached out and grabbed her arm.
“This weekend then. Please, sweetheart. I am so sorry.”
Her shoulder’s stiffened at his touch, and she jerked out of his grasp. “I don’t know what my plans are this weekend, but I really don’t see what we have to talk about. I’m not going to believe a single word that comes out of your mouth, and I sure as hell don’t have anything to say to you.”
Nick reached out again, but stopped just before he touched her. His fingers hovered just above the bare skin of her arm. “Amaliya, please. I love you, and I am not here to make excuses or beg for your forgiveness. I know that I can never make this right, but I won’t rest until I do. I’ve never felt anything close to the way I feel for you, and it terrifies me. But it terrifies me even more that I may never get the chance to touch you again. Or breathe in your scent. Or feel your arms around me.”
