by Katie Reus
Too much had happened over the weekend. Raegan had been drugged—and almost taken by some random guy at a club—but thankfully someone had been there for her. A ‘sexy cop,’ as Raegan liked to call him. Dominique had no idea what was going on with those two but she had a feeling she’d find out all the details soon enough. She was just glad Raegan was okay.
“No, but I’m hoping to get something this morning,” Porter answered.
“Any news about what happened Saturday?” Raegan had been almost attacked at the Celebration of Chefs, as well. Dominique had missed most of the commotion because she’d been out front talking to her cousin.
He shook his head, his expression grim.
“Do you think…the two things are related? Raegan didn’t say, but I thought maybe, I don’t know. It seems like a coincidence that two bad things like that happened to her so close together.”
“I…don’t know. We’re looking at the events as if they might be connected. The cops are doing what they can, but we’ve got better resources. The guy who’s meeting me has a video of Friday night. I want to go over it. You were there too so if you wouldn’t mind looking at it, I’d appreciate it.”
“Of course. Anything I can do to help. I’ll go grab those refreshments and be back in a few minutes. What time—” She stopped talking as the elevator doors whooshed open and Viktor Ivanov stepped out.
Seeing him made a sharp burst of anger pop inside her, but she shoved it back down. She was a professional and she’d worked very hard to get a job like this. She wasn’t going to ruin that because she couldn’t control her temper. Even if she did want to punch Ivanov right in his perfect, chiseled face. This must be the meeting Porter had been talking about.
Of course. Ivanov was the owner of the club Raegan had been drugged at. It made sense he would be here. But he looked more like a thug than anything else. The no doubt custom-made suit he had on didn’t hide the fact that he might as well be a street brawler. His dark hair was more or less a buzz cut, cropped close to his head, and his blue eyes were icy. She could see a few tattoos peeking out under the cuffs of his jacket and the ones on his knuckles were always visible. She’d heard the rumors that he’d once been part of his father’s criminal organization in Miami. When his father had died he’d supposedly gone legit, but she didn’t buy it.
She pasted on her best smile and hoped it didn’t look too fake. “I’ll grab the coffee,” she murmured to Porter as she nodded politely at Ivanov—who was staring intently at her—and left her office. Her heels clicked against the tile as she headed down the hallway to the community kitchen they shared with the other offices on this floor. Red Stone owned the entire building and they didn’t rent out offices to anyone else so everyone here was a vetted Red Stone Security employee.
When she stepped into the kitchen she was glad it was empty. Right now she didn’t feel like exerting any energy to make polite small talk. After starting a fresh pot of coffee, she pulled out the tray of muffins, cookies and scones they kept on hand for impromptu meetings. Everything was fresh, replaced daily. Once she had the refreshments set up on the rolling tray she headed back to her office and tried to ignore the nausea churning in her stomach.
Seeing Viktor Ivanov just reminded her of everything his family had taken from hers. From what she’d heard, he was just as bad as his dead, gangster father. She couldn’t believe Porter was meeting with the man, but to get video of the club where his cousin had been attacked…yeah, she would meet with the devil too if it would help her friend.
When she rolled the cart into Porter’s office, she found both men sitting in front of Porter’s laptop. Porter paused the video as she entered and both men stood.
It annoyed her that Ivanov was being polite and standing for her—and still watching her with those intense blue eyes. She ignored him and smiled at her boss. “If you want I can set up the projector in the conference room for the video. You’ll be able to see everything more clearly.”
He nodded once, his expression still tight. “That’d be great, thanks.”
Leaving the refreshment tray, she exited the office, able to breathe again now that she was out of Ivanov’s presence. She usually towered over most people, or was at least the same height as most men in her heels, but not him. She hated that.
It was rare that someone made her feel off her game, but he did. After what his family had done to hers, what his father had done to her mother… She swallowed hard, shoved all those thoughts aside as she focused on her job. She could get through this morning then he’d be gone and she’d never have to see him again.
Unfortunately, an hour later she found that not to be true. Porter and Ivanov walked back into her office as she was getting off a phone call.
“Dominique, if you can spare the time, would you mind walking Mr. Ivanov out? He has some questions about Red Stone and I told him you’re the best person to answer anything.” He smiled, a genuine one as he turned back to the big thug. “I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Ivanov half-smiled. “I have an assistant like that as well. She keeps me in line.” There was just a hint of an accent in his voice.
She knew he’d been born in the States, was an American, but his father and she was pretty sure his mother had both been born in Russia. It explained his slight accent.
Even though she wanted to say no, there was no way she ever would. No matter her feelings for this man, she would do her job. Porter had placed a lot of faith in her the last few months and she’d already gotten one raise. She wasn’t going to screw this job up. Smiling, she stood from her desk.
“Of course. Don’t forget, ten o’clock.”
Porter blinked once, letting her know he actually had forgotten, then nodded. “Right. I’ve got everything ready to go.”
He’d been part of the security team for so long that she guessed transferring to a more admin position had been an adjustment for the former Marine.
Keeping her fake smile in place she nodded at Ivanov and motioned toward the elevators. “So what would you like to know about Red Stone?” Ugh. She hoped he wasn’t looking to hire the company. Though she wasn’t sure they’d even take him on. Porter’s dad, the founder, had an intense vetting process, even for their clients. He didn’t take on known criminals, no matter how much money they had.
“How long have you worked for them?”
She cleared her throat as she stepped through the open elevator doors. “About five months.”
“You were with Porter’s cousin on Friday night.” It wasn’t a question and no doubt he’d seen her on the video.
She cringed at the thought of her boss seeing her out dancing on that video. She hadn’t been drunk or doing anything stupid, but still, it felt a little weird. If she’d known that Ivanov had owned the club she’d gone to with her friends, she’d have never gone. At least he’d been willing to give Porter the video feed in an effort to find out who’d tried to take Raegan.
“Yes.” The elevator started moving moments after the doors closed. She stood next to him, trying to ignore his presence. It was hard, considering what a giant the male was. He was crowding into her space without even trying. His cologne was light and she hated that he smelled good. If he was anyone else she might have even…checked him out. Which just annoyed her even more.
“I’m sorry your friend was drugged. I’ve already fired the security staff from that night.”
Surprised ricocheted through her at his words and for the first time since getting in the elevator she looked over at him. “Seriously?”
He frowned, his gaze flickering to her mouth. “Why are you surprised?”
She lifted a shoulder, not liking what she saw in his icy blue eyes. She’d been on the receiving end of lust from males since she was fourteen. She could tell he liked what he saw when he looked at her and it pissed her off. When the elevator doors opened on the bottom floor she pushed out a sigh of relief, belatedly realizing her reaction was a little too obvious as they stepped
out of it. “Did you have any questions about Red Stone?” Because she didn’t want to talk about herself or Friday night.
“Have we met before?” he asked. She could practically hear the frown in his voice, but didn’t meet his gaze as they crossed the main lobby.
Smiling, she nodded at two of the security men behind the huge circular reception area. She knew they were both armed to the teeth. “No.”
“Then what have I done to offend you?” he demanded softly.
Surprised by the bluntness of his question, she looked at him. He’d stopped walking so she did the same. “Why would you say that?” She wrapped her arms around herself.
His expression was hard, the angles of his face sharp and defined. He looked every inch the ruthless businessman everyone said he was. “Because of the way you looked at me Saturday night.”
Damn it. She was hoping he hadn’t remembered or even noticed her. She’d been unable to rein in her reaction to him though. She took a steadying breath. “If you do business with my boss it won’t be a problem. I’m a professional.” She didn’t want to be on Viktor Ivanov’s radar in any way, shape or form, but…
Staring into icy blue eyes so similar to his father’s, she was close to losing it. When she looked at Viktor, she saw blood and death, her lifeless mother in her tub. And it made her want to cry.
“Your family disgusts me,” she gritted out before turning on her heel. She couldn’t be around him any longer, couldn’t fake being polite. Though clearly she hadn’t done a good job of that anyway.
* * *
Viktor scrubbed a hand over his face as he read over the file his brother had given to him. It was very thorough. He couldn’t get rid of the image of Dominique’s almost scared expression when she’d looked at him. He was used to people being afraid of him.
But he’d hated that she’d looked at him like that. Which was stupid, since he didn’t even know her. Maybe it was because, more than fear, he’d seen raw pain in her gaze.
Now he knew why.
He closed his eyes. “Fuck,” he muttered.
“You had nothing to do with it.” Abram’s voice was whiplash sharp. As always when he was annoyed.
“My family—our family—owes her a debt.” He looked up, sat back in his desk chair.
Abram was half sitting on the front of his desk, his arms crossed over his chest. “Bullshit. Her father had gambling debts. No one held a gun to his head and made him go to Ilya for that loan.”
Even now Abram wouldn’t say ‘my father’ or ‘our father.’ It was always Ilya. “When her father died the debt should have been settled with the life insurance and the house.” He looked down at the files again, saw how much the life insurance and house—which was on the beach and was prime real estate—had been worth. It hadn’t been quite enough to cover the debt because Dominique’s father had racked up an obscene amount. “I think Ilya took the rest of the debt from Dominique’s mother. Probably through sex.”
Abram shifted uncomfortably on the desk before shoving to his feet. “We can’t know that.”
No, but Viktor could read between the lines. His father, gangster that he’d been, had kept impeccable records. “Even after her father died the debt was paid down in credits.” He tapped a finger against the old file even though Abram already knew what it said. He was the one who’d discovered that Dominique’s father had been in deep to their own father. “Not money. You know what that means. Then her mother kills herself six months later?” It was clear why. His father had been a monster, had probably driven Dominique’s mother to suicide with his sick demands she’d been forced to fulfill.
“I wish he was alive so I could kill him,” Abram muttered, clearly referring to Ilya. He went to the big window that overlooked downtown, and was silent as he stared out of it.
Viktor didn’t respond, just flipped over the current page and stared at Dominique’s mother. She had Mediterranean coloring as well as dark hair, and according to the file she’d been five feet five inches. It was clear Dominique favored her father in height and hair color, but she’d gotten some of her mother’s traits as well, including a beautiful face.
He felt almost sick to his stomach. Dominique had lost her father and mother in less than a year and could trace both deaths back to his father. No wonder she’d looked at him as if she wanted to claw his eyes out.
He pressed the intercom on his phone. “Lucy, can I see you for a sec?”
Moments later his new assistant strode in, not a strand of her short, dark hair out of place. As always her gaze strayed to Abram for a fraction longer than necessary, but his brother had his back to her and didn’t turn at her entrance.
“There’s a property that’s part of our rental program,” he said, scribbling down the address. “I want it taken off immediately and all current reservations cancelled. We’ll refund everyone and have Rita try to relocate them to another rental property of ours. If she can’t, still comp them wherever they end up staying and include something extra for the inconvenience. A bottle of champagne, whatever. I want this done by the end of the day. No excuses from Rita.”
Normally Lucy did whatever he said without question. Now her eyes widened a fraction. “Rita’s going to lose it,” Lucy said, a small grin tugging at her lips.
“She can deal with it.” Rita was the real estate agent for Abram and him, and in charge of almost all of their company’s properties. “But because you’ll have to deal with her bitching, take her out to dinner one night this month. Anywhere she wants. No limits.”
Lucy’s grin widened. “I have a feeling you might regret that when she orders a two-thousand-dollar bottle of champagne.”
He just snorted because Lucy wasn’t kidding. “Probably so. Just make it happen.” He didn’t care how much it cost him to fix this.
“I will.” Still grinning, she left, pulling the door shut behind her.
Abram turned around then, his expression unreadable. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“We owe her.”
His lips flattened, but to Viktor’s surprise, Abram didn’t argue. “What you’re doing is insane.”
He lifted a shoulder. He’d done a lot of shitty things in his life, but seeing the face of one of his father’s victims—maybe she hadn’t been victimized directly, but Dominique’s life had been impacted greatly because of Ilya—made him need to act. To pay her back somehow. Nothing could bring back her family but he was still going to try to make things right. “You think I’m wrong?”
“No. I just don’t think she’s going to take what you’re offering.”
Maybe not, but he would still try.
Chapter 4
“What’s going on with you?” Porter’s voice made Dominique jump in her chair and nearly knock her bottle of water off her desk.
She steadied it with one hand, her heart beating faster than normal. “Nothing. Why?”
He eyed her curiously. “You’ve been acting off since that file was delivered. What’s in it?”
Damn it. Of course he’d get straight to the point. After seeing Viktor Ivanov yesterday she’d been feeling out of sorts and then the file she’d received this morning had completely knocked her world off its axis. She didn’t know what to think of it—didn’t know why Ivanov had sent it to her. “It’s personal.”
Porter gave her a pointed look. “I know that. What’s in it?”
“I’m…not telling you.” She felt bad, but she just couldn’t.
He frowned and sat on the edge of her desk. “If you need help with anything, you just have to ask.” The true concern in his voice nearly undid her.
But she couldn’t tell him what was in the file without telling him more about her past. Okay, considering how hard she’d been vetted, she figured Porter already knew about her past, but still, that didn’t mean she wanted to talk about it. Even if she did open up to him, she couldn’t do that without crying. No way in hell was she going to break down here and in front of her boss. Talk about
mortifying and unprofessional. Red Stone Security was a male-dominated workplace, and while she loved her job she didn’t want to be seen as anything other than professional. And crying at work? Not happening.
“I’m good, promise… Has my work been suffering today?” She’d been on autopilot all morning and now felt really guilty. If she’d been slacking she’d make up for it tomorrow.
He blinked. “What…no. Jeez, Dominique. I’m talking to you as a friend, not your boss. You’re on top of everything as usual. I just want to make sure you’re okay. With what happened to Raegan I think we’re all a little on edge. I just wanted to make sure things are good.”
“I swear I’m fine. I…would you mind if I left work an hour early today? I skipped lunch, so—”
“Just go now. I’m about to clear out anyway. We can afford to sneak out early one day.”
The truth was, this week was one of their slower ones. All his guys were on long-term security jobs for the next month so her duties were standard and she could do them in her sleep. That would change in a few weeks when the guys started moving to new contracts. Still, it felt weird to leave early, but she was going to do it. For her sanity, she needed to. “I really appreciate it.”
Once he’d returned to his office she shut down her computer and headed out. Instead of leaving, she rode the elevator up a few floors to Lizzy’s floor. To her surprise, Lizzy’s assistant got her in to see Lizzy almost immediately.
“Hey, chica. What are you doing up here?” Lizzy was stretched out on a chaise lounge with her laptop next to a window instead of sitting at her desk. And she was wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt.
“Is there a new dress code I don’t know about?” Dominique laughed as she headed over to the chaise and perched on the end of it.
“Ha ha.” Lizzy was sitting cross-legged and slid her laptop to the side. “I can’t go to the gym after work so I ran up and down the stairs during my lunch break. Just haven’t had time to change and since I don’t have meetings today I’m staying comfy.”
