Becoming His Slave (18 page)

“Perhaps not formally. Your Firm handles a considerable amount of my funds in the European market and handle them quiet well I might add.” The man standing next to them explained with a nodded to her, “Forgive my rudeness my name is Kirshnov—Nikolai Kirshnov.” He bowed only slightly at the hip this time, but never offered his hand in a hand shake. Katianna found herself curious as to why.

His eyes were shifty and Katianna was increasingly aware that he was eyeing her more than directing his attention to Amelia. He shifted, looking directly at her, “You look familiar do I know you?”

Katianna could feel all the color melt from her face as he stared down at her, all that red crimson she had felt with thoughts of Trenton white washed out of her replaced with eerie tones of white and grey and she was wishing Trenton was there right now. Surely he would sense the man was an evil man and make him go away.
Wouldn’t he?

“I don’t think so. I don’t get out too often, I’m a writer—we tend to lock ourselves away most of the time.”

Kirshnov kept his hands clasped in front of him rubbing at his fingers absently as if there had once been a ring there and he had an odd habit of spinning the ring on his finger, but there was no ring just the habit. He rocked slightly on his heels, nodding almost as if he knew this, but then some men were like that when they talked with a woman. As if nothing she could say would be new or enlightening and that listening to her rattle on about anything was their way of being polite. That’s how she felt under his gaze. She could have said something like—
I run a circus on mars
and his response would have been generally the same.

“
Uhm
—my wife—she likes to read. She reads and reads. Always reading—” he waved a hand up now as if to say—
can you believe it
—or something of that nature, “What is that you write?”

Katianna gulped, “Romance novels.”

“
Ah
, that is probably it then.” He turned back to Amelia, “Well it was a pleasure to bump into you both. Good day Ladies.” And just like that he left.

Katianna was ready to leave, even with the man gone her fitful instincts for flight were not. Amelia wasn’t in the least bit unnerved about the man. To Amelia, he was just another client that stopped by to say hello and his passing was hardly noticed by her. Unlike Katianna who was shaking in her skin while she listened quietly as Amelia returned to the topic of her book as they finished their lunch.

But once they were both loaded up in the limo Amelia’s calm nonchalant demure changed when Piper informed her that Trenton had given him orders to bring her to his office on urgent concerns.

Katianna had never been to Trenton’s office. She never really thought much about it, an office was an office, but when Piper brought them around the front of the complex she had to redefine that. It wasn’t just an office but a rather large complex. A raised building of modern architecture, an extraordinary artwork of dark glass and arched beams. Katianna stood outside staring at it for the longest. It really had to of been designed by an artist because the more she stared, the more she got the feeling the building was intended to mimic the silhouette of a women’s body. Okay she was really starting to over define things now and she was getting on her own nerves with it.
Stupid writers
.

A large section of glass walls made up the show room of armored vehicles all part of
Scriven’s Armored Transportation
. The remainder of the upper building was the office space the men shared. All positioned over the garage were Marcus kept the armored service vehicles provide by his company.  In the back, level with the garage was another large attached section, above it the sign read:
New Hyde Park Gun Shop and Shooting Range
. Diesel Gentry’s business, another one of the brothers.

Over the years, Katianna had learned that the
brothers
weren’t actually brothers, but rather they had all served together in the Marines. Together they formed a Special Forces unit—a recon sniper group. During that time they formed such a tight bond they became known as the
Dominion of Brothers
and it stuck.

Only Diesel and Trenton had known each other longer.

Piper led Amelia in, Katianna following in tow finding some delight to the insight of Trenton’s world. The modern interior design, the furnishings inside all gave deepening definition to the man she watched and desired, but had hardly known over the last four years.

Everything about the place, every accent was about lines, definitions and contrast. There were no muted colors, or blends. It was not a cozy atmosphere, but rather clean and striking, just like the man.

“Miss Dumas, if you please ma’am wait over
d’ere
.” Piper pointed to the waiting area of sofas in the airy open corner of the front then led Amelia past the receptionist as she called over the comm letting Trenton know they had arrived, and went into his office.

“Thanks for coming in Amelia.” Trenton spoke as he moved a stack of folders off his desk to the floor at his feet. He gestured a hand to the chair in front of his desk.

“I had no choice you commandeered my driver.” Amelia rolled her lips attempting to contain the persnickety mood she was in, taking a side saddle posture in the chair. She rested on an elbow but her hands clutched around her purse like it was some tension release ball.

“I apologize for that, but it was necessary.” Trenton stayed all business. Amelia liked to be in charge, but right now he needed to be and his apology would only go so far.

“Then perhaps you need to just skip ahead and explain why.” Amelia was annoyed yes, but she too was all business and was waiting for the reasoning behind his actions.

“What can you tell me about your relations with Nikolai Kirshnov?”

Amelia was instantly tapping a long fingernail on her purse, deciding whether she wanted to go down this road with Trenton or not. There were heavy implications here, several of which she considered a violation of company/client policy, but still he would not ask if he didn’t feel there was need for concern.

“He said my firm handles his accounts—European annuities I believe. He was casually introducing himself to say hello.”

“Is he?” Trenton eyed her carefully, “A client?”

“I don’t know really. I don’t handle client accounts personally. I’d have to check.”

“Perhaps you should.” And she heard the warning tone in it.

“You’re venturing dangerously close to over stepping your bounds as to how much of my life and business you’re privileged to monitor.

“There is nothing casual about Nikolai Kirshnov.” Trenton intervened, “The man is Czechoslovakian Mafia. And when it comes to protecting my clients, there are no bounds as to how far I will go when certain people I deem as red flags are making appearances. Not only am I going to take notice, but I want to know why.”

Trenton and Amelia spent more than an hour fussing over whether Kirshnov was a threat or not. She especially took offense when he requested to see Kirshnov’s accounts with her company. Regardless of a man’s reputation, that was client confidentiality and she had no intentions of breaking protocol, but Trenton did manage to convince her to investigate Kirshnov’s accounts herself and perhaps if she saw something suspicious then maybe she would come talk to him again.

Amelia glanced at her watch, she was going to be late if they did not conclude this now. “I need to go. You have kept me from my schedule long enough. Perhaps you can see Katianna home as well.” She got up from her seat and smoothed her suit down, “Now that you’ve eaten up a good portion of my day.”

Trenton ignored the bitter tones from her, he was used to them. Amelia hated being put off schedule. “I will see her home.” That was something he never minded doing.

Katianna watched Amelia leave—walking in a huff, barely even glancing her way as she passed her with Piper tight on her heels.

Remember back when you were a kid
—maybe a teenager and you got called up to the principal’s office only to find that half your friends had also been called up? And you’re all just sitting in the administration lobby waiting. Exchanging shrugs to each other, but not really talking as you wait for your name to be called—when it will be your turn to undergo the interrogation to find out who actually did pull the prank and strapped the dildo to the bronze statue of the city’s founder and then dressed it up in drag. —
Do you remember that day?
—

Well it kinda felt like that, when she looked up and saw Trenton standing at the end of the hall, waving her to come on back.

“You look like you’re about to jump out of your shoes.” Trenton glanced over her, as Katianna walked past him.

You think
? Her eyes must have bugged out when she turned to face him. She blinked and fought to tamp down the nervousness she felt. She could blame it on nothing more than an over active imagination—after all she’d gone and done it to herself.
Stupid Writers.

“Relax, Its probably nothing, but I want to be certain.” With a statement like that Katianna was fighting the urge to gawk at him. Okay so maybe there was something more then what she was making up.

“What’s probably nothing?” She’d already walked blindly into danger once before, four years ago. If there was some way to see it coming this time that would be helpful.

Trenton waved her to have a seat then dropped down in the black leather high back chair behind the desk. “Kat, the man who introduced himself as Kirshnov, have you ever seen him before?”

See
—she knew there was something to those beady eyes, but she shook her head.

But Trenton noted the tension in her shoulders matching with the paling expression. “Have you noticed anyone following you lately?”

“Other than your men?”

He stifled his chuckle, “Yes other then my men.” He was resting back in an almost lazy posture. Odd since he was suppose to be interrogating her. His hands came up touching his fingers tips to each other and he swiveled back and forth in the chair, watching her intently. Part concern, focusing as he talked with her about the man who had approached them at lunch and some part seemed to just enjoy looking at her. As if he was capable of separating the two experiences and still enjoy one while tending to the other.

Again she shook her head.

“Is there anything about his approach you could tell me? Something that made it seem like more than just saying hello to Amelia?”

Katianna’s eyes flickered away nervously, she almost felt like one of those witnesses when you get too scared to testify.

Answer the question witness
—
did you see
—
the butler, with the candlestick in the laboratory?

She dropped her head and stared at her hands in her lap. “He kept looking at me. Even when he was talking to Amelia.” Her head snapped up suddenly, “I’m not racist or anything I don’t care that he talked like he was Russian or something like it, but he made me nervous—” but then most people did and most situations too.

But once she said it, she half wished she could take it back. A man should not be accused of anything when it came to her testimony. She let out a heavy sigh and glanced at Trenton again, “He didn’t do anything, didn’t say anything to even suggest his intention was anything but being social. I just—” she glanced off again, her brow furrowed. And Trenton could see she was scared, that somehow she had gotten herself worked up. But he knew Kirshnov, even if he hadn’t done anything yet, it was only a matter of time. He wasn’t the social type. He didn’t say hello unless he wanted something from you.

Trenton reached over his desk hitting the comm call on the phone.

“Yes?”

“Stef can you get one of the tracker chips and bring that in for me. One for a phone.” The comm disconnected and he looked back at Katianna, “Can I see your phone?”

Katianna fished out her PDA phone and slid it over to him on his desk. Trenton bit back the comment that would have referred to her phone as a dinosaur, but it didn’t stop the smile that came over him, “I don’t suppose you’ve been shopping to upgrade lately?” He asked half hoping it was just something she hadn’t gotten around to doing yet.

“It doesn’t ring often enough to worry—so no.” She shrugged.

He rolled his lips in while he popped the back off and pulled the battery out. The phone was five years old with the older memory chips that took up the small space between the phone mechanism and the battery, too old for what he wanted it to do. He pulled the memory chip out to make room so he could install the tracker chip.

“What are you doing? I need that!” Katianna was jumping back up, trying to snatch her phone from him.

Trenton held the phone out of her reach, “I will order you a new phone. I can have it ready for you by next week and I’ll be sure to have everything loaded into the new phone.”

“Just like that you decide I have to do without the memory card on my phone?”

He held up a finger commanding her to stay put, “Having a way to track you if something were to happen is far more important than a long list of phone numbers or photos, Katianna.” He tried not to sound too pompous.

“It's not phone numbers or pictures. That’s my synopsis lists!” She snapped at him hotly, suddenly furious that he would make such a presumptuous comment.

Trenton backed off on his self righteous grounds to overrule her, he knew well enough what her writing tools meant to her. “How about I promise to have the new phone delivered out to the house first thing tomorrow. Can you make it one night without the data resource on your phone? Just for one day, Katianna? Please.” He glanced at her. “For my sake, so I can have some confidence that I can protect you.” He couldn’t bear it if something ever happened to her again and he hoped she would not push him to enforce his decision.

Memory card or no he wasn’t about to leave her to risk. He could see her reluctance, but as he waited silently she finally slumped back into her chair surrendering compliance. More or less knowing he wasn’t really going to give her much of a choice.