Mafia Boss's Fearless Lover (The Karzhov Crime Family series Book 1) (5 page)

Katya awoke the next morning to see Nikolai sitting on a chair next to the bed watching her. “Hi,” she said softly, a blush staining her cheeks a light pink.

“Good morning,
milaya moya
,” Nikolai greeted, helping her sit up against the covers and grinning at her attempt at modesty by tucking the sheet around her chest, securing it beneath her arms.

“Why are you trying to hide from me?” he questioned, as he handed her a cup of coffee and watched her add both sugar and cream.

Katya was aware her boldness of the night before was sadly missing in the morning light and frowned when she saw him grinning at her discomfort, “What are you staring at?”

“Perfection,” he said, making her blush more. “I have been waiting for you to wake up. I have some business to take care of this morning, but I will be back later this afternoon. Breakfast is in the microwave. Eat. Shower. Watch TV or whatever. If you wish to return to your hotel for fresh clothing, Vanya will return to accompany you.”

Katya smiled at him and cocked her head to the side, “Nikolai, I’m perfectly capable of getting back to my hotel on my own. There’s no need to put—”

“There is every need. If I am not with you, you will have Vanya close by.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead before turning and leaving the room.

Katya opened her mouth to call him back and inform him she had no intention of obeying his orders, but he was gone before she could utter a sound. She stared after him for several minutes, trying to justify his behavior as that of a man used to controlling everything in his world. He was simply looking out for her.

When that logic didn’t lessen her aggravation at his declaration, she shrugged and headed for the shower. He’d said Vanya would be returning, which meant, there was no one around to stop her from leaving. She’d freshen up and then grab a cab to go get a clean set of clothes.

She glanced at the clock. It was already eleven. She needed to hurry if she was going to make it to the Zora by two, and even though Danil had commanded her never to set foot in the place again, she was anxious to see what other information she could find out about the man she’d just slept with and the man she now called uncle.

The best place to get that kind of information was from women, and the ones at the club seemed the most logical place to start.

Katya walked in the backdoor of Zora’s on time and saw several of the other dancers and servers already in attendance. Jewel spotted her and quickly grabbed her by the arm, pulling her into the circle of women and demanding details about the night before.

“Spill it, girl! We all saw you leave with Mr. Tsarsko. We want details,” Jewel demanded with a toss of her hair.

Katya looked at the black Amazon of a woman, marveling at how different she looked from the day before. Yesterday, her hair had been black and braided in an intricate pattern and left to hang down her back. Today she was a platinum blonde, with short shiny tresses that moved as she talked.

“What happened to your hair?” Katya blurted out, wincing when the other women all started laughing.

Jewel looked at her and then slowly reached up and pulled the blonde wig from her head, revealing a shiny, bald scalp. “This look prompts that kind of question. Want to ask me again?”

Katya was so embarrassed, she couldn’t figure out where to look, but when Jewel joined in the laughter and slapped her on the shoulder, she looked up to see the mirth on the black woman’s face and relaxed. “Sorry, that was unbelievably rude of me to ask. You look beautiful with or without hair.”

“Don’t worry. I like being able to change up my look, so I shave my head. It’s no biggie.”

Katya looked around the room. “Do all of you wear wigs?”

The other women laughed even harder before shaking their heads, some yes, some no.

“To each her own,” said Chica, the bitchy woman who had served her at Nikolai’s table the night before. “So spill it. You seemed to be getting mighty friendly with Nikolai last night. Did he nail you?”

Katya was offended by her vulgar question, but before she could take issue with it, Mickey poked his head around the corner, “You can all take off for a few hours. Come back at five. Club opens late tonight, so don’t stress.” Just as quickly, he disappeared once again.

Katya watched the women handle the directive in good spirits. “Does this sort of thing happen a lot?” she whispered to Jewel as she walked past.

Jewel shrugged. “It’s better if you don’t ask. Last girl who asked too many questions disappeared.”

“What do you mean? Like…”

Chica leered at Katya, “As in they packed her up and moved her down to one of their establishments in Mexico.”

Katya looked at her in disbelief as she and the other women grabbed their bags and headed out the back door. Jewel stared at her for a moment and then told her with a nod, “Better hurry it up. Do you have someplace to be for the next few hours?”

“Oh, sure. I’ve got a few errands I didn’t get to run this morning, so this works out perfectly for me. I’m gonna grab my earrings while I’m thinking about it. I left them in the bathroom last night in my hurry to get out of here.”

“Okay, then. See you in a few.” Jewel waved goodbye and left Katya alone in the dressing area.

She contemplated leaving herself, but her curiosity finally won out and she crept towards the blue velvet curtain. She turned the lights off in the dressing area, and eased herself into a sitting position where the curtain came together, giving her a very limited view of the bar area beyond.

She could hear men’s voices, not all of them calm and collected. Moments later, she watched as her uncle and Mickey escorted two men into the club with pillowcases over their heads, shoving them down into chairs and then handcuffing their hands behind their backs. The men protested their rough treatment, loudly and in Russian. When the pillowcases were removed she recognized them as the men the FBI said had been following her in St. Louis.

Did they follow me to Las Vegas?

Questions ran through her mind, stopping when she heard Nikolai’s deep voice. There was so much menace in his tone and his words were cold and emotionless. “Who authorized the hit on the Osins?”

Katya shivered and was glad his anger wasn’t directed at her.

When no answer was forthcoming, she watched as both Vanya and Pyotr stepped forward, landing several punches to the abdomen of each man, causing them to groan in agony and slump forward in their chairs.

“Just so you know I never tire of this game, however, my bodyguards do. Answer my questions, and your deaths will be painless and quick. Annoy me, and I will make sure you are still in agony when the sun comes up tomorrow morning.”

Katya covered her mouth with her hands, trying not to cry out against the violence she was witnessing. Then she reminded herself,
You did demand their deaths to avenge your parents
. Steeling her spine and hardening her heart, she watched as Nikolai interrogated the men, who remained mostly silent, causing even more brutality to be inflicted on their bodies.

When Pyotr grew tired of using his fists, she watched as he pulled a vicious looking blade from his boot then showed it to both men. Katya cringed and closed her eyes; unsure she had the stomach to watch what she assumed was coming.

Instead, both men started talking, providing answers before questions could be asked. Within five minutes, Nikolai had the information he required and then he left the building.

Vanya and Pyotr, assisted by Danil and Mickey, dragged the men from the building. Katya waited for ten minutes before she dared to move from her hiding place. She felt sick to her stomach, yet vindicated at the same time.

She assumed the men were being killed and their bodies disposed of, just as she had requested. She hoped that Nikolai had gained enough information from the men to eliminate the men responsible for ordering her parents’ deaths in the first place.

She’d been so consumed with the brutal treatment of the men; she had missed most of their answers. Breathing a sigh of relief, she made her way towards the backdoor, pushing it open, and blinking into the bright sunlight. She reached into her backpack and pulled her sunglasses out, placing them over her eyes before turning right and heading towards the bus stop she’d seen earlier. She never saw the black limo parked to the left of the building.

***

As he waited for Vanya to answer his cell phone, Nikolai watched Katya walk away from the building, wondering just how much she had witnessed.

“Yes, sir?” Vanya answered.

“Where are you?” Nikolai demanded.

“We’re about five miles from our destination. Is there a problem?” Vanya asked as Pyotr turned off the main road and headed out into the desert.

“Where was Katya when you left the hotel?”

“I assumed she was asleep. The bedroom door was shut and she did not answer my knock. I didn’t feel comfortable invading her privacy.”

“She just left Zora’s,” Nikolai informed him. “It would seem that Katya is more curious than she is careful. Don’t worry about it. I will deal with her myself. Take care of our friends and make sure their tracks are well covered.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see that things are taken care of on this end.”

“Be sure that Mickey understands Katya no longer works for him. If she happens to show up again, he is to call me immediately.”

“I’ll pass that information along.”

“Oh, and Vanya?”

“Yes,” the bodyguard asked softly, seeing that the other men were starting to pay attention to his phone call.

“Do your best to keep this information away from Danil. I do not want a repeat of yesterday’s lack of self-control.”

“I understand. Have a good evening.”

He would. Whether or not Katya did was entirely up to her.

“Go get her,” Nikolai instructed his driver. Relaxing back in the plush seat, he let his mind catalog the various things he was going to do to her when she was safely under his protection once again.

Katya sat down on the bench to wait for the bus, still going over what she’d just witnessed and trying to come to terms with the fact that she was actually okay with it. She was so focused on her thoughts she didn’t look up when the long, black car parked in front of her. It wasn’t until she heard her name called that she raised her head and was stunned to see Nikolai looking at her from the open door of the limo.

“Katya?” he called for the second time, not liking that she could be so involved in her thoughts that her immediate surroundings faded away. It was a dangerous lapse. He was going to have to work on her ability to stay focused. Inattention could cost her dearly.

Katya’s instinct at seeing Nikolai was to run, both from what she had just witnessed and from what he’d made her feel the night before. He held his hand out to her, but she just sat there. Nikolai could see she was conflicted and decided to act before she could react. Climbing from the vehicle, he approached her slowly, taking a seat next to her and dropping his clasped hands between his thighs.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Katya gave him an incredulous look. Taking a breath she tried to speak but words failed her.

Nikolai reached over and took her hands, ignoring that she flinched at his touch. He wasn’t sure how much she had seen or heard, but given the look upon her face when she’d first seen him, what she had witnessed was more than enough to have her questioning her judgment.

“We need to go,” he told her, hoping she would come with him willingly.

“Where?” Katya asked, licking her dry lips and trying to keep the quiver from her voice.

How can I still be attracted to him now that I know what he’s capable of?

“Katya, look at me,” Nikolai commanded softly. He waited until she complied and then told her, “We need to talk about your ability to follow orders, but right now, I need you to get in the car with me. I will answer any questions you have about what you witnessed or heard, but not out here in the open. It’s not safe.”

As he finished speaking, Katya noticed that the driver had exited the vehicle and now stood with his back towards them, watching the street carefully as if an attack was imminent. Realizing that she was probably putting Nikolai in danger, she nodded her head and quickly walked to the car and climbed in.

Nikolai was intrigued at the concern he’d seen in her eyes once she realized he was jeopardizing his safety by sitting out in the open. She was a paradox, one he was determined to figure out.

Nikolai gave his driver instructions to take them out of the city and head towards his lake house. He’d intended to give her some time to adjust before sharing her heritage with her, but given today’s events, that conversation could no longer wait.

Grigori had answered his summons and would be arriving in three days’ time. That only gave him a few days to help Katya wrap her head around her future.

Katya had scooted to the far seat upon entering the limo and stared out the window, even after Nikolai entered the car and gave his instructions to the driver. She wasn’t sure what he expected, and she really wished she had someone to talk to about what she’d just discovered, both about the new men in her life and about herself.

Nikolai poured himself a drink and offered her a bottle of ice-cold water. “Do you want to tell me what you saw?”

Katya took the water from him, drinking half the container before putting the cap back on. “I…those men…where did your men take them?”

“Do you really want to know?”

Katya fiddled with the water bottle. “I’m not sure. Part of me knows that you and Danil only did what I asked you to do.”

“But the other part of you is horrified that you aren’t more upset.”

Katya looked at him, “How did you know? That’s it exactly. How can I be glad those men are dead?”

“Did they deserve to die?”

“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.

“Then there is nothing else to think about. Justice has been served.”

Katya nodded her head, “I know, but…I read about the things different Bratva have been accused of, and I guess it was only words until today.”

“And how do you feel about that?” Nikolai asked, hoping she wasn’t ready to run away.

Katya didn’t respond to his question.