“Absolutely nothing?” I stare up at Katia and Ruslan as we sit in my room’s lounge area.
Or more like, I sit. My two guards still refuse to rest in my presence, not even when I order them to.
“I went as far as asking underground, miss,” Ruslan says in his gruff voice. “And no one knows anything about Kyle Hunter prior to him joining the Bratva.”
“Not even before Dedushka’s time?”
He shakes his head.
“There’s another thing,” Katia chimes in, arms in front of her and legs apart as if she’s on standby.
“What?”
“The last name Hunter could be a fake or forged.”
Great. The man I took for my husband is the biggest mystery of all. When I asked my guards to look into him, I didn’t expect a detailed report, but I thought I would at least know something about his past. It could be anything as long as I get to use it against him.
My blood still boils from the way I was kicked out of Adrian’s car earlier. Kyle just came a few days ago, and now he gets to conduct important business on behalf of Sergei.
I figured out a long time ago that I’m living in an unfair world that depends on gender, but the sting is different this time. It feels like I lost more of my power to him, which will not happen again.
You can’t let it happen again, I chide myself.
“Miss?”
I stare up at Katia. “Yes?”
“With all due respect, may I ask why you married someone we can’t keep track of? We…” She shares a glance with Ruslan. “We are worried about you.”
“We’ve never seen you unwell before,” Ruslan adds.
They really shouldn’t have said those words. Now the ice I’ve been cultivating and hardening in sharp blades is melting at their concerned expressions.
I’ve never seen loyalty as deep as I see it in these two. I have no doubt they’d run into the line of fire just to save me—not that I would ever let them. They mean so much more to me than mere guards. I meant what I told Reina the other day: they’re family, and I protect my family even if I have to fight tooth and nail.
“You don’t have to worry. I’m a Sokolov, and we always win. Besides, just because he keeps his past under wraps, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”
“What do you mean?” Katia asks.
“It means I have to dig harder with the man himself.”
Ruslan shifts his attention to Katia then back to me. “He could lie.”
“I won’t be obvious about my digging, so he won’t figure it out. First of all, I want to do a secret DNA test to know if his parental relationship with Igor is real. I’ll get you Kyle’s hair.”
“Igor’s won’t be easy to obtain.” Katia grimaces. “His security is like a fort.”
“We can bribe one of the servants,” Ruslan offers.
I shake my head. “They’re not susceptible to bribery, and the whole thing might backfire in our faces. Igor won’t stay still if he knows I’m spying on him, not to mention I’m already walking a fine line with him ever since I dug into his financials. I’ll make up a reason to visit his wife.”
“Yes, Stella likes you and kept asking about you at the wedding.”
“Let’s hope her opinion doesn’t change after I do this.” Because if she really turns out to be my mother-in-law, she’ll probably know I’m not sincere toward her son.
During the rest of the evening, my guards and I continue our strategic planning for the brunch. If I want to have the Italians join, led by Lazlo’s wife, I can’t do it in our house. None of the Italians would send their wives to the Russians’ compound. We may be allies, but it’s jungle law, and no one completely trusts the other.
It needs to be a public place that’s in a shared territory so that the Italians can feel like they have the same control as us and, therefore, will be safe.
Anastasia and Lia will have to join me so I feel more in my element with my people. It would’ve been perfect if Reina were here, too, but I would rather be shot in the chest than bring my twin sister into this world.
After my guards leave, I spend some time with Ana and tell her about the brunch, and she jumps up from excitement. Being sheltered her whole life makes her giddy at the slightest change of patterns.
Seeing her happy is contagious, and I go back to my room with a big smile on my face.
It immediately drops when I find Kyle sitting in the lounge area, his fingers moving over the keyboard of a laptop that’s settled on the coffee table.
My stomach dips, and the toy that’s still lodged deep inside me tingles, even though it’s not moving. I hate these emotions, the familiarity, the intimacy I can’t stop myself from feeling toward him.
So I go straight to the defensive. “What are you doing in my room?”
“Our room,” he says without lifting his head. “We’re married, Mrs. Hunter, remember? Or did you have too much to drink and need me to punish you again?”
I grab the nearest object, which happens to be a pillow, and throw it at him. He catches it over his head, his focus still on the laptop, but his lips tilt in a smirk as if he knows exactly which of my buttons to push.
Well, he’s not the only one with surprises. But first… “I’m removing the toy.”
“No.”
“It’s already night. You’re not expecting me to wear it while I sleep, are you?”
“Whatever I plan is none of your concern. All you need to do is keep your part of the deal. Now, be a good little princess and stay silent while I have a conference call.”
“With who?” I approach him slowly.
“The Lucianos’ underboss and two of their capos. They want to discuss business with Adrian and me.”
“I take it your visit to Lazlo went well?”
“Excellent, actually. He likes that I went personally, and he already dotes on Adrian, so it was as expected.” He finally lifts his head to meet my eyes. “Do you now see how you would have ruined it by tagging along?”
I purse my lips, but it’s not only because of the whole Lazlo thing. It’s the fact that I can’t stop staring at Kyle’s face, at his gleaming eyes and sensual lips, his sharp features and the way a stray hair is falling haphazardly on his temple.
And now I’m ogling him. Stop ogling him.
“I’ll stay and listen,” I blurt to distract myself.
“Why?”
“Because this is Bratva business and I want to be in the know.”
“And you don’t trust me to do it alone.” His declaration is strange, almost like he’s anticipating a certain type of answer.
“Good. At least you know that.”
His eyes fall back to the laptop, but he doesn’t deny or confirm my demand. After a moment, he says, “If the Italians hear your voice, the deal will be null and void. They won’t be able to trust us. Do you understand?”
The tone in his voice bothers me. It’s mechanical, almost like he’s dismissing me or pulling away from me.
I hate the sting that explodes in my chest. “Fine.”
Kyle has no idea what will come to him in this exact conference call. I slip over to my closet and change into a short, dark red nightgown Ana bought for me as a wedding gift.
The lace that covers my breasts is see-through, so my nipples are visible if someone is close enough. The soft silk falls gently against my body but barely covers the crack of my ass.
I stand in front of the mirror and contemplate what I’m going to do. This looks like the last thing I would ever wear. Besides, seduction is my absolute weakness. Not only have I never tried it before, it also puts me in a vulnerable position.
At the same time, I know if I don’t go for it, I won’t have a chance to snatch back the power that was yanked away from me.
Tilting my head to the side, I run the tips of my fingers over the mauve hickey at the base of my throat. Needles of discomfort prick me when it stings. I wince even though my thighs clench at the same time.
“You can do this,” I whisper to myself, then turn around and stride out of the closet with confidence I don’t feel.
I recall how Reina walks when she wants to get Asher’s attention—not that she has to try hard since she always has his full focus. I sway my hips the slightest bit as I stand in front of the door.
“Our men will be stationed near the club downtown,” someone says in an Italian accent.
“We will offer limited support on that side, but the number of soldiers is negotiable.” Adrian’s voice.
“I can get intel for this week.” Kyle is still typing at a rapid-fire pace on his laptop, obviously multitasking while taking the call. “What are our main concerns?”
I try to think of the best way to get his attention without clearing my throat or making a noise. Just when I’m about to drop something from my console, Kyle lifts his head as if he knew I’d been standing there all along.
Our eyes clash and, for a second, I think he’s seeing straight through me. Maybe he’ll completely ignore me, causing my mission to fail before it even gets started.
But then, his hands stop typing on the keyboard and his lips part. It’s the slightest bit, but it’s all the reaction I need to walk toward him at a slow—and hopefully seductive—pace.
His attention remains on me as the Italians talk about some security problems in one of their clubs. Kyle follows my every movement as if he’s expecting me to reach under my gown, retrieve a gun, and shoot him in the heart.
If I were able to do that, I would’ve done it seven years ago when he left without looking back.
I internally shake my head. This isn’t about the past. This is about the present and my rightful power.
When I halt in front of him, Kyle’s eyes heat as he measures me from top to bottom, stopping to pay extra attention to my visible breasts.
My nipples harden against the lace under his scrutiny, and it takes all of my self-control to not cross my arms over my chest.
When his eyes finally come back to my face, he gives me a questioning glance that silently asks, What are you doing?
Before my nerves get the better of me, I sink to my knees in front of him.
Time to snatch my power back.
