His (Ties That Bind #2) - Natasha Knight Page 0,26

into a fist.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got, Lev,” he answers darkly. “Because I won’t rest until I’ve hunted you like a dog and destroyed everything you love. Mark my words.”

11

Kat

I sit amid bubbles in a tub big enough for two at what is probably one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed in. I thought Lev would choose a quiet hotel out of the way, but we’re at a high rise in Times Square in the heart of everything.

Even though I grew up in Philadelphia, I’ve never been to New York City. Josh has his face plastered to the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, Wally in one hand, little toes peeking out from beneath his new Minion pajamas and staring in awe at everything. He didn’t even fight me when it came time to take his bath when he saw the size of the tub. I guess to him it was like a small swimming pool. Which there is an indoor one here and Lev has promised to take him swimming tomorrow.

“Time for bed, Josh,” Lev says from the doorway of the bathroom. It’s so big, I’m pretty sure the entire cabin Josh and I rented in Colorado could fit inside it.

When Josh doesn’t reply, Lev goes to him and crouches down beside him. He wraps one arm around Josh’s shoulders to point out something, and I think about how right this is. How right that he’s with us. Even with everything going on, I don’t have to do it alone, and I didn’t realize how much of a weight that’s been all these years.

Josh giggles as Lev makes a joke, then lifts him up in his arms and walks him toward me.

“Night, Mommy,” Josh says, rubbing his eyes.

Lev leans him down, and I plant a kiss on the top of his head.

“Night, baby,” I say and watch them walk out through our bedroom and to the connecting one. A few minutes later, I hear the familiar words of Good Night, Gorilla. I lean my head back against the cool ceramic of the tub and close my eyes.

My mom was somehow involved in this world. How? And who would know? Vasily, but he would just as soon kill me than tell me anything. My father?

My father.

My mom was in love with him, according to Maxim.

I sit up, disturbing the bubbles.

My mother was in love with a mobster. Not only that, but the boss of them all. And she ran information on him to Vasily? That doesn’t make sense. Why would she do that? Is Maxim right that he was blackmailing her? Or that Vasily “had something on her,” as he put it?

She was barely twenty when she gave birth to me. How much could there be to “have” on a person?

“He’s out cold,” Lev says not ten minutes later, leaning against the doorframe with arms folded across his chest.

“He must be exhausted with everything that’s happening.”

He nods. “You didn’t kill him, by the way.”

“What?”

“We didn’t get a chance to talk about it, but if you’re feeling guilty or upset about the guy at the service station, your bullet didn’t kill him. Mine did.”

Is there something wrong with me that I didn’t care about that man? Should I feel guilty?

“I don’t,” I tell Lev.

He studies me in that way of his that he’s always had. Like he can see right into my mind.

I stand and watch him sweep his gaze over me as soapy water glides off my body.

“I don’t feel guilty or upset or anything, Lev. Maybe you should know that about me.” I step onto the mat, and I feel his eyes on me when I walk across the room to the stand-up shower and reach in to switch it on.

I hear the click of the door closing and the lock engaging when I step beneath the flow of steaming water to rinse off.

A minute later, he’s naked and in the shower with me, hands around my waist, turning me to face him.

“What do you think I should know about you that I don’t already?” His gaze locks on mine as one hand slides between my legs.

“That’s two men I’ve killed,” I say.

“I just told you, you didn’t kill him.”

“I wanted to. And he would have bled out if you’d left him.”

“But he didn’t.”

I stare up at him, and I don’t know why I feel defensive and angry. No, I do. Because a part of me blames him even though I know Josh and I were never really safe