This time, his smile is pure evil, and I know that while I’m likely going to get my way, it’s going to be costly and I may have to do some things that I’m not comfortable with. Considering what I’ve already done in life, that’s a lot.
I only wonder if I can come out the other side uninjured and with the stone that is my true reason for wanting safe passage through Romanov’s lands in Brazil. Caleb might think following in Dad’s footsteps is foolish, and Romanov might find it dangerous, but I can only hope that I can find the thing that will make this all worthwhile. A diamond that holds the answer to so many questions.
Because by finding it, I will find those responsible for Dad’s murder. I’m sure of it. And I’ll make them pay.
“Within reason,” I agree, though Nikolai and I both know that reason left the equation long ago. For us both.
“I am here for a few weeks. We will do dinner and discuss this plan of yours,” Nikolai says, sliding his hand back in his pocket. I can tell that he caresses the sample stone he slipped there in the confusion of the falling tree. The tell shows me that as invested as I am in the outcome of this potential deal, he is equally so.
With a nod, he moves toward the door and his gang instantly follows, stopping mid-sentence and mid-dance to shadow him, the command to roll out not even needing to be voiced. A few of the hostesses look frustrated, but they’re professional enough that nobody does more than pout.
As soon as the Russians exit, Caleb turns to me, keeping his voice low but angry. “What the fuck, Nathan?”
“Not here,” I growl, my eyes cutting to the guests we still have present. Not all of them are fully aware of my business dealings.
I offer a hand to Kitty, helping her from the floor, but when she tries to pull her hand away, I hold tighter. “Oh, no, Miss Kitty. We have much to discuss, regardless of whether you want to use your claws or not. Come with me.”
She freezes, but when I take firm steps toward the door, she comes along, Caleb bringing up the rear like he fears she’ll make a run for it. I fear the same if I’m honest, because I know if she even makes a single step toward the door, things are going to get ugly.
Safely enclosed in my office, I give her a tumbler of scotch without asking if she’d like it. I figure the best-case scenario is that it’ll steady her nerves which are obviously jangled, and worst-case scenario, it’ll loosen her lips to encourage her to tell me everything.
She takes it without complaint, swallowing it in one go instead of sipping as I’d expected. Her manners, or lack thereof, surprise me considering how demure she’d been earlier. I suspect there are more layers to Kitty than one would first think. The thought intrigues me and makes me uncomfortable, considering what she just overheard.
“Tell me what you were doing. What you heard,” I say firmly.
She shakes her head and sets the tumbler on my desk. “I told you, I was just waiting for you. I didn’t hear or see anything.”
I have to give her credit. She’s a good actress, but the fact that she fell the moment Nikolai was looking at the stones tells me she likely leaned forward to get a better look herself. And that means she’s lying right now. Bold-faced lying.
I tell her as much, evaluating every nuance of her flawless face as I do. “Did you get a good view of the stones? Or did you fall before you could really see them?”
She shrinks under the fierceness of my gaze but then gathers herself, trying to argue her case. “We already did this. I thought you believed me based on that humiliating display you made me put on. Can I just go now? Let’s just pretend none of this ever happened.”
The hope is obvious in the depths of her blue eyes, but I need to squash it with the hard reality. “What we did back there, the humiliating display, as you called it, just saved your life. Because make no mistake that Nikolai would’ve killed you without a second thought. He is a cold-blooded monster clad in human skin. So, you’re welcome for my saving your life. But now, you are left with me. And while I’m