Viktor gave her a dark smile. “He had no choice. Not unless he wanted a war.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Is there a possibility he’s the one who attacked you last night?”
He snorted, his expression easing. “No. He’s actually at the bottom of my list. We haven’t had contact in years. I stay out of his way and he stays out of mine. The people who attacked last night weren’t pros.”
“You still keep pretty intense security at your house.” She knew that even the Caldwell brothers didn’t have the kind of security he did. Not actual armed guards anyway.
“I never let myself get complacent. I can’t afford to.” He cupped her cheek, his touch gentle. “I’ll never risk your safety either. Don’t doubt that.”
“I don’t.” She might not have known him that long, but she didn’t doubt him. He made her feel…happy in a way she hadn’t been in a long time. Which was hard to swallow. She turned her face away from his hold and lay back on his chest.
He stiffened slightly. “What?”
“Nothing… Okay, I feel a little guilty being so happy with you. It makes me think of my mother and then I get so angry at her.” Shame swelled inside her for feeling angry at all. “She left me. I feel like…she didn’t love me enough. Like I wasn’t worth sticking around for. Which is stupid, I know.” Her throat grew tight as the mix of long-buried emotions shattered inside her. She hated feeling like that.
His hold tightened ever so slightly. “My father was an evil man who ground people into the dirt. The fact that she endured being with him… She loved you very much, Dominique. That’s something you should never doubt.”
His words soothed all the jagged edges. She didn’t respond, just let him hold her. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed there but when her stomach rumbled loudly she buried her face against his chest.
He laughed, the sound so sweet to her ears because he rarely seemed to do it. “I think it’s time I got you fed.” He reached a hand down, palmed her ass before squeezing possessively. “Then I plan to eat you. Slowly.”
His words set her on fire, but if she was going to have enough energy to keep up with him, she knew she should eat something. Then…she hoped they headed right back to the bedroom.
Last night had been amazing. She hadn’t expected her first time to be so good. Now she was so glad she’d waited. Being with a man like Viktor who’d been so giving, clearly putting her pleasure before his own, had been incredible. She was pretty sure she’d fallen for him. It didn’t seem to matter that her head said this was way too fast. Her heart wasn’t listening.
*
He couldn’t concentrate on anything today. Not after last night’s failure. He’d hired those men specifically because of their shock tactics and penchant for violence. They were supposed to have killed Viktor’s men and taken the woman.
Time was running out and he still needed her as a bargaining chip. He’d eventually kill her, but not until he got what he wanted. Then he’d kill her and Viktor. His brother too, because there was no way Abram would let his brother’s death go unpunished.
It was Ivanov’s own fault, for coming after him first. The stupid Russian liked to hide behind a mask of civility, claiming that the things he did weren’t personal, just business. Well it was fucking personal to him.
With a trembling hand he dialed his contact.
The man answered on the fourth ring, his voice tight. “What?”
“What’s the security situation like?”
“Tight. Everyone is locked down and…” A door shut, then, “Both women are locked down as well. Both here.”
Here meant Viktor’s house. “I want the woman.” He didn’t need to specify which one. The assistant would have been a decent choice, but knowing that Viktor truly cared for Dominique Castle, that she wasn’t some whore he was paying, made her the only choice.
“Too bad for you.”
He gritted his teeth, forced his voice to remain even. “Two hundred fifty grand in your account if you get her to me by this afternoon.”
The man sucked in a breath. “That’s still not enough for my life. Because he will hunt me to the end of the earth if I take her.”
“He won’t be around that long. Once I get her I’ll be able to bargain with him for what I want. Then I’ll pay you five hundred grand, with the promise that I’ll kill him and his brother. Once that’s done you’ll be able to start over somewhere with a nice chunk of money.”
Seconds ticked by. One, two, three… “I’ll do it. I want that boat of yours too. The one in the marina.”
Greedy bastard. Maybe he’d kill him too. He would tidy up all loose ends. “Agreed. Bring her to my office. Call me on your way. I’ll meet you in the loading area.”
“As soon as I get my money, consider it done.”