Page 50 of Sinful Union

“She asked you to stop the car?”

“Yes. They talked for a minute, then the woman got in.” Ivan speaks quietly, so that Katerina can’t overhear him.

My first instinct is to tell Ivan to turn the damn car around and tell the woman to get out. But I already know that would be useless. Kat doesn’t do caution. She follows her gut, consequences be damned. It’s one of the things I love about her. She’s stubborn, loyal, relentless. She does what she thinks is right, and no one—not me, not her brothers, not an entire fucking Bratva—can stop her.

But right now it’s a liability.

“Anything else?” I ask.

“Yeah. The woman came from her brothers’ house.”

My grip tightens on the phone. That’s not a coincidence.

“She was inside?”

“Yeah. Left on foot shortly after Kat showed up.”

Before I can ask anything more, my phone buzzes with another call coming in. It’s Nikolai.

“Bring them both here,” I tell Ivan. “I’ve got to go. Nikolai’s on the other line.”

“Understood.”

I switch over to Nikolai.“Tell me you have something.” I have a feeling I know what he’s going to say.

“That woman your wife picked up is the same woman I spoke to earlier.”

Just as I’d suspected.“You said he never met her at his house, only at hotels.”

“That was the truth, until last night, that is.”

“You have this woman’s address?”

“Yep, just got it. Some shitty walk-up in Bushwick. I talked to her roommate.”

“Go on.”

“She didn’t seem too concerned.” He pauses. “But this time’s different, isn’t it?”

It’s too fucking convenient. Piotr’s lover, alone on the street, right after spending the night at his place for the first time. And Kat, of all people, just happens to be the one to pick her up? I don’t believe in coincidences. I clench my jaw, my instincts buzzing. “Get to the house—now.”

Nikolai doesn’t hesitate. “On my way.”

I pocket my phone, my mind already three steps ahead. Kat just walked into something, and I’m going to find out exactly what it is.

I settle into my chair, watching the live feed from the security cameras as the car pulls into the garage. Ivan gets out and moves to the back door, opening it for Kat. She moves quickly, exiting the vehicle and walking around to the other side. Kat opens the door for the young woman. She hesitates before stepping out.

I study her. She appears disheveled—messy hair, smudged makeup, like she’s been crying. Her clothes are wrinkled, her shoulders slightly hunched. She looks like she’s been through hell. I sigh, pushing to my feet. Time to figure out what the hell is going on.

By the time I get to the kitchen, Kat is already there and the woman is standing beside her. I don’t give her a chance to speak before closing the distance between us. I cup the back of her neck and press a kiss to her lips. It’s brief but firm, a silent claiming. She stiffens for half a second before melting into it.

Satisfied, I pull back, my gaze flicking to the woman, who won’t meet my eyes. That’s fine. I give her a once-over, wondering what she’s thinking. If this woman has dirt on Piotr, then Kat’s impulsive decision might have just given me leverage.

“This is Darya,” Kat says by way of an introduction.

Darya finally looks at me, her eyes red-rimmed and wary.

“Pavel Fetisov,” I say, extending a hand. She looks at it for a moment like it might be a trap, then cautiously takes it. Her touch is tenuous, like all life has gone out of her.I noticed she’d flinched at my name. Good. She knows exactly who I am. I don’t have time for games. I want answers, and I want them now. But, of course, Kat has other plans.

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