Page 29 of Viktor's Temptation
“We’ll be discreet,” Mikail promised, his tone brisk but respectful. He cast a brief, assessing glance at Gracie before turning his attention back to Viktor. “We’ve had reports of more missing humans. This is bigger than we initially thought.” His gaze returned to Gracie. “Have you remembered anything else?”
Gracie hesitated, glancing at Viktor before meeting Mikail’s eyes. The flicker of trust Viktor had earned wasn’t easily extended to anyone else, but she decided to answer. “Bits and pieces,” she said cautiously. “But it’s all… blurry.”
Mikail’s expression darkened, but Viktor stepped forward, cutting off the interrogation with a commanding presence. “She’ll remember when she’s ready. Right now, we focus on the task at hand.”
Gracie swallowed hard, her gaze flicking between the men. Her new world was unfolding at breakneck speed, and while Viktor’s hand on hers offered some reassurance, the weight of it all settled heavily in her chest.
“Let’s go,” Viktor murmured, his voice gentler now as he ushered her into the elevator. For now, Gracie decided to trust him—and hope that he was right.
Mikail’s expression looked grim as he turned to look at Viktor again. “I sent several teams out. We’re shifting to offense. I’m not going to stand around and wonder what’s happening any longer. I want answers yesterday.”
“Good,” Viktor replied with a firm nod. “Today, I’m going to teach Gracie how to control another’s mind.” He squeezed her hand, looking into her eyes to ensure that she was listening.
“Okay. We’re with you.”
“Good,” Viktor replied, then turned, keeping her hand in his as he addressed his guards. “Spread out and let me know if any of you see anything suspicious.”
The men nodded, but Viktor had already returned his focus to Gracie. “It seems that your memory is coming back in spurts. If something flashes back to you, even if you don’t think it’s important, tell me immediately, okay?”
“Okay,” she replied, nodding her understanding of how important this issue was. She looked away, staring off at nothing for a long moment. When she turned to look at him again, she tried to remain calm, but Viktor could see the concern in her expression. “How many people died in the last group?”
He shook his head. “I won’t lie to you, Gracie. It’s a lot. Unfortunately, I don’t have a specific number yet. But it seems as if the person doing this likes to keep his test subjects in groupsof nine, although we don’t know if that grouping is based off of superstition or convenience.”
“That’s horrible!” she gasped, running her hands over her outer arms. “I feel like this is my fault somehow.”
“It isn’t,” he assured her firmly. “You survived and escaped whatever plot this person is attempting. If you hadn’t escaped, then we wouldn’t have your insights.” He gripped her shoulders. “Trust me, Gracie. None of this is your fault. You are as much of a victim of this demented person’s plot as the people who died. Don’t take on another person’s guilt.”
She smiled tightly, but there was no amusement in the expression. He pulled her closer, his body cradling hers. Gracie tried to hide her reaction, but Viktor was a big man and with his arms around her, his broad shoulders and especially his confidence, she felt safe and secure. And excited! The other two reactions were justified. But the excitement had to be hidden.
“Right,” she whispered. Then pulled out of his arms and took a step backwards. “Lessons?” she prompted, needing to distract herself. Viktor was…everything she’d ever craved in a man. And everything she knew she couldn’t have.
Compared to Viktor, Warren wasn’t even a man; he was a slimy snail leaving a sad, sticky trail of mediocrity in his wake. Viktor, on the other hand, was all sharp edges and panther-like sophistication—graceful, powerful, and thoroughly unbothered by the likes of garden-variety pests like Warren.
Lifting her chin, Gracie vowed to master her new powers as quickly as possible. Of course, this goal was purely practical, she assured herself. It had absolutelynothingto do with wantingViktor to notice her growing strength—or how good her legs looked when she ran at super-speed. Nope, not a bit.
Unfortunately, the little voice in the back of her mind chose that moment to pipe up.Liar.
“Have your security teams discovered anything about Warren recently?”
“He tried to use your bank card to withdraw money from your bank account yesterday,” Viktor told her. “We’d already put a hold on your account so he wasn’t able to complete the transaction.”
Gracie stopped and turned, her mouth falling open. “Warren tried to steal money from me?” Viktor lifted a dark eyebrow.
“Yes. Are you surprised?”
“No. Not really.” Gracie sighed, exasperated, as she turned to Viktor. “So Warren tried to steal money from me, he shoved me out of my house, and now he’s living there, eating my food, and probably ruining my furniture. What’s next? Did he steal my streaming password too?”
Viktor raised an eyebrow, amused by her sudden burst of sarcasm. “We haven’t tracked his streaming habits yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Of course not! Why not add binge-watchinghisshows on my accounts to his list of sins?” Gracie muttered, stomping ahead on the sidewalk. “I bet he hasn’t even watered my plants. My poor ferns are probably shriveled husks by now.”
Viktor followed her, his long stride effortlessly matching her angry pace. “You think he’s the type to care for houseplants?”
Gracie let out a humorless laugh. “Care for them? Viktor, he once told me plants were just ‘house dirt with leaves.’ I’m pretty sure if he even noticed them dying, he’d use the pots as makeshift beer holders.”
“Beer and house dirt,” Viktor mused, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “A stunning combination.”
She spun to face him, her frustration mounting. “You think this is funny?”
