Page 74 of Claim Me
“Hmmm… Do you plan on killing each other? If so, that wouldn’t be fair to the employees.” She stood several feet away, peering at me with her eyes on fire. The woman could be formidable as hell.
I laughed. She was as stubborn as she was beautiful. “Not if I can help it, but I’m just one man.”
“Didn’t I overhear you talking to what I assume was one of your brothers, perhaps the Pakhan about an entire brigade of people coming to your aid?” Her smile was wry, a decadent glimpse of a cunning side I hadn’t seen.
Shame on me.
It was impossible to keep a smile from my face. As she slowly walked toward me, I rubbed my jaw, realizing I still had yet to shave. She’d interrupted my normal routine in several ways.
“You were spying on me.”
“I wouldn’t call it spying. You were talking loudly as if you wanted me to overhear your conversation. How else should I think of it?” While she was watching my lips, she was confident in what she was saying.
She was right. I’d taken to talking loudly now by habit. As if everything revolved around her. And it had for almost forty-eight hours, although it seemed as if I’d known her for much longer.
“Am I correct? You have an entire brigade coming to Seattle for this discussion with the second Bratva Pakhan?”
“That doesn’t change my answer. You’re not going.”
She swished her hips as she walked closer, pinning me with her soulful eyes. As she adjusted my tie, smoothing her hand down the expensive silk, she sighed as if my words were little more than a subtle distraction. “So you’re trying to tell me I’ll be safer here with a few men than at a hotel surrounded by your entire family and I’m guessing at least a dozen or more soldiers all carrying big, fat guns. Is that what you’re saying?”
I gritted my teeth. She had a point. “You’ll be safe as long as you stay inside the house. My men are armed and know what to look out for.”
Although I’d begun to think simple firepower wasn’t enough. Popov was a clever man who would use whatever tactics needed to gain control. That much I’d gleaned from reading about him. Yet another reason to take her with me and head to Vegas. At least the resort manager seemed capable. I could return once a week until I’d determined what to do with the facility. The best bet was to sell the property outright, but that could take months in trying to vet the right purchaser.
Plus, there was the pesky realization Marissa was part owner. With her resolve, she would refuse to allow the property to be sold.
“Is that really true? I know you were outside at the right time and place, able to…” She hesitated, a slight nervous look sweeping across her face. “Able to protect me, but if what I’ve read about Popov’s organization is true, he has hundreds of men ready to die to do his bidding.”
Well, shit. She’d been spending time learning about the enemy. This wasn’t getting us anywhere and I wanted to be inside the resort when and if Popov accepted the sordid invitation.
“True enough.”
“Trust me. I will find a way to go to the resort. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. I know you think I’m incapable of handling myself with everything that has happened, but you would be wrong. Besides, we’ve never been on a date.”
What? What tactic was she trying to use? I knew my expression was one of confusion and it delighted her.
“I mean you’ve fucked me three times. Don’t you think I deserve an evening out? Not that I didn’t enjoy watching you squirm when we watched my favorite movie.”
“Squirm?” I repeated. There’d been two people in my life who’d challenged me so openly. My father, who got a pass. And Mikhail, who’d gotten a black eye. That had been in my… black sheep days. It was obvious I’d shoved aside the fact she was tougher than she appeared.
“Oh, you squirmed. And here I thought you wanted me to believe you were some big, bad tough guy.” She was thoroughly enjoying herself. Why had I not noticed this side of her?
“Marissa.”
“Don’t Marissa me. I’ve been to the resort a few times, but I’ve never eaten in any of the restaurants and I’ve certainly never spent the night. It might be nice to get away from… memories.” The last word and how her voice dropped off was the only indication she was still broken from the tragedy. Her resolve was forced, but she was a damn good actress.
“Out of the question. We’ll have this… date later.”
She gripped my face, digging her short but effective nails into my skin. “Kazimir, it’s time for you to listen to me for a change. I understand the danger. Maybe more than I wanted to believe. My parents were murdered. At least that’s what Charlie believed and I trust his judgment even now. My brother wasn’t prone to histrionics. He tried to protect me, but I could see him cracking around the edges. Now my brother’s life has been taken because he tried to protect me and the dream my father had nurtured. We don’t know the details around the deal that was made but learning them is vital. Even I know that as a musician. I might be new to the game of politics within a crime syndicate, but I’m a very quick learner and I deserve answers and revenge. As I said, I am going to that meeting. Like it or not.”
I’d be damned if the woman didn’t head to the front door, throwing it open then grabbing her suitcase.
“Do not walk out that door, Marissa.” Even with her head turned, she’d heard me. Hell, my men had heard me and likely half the neighborhood. Christ, the woman had gotten so far under my skin I was unnerved. What in the hell was I going to do with her, tie her to the bed?
My cock actually twitched from the evil thought. Somehow, I had a feeling that even if I used metal handcuffs, she’d find a way to chew them off.
“Or what? You’ll punish me?” She threw a look over her shoulder. What was the saying? If looks could kill. “Oh, I’m so afraid.”
