Page 31 of Married to the Don (Kornilov Bratva Duet 1)

Viktor looks up at me. His blue eyes are bloodshot but piercing. He watches me for several seconds, weighing whether or not to answer the question. Just when I think he’s going to ignore me, he blinks and then shakes his head slowly. “No.”

“About me or about Theo?” I clarify.

“I didn’t know about either of you until this afternoon.” He sighs and looks away, running a hand through his dark hair, sending it sticking straight up. “Fedor’s lawyer told me about you.”

“About me? Not about Theo?”

He doesn’t answer, but I can see in his face that Theo was a surprise. Which changes things.

When I meet men, they are often surprised to find out that I have a four-year-old son—apparently homeless women with children aren’t a big turn on—so Viktor’s surprise at the motel seemed normal to me. But as soon as I found out who Viktor really was, I assumed it had all been an act and that he was there to take Theo from me. Now I know he didn’t even realize Theo existed.

“So why did you take Theo from my room earlier? What did you say to him?”

“I found him wandering in the hallway,” he explains. “He woke up and snuck out without you realizing it.”

After the food was delivered, I was so shocked to learn whose motel I was sleeping in that I didn’t lock the door. I remember now. When I was woken up by the knocking and stumbled to the door, I didn’t have to unlock the deadbolt first. That’s how Theo was able to get out without waking me up.

“You thought I kidnapped him,” Viktor says.

I nod. There’s no sense denying it.

“That explains the knee to the groin.” He winces from the memory, and I can’t help but smile. “It wasn’t funny.”

“Agree to disagree.”

I could be mistaken, but I think I see a ghost of a smile on his face too. Then it disappears and a deep line appears between his eyebrows. “I didn’t come for Theo. I came for you. To keep you from testifying.”

Now it’s my turn to frown. “Testifying? About what?”

He raises a brow, waiting for me to catch up, and I do.

“Oh.” The assault.

“Did the police approach you to testify? You can tell me the truth.”

“I don’t have to lie,” I say. “Nobody has approached me at all. I haven’t thought about your brother in a very long time. Not until I found out who you were.”

He clenches his teeth, his jaw working at the corners, flexing in a way that makes me think of the way his lips felt on mine. I look away and push the thought out of my mind. Or, if not all the way out, at least to the back. To unpack later.

“Will you testify if they ask you to?”

“Not if it endangers Theo.” The moment I found out who Fedor was all those years ago, I dropped the pursuit of any charges. Getting some kind of settlement could have gone a long way to helping keep me and Theo off the streets these last few years, but the money wouldn’t be worth the risk of either of us being hurt. It didn’t take much searching to figure out what happens to anyone who dares testify against the Kornilovs.

Viktor is quiet for a minute. Then he takes my empty mug from me, puts it in the sink, and pulls out his phone. I don’t know who he’s calling or if it has anything to do with me. My heartbeat quickens as I contemplate whether I should stay put or run. Then, Viktor begins ordering someone to get to a store in the morning and buy blocks, toy cars, puzzles, and stuffed animals. He also tells them to buy pajamas and warm clothes for a four-year-old, and then turns to me.

“You’re a small, right?”

“I can’t pay for this,” I say. “For any of it.”

He squints in my direction. “You look like a small.”

He tells the person on the other end to buy pajamas, underwear, socks, leggings, and T-shirts for a small woman.

When he hangs up, he slides his phone back into his pocket. “I’m sure you’ll want to pick out your own jeans and bras.” His eyes flick to my chest at the mention of my undergarments, and I feel my neck warm.

“What do you want?” I ask. “I can’t pay for this. I won’t be able to pay you back. So what is in it for you?”

“You’ll live here,” he says simply. “I just need you to stay here for a while and not turn my nephew against me. Or try to escape.”

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