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I’m making my way to her before my brain even fully registers that she’s back. I yank the door open, and the sight of her turns my limbs to rubber.
She’s safe. She’s back.
Indescribable relief washes over me, and I take a moment to look at her, quickly scanning her from head to toe. My eyes assess her for any signs of injuries while my brain tries to commit every detail to memory.
Kat seems completely fine. More than fine, actually, if the outraged way she’s giving Vladmir a piece of her mind is any indication.
Vlad is visibly upset as he chastises her for lying to him about having my permission to leave by herself. Normally, I’d lash out at him for talking to her in such a disrespectful manner. Right now, however, I’m more than inclined to let him give her a piece of his mind.
“Dmitri,” I say over my shoulder. “You and Vladmir. Get Connor out of here now. Stash him somewhere safe for the time being.”
My voice startles Kat, who hadn’t noticed me standing a few feet away from her as she faces Vladmir.
With a gasp, she turns in my direction, having the audacity to ask, “Connor? As in Connor Daniels? McGuire’s right-hand man?”
“You must be kidding me,” I say, somehow managing to address her without yelling. “That’s what you have to say to me? After breaking your promise to me and leaving home without warning?”
With a beatific smile, Kat pats my cheek. “Nik, I’m sorry I upset you. I thought I’d be back before you even noticed I was gone. I know I should’ve said something, but there was something I had to do and I didn’t want to interrupt your work. But I’m back now—safe and sound. We don’t need to argue about this, right? No harm, no foul. Now, tell me about Connor. Exciting news, huh?”
And then, Kat smiles at me. She fucking smiles at me.
“Have you lost your mind?” I ask, for all intents and purposes yelling at her at the tops of my lungs. “You could’ve died! Do you have any idea what kind of horrible scenarios were going through my mind once I realized you were gone? Not to mention—you made me a promise, and then, almost with the same breath, you broke it.”
With an exasperated sigh, Kat says, “I understand how you would see it that way, but Nik—I was fine. I can take care of myself. I knew I was going to be completely fine, and I didn’t want to disturb or worry you unnecessarily. You already have a lot on your plate right now. I’m sorry I upset you. I truly am. I was hoping I’d be back before you were done with work.”
“That doesn’t make it okay! I trusted you to keep your word to me, but you disregarded it a few hours later. And for what? Some stupid errand? Do you seriously expect me to believe that?”
Kat’s eyes narrow slightly. “If you must know, it was for something a little more serious and urgent than a simple errand. Like I said, I’m sorry you feel like I broke my promise to you, and I’m sorry for upsetting you. I don’t want to add another worry to your already gigantic pile of problems. But I hope I don’t have to remind you I don’t need your permission to come and go as I see necessary. I appreciate your concern for my safety. I’ll certainly take your advice under consideration when assessing the risks of going out, but you must understand that I’ll do that out of care, concern and affection for you. I trust I don’t have to point out that you, as a matter of fact, do not own me.”
I practically shout in her face. “You did not just say that to me. You promised me, Kat! You promised me. You said you wouldn’t leave the penthouse.”
Kat shakes her head, raising an eyebrow at me. “Actually, no. I did not promise that at all. I said I’d keep your request in mind. I promised I’d do my best to stay out of trouble and be safe. Which I was, whether or not you choose to believe it. Now, Dmitri—since it’s clear Nik’s too far gone with his temper tantrum to tell me anything, can you please let me know what Connor had to say?”
“Dmitri—” I say in warning. “Don’t you dare answer her. Get Connor out of here. Now.”
Kat rolls her eyes. “Come on, Nik. Don’t be like this. Dmitri, you know I’m a part of this now, too. I deserve to know. What did Connor have to say?”
Dmitri’s head swivels back and forth between us, but I expect his loyalty to ultimately lie with me, his pakhan—the man who signs his paychecks and the man who helped raise him. I expect him to follow my orders and leave immediately. As it turns out, that was foolish of me.
Still, I can’t say I’m too surprised when the insubordinate fool obliges Kat instead, relating every tidbit of information we just learned from McGuire’s right-hand man. Once he finishes reporting to her, he turns to me. He has the nerve to shrug, apologetically. “Sorry, Nik. I’ll get Connor out of here now. Let’s go, Vlad.”
“Get the fuck out of my sight,” I say under my breath.
“Nik, this changes everything, right?” Kat asks, breathless with unbridled excitement once we are alone. “You have to see my point now. You have proof that it’s entirely possible McGuire isn’t behind this. No need to go to war against him just yet.”
“This changes nothing,” I say, angrily refuting her suggestion. “Of course Connor would say that McGuire didn’t kill Maxim. He’d say anything to try to save his boss. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you he’s the one who killed Maxim. An incredibly fantastical story from an untrustworthy source changes absolutely nothing. Besides, as I’ve already fucking told you, it doesn’t matter anymore. Patrick McGuire attacked you in broad daylight. That was an act of war.”
Disappointment shadows Kat’s features. “How can you say that? Think of all the horrible things that could happen to all of us if you insist on heading down this path,” she says.
“You aren’t listening to me,” I say, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. “And it doesn’t fucking matter to me right now, anyway. You lied to me, Kat. I trusted you, and you went behind my back when I let my guard down. You could’ve gotten yourself killed. Connor just told us his orders were to capture you. Do you have any idea what it would do to me if McGuire got to you? If I lost you, Kat, I don’t know what I’d do. I wouldn’t have been able to go on.”
Kat’s eyes soften as she touches my face. “Nik, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you this much pain.”
“You even made me look like a fool in front of my men. You undermined me and endangered our plan to catch McGuire. You left me. You endangered yourself. You betrayed my trust and you disobeyed me. You did it just to prove you could.”
Kat’s tender expression hardens. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t own me, Nik. I don’t owe you obedience. I thought we saw eye-to-eye on this, but it seems I was wrong. You tell me I’ve broken your trust, but the way I see it, you’re breaking mine right now. You’re trying to control me. I’m setting very clear boundaries, and you insist on kicking them aside. I thought you respected me more than that. After everything we’ve been through, I expect you to know that you can’t shackle me to you. Believe it or not, I’m not just being a brat. I have a really good reason for doing what I did today. Believe it or not, I did it for you and me. I’ll tell you all about it soon. Right now, you need to trust me to come back to you. You need to trust me—period.”
The hurt and seriousness in her tone give me pause and make me second-guess myself. The very last thing I wish to do is hurt her. But I just can’t agree with her. Unlike her, I’m not making the mistake of underestimating McGuire again. I know better than she does that he is a genuine threat to her safety. Everything I’ve done has been for the right reasons. Can Kat say the same? If she had such a good, legitimate reason for breaking her promise to me, then why be so secretive about it?
