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Startled, Erin looks over her shoulder, spotting her father a moment after me. Unfortunately for us, she’s not half the actress I am, so I must overcompensate for her shortcomings. I’ll have to do my best to distract the man from his daughter’s contemplative mood by flirting with him.
“Should I be concerned that the two women who are always on my mind these days are now on talking terms?” McGuire asks, winking at me.
I give him my best fake laugh, and his smile deepens. Erin, however, doesn’t even pretend to enjoy her father’s attempt at humor. After excusing herself, she walks away.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Kat? Is there anything I can do to make your night better?” McGuire asks with a suggestive glint in his green eyes.
Once again, I laugh, faking my amusement at his flirtation. “Oh, Patrick, you’ll get me in trouble.”
“I’m game if you are,” he says, too close to my ear. “Just lose the Russian, and we can have a good time.”
I try to cover my discomfort at his closeness. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It can be. What’s stopping you?”
I force a sigh. “Well, Nik can be a handful. I wouldn’t dare do anything to cause his anger.”
“I can protect you, sweetheart.”
“Can you? I just can’t be sure. It’s too much of a risk.”
“No, no, darling. Tell me how to show you I can protect you from him.”
“Well, there’s one thing…” I say, eyes wide, doing my best to feign concern. For a moment, I worry that I’m laying it on too thick and that he’ll see through my dramatic display. But his eyes glaze over, focusing on my lips, and I realize my hook is in place.
I take a deep breath, mentally calculating the best way to suggest to McGuire that having proof that he took Maxim’s life would show me he’s capable of taking on Nik.
Just as I’m about to reel the man in, a familiar, large hand wraps around my waist. A heartbeat later, I’m pulled back against a broad chest. I look up and see Nik’s face, his dark brown eyes searching for mine.
“Hi there,” I say, curious about the timing of his interruption.
“Hi. I’ve missed you.”
I turn to fully face him so McGuire can’t see my expression. I shoot him a look of disbelief. I can’t understand what’s going on inside his thick skull. Why would he interrupt us just now? I was so close…
Nik ignores my frustrated expression as he coldly addresses our host. “McGuire.”
“Nikolai,” the other man says with a smirk. “We were just talking about you.”
“Were you now?” Nik asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Indeed. But if you’ll excuse me, I see my guests are waving me over. I have a feeling I know what it’s about. There’s this card trick I know that they just love. You must let me show it to you later, Kat. We’ll continue our conversation then.” He grins at me.
“Sounds like a plan.” I wink at him.
With a smirk, McGuire trots over to where a dozen drunk men cheerfully await him.
Nik doesn’t waste a second before wrapping his hand around my wrist and dragging me away to a secluded, darkened corner by the railing. He forcefully turns me until I’m facing him. “What the hell was that?”
“I could ask you the same thing. What were you thinking? I was so close to getting him to tell me everything! We’d have a recording of his confession right now if you hadn’t interrupted me.”
Bemused, Nik glares at me for a moment before shaking his head. “McGuire wouldn’t confess to Maxim’s murder in the middle of a party. He sure as hell wouldn’t do it when I’m within hearing distance.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Nik. He flat-out told me to ditch you for him just now. Believe it or not, he even went as far as promising me he could protect me from you.”
“He did what?” Nik shouts. He glances over my shoulder, his head swiveling from side to side, undoubtedly searching for McGuire.
“What are you doing?” I ask him through gritted teeth. “What’s wrong with you?”
