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I scoff. “Don’t be silly. Best-case scenario, I’ll get you back. And as you should know by now, I deserve nothing but the very best.”
Nik’s dark brown eyes burn into mine, and it’s obvious he’s torn between the desire to kiss me and the urge to strangle me.
“Damn it, Kat. You shouldn’t have come.”
“Well, I’m here now, so let’s focus on getting out of here so you can spend the rest of our days berating me for my recklessness, shall we?”
His immediate response is a pained groan, but I never get to find out what new form of outraged reprimand he planned to delight me with because the bane of my existence intercepts us. Giuseppe Salvatore, the stronzo, stands proud and indignant directly in front of us.
“Well, well, well. Look who stopped for a visit. Someway, somehow, I’m not surprised to see you had a hand in this charade, my dear Ms. Devereaux,” he says with his best slimy smirk. “And you, Nikolai—what is it about you Russian men that you just can’t resist meddling with the women who belong to your betters?”
“You are not his better,” I say through gritted teeth. “And I will never belong to you.”
“I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we? I’m assuming our friend A.J. is close by. What a merry gathering this is!” Salvatore sighs in feigned delight. “Why don’t we go find her?”
“Leave her alone,” I say as Nik gently pushes me behind his body.
“Don’t worry, Kat. He’ll leave us alone now,” Nik says, rising to his impressive height. “He won’t be bothering any of us anymore. Isn’t that right, Salvatore? Not Kat, not A.J., not Dmitri.”
“And why would I do that, Nikolai?” the horrid man asks mockingly. “Because you say so?”
Nik smiles his gigawatt grin, but his dark eyes remain cold. “Yeah. That’s exactly right,” he says. “Because I say so.”
Without another word, Nik unflinchingly fires my gun between the stronzo’s pale blue eyes.
24
KAT
He has come for me at last.
Even through the bedroom’s closed solid wood door, I hear Nik’s voice and muffled footsteps on the marble floors. He pauses outside the doorway, and I hold my breath.
Soon after Nik ended Giuseppe Salvatore’s miserable life, Vladmir and a sizable contingent of bratva soldiers arrived at the scene. By then, most of the non-Italian representatives of the Seven Families had made themselves scarce, but the cacophonous mayhem A.J. and I caused carried on for at least another hour. It took the bratva a while to figure out how to end our orchestrated chaos. Thankfully, they managed it before we attracted any undesired attention, especially of the law enforcement kind. Or so I was told.
The stronzo’s body had barely hit the floor before Nik had me whisked away from the crime scene. Upon arrival, Vladmir was immediately dispatched to bring A.J. and me to the penthouse, even before dealing with Dmitri.
My protests were for naught. Just thinking of leaving Nik behind put me on the verge of a panic attack, but he wouldn’t let me have my way with this. After he promised me at least a dozen times that everything was under control and that he wasn’t in any danger, I had to accept defeat. It became clear that disagreeing with him was a waste of time. Over and over again, Nik pointed out that he wouldn’t be able to think right until he knew I was safe at home. According to him, the sooner that happened, the sooner he’d be able to return to me.
After A.J. and I were dropped off at the penthouse, she immediately demanded that I give her a tour of the place. Even though my heart wasn’t in it, I obliged her, thinking to myself that I could use the distraction.
A.J. oohed and aahed at every luxurious detail. Once we reached my former bedroom, she promptly shooed me away so she could enjoy a long soak in the guest bathroom’s jacuzzi tub. With a final warning to not disturb her slumber for the next twelve hours, she made me take my leave.
Truth be told, I felt the need to wash up, too. After being kidnapped—again—and having to scramble to come to Nik’s rescue, a hot shower seemed just the thing. Afterwards, I waited for Nik to return, dressed in only his fluffy bathrobe while fretting about his well-being. Until I finally heard his voice through the shut door.
The undeniable confirmation that Nik is still alive and well makes me relax for the first time in days. My legs turn into jelly, and I have to lean against his massive bed to keep myself from falling.
As his steps stop outside the door, my breath catches in anticipation. I laugh at myself. After everything we’ve been through, somehow I still get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about him.
Wordlessly, Nik opens the door and enters the room.
One look at him, and my mind goes blank—nothing but pure static. My earlier worries and nervousness turn into yearning, then breathless excitement, and then an undeniable urgency to be in his arms again. If I’m not touching him in the next heartbeat, I might lose my mind.
I drink in the sight of him—so tall, dark, and handsome.
Once Nik sees me, he sighs loudly, and the tension in his shoulders leaves his frame. His eyes devour me from head to toe, his feelings so clear and undisguised in his gaze. His every emotion is displayed on his face, yet he seems unconcerned about it.
A bit clumsily—and entirely desperately—I run for him. Without even the slightest hesitation, Nik opens his arms, and I leap into them, wrapping my arms and legs around his body. He steps back to absorb my momentum while his arms clutch me almost painfully tight.
