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Her amber-colored eyes flashed with annoyance. “And have all this be for nothing? Every second that he roams free, my grandfather isn’t safe-”
I grabbed her by the chin, squeezing it in between my fingers. “That will be the last time when you will suggest that I cannot keep your grandfather safe, Katja,” I told her. “Artur is one of our best, and Nikel would have to kill him first to get to your grandfather.”
“You say that like it’s not possible,” she fired back. “All it takes is one bullet that no one sees coming, and since it appears that Klive is always one step ahead of you guys, there’s no real guarantee that Artur can keep my grandfather safe.”
Her truth stung, and the man in me was having a very difficult time taking the hit without burning the entire city to the ground. Nothing was more crippling to a man than his woman telling him that she didn’t feel safe with him, and that’s essentially what Katja was telling me as she worried about her grandfather. She didn’t trust me to protect her or her family, and that knowledge was emasculating as fucking hell.
I stared into her troubled eyes as I said, “No harm will come to your grandfather on my watch, Katja. I give you my word on that.”
“How about you save your energy for finding Klive, instead of spouting off promises that you can’t possibly keep,” she spat, and the venom in her voice was real.
I squeezed her chin tighter in between my fingers. “What happened?” I hissed. “And do not tell me that the vitriol dripping from your voice is because of your concern for your grandfather. I will tolerate a lot from you, Katja. However, lying isn’t one of those things.”
Instead of answering me, she arched a brow as she asked, “Do you really think that it’s wise for people to see Maksim Barychev arguing with his whore?”
I wanted to strangle her.
“Besides, the last thing that I need is for Klive to think that I’m ruining things between us,” she went on. “If he really is watching, I’m supposed to be playing the part of meek arm candy to gain your trust, remember?”
While I was furious and wanted to argue her point, she wasn’t wrong. The plan was for me to be falling under her spell enough to become vulnerable, not to engage in public fights, something that everyone knows that I’d never engage in when it came to an easy piece of ass.
I let go of her chin, then casually leaned back in the booth. “This conversation isn’t over,” I told her. “We will continue this discussion once we get home.”
“I don’t understand,” she said. “What difference does my mood make? As long as I’m here, doing my part, who gives a shit about how I’m feeling?’
“Watch yourself, Katja,” I warned. “I’ve already spoken to you about how you will address me.”
Fire flashed in her eyes, and I had no doubt that she’d shoot me dead if she were quick enough to get her hands on any one of my guns. Now, I wasn’t sure if that fire had always been there or if it was a result of having lived on her own for so long, but there was no doubt that Katja Volkov did not appreciate a man correcting her, and that was something that we were going to have to work on if we didn’t want to end up killing one another.
At any rate, before she could say anything, Karik was approaching our table. “Bratok, I need a moment.”
Not sure if this had to do with bratva business or Mindy and her family, I looked over at Katja, then said, “I’ll be only a moment. Do not leave this table.”
“What if I need the restroom?” she asked flippantly.
“Then you fucking hold it,” I hissed, not caring that Karik could hear our exchange. “Do not leave this goddamn table, Katja. Do you hear me?”
“Perfectly,” she bit out.
Praying that she wasn’t going to make me kill her in a room fool of people, I stood up from the table, then followed Karik to find a private corner, though that was kind of hard to do in this crowd. Still, people knew better than to bother any members of the bratva.
Chapter 26
Katja~
It was said that we never knew what we were capable of until we had to do it, and I was finding myself in that exact situation now. When my grandfather had asked me about my night, shame had almost eaten me alive. However, instead of telling him that Maksim Barychev was going to parade me around town as the newest Kotov whore, I had lied to his face, making him believe that I was actually going out on a date with some nice, unassuming, irrelevant gentleman.
Things had only gotten worse when I had opened my front door to Maksim standing on the other side, deviating from our regular routine. While I’d known that I hadn’t had a choice when he had summoned me to join him tonight, I still hadn’t had enough time to wrap my mind around what I’d learned at the supermarket, and I honestly didn’t know if I was hurt, angry, ashamed, or just empty inside.
I’d also be lying if I’d said that I hadn’t thought about the bids coming in to be with me. While I never imagined that I’d ever be in this position, knowing that men were willing to pay up to twenty-thousand dollars to sleep with me made me understand a little more why women sold their bodies. It really was the easiest way to make money, and with that kind of income, my grandfather would want for nothing. If I kept my regular job, then I’d only need to have a few clients a month to keep my grandfather with me. While I had no idea if the bratva permitted a part-time arrangement, maybe I could do that and not want to kill myself so much afterwards.
It was also hard not to keep my eyes glued onto my purse like a lifeline. I had no idea how many men or women in this place had seen my body and knew what I looked like while having sex, and I almost couldn’t breathe with the weight of humiliation that I felt. It was one thing to sell your body and do it in the privacy of a hotel room or wherever, it was quite another to be used on stage for complete strangers. Consent was also a key difference. Now, even though it wasn’t my thing, I’d already proven that I’d do anything for my grandfather, so it wouldn’t have been a big deal for Maksim to tell me what his plans had been. So, I just couldn’t understand why he’d hadn’t.
“Oh, I’m so glad you made it.” I looked up from my purse to see Janet smiling down at me. “Is it okay if I sit?”
Since I didn’t know the rules, I should have told her no, but I needed a friend in this world, and if I was going to be pimped out after all this, then I needed someone that could help me navigate through everything that I didn’t know. Of course, that didn’t mean that I was going to just give in if that was the plan. I could always take on a few guys until I made enough money to put me and my grandfather on a plane to another country. Again, I’d do anything for my grandfather.
“Yea, of course,” I said, doing my best not to look or act damaged.
