Page 37 of Then We Shatter

I make a half-hearted attempt to play my part and kiss him back. As much as I hate it here, I don’t really want to go back to Siberia if he rejects me. I need more time to consider my options. Something other than jumping off the cliff, although I haven’t completely ruled it out.

While he plunders my mouth, I go to the darkest corners of my mind, detaching myself from the act I’m obliged to perform. I must be doing something right because Eric releases my chin and wraps his fist around my ponytail. He tilts his head one way, mine the other, his tongue probing deeper until it’s almost at the back of my throat. My gag reflex is normally very good, but Eric is erasing Killian’s kisses and I swallow bile.

Eric pulls away, but retains his grip on my ponytail, tugging it like a leash. “Either work on improving your acting skills, Kitty Kat, or better still, give yourself permission to experience pleasure.”

I try not to shudder as Eric trails a finger down my neck and over my clavicle. His eyes narrow as he continues his explorations to the curve of my breasts, his fingertip drawn to one of my prominent nipples poking through my damp tank top. As he circles it, he doesn’t acknowledge the shadow moving in our periphery, not until he’s finished mapping out my body.

“I should speak to your uncle about finding a guard who can actually keep you out of trouble,” he says, glancing briefly towards Alexei. “But you’ll be under my protection soon enough.”

Protection or control, I want to ask, but I think I already know the answer to that one.

Rain drips from Eric’s hair as he presses a kiss to my hand, his lips lingering over my wedding finger. “I want you to spend the afternoon indulging in some beauty treatments. A beautiful woman like you doesn’t suit ugly nails. I want you perfect for our wedding day, my love.”

I offer a wicked smile. Finally, something we can agree on. I’m long overdue a manicure. I’ve missed my claws.

Chapter 14

Killian

Before

“How long do I have to wait before you tell me what this is about?” Ash asks after we’ve spent the first ten minutes catching up on family news and the state of the economy.

“Can I not just enjoy a drink with an old friend?” I challenge, taking the whiskey he pours and sitting back against the green velvet padding of our booth. The restaurant is on the top floor of the Moncrief’s Excelsis Hotel overlooking the Chicago River.

“You’ve come a long way for drink.”

Not as far as he thinks. My current apartment is on the other side of the river, and if I squint hard enough, I can see the top of my building. But I’m not going to tell him that.

Ash and I have a shared history stretching back a decade. He and his brothers built a multi-billion-dollar empire from the ground up, but I was the first to recognize and exploit his genius. Together, we reinvested my family’s dirty money into legitimate projects, and he used the proceeds to help failing businesses thrive. It was a necessary evil on his part and a cleansing act on mine.

“I thought Rory was joining us?” I reply, moving the conversation on.

Ash eyes me carefully as he sets down the whiskey bottle. It’s the Griffins’ own label, one that’s stocked in all the Moncrief hotels. All our families are woven into the same tapestry, hence my father’s concerns, and Katarina is the loose thread that shouldn’t be there. I have no fucking clue yet how it’s going to unravel, but unravel it will.

“Rory?” Ash repeats. “Ah, you must mean Duke Moncrief’s older brother.”

The name drop isn’t meant to be subtle. It wouldn’t take a genius to work out I’m here to discuss Duke’s apparent alliance with the Barkovs, and as I might have mentioned, Ash is a genius. What he doesn’t know is I’m very much aware the engagement is a cover story for the real plan to help Katarina disappear. We’re both keeping secrets, and it’s going to make for a very interesting conversation.

“I’m surprised you’re missing him,” Ash continues. “You usually complain about him being too loud. Too clean.”

“He’s all of the above, but unlike you, he knows how to crack a smile.”

Ash checks his watch. “He was working late. Maybe he got caught in traffic.”

Rory works in this very building.

“Jesus, since when did you develop a sense of humor?” I ask. “Is this what fatherhood does to you?”

Before Ash can reply, Rory makes his entrance. His deep voice resonates across the restaurant as he exchanges pleasantries with staff and diners while making his way over to us. Everyone loves him.

“Evening, gentleman,” he says, clasping my shoulder and squeezing it. “It’s good to see you, Ki–”

I raise a finger to silence him. There was no way I was wearing my disguise with these two fuckers, and while I’m not so notorious that I’d be recognized instantly by diners, there’s still a risk our meeting could be reported back to Vasili. I don’t like that the pakhan already has a Plan B if Katarina fails to snag a Moncrief.

“I was going to say kids,” Rory says loudly. “It’s good to see you, kids.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, shuffling along the booth. “Sit down and lower your voice, you big idiot.”