Page 64 of Lord of the Underworld

"Isn't Kirill thirty?" I ask, laughing. "Not exactly ready for retirement."

"Anyway," she says, moving on. "What are you doing today?"

"I'm very excited," I admit, wrestling my last boot on, and chucking my hair and makeup in the mirror. I'm wearing a dark green sweater dress with brown boots. "Vadim is taking me to see his work project for the first day of production."

"Exciting," she says approvingly. "Do we have any idea yet what the hell it is that he's actually producing?"

"Not a clue," I admit. "I've been making friends with Ivan, his Second. I swear, he almost slipped the other day, mentioning something about some huge 3D printers. He stopped mid-sentence when Vadim gave him such a look that it's a miracle Ivan wasn't disassembled back into his elemental parts from it. I was terrified there would be nothing but chunks of Ivan quivering there on the floor."

"You do remember that your husband's scary as shit?" Anka points out. "Did you see how many people at your wedding party were kind of holding back and were then shoved towards your reception line by the crowd behind them? Half your guests were dying to get a look at the two of you, and half of them were terrified that Vadim might look them in the eye, and they would explode into flame."

"Yes, that sounds like Vadim," I agree. "If you could come back soon, I'd love it. I think the cousins are coming from New York for a visit. I'll have to ask Rose what Kirill did. Although it is possible Rose did something."

"That seems unlikely," Anka says. "Remember when we had dinner together before your wedding? She said she was swearing off men because every one of her boyfriends had been so skeevy."

"Her track record is not strong," I agree. "At least she gets to select her husband, unlike everyone else we know."

"Well, now I'll have to hold Kirill down and get him to tell me what he said to her," Anka says. "Maybe he's lost any concept of good manners after playing diamond miner for the last two years."

"I have faith that you'll civilize him," I say dryly. "It is your job to humble him with a mix of manipulation and cruelty before he becomes Pakhan and really becomes a dick."

"That is the big switch, isn't it?" she says. "Here in Moscow, Nikolai's been acting sort of statesman-like and responsible-seeming recently. Do you think he's edging towards the crown?"

I let out a bitter snort. "I can't picture Father stepping down until they carry his dead body out from behind his desk."

"Vivid image," Anka says. "I'm willing to support that vision, because your father's an asshole." There's a short pause. "Is it okay if I call your father an asshole?"

"Well, he is," I shrug. When did I stop being afraid of him? Did marrying Vadim help me grow a backbone?

Looking out the window, I can see Vadim's Maserati pull up to the front of the house and I give a little skip of excitement that instantly embarrasses me. "Hey, I have to go. He's here." I snap a quick selfie. "Do I look like the well-bred wife of the Turgenev Vor? I want to look good in front of his employees."

"Honey, you're capable of faking the well-bred part for as long as it takes," she snickers. "Seriously, you look great. Love you, bye!"

"Bye," I echo.

Hurrying down the stairs, I see Vadim waiting for me in the hallway. Can any man be more handsome? Now that we're into December, the cold sweeps over Lake Michigan with a vengeance sending polar blasts in every direction. So, he's wearing his black cashmere overcoat that I love, it makes him look like a gentleman, though he's certainly not one.

He runs a slow visual scan over my outfit and gives me a little crooked smile.

"Do I look okay?" I ask, smoothing my dress down.

"Wife, you look so beautiful that I'm very unhappy that I can't stop to take you on the nearest horizontal surface." Now, the heat in his gaze feels like a sunburn.

"Well, now you're just flattering me," I say, preening a little.

Letting out a sigh, as if he's genuinely unhappy to have to leave the house, Vadim turns me towards the back. "Isn't the Range Rover up front?" I ask.

"We're not taking it today," he says.

"Oh, are we riding the horses?" I laugh. "Your mysterious compound must be closer than I thought."

Then, I hear the sound of blades cutting through the air. The sound of a helicopter, that rapidly escalates into a roar as it hovers before landing on a large section of the grounds opposite the stables.

"We have a helicopter pad?" I ask.

After watching massive Lake Michigan glitter in the winter sun, I check my headset, and turn to Vadim. "Why is it that we're flying today?"

He puts my hand on his thigh. It's warm and firm, and I can feel his muscles flex as he shifts. It's doing things to me.