Tima looks up from the stove, his face serious for once.
Taking Katerina’s arm, I lead her back to the kitchen. “I have things to prepare, and I don’t need you in the middle of it.” Cupping her jaw, I plant a chaste kiss on her lips. “Now be a good girl for me.”
She blinks, watching me with slightly parted lips and a frown as I turn on my heel, but I can’t worry about her now.
Stefanov’s time on Earth has come to an end. He will cry for his mother before I’m done with him.
31
Kate
“Wait,” I call, going after Alex again.
“For crying out loud, Katerina,” he all but growls. “Go to our room and stay there.”
Catching up with him, I grab his arm. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
He spins around and says with narrowed eyes, “Don’t make me tell you twice. If you can’t follow the order, I’ll lock you in there myself.”
He’ll what? This is taking the game to a new low.
I pull my back straight. “Your room, you mean, because it’s never been ours.”
He casts a glance at Leonid, who passes us in the hallway with brisk steps. When Leonid is out of earshot, Alex says in a low voice, “I don’t have time for word games.” Pulling free from my grasp, he continues on his way.
I jog ahead and stop in the doorframe of the kitchen, blocking his way. “If you’re planning on leaving this house, you’ll have to go through me first.”
“Katerina.” He clenches his jaw. “I’m not going to lay a hand on you with force, so please step aside.”
When I don’t move, he reverses direction, heading for the front of the house.
I stand frozen to the spot, gaping. What’s gotten into him? I understand that he’s under enormous stress, but that’s not a reason to behave like a jerk. I want answers, but now is obviously not the time to press him.
Dragging in a few deep breaths, I bite my tongue and march to the stairs as Alex crosses the foyer. Just as I reach the bottom of the staircase, the door flings open and Igor enters. Alex pauses in his stride.
“You have visitors,” Igor says, closing the door behind him. “Mikhail and Dania are at the gate.”
Alex pinches the bridge of his nose and tilts his face to the ceiling. “Fuck. What shitty timing.”
Igor shifts his weight. “Shall I tell them to come back later?”
Alex blows out a sigh before facing Igor again. “No.” His jaw bunches as he looks at the door as if he can see through it. “Mikhail will consider turning them away an insult. Let them in.” Looking at me from over his shoulder, he tells me with a tight expression, “You’d better hang around for a while longer before you go to our room.”
I ball my hands into fists. I’m getting tired of being treated like Alex’s subordinate. He may be one of the most powerful men in the world, a self-made oligarch, but I’m still my own person. I’ve worked hard for my independence and confidence. I won’t let him undermine those qualities just because he has more power than I do.
Before I can open my mouth to argue, Igor opens the door, revealing four cars pulling up in the driveway. Like us, Mikhail and Dania travel with bodyguards. A man exits the first car to open the back door of the second vehicle. A slender, pale leg is exposed as Dania gets out, her skirt riding a little too high. She unfolds her body gracefully and brushes a hand over her hip to straighten her skirt. Dressed in a red figure-hugging two-piece with matching heels and a fur coat draped over her shoulders, she’s the epitome of elegance. Her stance is regal as she waits for her father to come around the car. Surrounded by men in black combat gear with caps depicting a labyrinth logo, which I presume to be Mikhail’s emblem, they make their way to the door.
It’s too late to escape, not that I’d leave her alone with Alex. I trust her as far as I can throw her. Her bathroom speech still rings clear in my mind.
Alex extends a hand when Mikhail reaches him. Except for the stiffness of his shoulders, he doesn’t betray his stress. His face is composed and his manner controlled—a practiced mask. “Mikhail. This is an unexpected surprise.”
Three guards stay outside. Four step inside the house before Igor closes the door. They stand at attention near the entryway, blending in with the furniture.
Mikhail shakes Alex’s hand. “You couldn’t make it to dinner, and we haven’t heard from you since.” His lips tilt as he casts a sideway glance at his daughter. “Dania insisted we check on you. She was worried.” Dipping his chin, he studies Alex. “We both were.”
“We were in the States,” Alex says. “I told you.”