“Viktor’s daughter?”
She nods. “The one and only.”
His lips stretch into a straight line. “He’s a good guy, your dad. Saved my ass once.” He adjusts his jacket and looks at me. “Next time, just text me if you’re not gonna be home.”
I nod. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Nah, I’ve got to get back to the club right now. But, um, maybe another time.” His tone, normally so gruff and grim, sounds hopeful. His eyes flicker back toward Kat, whose appraising stare tells me she’s as curious as he is. Perfect. How gifted am I at this matchmaking crap?
If I could only figure out the little kinks between Max and Sloane, my best friend, I would consider myself the setup whisperer. But their dynamic is a little more challenging, especially since neither one of them will let me in on what the hell happened between them all those months ago that keeps them drooling over each other from a distance.
Kat says nothing, but continues to stare him down. For a second, I almost feel like walking away since I am so clearly intruding on their silent and lustful exchange.
Rocco finally tears his eyes away from Katarina. “I’ll give you a call later, okay?”
“Yes.” I smile. “Now get to work.”
“Bye, Rocco,” Kat sing-songs, straining her chest against the tight shirt stretched against her skin. The action doesn’t go unnoticed, either. Rocco grins at Kat and winks at her before turning and sauntering toward the exit.
I let out the snicker that’s been building in my throat. “Oh my God, that was awesome. I’ve never seen him cut down like that.”
Kat smirks. “I figured you’d like that.”
“But you must have known he wasn’t a threat.”
“Maybe. But it was fun anyway. I needed to get my fix. Sometimes a good chokehold does the trick and brightens my mood.”
I gasp as the steaming hot slices of pizza are set down in front of me along with my calzone. “Thank God! Can you guess what has just brightened my mood?”
* * *
NICO
“Where did you find her?”My blood pressure has to be through the roof right now. Why is Shaye purposely trying to evade Rocco? Does she want to end up like fucking Carlo? I slam my hand on the steering wheel, glaring at the red light hanging over the intersection. I shouldn’t have told her about the watch. I know she didn’t wear it on purpose to prove a point.
There’s a lot of static on the line, and Rocco’s voice is fading out. I swallow hard. This isn’t a game. I’m trying to keep her safe by keeping one of my best guys with her.
“Katarina Ivanov.”
That’s a step in the right direction. At least I heard that.
“She was with Kat?”
“…lunch…pizza…bitch…chokehold…”
I furrow my brow and turn into the parking lot outside of my dad’s office building as I piece together his words. “Fuck! Did someone come after her? Did you need to take someone out? Rocco, what the fuck happened? I can’t hear you for shit right now! Where is Shaye? Is she okay?”
Suddenly the line clears and the static fades away. “Dude, relax, it’s fine. That chick she was with put me in a chokehold, okay? She swoops in from outta nowhere and attacks me. Fucking crazy bitch.”
Despite the panic that set in seconds before, I let out a chuckle, thinking about Kat subduing Rocco, big, bad Rocco who is probably twice her size in mass and muscle. “What did you do to make her think you were a threat?”
“Do you really think she needed an excuse?”
“Knowing Kat, probably not.”
Rocco lets out an exasperated sigh. “Look, maybe I got in Shaye’s face a little, but it was only because I was pissed off that she left without telling me. I’m doing this little babysitting gig as a favor to you, but your girl doesn’t seem to want anything to do with it. I can’t watch her if she disappears.” He snorts. “Besides, I don’t think she needs me when she has her own private bodyguard.”
I collapse back against the leather bucket seat and let out a deep breath. “Yeah, Kat can be pretty brutal.”