She continues to talk me through pressing my thumbs down in the center to part the clay. It wobbles off-center and flops into a blob, and I stop with an embarrassed laugh.
“It takes time,” Kat assures me. “No one gets it at first. Hours at the wheel is the only way to learn. Give it another try.”
I try a few more times. It’s easy to see how it could be addictive.
“You’re not Russian?” I make conversation. “I heard only Russians live here.”
“I’m from Ukraine. Almost everyone here is Russian, but there are a few exceptions.” She flashes a smile at me. “For love.”
“Is love allowed in the bratva?” I’m not sure if I’m allowed to mention the brotherhood, but I won’t learn anything if I don’t push in.
“Not usually.” Kat leans a hip against the counters as I get up to wash the clay off my hands. “When a pakhan falls in love, he must change the rules for everyone, no?”
I digest this nugget of information. I still don’t even know the pakhan’s name, but hearing that a ruthless leader has a heart seems out of character. I’m not one to believe in love stories or happily-ever-afters, but it seems love truly can pierce even the blackest of souls.
“So, his girlfriend is not Russian?”
“His wife. No, she’s American. There are two other American women here. And me.”
“Is it safe?” I find myself asking, even though I’m pushing my luck.
Kat doesn’t seem to take offense. “Oh yes. We’re very safe. Maykl guards the door, and Dima monitors everything remotely. And it’s all very civilized. Nothing illegal ever happens here.”
She seems so sure.
Maykl opens the door and steps in.
My body reacts immediately to his presence. His large, imposing form affects me chemically. Everything heats and melts. Relaxes and grows excited at the same time.
“There you are. You cannot roam the building unattended, little warrior.”
I immediately go to his side, and he settles a hand on my hip. It’s an easy, comfortable gesture. A light claiming. I want to both reject it and lean into it at the same time.
“I’m sorry. I took a wrong turn off the elevator, and then when I saw Kat at the wheel, I was transfixed.” Only a partial lie.
He tucks me closer to his side. “It is amazing to see the clay transform in just a few seconds, isn’t it?”
Something that resembles pain starts up in my chest. I don’t know what it’s about. Something related to this man and what he does to me. Finding he can talk about ordinary, artistic things like clay art. That he appreciates such things. That he’s not just the violence and crime depicted on his skin.
But I shake it off. Feelings like that are dangerous.
Tonight, I will betray Maykl. Wishing for a different outcome will only make it harder.
Chapter Six
Kira
For the second night in a row, I escape the confines of Maykl’s heavy arm after having mind-blowing sex and get out of bed. I pull on his t-shirt and pad silently into the living room. There, I disable the security feed from Maykl’s screens and stop the recording. The next task is to find Maykl’s keycard. I search near the front door. Nothing there.
Bingo. I find it on the kitchen counter.
I need to be back before Maykl moves from deep sleep to REM. I tucked the bugs into the sleeve attached to my phone case earlier and left it in the living room for an easy exit. Now, I pick it up, slip out the door and look for a fire stairwell in case the keycard activations are tracked in the elevator. I find it, snap a photo, and take the four flights all the way down to the parking garage.
There, I find the HVAC system. I snap more photos, showing the entrance, the door to the stairs, the HVAC, and the elevator. I text them to Stepanov, one by one, then delete the texts and the photos from my phone.
There’s a keypad on the outside of the door to the stairwell.
I try Maykl’s keycode on the door first. It works. I reenter it to re-engage the lock and head upstairs.
The door to the first floor opens right behind the front desk.
I try the code on the keypad to the front doors. It also works. I text Stepanov to tell him.
I take photos of the door, the security cameras, the keypad and send all of them over, careful to erase everything immediately afterward.
Next, I plant a bug beneath Maykl’s desk. Then I try the drawers, but they’re all locked. He may have information related to the building’s security or HVAC system in there.
I search for a paperclip and find one holding a delivery slip to a receipt. I unbend it and drop to my knees in front of the desk drawer. It takes a bit of work, but I get it open.