“Give her my best. I think she has a soft spot for me.”
“She knows you killed her father,” I pointed out.
Nikolai pulled a face. “Right. Thanks for that. I suppose I should send flowers or something. Maybe a fruit basket.”
“You’re insane,” I sighed.
Nikolai’s grin was chilling. “Maybe so, but don’t be fooled. Mallory hated her father. She’s as sad about his death as we would be about Viktor’s. The only difference is that Mallory still thinks there are rules about how you’re supposed to feel when something happens. She hasn’t gotten it yet. She doesn’t need to pretend anything anymore. We live outside the rules, and there is perfect freedom in that chaos.”
“How poetic. I’ll be sure to pass that along to Mallory when she gets your fruit basket. Are we done here?” I pushed myself out of the booth and stood.
“One more thing.” He raised his cunning eyes to mine. “I never asked you how you found Irina’s house. It was Sofia De Sanctis, wasn’t it?”
I knew he saw the truth on my face immediately. Keeping things from Niko was practically impossible.“She didn’t realize what she’d let slip if that means anything.”
“It doesn’t, but I’ll take your worry about her into consideration.”
I went to leave, but something stopped me. A worry in the pit of my gut about women like Sofia, Molly, and every other whose father had been a monster behind closed doors.“Do you know how Antonio treats her?”
One of Niko’s hands curled into a fist on the table. “And how would that be?”
“Let’s just say she has more in common with Mallory, and you and I, than I’d ever expected. See you soon, brother.”
* * *
I satin the back of a town car as Ivan drove me toward The Tower.“Is everything in place?”
“Da, but I think someone else should be planning this.” Ivan sounded disgruntled, and it made me smile. It was amusing to have my biggest, burliest bratva brother arranging a wedding, but there we were.
“Olga can help with the food and such. You know it’s small. Don’t worry about it. We’d better worry about getting Molly to stand nicely in front of the minister and say her lines.”
“You’re on your own there,bratan.” Ivan laughed. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s better to tell her before. Women like to plan their weddings.”
“Not Molly, and not a wedding to me,” I said with stone-cold certainty.
I might have been able to break through a wall or two last night and get her to admit she’d missed my body and the electric chemistry storming around us when we’d touched. But pledging to be with me until death? That would be a much harder sell. In the end, I didn’t need her to agree. I was going to marry her anyway, and finding an official I had enough dirt on to do the deed would be easy enough. Politicians and clergy always had a fuck ton of skeletons in the closet.
“Let her choose her dress. I have a sister, so believe me, I know,” Ivan said.
Right. Max and Ivan had a younger sister, Anastasia, who still lived in Russia.“I’ll think about it.”
We pulled up before The Tower, and three bodyguards rushed toward the car to cover me in the short walk between the car and the door. I didn’t know what was going through Viktor’s head, but I didn’t want to bare my neck for his blade. I was too close to getting exactly what I wanted.
Nikolai had told Viktor he’d killed the woman in my apartment and tossed the body. His lie would only last so long now that Molly was back in the city. I hadn’t seen my father in two months, and the next time I did, I planned to be married to Mallory. I’d claim Nikolai had killed a random hook-up and publicly introduce Mallory to Viktor. Once the entire underworld knew she was my wife, it would be difficult for Viktor to attack her openly. It would be seen as a weakness in the Chernov bratva, and Viktor knew how such an act would draw the wolves to the scent of blood.
With Antonio De Sanctis publicly shamed in the network of illicit businesses we operated, he was no longer a factor, and marrying Molly would put the memory of the previous engagement firmly out of people’s minds.
The only element that remained a wild card was Mallory. I’d carry her over my shoulder, kicking and screaming if that’s what it took to force my name on her and with it, a mantle of protection I hoped would keep her safe. It would also paint a target on her back to anyone looking to hurt me. As with everything in my world, it was a delicate balancing act that could protect or kill with one wrong move.
Inside the penthouse, I found Molly in the shower. She’d been through the dressing room I’d had filled for her. I could see the signs of her touch on the items unfolded and looked through. I hoped she liked it. It was another apology of sorts. With every item I put in there, I told her I was sorry for parading her around in next to nothing. I was sorry for treating her like an object. I was sorry I didn’t make her understand that my life was meaningless without her.
I pushed open the door to the master bath and peered through the steam to the huge walk-in shower enclosure. Molly’s naked form was visible behind the fogged glass. I stripped my clothes off efficiently and walked toward the shower. She whirled around as soon as I stepped inside.
I thought she’d protest or tell me to leave. Instead, her nostrils flared slightly as she looked me up and down. I braved her inspection as her eyes shied away from her name etched in ink over my heart. They dipped to my tightly packed abs, and lower to where my length was jutting toward her at a hard angle. She held shower gel in her hand, and I reached out and dragged my fingers through it, tugging her closer as I did.
“Allow me.” The plea sounded more like a command.
She tensed as I turned her gently, bringing my arms around both sides and rubbing the soap between my palms until it turned into white foam.