Luke also appreciated Kat’s silence on the way to the gym. Though it allowed him to hear Natasha’s lilting voice as she chatted with Larissa in the back seat.
“That’s a nasty bruise on your arm,” Natasha commented.
Luke glanced in the rearview mirror to see Larissa self-consciously crossing her arms over her chest.
“Yeah, I was in a pretty bad car accident a couple weeks ago,” Larissa said.
“Oh, you poor thing,” Natasha gushed.
Luke and Kat glanced at each other across the front seat console. It seemed Larissa didn’t need any warnings on keeping Natasha in the dark. Although admitting her boyfriend beat her probably wasn’t something Larissa wanted to do. As far as Luke knew she hadn’t asked what had happened to Zeus. Not that she would have gotten more than he’s been taken care of. She didn’t need to know the details, and apparently she didn’t want to.
As they drove from the Strip to the rough neighborhood where Kat had lived and where Dane’s gym was located, Luke wondered what the hell Dane was going to say. He didn’t have to wait long to find out. As soon as the foursome entered the gym, Dane did a double take.
Luke could understand why Kat wanted to bring Larissa here, but he had no clue why she had agreed to let Natasha tag along. It wasn’t like Dane offered Zumba or step classes. Natasha was uncharacteristically quiet as she looked around the open space. When the two men boxing in the ring to the right veered too close, she stumbled back into Kat.
Kat put up her hands to steady Natasha and then took a step back. Although he’d seen Alexander touch her on several occasions, it was obvious she wasn’t a touchy feely sort of person. Even when she had embraced Lewis in Starbucks, he could see the rigidity of her spine from across the room.
“What the fuck, dude?” Dane swore as he walked over and planted himself in front of them, hands fisted on his hips.
Luke shrugged and held up his hands. “Hey, don’t look at me. I’m on guard duty,” he said, nodding in Kat’s direction. “The tagalongs were her idea.”
Kat rolled her eyes as she slipped a hair band off her wrist and pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. “Dane, this is Larissa and Natasha. I’m going to teach Larissa some basic self defense moves.”
Dane looked Larissa up and down, his eyes lingering on the bruises on her arm and the barely faded black eye. He nodded his okay. Apparently the guy had a soft spot for abused women, Luke thought. Alexander had shared with him the deeply discounted price Kat paid to work out there.
“And this is Alexander Petrovsky’s little sister, Natasha,” Kat continued, gesturing toward Natasha.
Dane took in Natasha’s perky ponytail, tiny black shorts and hot pink workout tank and shook his head. Then he nailed Luke with a what the fuck look.
“Great,” Dane grumbled. “You ladies can take the blue mat in the corner. Kat, take them through some warm up exercises and I’ll be over to run some scenarios.”
When the women were out of earshot, Dane got right up in Luke’s grill. “I told him to stay away from her. Now she shows up here with you on her tail and Petrovsky’s sister as her new best friend?”
Luke gave a shake of his head. “That’s out of my control, man. If you’ve got an issue, you can take it up with Alexander.”
Dane scoffed, “I worry about her, but I don’t have a death wish.”
Luke pulled his hooded sweatshirt off over his head. He might as well get in a workout while they were here. Because sitting around and watching Natasha stretch and jump around wasn’t beneficial for anyone.
“You of all people should know that Kat can take care of herself.”
Dane shot him another look. “It’s not her physical safety I’m worried about with Petrovsky.”
Luke knew what the guy was getting at. However, from his perspective it was the other way around. It seemed to him that Kat held all the power with the way Alexander acted around her. His boss was the one who needed to be on guard from heartbreak.
The gym wasn’t crowded at this time of day, and Luke took up residence at the punching bag directly opposite from where the girls were working out. Kat was far and above in the best shape of the three. And she should be with the way she had been training for the past few years. Larissa had curves in all the right places, but looked like she was more comfortable in the salon than the gym. And Natasha…
Luke caught the bag at the last second before it swung back and smacked him in the face. That’s what he got for staring. Natasha was shorter than the other two, and absolutely perfect. She didn’t have the strength that Kat had, but she was lean and toned. And when she stretched her arms over her head, causing her top to ride up, baring an expanse of her taut stomach, Luke had to turn around and face the wall. His loose gym shorts wouldn’t provide any coverage for an inopportune hard on, which was exactly what would happen if he kept ogling Natasha. And remembering how her smooth skin felt under his hands…
Ramping up his punches, Luke focused on his workout. And he kept an image of Alexander putting a gun to his head if he ever found out the thoughts Luke was having about his sister. Or the fact that his hands had been all over her.
Jesus Christ.
Luke grabbed his towel and rubbed it over his face and the back of his neck. They’d only been there half an hour, and Dane had just started running through some moves with Kat. Catching Dane’s eye, he nodded to the door. Dane lifted his chin in response. As he was on official guard duty for Kat, he should keep her in his sight, but he needed some air. And she was safe with Dane. Next to Alexander, there wasn’t anyone Luke trusted more.
Outside the warehouse, Luke breathed in the cool refreshing air and checked in with Alexander.
“Luke,” Alexander answered right away. “Is everything alright?”
“Yup. It’s all good. We’re at Dane’s right now. Kat brought along Larissa and Natasha.” Luke left out the part about Kat having a little chit chat with their favorite FBI agent.
Alexander chuckled. “I would have paid money to see the look on Dane’s face when they walked in.”
“Yeah, it was priceless.”
“I’m glad Natasha and Katya have met,” Alexander said and then paused for a moment. Luke waited, because he knew his friend. And there was something on his mind. “How is Katya today, Luke? Does she seem alright?”
“Uh, yeah. No different than usual.”
“Good. Stay with her and see to it that she stays in the penthouse tonight.”
“Sure thing. How are things on the East Coast?”
“Cold,” Alexander grumbled. He never had been much of a cold weather person. “But the construction plans are coming along nicely for the new casino. We should be able to break ground as soon as the snow melts.”
“That’s good,” Luke replied.
When all the basics had been covered, they hung up. Luke lingered outside a few more minutes. Just when he decided to go back inside, the door swung open and Natasha walked out. She was delicately wiping off her face with a towel, and there was a faint line of sweat on the deep V neck of her tank top.
“Hi,” she said, stopping in front of Luke.
“Hi.”
They looked at each other for a moment. Her studying him thoughtfully. Him frozen in place, almost in fear.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked.
Luke help up his phone. “Checking in with your brother.”
“Hmmm,” she murmured.
“About last night--“
“We should probably go--“
They spoke at the same time. Luke frowned. “What about last night?” He had woken up with a hangover and memories of groveling on his knees that he desperately hoped was a dream.
“Did you mean what you said?” she asked, gazing at him with wide eyes.
“Uh,” he stalled, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “What exactly are you talking about?”
“You said…that you don’t deserve me.”
Luke blew out a
breath. It hadn’t been a dream. “Oh, that. Well…yeah, I meant it.”
He made the mistake of looking in her eyes and couldn’t look away.
“Why would you say that? And does that mean…do you…”
Luke wrenched his eyes away and paced the stretch of asphalt in front of where Natasha stood. “Because it’s the truth, Natasha. You’re…perfect. And I’m nothing. Just…nothing.”
The sharpness of her voice brought his head around. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, Luke Wells. You are so much more than…nothing. You’re everything.”
Oh, fuck.
She was looking at him like she absolutely believed that. Like he was everything to her. And wasn’t that just fucked up. He wanted so much better for her. But he couldn’t bear the thought of hurting her. Especially when turning her down was the last thing in the world he wanted to do.
He was at a loss for words. And he couldn’t make his feet move for the life of him as she stepped closer and placed her hands on his chest. Tilting her head back so she could meet his eyes, she asked the one question he had hoped he would never have to answer.
“Luke, do you have feelings for me?”
Feelings? Uh, yeah. How about he was head over heels, take a bullet for her, in love with this woman. But how could he tell her that?
“Yo, sorry to interrupt. But I need someone else to run these scenarios with,” Dane said.
Luke had been so completely wrapped up in Natasha that he hadn’t even heard the door open. Natasha didn’t look away from him as Dane spoke, and her eyes pleaded with him to answer her.
Luke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Gently grasping Natasha’s wrists, he stepped back. “Yeah, sure,” he said to Dane.
Natasha looked at him for another long moment and then sighed and walked inside.
Dane shot him a look. “Dude. That’s Petrovsky’s little sister. You sure you don’t have a death wish?”
“I’m not sure of anything anymore,” Luke grumbled as he stalked back into the gym.
The rest of the session was filled with Luke and Dane running self defense scenarios with Kat and Larissa while Natasha sat with her back against the wall. Luke could feel her eyes on him every second. He might be able to put her off now and maybe for the rest of the day. But she wasn’t going to let this go. That was one thing she had in common with her brother. Tenacious to the core.
Chapter Twenty Six
Alexander ended the call with Luke and placed his phone on the nightstand. Walking to the window of his hotel room, Alexander looked out over the New York City skyline. The sun was setting and dusk was just beginning to settle over the city. With his hands on his hips, Alexander struggled to come to terms with the anxiousness he felt down to his bones.
In all his years of operating a world class casino as well as running an underground money laundering network that spanned from coast to coast and beyond the borders of the country, Alexander had never felt the worry he did then. He could walk into a business meeting with a high ranking politician or a dangerous drug lord and never break a sweat. Yet, barely twelve hours away from Kat and he was on the verge of a breakdown. The rational part of his brain knew that Luke would take good care of her. But the other part of him - the as of yet untapped emotional and protective side of him - screamed and rebelled against being so far away from her.
Checking his watch, Alexander saw he had only a few minutes before a limo arrived to take him to his dinner meeting. He grabbed his phone and brought up the Las Vegas news. Scanning through the headlines, he tried to convince himself that Kat was going to be okay. He would be back by the following afternoon, and they could move forward - together.
Except that feeling - that anxious feeling - slammed his heart against his ribcage when he saw the third story on the page. THIRD WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLINGS
Alexander ignored the ring of the hotel phone, probably alerting him that the limo was there, and read quickly through the article. Another young woman had been found in the desert. Same appearance as the other two before her. Alexander clicked on the photo of the woman - a mug shot taken a few months earlier. Despite the fact that her hair had clearly been dyed blonde, the woman bore a striking and unsettling resemblance to Kat.
“Fuck,” Alexander swore. Grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair, he shrugged it on as he left his room and headed for the elevator. Alexander impatiently punched the button as he pulled up Gil’s number and waited for the other man to answer.
“Westin.”
“Gil. It’s Alexander.”
“Mr. Petrovsky, I was just about to call you.”
Alexander stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. Frowning he said, “You were? Why?”
“I’ve got some reliable intel on the man you’re looking for.”
“How reliable?”
“Very. I’m putting the report together now. Name, photo, last known address, everything.” Gil paused. “This is your guy, sir.”
Alexander released a breath as he stepped off the elevator into the crowded lobby. “I want everything you’ve got. ASAP,” he demanded.
“Of course, sir. I will have it over to you within the hour.”
“Good work, Gil. There is something else I want you to work on. And it very well may be connected.”
“What’s that?”
“Have you been following the murders of young women in Las Vegas - prostitutes, drug addicts. The authorities are considering the possibility of a serial killer.”
“Yes, I’ve seen the coverage,” Gil answered. “You think this is related to Miss Rossi?”
“I hope to God not,” Alexander replied. “But I can’t shake the feeling that it is. The women all bear a resemblance to her and their injuries are consistent with what she endured.”
“I will look into it. See what the authorities have that hasn’t been released to the press.”
“Thank you, Gil.”
Alexander paused to get into the limo and waited until the door was shut before he spoke again.
“In your investigation of Miss Rossi, did you come across any report of threatening notes? There wasn’t anything in your report.”
“No, sir. There wasn’t anything in the police reports.”
Alexander rubbed his temple where he felt the beginning of a migraine coming on. “The notes were processed by the FBI.”
“Ah. Well, I don’t have the sources in the bureau that I’ve got in the LVPD.”
“Right,” Alexander said thoughtfully. “That’s something I will have to work on.”
“If there’s anything else, Mr. Petrovsky, just let me know. I will get the report to you and have my guys start working on locating this asshole.”
“Thank you, Gil.”
On the way back to the hotel from Dane’s, Kat sat in the front with Luke again. It was an uncomfortably silent ride that had her wondering what had happened when Luke and Natasha were outside for those few minutes. Luke never took his eyes off the road, and his hands were gripping the steering wheel at 10 and 2 like he was taking his first driving test. Natasha sat directly behind Luke and never took her eyes off the back of his head.
When they arrived at The Onyx, Luke pulled up to the front entrance but waved off the valet.
“Go on inside. I’ll park the car and be up in a few,” he said.
Natasha was reluctant to get out, but she eventually followed Kat and Larissa into the lobby.
“I can’t believe you do that voluntarily,” Larissa said to Kat. “I’m already sore. I can’t imagine that I’ll be able to get out of bed tomorrow.”
Kat smiled. “It does take some getting used to. But it’s worth it.”
Larissa nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. “Yeah, it is.”
Kat hadn’t had a chance to talk much with Larissa. To see how she was doing. But now wasn’t the time with Natasha tagging along. Though she probably wouldn’t have heard a word they said. She had her
own distant look as she glanced over her shoulder to watch Luke pull his SUV toward the parking garage.
As they rode the elevator together toward the top floors, Larissa said, “I’m meeting one of the other cocktail waitresses that I met at orientation for dinner and drinks. Either of you ladies want to come?”
Girls’ night out. Just the thought made Kat cringe. “Thanks, but I’m just going to stay in tonight.“
“Yeah, me too,” said Natasha. Then she looked over at Kat. “If that’s okay with you.”
Kat raised an eyebrow. “It’s more your place then mine. I should be asking if you mind me staying in the penthouse.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. If my brother wants you there, I have no say in the matter.” She bumped shoulders with Kat. “Besides, it’s nice to have another girl around.”
Kat stepped to the side to avoid any more casual shoulder bumping. The elevator stopped on Larissa’s floor and she stepped into the hallway.
“Okay, but you’re missing out,” she teased with a wave.
“I doubt that,” Kat mumbled while plastering a fake smile on her face.
Natasha eyed her as Kat punched in the code to the penthouse floor. “You’re really not my brother’s usual type.”
Kat snorted. “No shit.”
“How did you meet?” Natasha asked as they exited the elevator into the penthouse.
Kat unclipped Blade’s leash and went to the kitchen to refill his water bowl. “We met…at the gym.” That was the truth - sort of.
“Hmmm,” Natasha murmured, boosting herself onto a stool at the large island in the middle of the kitchen. “Do you love him?”
Kat almost dropped the water bowl but managed to recover so that only a small bit splashed over the side as she lowered it to the floor. “Um, our…relationship is kind of complicated. It’s not really like that…”
Natasha was watching Kat as she stuttered and struggled to find the words. A small dreamy smile graced her face.
“What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?” Kat asked, not because she was particularly interested, but as a way to divert Natasha’s attention away from her.
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