by Rose, Bella
“Fuck, Veronika,” he cried out as he pushed her over. Pulling her legs up as far as they could go, he began to pound inside her. She dug her nails into his skin and met every thrust with the need for more. And finally, finally, just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, her body shook, and the release was so amazing that her vision blurred, and she blacked out.
Chapter Five
The sun filtered through the windows, and Kaz woke with a start. Veronika was still curled around him and sleeping. He knew she wouldn’t wake for another hour, and he was content to just watch her. Her blonde hair was spread all across the pillows and his chest, and he lazily wound his fingers around it.
He hadn’t thought she’d see last night through. He’d wanted to scare her, but she’d met him stroke for stroke. She had bruises covering her arms where he’d dug his fingers into her skin, but he had scratches down his back from her nails. They’d both did a number on each other, and he was already getting hard thinking about it.
Kaz carefully moved out of her arms and eased himself off the bed. If she woke while he was still there, he’d no doubt start a repeat, and what happened between them last night could never happen again. After pulling on his pants, he moved to the bathroom and peered into Charley’s room. Her door was still wide open, and she was snoring on top of the bed. It looked like she was still wearing the same clothes that she’d gone out in.
Shaking his head, he crept into the bathroom, peed, and splashed some cold water on his face. When he straightened, he was more in control of himself.
Dmitri should have checked in by now.
The thought hit him like a brick wall, and he moved quickly but silently back into Veronika’s room to grab his phone. He’d called all right.
Twice.
And he wasn’t the only one.
Cursing himself, he dialed the man back as he flew down the stairs and out the front door. He’d put on no shirt or shoes, but the cold didn’t bother him anymore. He’d spent hours outside for detail work. One quick phone call was nothing.
“I thought you might be dead,” Dmitri said in a low voice.
“Not yet,” Kaz grunted. His voice was still hoarse from last night. “What do you have for me?”
“A way in. Saiko has a meeting tomorrow morning, and his morning guards will be out celebrating a birthday tonight.”
Kaz shook his head. “His men are too good. I should know because I trained them. They won’t be weaker after a night of drinking.”
“Maybe not. But if they were drugged, they might find themselves more than hung over tomorrow. I’ve got a little something that would make even the strongest man cry in the morning. They’ll still show up for work, but they’ll never see me coming. It would just take one bullet to the head. I’ll be out before the guards even register that the man is dead.”
Kaz took a deep breath. It was a good plan. Hell, it was foolproof. He’d been waiting for years for this moment, and now that it was here, he couldn’t believe it.
Before going to the club, he’d looked over the paperwork Dmitri had sent him. The man had paid an unknown party two hundred thousand rubles two days before Pavel’s death. Nikolai’s death had only cost him half as much. Obviously the price for offing one’s own son was much higher than the normal going rate. Anger had fueled him. Rage had sustained him.
“Do it,” Kaz ordered.
“I do this, and we’re even,” Dmitri said coldly. “I don’t hear from you ever again. Do you understand?”
“Done.” The line went dead, and Kaz almost sank to the floor. He’d just ordered the hit on one of the most powerful men in Russia. He would soon know a life without the man who had controlled him for a decade. He’d finally have vengeance on the one who had murdered two of his friends.
Veronika’s father.
“No,” Kaz hissed. He would not let anything stand in the way of his victory. When Fedor was gone, he’d show Veronika proof of what her father had done. She would hate him, just as Kaz hated him.
“Dude. It’s below freezing, and you’re standing outside half-naked.”
Kaz looked up to find Charley standing in the doorway. She had her comforter wrapped around herself, and she gazed fearlessly at him. “Who were you talking to?”
He felt a jolt of alarm. “How long have you been standing there?”
Charley shrugged and shivered. “Not long. I’m just curious who would be so important that you’d hide the phone call from Veronika. You remember Veronika, right? The woman you took to bed last night? If you’re hiding a girlfriend or a wife…”
He almost laughed in relief. “I’m not, and quit sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. And if you ever pull a stunt like you did last night, I’ll pull Veronika from this house so fast it will make your head spin. Do you understand me?” He followed her inside and shut the door.
Charley only smirked at him. “You don’t scare me. And both of you got exactly what you wanted last night, so I think ‘thank you, Charley. I’m forever in your debt’ are the words that you’re looking for.”
“Careful. You have no idea the game you’re playing,” he said menacingly.
She only shrugged and went to pour herself a bowl of cereal. “You Russians are all the same. You think you’re all hard and tough, but once she was in your arms, I bet you just melted like putty.” Charley gave him a wide grin. “You didn’t sound all hard and tough last night when you were shouting her name.”
Kaz swore as she giggled, but they both quieted when they heard Veronika coming down the stairs. He gave Charley a death stare and went to grab a shirt from the living room.
“Good morning,” Veronika said cautiously. “Did I miss something?” She eyed Charley, and even Kaz caught the meaning in her look.
“No,” he cut in quickly before Charley could squeal. “We were just having a nice conversation about how reckless last night’s events were. And how you would not be slipping away from me again.”
Charley hid her grin. “Yup. That’s exactly what we were talking about. So how did you sleep, Veronika?” she asked brightly.
Kaz rubbed his head and sighed. “Don’t answer that. Charley, please tell me that you have something you need to do or somewhere else you need to be.”
Rolling her eyes, Charley grabbed her cereal bowl. “Fine. I can take a hint. I’ll be at the library if anyone needs me.” She left the kitchen, and Veronika eyed Kaz up and down.
“Are you okay?”
“Isn’t that something I’m supposed to ask you?” He looked at the bruises on her arm and sighed. “I was rough with you last night. I’m sorry.”
She smiled softly. “You didn’t exactly walk away unscathed. You have nothing to apologize for. I’m not a china doll, Kaz. You don’t have to worry about me breaking.”
No. She certain didn’t act like she was going to break last night. Except for those four orgasms where she’d completely shattered, she held her own last night. It was amazing.
And he had no idea how to act around her now. “Right. So. Are you going to study at the library as well?”
“I am. But I have to call my father first,” she said as she reached for the cereal box.
“Why?” he asked quickly. Too quickly. She shot him a funny look.
“I’m not going to tell on you, if that’s what you’re worried about. He says that as long as I check in every week, he won’t send an army. And I haven’t spoken to him all week. We’re just going to have a nice friendly chat, and then I have a paper that I need to research and write. And I think staying here to do it might be too distracting.”
Kaz moved a little closer and reached out to touch her face. “And what might be distracting you here?”
“I think you know,” she said as her voice dropped to just above a whisper.
“I’ll be at the library, too. And don’t think I haven’t had any fantasies about fucking in the library. Maybe you should wear a skirt,” he said with a wink.
Gasping and smiling
at the same time, she pulled away. “I will most certainly not be wearing a skirt. I’ll need to focus. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to eat in my room while I make that phone call. I don’t want you getting ideas while I’m down here.” With a swivel of her hips, she danced out of the kitchen with her breakfast and headed up the stairs.
Kaz watched her the whole way, and he couldn’t help but feel more than just a twinge of guilt. He was about to blow her whole world apart.
***
Veronika closed the door to her bedroom and let out a long shaky breath. For a moment, she’d almost believed that one night with Kaz would allow her to let go of all those pent-up feelings, but all it had done was make things worse. She couldn’t be near him now without every inch of his hard body flashing through her mind. The moans from last night were still fresh, and she was wild with need for an encore. But she had to play it cool. He clearly wasn’t affected by it, and she needed him to believe the same.
Besides, she had plenty of work that she needed to do. She finished her bowl of cereal hurriedly and opened her phone. She actually should have called her father yesterday, and she was surprised that he wasn’t blowing up her phone.
He picked up on the first ring. “I’ve been worried,” he said instantly.
“You don’t need to worry,” Veronika said with a sigh. “I’ve been up to my eyeballs in school and work, and I simply forgot to call last night.”
“Kazimir didn’t answer my calls last night. Is everything all right?”
“That’s probably my fault,” she admitted. “I went out against his wishes last night, and he spent an unhappy evening in a club. And before you ask, I was fine. I just needed to blow off some steam.”
“I see. Well, tell me how everything has been.” She could hear the edge in her father’s voice. Something was wrong, and it didn’t have anything to do with her.
“School is good. My grades are still holding, even though I’m having to pick up more hours at the store.”
“I can send you money, and you needn’t work at all, my love. All you have to do is ask.”
“It’s not about the money,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “It’s about experience. I need this job so I can get the one I want in the future.”
“You had a job,” he said darkly. “And you’re walking away from it.”
“Jesus,” Veronika muttered. “How many times do we have to do this? I’m not Pavel. I’m not taking over the business. I don’t want anything to do with that!”
Her father was silent, and Veronika closed her eyes and fought back the tears. Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer. “You kill people. And those closest to you get killed. I just want to study art. That’s all I want.”
“You could change it and make it better,” Fedor said softly.
“So could you.”
“I’m too old to change my ways, my love. You know that. Anyway, with my connections, you can have any job that you want.”
Veronika smiled. If her father couldn’t win by bullying, he’d start with bribing. “It’s important that I do this on my own. It’s important to me.”
“I see. Well, I wouldn’t want to let you down. You mind Kaz. Your safety is priority. If I even think that you’re in danger, the gig will be up. Do you understand?”
“I’ll do everything he says,” she promised. In and out of bed. Terrified that she would speak the thought out loud, she quickly hung up.
The thought of Pavel hung heavy in her heart. She thought of her brother every day, and it still hurt sometimes to say his name out loud. He’d been Fedor’s perfect son, and she’d just been a spoiled little brat until his death.
Kaz stood in front of her with an impassive look. “You think that now that Pavel is gone, Fedor will want you to run the business? You? You’ve never gotten your hands dirty in your life, Princess. You break one nail, and you run off crying.”
At that moment, he’d been right. But Veronika wasn’t the same person anymore. That girl had been buried the night Kaz had walked away from her, and now she was reborn stronger. Tougher. A woman. “You look at me through a filter, Kaz. But you know nothing about me. I’ll be just as good as Pavel. You’ll see.”
Only he hadn’t seen. She couldn’t put the action behind the words. She saw one person’s death and had immediately run and cowered. This wasn’t the life for her. But her father always held out hope that one day she’d change her mind.
“Are you okay?”
Startled, Veronika looked up. Kaz was watching her from the door with concern in his eyes. She realized that she’d been crying and hastily wiped her tears away. “I’m fine,” she said as she cleared her throat. “You know how my father is.”
“It’s good that you’re doing this,” he said awkwardly. “It’s good that you want to get away from him. He won’t always be there.”
Veronika sent him a bewildered look. “I’m aware of that. I know his business is dangerous. But he’s my father, and I love him. I don’t want to be without him. I just want a life that I can sustain on my own. That’s all. He’s still family. After Pavel, he’s the only family that I have left.”
Kaz gave her a strange pained look before bouncing down the stairs. “So strange,” she muttered as she grabbed her books and her computer. She figured Kaz would probably be strange after their affair, but she expected him to bolt or ignore the situation. She didn’t expect him to be so sweet.
As much as she wanted to follow him and discover more of this side of him, she had a paper to write.
***
Kaz followed her from a safe distance. He had fear in his heart, and he wasn’t sure where it was coming from. Was it because he was finally exacting his revenge? Or was he concerned about the look on her face when she realized that her father was dead?
“Fuck,” he growled. This had all turned into such a mess so quickly. There was a time where he would have cut Fedor’s throat and never looked back. But one night with her had changed all that.
When had he become such a sentimental fool?
His phone rang, and he looked down. It was Fedor Saiko. He hadn’t answered any of the man’s calls from last night. The boss was no doubt furious, and it wouldn’t be wise for Kaz to ignore another phone call.
“Kazimir,” he growled.
“I pay you a handsome fee to give me updates on my daughter,” Fedor said in a dangerous tone. “I do not pay you to ignore my phone calls.”
“I apologize,” Kaz said thickly. He was practically choking on his apology. “Your daughter can be a handful. I’m following her now on the way to the library. Right now there isn’t much to report. The roommate is clean, and I see no need to worry about her. There has been no particular interest in Veronika from her classmates except the usual. And I don’t believe anyone has connected her to you. Other than last night’s late night club excursion, all has been quiet here.”
“Fine,” Seiko grunted. “And how are you? I know you feel I am punishing you with this gig, but my daughter’s security is my number one priority.”
“I’m fine, sir. And I understand how important she is,” Kaz answered shortly. If there was one thing he could never deny, it was the man’s love for his daughter. Of course, there was a time Kaz would never have believed that he would murder his own son. People changed quickly.
“Keep her safe.” Fedor’s words sounded heavy, and Kaz’s ear pricked.
“Are you okay, boss?” he asked.
“I miss my children, Kazimir. I’ve done things that would not make them proud, and I regret that now. When you’ve got children, when you’re an old man like me, you’ll understand. Of course, perhaps it’s too late for you to settle down and have children. Do you ever blame me, Kazimir?”
Kaz’s hand stilled on the steering wheel. What was the man talking about? “Blame you for what, sir?”
“Your life. You have no wife. No children. I sometimes ask my men to sacrifice too much. Many of them leave me, but you’ve stuck with me. And
now I wonder if you blame me.”
“I made my choice,” Kaz said finally. “You are like a father to me, and if I meet someone who’s worth changing all of that, then I will change.”
Fedor didn’t say anything, and for a moment, Kaz worried that he might have hung up. Finally, the old man sighed loudly. “And you are like a son to me. Maybe one day I will come to terms with what I have done to you.”
Fedor hung up, and Kaz gritted his teeth. What the hell was that all about? It sounded like Fedor was losing his mind. But it didn’t matter. Kaz would not change his mind. He’d worked too damn hard for this moment, and he would not let the sentiments of an old man and his daughter get the best of him. Fedor Saiko needed to die.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of black. A dark SUV was speeding down the road. In horror, Kaz looked ahead and saw that it wasn’t going to slow down.
It was going to hit Veronika.
Instinct took over as Kaz floored the pedal and moved out of traffic onto the sidewalk. Grass flew up under his tires as he barreled down the road to reach Veronika in time. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he pulled up next to her, and the car hit his full force. His car flipped and landed on its top with a loud crunch.
His vision blurred as pain exploded in his head. He was reaching for his gun, but the car sped away. At least Veronika wasn’t in danger anymore.
Grabbing his knife, he sawed off his seatbelt and crawled out the window of the upside down car. People were screaming, and he saw a flash of blonde running to him. “No,” he croaked as Veronika neared him. “Car’s going to explode.”
“I know that,” she hissed as she grabbed him. “Come on. Can you walk?”
White-hot pain lanced through every part of his body as she helped him to his feet. He kept his head down and struggled to run. The smell of gasoline was growing stronger by the second. Suddenly, the car exploded behind him. As the loud noise burst through his ears, he felt the heat from the fire nipping at his back. He grunted, and they both hit the pavement hard.