Page 81 of Betrothed
Of course he’d heard. There were no damn secrets in the organization. “You need to get the hell back here.”
When he didn’t answer right away, as he should have, I was furious.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, Kirill. I heard you. What the hell is wrong with you? Are you drunk?”
“No, I’m not fucking drunk. I’m working. A plan is needed to hunt down the Ghost. We don’t need another fucking hotel.”
“O-kay. I get it. I also know you have a guest. Is that necessary? There are plenty of beautiful women in New York.”
“It’s not like it was my idea. Besides, my guest wasn’t interested in playing by the rules. But she will soon learn.” I could kill the bastards for telling him.
“A little coincidental, her being the doctor on the same floor the unknown assailant had determined could provide safety.”
When my hand fisted, I brought it to my mouth. What the fuck did the man think he was doing, goading me? “Yeah, exactly what I thought, which is why she’s a carefully protected guest.”
While I’d almost thought about tying her to the bed, I’d found a soft spot that wasn’t like me.
“You need to be careful, Kirill. I don’t think I need to tell you that. We laid a trap for the Ghost and instead, he or she ended up playing us.”
The bastard was telling me what to do? Me? The second in command? “Us? You know what I think?” I tossed out. “If you’d been doing your job instead of taking time off, you’d know that Vivian Hamiliton is a key player.”
I heard the discord in his tone. I just didn’t give a shit.
“Okay,” he gritted out. “I’ll bite. Who is she?”
“The beautiful niece of Sean McCarthy. Ring a bell or do I need to spell it out? She’s been working under your nose at Mount Sinai for over a year. Or I should say one of two nieces since the other one recently got married to what appears to be Italian royalty.” One thing my beautiful guest would share in the morning was the name. That would save time. If she was being used as part of the cat and mouse game, the Irish clan were already aware the catnip had been nibbled on.
“What? Hold on. What did you just say?”
“Pravda, skryvayushchayasya za urodlivoy lozh’yu, vsegda prekrasna—dazhe v svoyom gor’kom predatel’stve.”
His exhale was tight chested as he repeated what I’d said. “The truth behind ugly lies is always beautiful even in its bitter betrayal. My father used to say that as well. She set you up. Shit.”
“Maybe and that’s a Chertov family saying from what I know. And all true.” I moved toward the window, staring out at the night sky. There were only a few stars able to be seen through the wispy clouds. Darkness used to comfort me. Not tonight. My skin was prickling and tight. I held out my arm, half expecting to see blisters crawling across the surface.
“Does her uncle know she’s been taken, held as your captive?”
“Not yet.” My voice held a singsong quality. “Or maybe so, depending on how you look at it.”
“Fuck,” he hissed. “Does Kazimir know?”
“Not until I discover who the fucker is in Italy.”
“You need to talk to Kazimir. This wasn’t what we expected. However, we can use your guest’s connections to our benefit. Think about what I said before.”
“You bet we can, especially since her father is also a man of importance, but you should know all about that given you’re the acting Pakhan. But I will not marry a woman who is playing me.”
I didn’t care if I pissed him off. He shouldn’t have left town.
“Look, I don’t know what is going on with you, but I’m in no mood for arguments or your games,” Dimitri said flatly.
“I’m not playing a game. The Ghost is. Or have you forgotten about that? We need a plan that doesn’t include frolicking with chicks inside your kink club.”
“It’s obvious by your tone that you’re close with this woman.”
“Close?” I laughed. “As close as two people can be who met the way we have. But yeah, close enough she’s sleeping in my bed. Not that it’s any of your goddamn business.” She was just as likely to slit my throat. I had to sit down. What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t think at all.
