Page 45 of Possessive Mafia Bodyguard

I blink myself back to reality before I get sucked into the worm hole of despising men like him. I’m not here to pick a fight with Tamara’s boss while he enjoys an evening with his wife.

I place my chips on the table and walk away.

Tamara isn’t in the restaurant either. She isn’t seated around the circular bar serving the nightclub or playing the slots.

I feel conspicuous loitering around outside the restrooms, so I wander through to the hotel foyer and ask the concierge if he has seen my wife while scanning the lounge, bar area, and the guests lingering outside the entrance.

“There you are, Finn!”

My heart lurches at the sound of her voice as Tamara comes rushing over, loops her arm through mine, and guides me back towards the elevators.

“Found her.” I smile over my shoulder at the concierge who is already moving on to the next guests.

Tamara doesn’t stop at the elevators. Instead, she drags me aside and through a door marked PRIVATE. Once we’re in the empty corridor on the other side with the door closed behind us, she slams me against the wall and holds a knife to my throat.

“What are you doing here?”

I lock eyes with her and don’t move. “Following you. We need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Then maybe you’ll listen to what I have to say.”

The tip of her blade pierces the skin beneath my jaw, and I feel blood trickling down my neck and inside my shirt collar. “I don’t want to hear your lies.”

“Fine by me. I’ve always been honest with you.”

Her eyes darken, and it has nothing to do with wanting me to fuck her. “This will be interesting. Perhaps I’ll listen after all. I’m sure Leonid will be curious to know why your boss called a meeting when he is a part of the Petrovs’ trafficking organization.”

I blink, unsure if I heard her correctly. “My boss…” My brain chooses this moment to down tools and stop working, and I’m left struggling to connect the dots.

“Your boss. Aiden Kavanagh. He is working with the Petrov family, and don’t even try to pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“Will you put the knife away please, Tamara?” I’m stalling. I need to figure out where she got this information from and how this all looks from her perspective.

“And give you control?” She narrows her eyes at me. “I don’t think so.”

I grip her wrist easily and it takes minimal effort to slip the knife out of her hand. I offer it back to her with the tip pointing my way. “Put. The. Knife. Away.”

“No.” She takes it and plants her feet squarely, her chest rising and falling with the effort of containing her anger.

My shirt collar is wet, but I ignore it. “Firstly, who are the Petrovs?”

She shakes her head, pure disgust dulling her eyes when she looks at me. “Okay, I’m done here.”

I grab her wrist again, pulling her against my chest, and feel the sting of the blade through my shirt as it slices the skin below my ribs. Not enough to do any serious damage, just a reminder that she’s the one in control. But at least she hasn’t run away.

Yet.

“Right, let’s start again,” I say. “My boss, Aiden Kavanagh, isn’t involved with the Petrov family. I’ve never heard their fucking name mentioned until today.”

Her eyebrows disappear beneath her hair, and I let it slide. I’m struggling to keep my voice steady when what I really want to do is kiss her until neither of us can breathe, take her home with me on the back of my motorcycle, and fuck her till she can’t walk. One thing at a time. And I’m not leaving until this is cleared up.

“He believes that your Pakhan’s organization is leading the trafficking operation.”

“Ha!” The sound escapes her before she can stop it, but I plough on.

“He didn’t deny it at the meeting.”