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19
Alex
I’m like a wounded bear at the office. Even Grigori stays out of my way. It’s more than the lack of sleep. My kitten is docile—for now—but she’s angry with me. She’s unhappy about the choices I’m taking from her hands, and when she’s upset, so am I, especially since I’m the reason she’s upset to begin with. This whole damn situation is driving a wedge between us. I’m worried that by the time this nightmare is over, that wedge will have settled for good.
No matter. I’m nothing if not dedicated and resilient. I’ll work hard to win back her adoration. Once she’s taken my surname, I’ll have all the time in the world to obtain that goal. In a few months from now, when we look back on all of this, she’ll see that I was right. She’ll understand that I acted in her best interest. Eventually, she’ll forgive me.
My phone rings on the way from the boardroom to my office. It’s Adrian. Igor follows closely behind me, keeping up with my long strides as Adrian tells me there’s still no answer from Mukha and no sign of him either. The hacker is practically a ghost, untraceable and nonexistent as far as his trail goes.
I hang up with a curse and slam a palm on the door of my office. Igor catches the door before it bangs against the wall.
“Alex,” he says as I plop down in the seat behind my desk.
The rare use of my first name makes me look at him. “What?”
“You’re not your usual self.”
“No shit.” I push on the thumbprint scanner to open the wall shutter. “And your point is?”
He advances to my desk. “You need to remain level-headed. You have to keep your wits about you if you’re going up against Stefanov.”
I boot up the wall-mounted computer screen. “Three fucking weeks and we’re not making any progress.”
“It’s more than the lack of progress,” he says, giving me an even look. “You’re upset because of Katherine.”
I narrow my eyes. “Careful, Igor. I owe you for saving my life, but don’t think for one second that gives you the right to put your nose in my private affairs.”
He’s undeterred. “Her stress is rubbing off on you.”
Indeed. I’m not an unfeeling monster. I know how tough the news about Laura was on my kiska.
“There was an incident with her mother yesterday,” I say, wiping a hand over my brow. “Everything is fine now. She’ll come around.”
“This has been going on since way before yesterday. She’s in the dark. Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine how she must be feeling.”
“Are you the expert on Katerina’s feelings now?” I ask in a tight voice.
“She’s not stupid. She’s picking up on things. She asked me about you the day after you took her sightseeing.”
“Is that right?” If Igor is discussing me with my woman behind my back, I swear I’ll break his face. My tone is cool. Shrewd. “Asked you what exactly?”
“Why you were so tense.”
I curl my fingers into a fist on the desktop. “If you told her someone is watching the house…”
I don’t finish the threat. Igor knows me well enough to understand what would happen to him if he’d been so stupid. Katerina has enough to worry about. I’m not dumping information on her that can only give her nightmares and more sleepless nights.
He raises his hands. “I didn’t tell her anything.”
“But?”
“Maybe you need to share more with her.”
He’s really starting to get on my nerves. “Like what?”
“You haven’t told her about Stefanov and Pavlov. You need to tell her what’s going on. What if she gets it into her head to run?”
“There’s a damn good reason for not telling her,” I say, slamming my fist on the desk. “And it’s none of your business.”
He backtracks a step. “It’s your call. I just thought—”
“Don’t fucking think where Katerina is concerned. That’s my job.”
He drops his hands. “Whatever you say.”
“Is that the reason why you insisted on accompanying me to the office today? To chew off my ear about how I treat my girlfriend?”
He shakes his head. “Alex.”
“Mr. Volkov,” I grit out. There are limits to what I’ll tolerate. Katerina is definitely off limits.
“Mr. Volkov,” he says, giving me a wounded look. “Leonid was long overdue for babysitting duty.”
Looking at the door pointedly, I say, “I have work to do.”
He nods. “If you need me, I’ll be checking on the man who’s watching Stefanov’s house.”
“You do that,” I say in a frosty tone.
The minute he’s closed the door behind him, I pop in my earbuds and dial Krupnov, the most prestigious jeweler in Eastern Europe. Katerina isn’t going to run. She’s too clever to attempt something so foolish—not to mention, my staff and the guards won’t let her. Yet Igor’s words have ignited a spark of unrest in my gut. All the more reason to follow through sooner than later on the decision I’ve made.
