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We're upstairs in the VIP area mainly for celebrities and local government who don't want the public approaching them.
I ask him if he wants dessert, he declines.
“I've heard you were going to kill Aleksander's wife.” I sip my wine, studying him over the rim of the glass.
Empty black eyes meet mine. “I was going to.”
“Did Richie tell you why he wanted to kill her?” I ask.
His eyes narrow. One thing the man does not abide by is being lied to or manipulated. He shakes his head.
“She was after us, my family. Richie and I went in on a hijacking of product. We each got what we wanted and parted ways. First time I worked with him, can’t say I was impressed. He was messy, lazy. She connected him to it. Through his laziness, she connected him to us, tried to use him against us. You are cleaning up his mess. The woman is…” I shake my head, remembering her file from Valdez. It was the first time in a long time I was horrified by something.
“It isn't that she's a Fed. It's how she got to where she is now. She's one of those rare ones who should never see us with a gun in our hand. I offered her twenty grand to go away, she spit in my face. A hundred grand, I got all the way up to a million with help on how to hide it.”
Our eyes meet. I allow a smile. “She wouldn't take it. Idiot is too pure to be in this. It's why Aleksander married her. It's why she will remain his wife until her last breath. Richie is going to ask you to finish what you didn’t accomplish with her. Before it's all over, he’s going to ask you to kill Aleksander. Who knows, if he figures out how dumb he's been, he'll ask you to kill me.”
It's clear he's thinking. He has a mind like a computer, calculating, evaluating the moves and future plays. “I'm going to kill Richie.”
I shake my head. “I'm not asking you to. Aleksander has plans for him as the cause of his wife's pain. He would be pissed if someone else did it.”
“I want to kill Richie.” The words are a statement.
Fuck. I pull my phone, call Aleksander and hit speaker. “He wants to kill Richie.”
“No.” Aleksander answers hard and fast. “The fucker is mine.”
I cock an eyebrow at Manuel.
“Wrong. He’s mine. He beat his daughter, my woman.” Manuel isn't asking.
Aleksander swears in Russian. “Fine. As long as you make it messy and painful.”
Manuel nods. “I will.”
I end the call. “Congratulations on your marriage.”
“You too.” He nods, then gets up and walks away.
I'm a block away from my office when I get a call. A congressman who might yet become a senator has need of assistance. Since he's been worth my investment so far, I direct the car to his home instead of mine.
The issue is complicated. I don't leave until almost midnight. In the end it was resolved with a congressman deeply in my debt. If Celia weren't waiting for me it would have been worth it. But she is and I resent the fuck out of the hours I missed with her.
The drive home takes forever. It's a struggle to stay awake. When I get home I'm not surprised Celia is already asleep. I can't keep from running a finger over the skin of her cheek.
This isn't how I want things. I want her in my bed every night, to fall asleep with her in my arms after fucking us both to exhaustion. I want to wake up with her lush, sexy body against mine, only not yet. A few more weeks past the time Grigori is a threat to her.
A little sigh escapes from between her lips. She shifts and a hiss comes from beneath the covers. What the fuck? I yank them off her to find a ginger kitten tucked into her side. The damn thing hisses at me then tries to bury itself into her.
“Milos, don’t stress out the kitten.” She sighs. “It took forever to get him settled.”
I shake my head, laughing. This is what I married. An adorable cat lady who prefers cats over her husband. “You would kick me out of your bed in favor of the kitten?”
Her brow furrows as she blinks back the sleep clinging to her. “No, of course not. It's just he's here first. He's only here for the night. One of the construction guys had to ask his girlfriend before he brought him home. He called a little earlier and said he can take him—”
Capturing her mouth in a kiss I swear is intended as a small one for good night. Except the moment my lips meet hers, I’m lost in Celia’s passionate response. The kitten hisses at me, pulling me away from my wife.
“Stop it, Peanut. No hissing at Daddy. Into the cage with you, spicy kitty.” I watch as she slides out of bed. She's wearing the nightgown again. Then she pads into the bathroom. There's a large cage with a litter box and pillows set up underneath the vanity. On her way back to me she pulls off the nightgown, leaving only white silk panties covering her. I should leave her—she's tired. But I've never claimed to be a good man. I won't be one now.
