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I took one look at the backpack on his shoulder and all of my suspicions were confirmed. Planting my hand in the center of his chest, I walked him backward, kicking the apartment door shut behind us. “I don’t want you to leave.”
He didn’t look surprised by my statement, just resigned. “The next step is to rescind the liquor license. That willkillDelirium. And if, by some miracle, it doesn’t, he’ll have the zoning laws changed or some shit. Local ordinances put into place that we can’t meet. Those assholes from Business Compliance will come and hammer us with evenmorefines. He’ll keep coming back until Sergei has me dragged out back and puts a bullet between my eyes for all the trouble.”
“You think he wants a war with Sergei?”
“He doesn’t care! Don’t you get it? That’s how fucking crazy he is! Delirium’s not even in his ward and look at all the damage he’s doing! The club Sergei wants on the north side? Consider it gone. Ken will kill the deal and every deal after it. With the committees he’s on, he has influence over every part of the city, Misha. So I either go back to him or I leave. Those are my choices.”
“You can’t run from everything, Marek.”
“Why not? You did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Russia? Your military career? Who gives that up to join the mafia? I don’t know what happened and I don’t need to, but don’t stand there and tell me running isn’t an option when you fucking did it.”
“You havenoidea what you’re talking about,” I said, doing my damndest to keep my teeth from clenching. Hurling barbs was another one of his go-to defense mechanisms and since I’d cornered him in the apartment, eliminating Option #1, I should have been prepared to withstand the cuts.
“Then tell me why you can’t go home.” When I didn’t answer, he kept going, pushing for me to go on the defensive instead of him, another tried-and-true tactic. “I saw your face when we talked about St. Petersburg. And the way you talked about being betrayed by the people you served? I know I haven’t seen half the shit you have. Hell, I’ve never even left this fucking state. But I know a liar when I see one.”
“Yes, you should be skilled at it, considering you see one in the mirror every day.”
“Fuck you!” He shoved me hard and made a break for the door.
I grabbed the backpack and tore it from his shoulder, yanking him off balance in the process. As he staggered on his feet, I caught him by the throat and slammed his back into the closest wall, a parody of our first meeting. But unlike the first time, his pulse raced under my hand and he didn’t try disguising his anger. It marred every line of his face.
“Now that I have your attention,” I said as he threw his knee upward, aiming for my groin. I blocked it with my leg and leaned into him harder. “You’re going to fucking listen for once in your life. You’re not leaving. Not because of this. Sergei will not kill you because Sergei will never know. I will pay the fines and I will make sure the liquor license stays intact. Politicians will only go so far to dirty their hands. I go much,muchfarther.
“You want to know why I left Russia? I was betrayed by someone I thought was a friend. He found out about me and threatened to tell our commander. Either they would have killed me for being queer or they would have killed me for resigning, for being a traitor to the unit. So, yes, I ran. I stole classified documents and I bought my way out of Russia before they could murder me.
“When I came here, I tracked down the only person who could give me protection—Sergei. And I earned his trust by bringing him the head of one of his rivals along with a portion of those classified documents, enough intel to make him the most powerful mob boss in the city.
“I didn’t get to where I am by chance. If you would simply trust me, you’ll see everythingwillbe fine. I willnotlet this man ruin your life any more than he already has. So if you still want to leave, then leave. But don’t run because you think it’s your only option.” I released him slowly, my muscles taut, waiting for a final swing on his way out the door.
“To take him on, you’d have to take on half the city officials,” Marek murmured, deflating against the wall. “It’s too much.”
“When it comes to you, nothing is too much for me. If he wants a war, I’ll give him a fucking war. I guarantee you he’s never faced an enemy like me. He hasnoidea of the things I’m capable of.”
Without warning, Marek seized a handful of my shirt and yanked me closer. His mouth crashed into mine, a trace of indignation on his lips that refused to be smothered completely by desire. And gratitude, perhaps? His kisses were as complicated as he was.
I didn’t feel like dissecting his motivations—as long as he was there, in my arms, the rest didn’t matter. He could be mad at me as long as he wanted, so long as he stayed where I knew I could protect him.
Marek slid his hands in my hair, ravaging my mouth until our lips were swollen and each breath was a stolen gasp. He dragged his hands downward, loosening the knot in my tie and yanking the silk free, flinging it to the side.
I got to work on the buttons on his shirt while he pushed my suit jacket off my shoulders. I shrugged out of it the rest of the way and let it fall. My shoulder holster and gun went next, clunking to the floor while Marek nimbly unbuttoned my shirt and shed my pants.
As soon as his pants came off, I grabbed his ass with both hands and yanked his hips against mine. Instead of just grinding against me, Marek jumped and wrapped his legs around my waist. I tightened my grip and leaned him against the wall for extra support, kissing him fiercely.
“Bed,” he said between kisses, “or couch?”
“Whatever you want, detka.”
“Bed.”
Pushing off the wall, I carried him to the bedroom, his arms and legs wrapped securely around me while his lips and teeth left their mark up and down the side of my neck.
We all but collapsed on the bed since I misjudged the distance in the dark. He laughed and scooted backward, kissing me as I climbed over him. Wrapping one hand around the back of his neck, I pulled him in for a longer kiss.
When he broke away with a gasp, I directed my attention to the side of his neck, kissing him gently. He moaned softly in my ear and rolled his hips against me, his hard cock rubbing against mine.
