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I didn’t smile or wave, I simply met his frosty stare measure for measure. This was the other side of the man I knew. While I’d always caught glimpses of it, seeing Viktor in his natural habitat and with a blast of frigid fury icing his features should have terrified me. It didn’t.
“What are you doing here?” Viktor ground out.
“Sophia summoned me. The driver brought me here,” I clipped, standing tall and proud as though I had every right to be here. I couldn’t help feeling I’d missed some initiation process.
“What’s she doing here, ace?” The man standing across the high-top table demanded. Nikolai. It was the cousin, Nikolai.
Viktor’s gaze narrowed before sliding to the driver who stood behind me. “Toli, take those fucking ears off your head.”
“Miss Markovich instructed me to wear them—”
“I don’t give a shit what my sister said. You don’t do anything that embarrasses us, especially at a time like this,” Viktor thundered.
“Don’t take it out on him,” I snapped. There was an audible intake of breath at my challenge. It was obvious this kind of thing didn’t happen often, and the work crew was clearly enjoying the sight. “You know damn well how persuasive your sister can be, and if he’s obeying her, she might have something on him that he doesn’t want found out.”
My statement was pure conjecture. The ears were cute at the airport, but for the driver to wear them here in the presence of his work buddies, it had to be more than simply Sophia pleading to make Toli obey. It was her other side. The devious one. With her access to every corner of the virtual world, she could draw dirt like no one else could.
Viktor remained silent, piercing the driver with his gaze. And then he moved, pushing away from the table. With slow, precise steps, Viktor came around the partition. When he stood directly in front of us, I felt the fury rolling off him. The lunatic inside me, the one who’d decided it was a good idea to come out here, wanted togoto the monster. Soothe the volatile beast inside. But he was as likely to let me touch him as he was to devour me.
“I said, take the goddamn ears off.” Viktor didn’t look at me, but I could feel the heat from his voice.
“The princess is going to tell my mother about Vegas,” the driver whispered, accent thick. He wasn’t pleading. It was almost admirable. But after a few more beats, he slid the ears off and handed them to Viktor.
Without another word, Viktor grabbed my arm and marched me out the front door. I hissed in protest, struggling to keep up in my heels. I refused to make a scene with his...work associates?
He ripped open the door of a non-descript pickup truck. “Get in,” Viktor barked.
“Hello to you too,” I bit out, and then clambered up into the passenger seat. The slam of the door was his only response.
Who the hell did he think he was acting like this? I fisted my hands in my lap, rehearsing all the things I would say to him. There were some things I wanted to say to Sophia as well, but those would have to wait. Viktor was acting like an ass. While everyone had the right to react to a bad morning, this side of him didn’t belong in polite society.
Toli came out, and, after a quick exchange, he brought Viktor my luggage. I knew I packed light, but the way the angry male picked up the suitcase and essentially threw it into the backseat like it was a pillow didn’t go unnoticed. I told myself I was glaring at him to show him what he had coming, not to watch the way the muscles of his arms flexed.
When Viktor climbed into the driver’s seat, I didn’t wait for him to shut his door before I snapped, “What in the hell?! I’m sorry I obviously interrupted important construction business, but when I come out to visit your sorry ass, I don’t expect to be treated like your enemy!”
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, mouth pulled tight.
His words, more powerful than a physical blow, hit me right in the gut. “You’re right. This was a mistake,” I hissed.
The hitch in my voice as I forced anger to override everything else had him cutting a quick look at me. I struggled to keep my composure, and by the time I trusted myself to speak, we were speeding down the highway with big LAX signs informing us which lanes to remain in.
Unbelievable. The nerve of this ass! “Just like that? You’re taking me back?”
“I’ll give Sophia your regrets,” Viktor said.
“I can’t believe I wasted any thoughts on you. That won’t happen again. Ever.”
Jaw clenched tight, Viktor cut through two lanes of traffic and pulled sharply off the highway, horns blaring in his wake. I clutched the handle on the door frame, a hiss of protest escaping my lips.
Gravel sprayed behind the tires as the big pickup rumbled down a shitty side street. Viktor slammed the breaks in front of a dilapidated building that looked like it was once a gas station. Something moved in the mass of garbage near the boarded-up front door. A person eyed us before yawning and resuming their nap.
Viktor slammed the truck into park and pushed his hands through his hair. “You knownothing.”
The anger in his voice couldn’t conceal the hurt. I stilled. Thousands of questions flashed through my mind, but I couldn’t summon the breath to ask a single one.
“I’ve been in hell,” he said, the confession barely audible.
“So have I,” I whispered.
