Chapter 11
Nikolai
I’m sitting in Uncle Carson’s office, reviewing all the open contracts, when a call comes through on his cellphone.
I don’t take note of what’s being said until I hear him ask, “Who stopped the hit on Abigail Sartori?”
My head snaps up, my eyes locking on my uncle. “Christ,” he mutters. “I’ll deal with it.”
The instant he ends the call, I ask, “What happened?”
“Abigail left the grounds with Aurora and the bratva trainees. Someone tried to eliminate Miss Sartori, but Misha and his friends stopped it. Viktor is going to lose his shit.”
I stare at my uncle as his words sink deep into my gut. “What?” I mutter like an idiot. “Wait.” I stand up from the chair, a dark frown forming on my forehead. “Abigail left St. Monarch’s? Why?”
Why the fuck would she do something so goddamn stupid?
“Where is she?” I bark.
“The SUV just pulled up to the castle, sir,” the head of the guards informs me from where he’s standing by the door.
“Nikolai?” Uncle Carson gives me a worried look.
Without another word, I stalk out of the office. When I step into the foyer, and my eyes lock on Abigail’s pale face, I fucking lose my shit.
There’s no way for me to keep my voice calm as I shout, “What the fuck were you thinking leaving the grounds?”
I grab hold of the infuriating woman and first make sure she hasn’t been shot before I lay into her. “You know there’s a fucking hit out on your life! Are you fucking insane or just plain stupid?”
“Excuse me?” she snaps as she yanks her arm free from my hold. “Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like that?”
Christ Almighty.
The urge to strangle her is overwhelming, and I fist my hands at my sides so I don’t give in to the need to force her into submission.
Abigail lifts her chin in defiance as she meets my eyes, and at this moment, she’s never looked more beautiful.
I fucking worry because you’ve crawled so deep beneath my fucking skin I can’t get you out!
Instead of telling her the truth, I growl, “You’re one of my students. It gives me the right to fucking worry.”
She stares at me for a moment, then her gaze narrows on me as she fucking taunts me, “Yeah, keep lying to yourself.”
Lifting up on her tiptoes, her breath fans over my jaw and ear, then she whispers, “It’s only a matter of time before I’m assassinated. My dying wish is to be with you, so stop lying to us both, be a man, and take what you want.”
I’m about to burst a fucking vein from anger as she pats her hand on my chest before walking toward the stairs.
God, help me before I kill this woman myself.
With rage burning in my veins, I watch her sexy ass sway as she climbs the stairs before I stalk back to my uncle’s office.
He’s already on a video call with Viktor.
I glance at the screen that shows my cousin sitting at his desk as he says, “I’ll be there tomorrow morning to deal with my men.” He tips his chin at me. “Hey, Nikolai.”
“Wish we were talking under better circumstances.” I lock eyes with Viktor. “Cancel the hit on Abigail Sartori.”
My cousin’s eyebrows raise, then he shakes his head as he glances between my uncle and me. “What the fuck do you put in the food at St. Monarch’s? This is the second request in less than a week concerning those women.”
Uncle Carson shrugs and waves a hand through the air. “Fuck if I know.”
Viktor turns his eyes back to me. “Why?”
Why?
I don’t fucking have an answer, so I say, “Call it a favor.”
“That’s not an answer, cousin,” he mutters, an impatient look flashing in his eyes.
Letting out a sigh, I reluctantly admit, “The woman fucking annoys me, but I don’t want her dead. I’m only asking for the hit on her. I don’t give a shit what you do with the rest of the Sartoris.”
Suddenly a wide smile splits over Viktor’s face. “Now I understand.” My cousin stares at me for a while, then nods. “Cancel the hit on Abigail Sartori,” he gives the order to Uncle Carson.
Intense relief washes through my entire body, and I let out a harsh breath. “Thank you, Viktor.”
“Hey, what is family for if not to kill your cousin’s love interest,” he says jokingly.
“Love interest, my ass,” I mutter. “If anyone’s going to kill Abigail, it will be me.”
His eyebrows rise again, then he chuckles, “Have fun with that.” Letting out a sigh, he adds, “I’ll be there first thing tomorrow to deal with my enforcers. Make sure they don’t leave St. Monarch’s.”
“Will do,” Uncle Carson replies.
The encrypted video call ends, then my uncle lifts an eyebrow at me. “So you and Abigail?”
I let out a sigh, then mutter, “The girl doesn’t deserve to die because her father is a fucking idiot.”
“Right.”
Talking about the girl. I have a bone to pick with her.
Just as I leave the office, I see Misha coming down the hallway. The man is in a fuck-ton of trouble for stopping the hit on Abigail, but he’ll be okay. Viktor isn’t an unreasonable man.
I take the stairs up, and turning down the hallway, I see Abigail and Aurora come out of a suite. Abigail heads my way while Aurora walks to the suite next door.
As Abigail swipes her keycard, I hear her sniff before she enters the room. The door is busy closing when I place my hand against the wood, forcing it back open.
Abigail doesn’t hear me come in, and while I let the door shut softly behind me, I watch as she wraps her arms around her waist.
“Jesus,” she whispers. “That was a close call.”
When I stalk toward her, she turns around, and the moment her eyes land on me, they widen with surprise. She quickly wipes tears from her face, and seeing her cry delivers a blow to my heart.
My hand darts out, and grabbing hold of her jaw, I lean down until our breaths warm the small space between our faces.
“You’re insufferable,” I growl.
“I know.”
“You fucking drive me insane.”
She takes a step forward, pressing her body against mine. “Good.” “Christ,” I mutter, my eyes burning into hers. My grip tightens on her
jaw while too much tension builds between us. “You have a death wish.”
“I do.” She lifts her chin, her lashes lowering with seduction. “It’s you.” She pushes against my hold on her jaw until her lips brush against mine.
We don’t break eye contact as her teeth tug at my bottom lip.
Her voice is a hoarse whisper as she asks, “Are you going to punish me,
Daddy?”
My heart hammers against my ribs, and watching her eyes dilate with desire, I give in to the fucking push and pull between us. I’m rock hard, and there’s only one thing that will satisfy me – to fucking dominate Abigail’s sass.
Lifting my other hand to the back of her head, I grab her hair and yank her back, so her throat is exposed. I move my hand from her jaw to where her pulse is racing.
“Is that what you want, Malyshka?” My eyes keep hers prisoner as I call her ‘little girl’ in Russian. “For me to give you the spanking you deserve.”
Need tightens her features, and it drives me fucking wild seeing her like this.
“Please,” she purrs.