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  ∙•∙

  Nikolav didn’t move a muscle while he listened to Belinda’s breath finally evening out in slumber. She had to be exhausted.

  He felt like an ass, more from not having the strength to stay away from her than from leaving her hanging.

  It wasn’t as if she was the only person in the room left with unfulfilled sexual tension. His cock was rock hard and throbbing angrily against his belly.

  Thank God he’d had a moment of clarity that forced him to back off. If he’d let their make-out session go on much longer, he might not have found another sane moment to stop himself.

  And Lord knew Belinda hadn’t seemed willing to call a halt.

  He ran a hand down his face and sighed. He needed sleep too. But he knew it would be a while before his brain stopped its rapid-fire projection of thoughts and images.

  Belinda was better than he’d imagined. Her body felt amazing under his touch, and she came alive as his fingers danced across her curves.

  Her breast… Jesus. The perfect handful—pert and firm. Her erect nipple had begged him to yank the T-shirt over her head and reveal its color and size. Just as he was about to do exactly that, he came to his senses and stopped himself.

  Her lips… Damn the woman could kiss. She gave as well as she took.

  Why did he stop her? Or more precisely, why did he stop himself?

  He knew the answer to those questions, but facing the truth was hard. Nikolav did not do vanilla women. He hadn’t for years. His tastes ran in a far more deviant direction. He also didn’t fuck a woman without her knowing the score. And messing around with Belinda was pushing the boundaries of his own personal rules.

  Until he told her who he really was, he couldn’t have her. To do so would be a lie—to both of them.

  Perhaps he should have laid it all on the line already, but he’d been selfish, wanting more time with her. He enjoyed her company. She wasn’t bad to look at, either. Gorgeous. If she couldn’t handle what he had to offer, it would make things awkward between them. And the truth was they were stuck together for the time being. Fucking with that was uncalled for.

  Nikolav needed to back off and give her some space. He could do this. He could share his bed with her and use it for its intended purpose—sleep. Let everyone else think he was fucking her. Even better. That would keep Sergei from making a move.

  He’d seen the look on Sergei’s face when he met Belinda. The man had a way with women that made the rest of them groan. But Belinda was off-limits. To everyone. Including Nikolav.

  She deserved at least that much. If she had to be stuck in this apartment with the four of them, she needed to feel confident that nothing would happen to rock the boat.

  He could do this.

  For her.

  Chapter Nine

  “She what?” Nikolav stood in the kitchen late the next morning, his gaze darting back and forth between Ivan and Sergei as he let Alena’s words sink in. Apparently she’d been elected to tell him.

  Alena spoke again from where she leaned against the counter. “She left early. Might have been about six.”

  “Alone?”

  “We aren’t stupid,” Sergei said from the couch. “An agent drove her home to change.”

  Nikolav’s blood boiled. “Why didn’t you stop her? Or wake me?” He was fuming. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling on it too hard.

  “She’s a grown woman, Nik. She can come and go as she pleases.”

  Nikolav shook his head. “No. She can’t. She needs to be where the FBI can keep detail on her.”

  Alena spoke again in a soft voice. “FBI protection is voluntary, Nik. She can choose to decline.”

  Ivan cleared his throat. “Besides, it’s not as if she ignored all safety measures. She let an agent escort her and intended to remain in his protection until she got to work.”

  “And the three of you thought it best to let me sleep through this?” he fumed.

  “She insisted,” Sergei added.

  Nikolav twisted to face Sergei. “I thought you were my friend first. Where do your alliances lean? I told you to keep your hands to yourself around her.”

  Sergei lifted both palms in the air. “Hey, don’t go there. You know I wouldn’t make a move on a woman you claimed. Don’t you dare suggest otherwise. Belinda got up and went to work. That’s all. We had no idea you would be so livid about it. Hell, we didn’t know you hadn’t discussed it.”

  “Fine.” Nikolav turned around and stomped to the bathroom. He needed a shower first and then coffee. Maybe after both of those he could think. Currently he wanted to clobber everyone in the apartment.

  And Sergei was right. Belinda made her choices. It wasn’t his friends’ fault.

  He took a quick shower, got dressed to work out at the gym, and then headed back to the kitchen.

  Sergei handed him a cup of coffee. “Sorry, man.”

  “I know. Me too. Not your fault.”

  “I knew you thought she was hot, but I didn’t realize it was this serious.”

  “It’s not. I mean it can’t be. Not yet, anyway. She’s green. She’s under a lot of stress. I’m not going to take advantage of that.” So much for letting his friends believe he’d slept with her.

  “She’s vanilla, you mean.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Or maybe she just thinks she is.” Sergei lifted an eyebrow. “Everyone’s vanilla, until they aren’t.”

  Nikolav gave him a half grin. “True.” He set his mug on the counter. “You want a ride to the gym?”

  “Yep.” Sergei shoved off the counter. “And I need to get some wheels soon. I feel like a kept man with you carting me all around like this.”

  Sergei had sold his car in Vegas before they moved to Chicago two weeks ago. It hadn’t been in good enough shape to make the trip. Besides, working for Abram, they would all make more money than they had for the last year in Vegas under Yenin’s father and then Yenin himself when he got released from jail.

  With so much going on in the two weeks since the two of them joined their friends in Chicago, neither of them had gotten a job outside of fighting yet. Both Mikhail and Leo had connections with construction companies in the area, but with them all living under the same roof, there hadn’t been huge expenses.

  Nikolav was existing off the small savings he had stashed from years of working and fighting in Vegas. He could go for a while before it ran out. But he didn’t like to be idle, either. Much longer and he’d be pulling his hair out.

  On the flip side, as long as he had days like yesterday, it would be difficult to find the time to start the job search.

  Nikolav sent a quick text to Taylor, letting her know their plans, and then headed for the elevator with Sergei next to him. They descended to the parking garage, keeping their eyes peeled the entire time. They drove in silence to the gym.

  Abram was already there, working with two new guys who’d come under his management lately. They were young, but they had potential. Nikolav had sparred with one of them already.

  Abram nodded in their direction when they came in and then pointed at the empty boxing ring to indicate Nikolav and Sergei should start there.

  “Not going to knock me out after letting your woman sneak out this morning, are you?” Sergei joked.

  “I’m gonna knock you out, but only because I’m better than you, not because Belinda slipped through your fingers. I’ve met the woman. She’s not the sort who is easily persuaded to do anything. Trust me. She pulled that shit with me yesterday too, and what do you think ended up happening?”

  “She went to work.”

  “Yep.” Nikolav unzipped his bag; stuffed his shoes, sweat pants, and T-shirt inside; and withdrew his gloves and mouth guard. Left in his shorts, he proceeded to stretch in the center of the ring.

  “Surely she’ll be more careful today, especially after what happened last night.”

  “Don’t bet on it. The woman’s driven.”

  Abram slid under the rop
es at the side of the ring and joined them. “Leo was here earlier. He told me about last night.”

  Nikolav nodded. The five of them didn’t keep anything from Abram. He was more than a manager. He was their friend. And he cared about their welfare beyond the fact that it would hurt his pocket for anything to happen to them.

  “You taking precautions? I don’t like thinking that asshole Yenin is dancing around threatening you.”

  “We are.”

  Abram nodded and stepped to the corner. “Let’s get this show on the road. We aren’t getting any younger. Nikolav, you fight this Saturday. I need you in top shape.”

  Nikolav hadn’t fought for weeks, not since he’d been in Vegas. He needed to win this Saturday at least as badly as Abram, if only to boost his finances. If he dipped much deeper in his savings, it would make him nervous.

  “You have me on the schedule?” Sergei asked. Nikolav knew he would be getting just as nervous. That was the main reason he hadn’t gotten a car yet.

  Abram nodded. “Next Friday. You and Leo both. Though the doc ain’t happy with it.” Abram chuckled.

  “I’m sure.” Katie Schwan probably wanted to kick herself for getting involved with the group of them six months ago. She’d been at a fight with her asshole ex-boyfriend the night Dmitry had fought with an injured kidney. She probably saved his life by creating a distraction that kept Yenin from getting his hands on Dmitry or his girlfriend Lauren.

  But the price she paid for her kindness and good heart was high. She was now in as much danger as the rest of the fighters. And it didn’t help that Leo had fallen hard for her until he eventually moved into the apartment she kept above her clinic to keep her safe.

  Ever since Leo’s prized Trans Am had been blown to pieces outside the underground speakeasy where he fought a few weeks ago, Katie was leery about any of them continuing to fight. She might have gotten over her initial aversion to the sport itself, but she would never let her guard down where their lives were concerned outside the ring.

  And that was a blessing. Her diligence helped keep her alive too.

  “You gonna stretch all morning, asshole, or you want to put up your fists?” Sergei asked.

  Nikolav stuffed his mouth guard over his teeth and nodded. Bring it on.

  »»•««

  “How much sleep did you get?” Dale asked Belinda as he leaned over her desk, planting his hands on the surface. He had to lean in close to be heard over the morning rumble of the building. Like everyone on her floor, she had a cubicle that afforded her about five feet of privacy on three sides. Barely enough to dampen the various conversations happening all over the room day and night.

  She was used to it. This was the life of a journalist. Chaos and noise.

  “No less than you, I’m sure.” She smiled. In reality, she figured she probably got about three hours. But she was wide awake now. And she had a story to ferret out. Besides, she needed to keep her mind occupied to avoid thinking about her exploits in the middle of the night with the sexy vampire who literally threatened to suck her neck.

  “Agent Brown’s in my office. You need to join us.”

  Belinda stood and glanced over his shoulder to find he wasn’t kidding. The FBI agent was staring out the glass window in her direction. Belinda followed her boss between the cubicles, the desks, the people, and the stacks of papers to get to his office.

  The room was loud and crowded and busy this morning. Not unlike any other day.

  Dale held the door open for Belinda to pass and then shut it and pointed to the small table in the corner of his office, indicating they should all sit.

  Belinda smiled at Taylor. “Do you always dress like a regular civilian?”

  Taylor took a seat as she spoke. “No, but I don’t want anyone working in your office to glance at me twice.”

  Made sense.

  Taylor let her gaze jump back and forth between Belinda and Dale. “Don’t suppose I could talk you two into backing down on this topic?”

  Dale chuckled. “Is that what you came here for? Because we took a spin on this merry-go-round yesterday. I agreed to keep this story under wraps until it’s complete.” He set his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Unless something has changed…”

  Taylor shook her head. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail at the back of her head today. The thick locks swung as she moved. “No. I’m just here to impress upon you the importance of keeping things low key.” She leaned forward on her elbows too, meeting Dale face to face. “Lives are at stake, including Belinda’s.

  “She’s too involved now. If the Bratva believes people are meddling too close in their business, they won’t hesitate to take out some of the players. This is the Russian Mafia we’re talking about. They kill first and ask questions later. I can assure you they do not want a reporter snooping around in this matter.” She turned her head to glance at Belinda.

  Belinda knew the stakes. She wasn’t born yesterday. Many times she’d dug around in something dangerous over the years. It happened. Granted, this story was larger and had the potential to be far more life-threatening than any she’d followed in the past.

  Taylor continued. “There’s only so much we can do to protect Belinda if she insists on coming to the office. We have agents watching as many people as we can right now, but we’re stretched thin. And this investigation has been going on for years.”

  “We can’t hold this story back for years, Agent Brown. It’s not scheduled to air for a few months, and we want the entire story before we run a full-hour show anyway. But don’t ask me to hold it for years.”

  Taylor pursed her lips before continuing. “I don’t think we’re talking about that kind of timeline anymore. Anton Yenin has picked up the pace on this project at an alarming rate. The shit’s about to hit the fan. I just want Belinda to still be alive when it does.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’m not stupid. I know to watch my back and keep my mouth shut.” She’d kept one eye over her shoulder for many stories in the past. If she ignored the run through the streets of Chicago last night, being chased by men in masks with guns, she could almost convince herself this story was the same as any other.

  Taylor stared at her for several seconds. “You need to keep your movements to a minimum. The apartment. Work. None of this interviewing people on the streets. Leave that to the police.”

  “As long as you mean my apartment, then you’re on. I can’t possibly impose on Nikolav and his friends for days on end. The space is cramped, and I don’t know them that well. My apartment is safer anyway. There’s a guard on duty at all times.” One night of humiliation in Nikolav’s bed was enough. She wasn’t sure how she was going to face him again as it was. She definitely wasn’t going to subject herself to sleeping in his bed or even his apartment after the way he’d rejected her and turned away.

  She could take a hint. He just wasn’t that into her.

  She felt like a world-class slut when she woke up several hours later, nearly groaning out loud. The only way she could save face was to crawl out the door, knowing the other three occupants of the apartment believed her to be performing a poorly executed walk of shame.

  Mortification flushed her cheeks every time she thought back on her exit.

  Taylor hesitated again. “I can’t promise twenty-four-hour surveillance of your apartment. We’re stretched too thin.”

  “Not asking you to. I have an alarm. I’ll be sure to set it. I won’t go anywhere except here and my place without notifying you first.”

  Taylor frowned. “I’m sure I won’t like your alarm. If it’s the one that came with the apartment, it’s almost useless. You’re going to need a better one. I’ll get someone to go over, check it out, and upgrade it. Give me your keys, and it’ll be done before you get home.”

  Belinda nodded.

  Done.

  And she hadn’t had to fight very hard. She’d started out the day prepared to ask for forgiveness instead of permission, but it would seem her
battle hadn’t been that monumental.

  Thank God.

  She needed to shake herself of Nikolav Andropov.

  Now.

  Before she lost her heart and her dignity.

  »»•««

  Anton picked up the phone and answered on the first ring.

  The caller spoke before he had a chance. “Your father would like you to come to New York.”

  Anton stared out the window of his apartment and took a deep breath. “His reason?”

  “Grigory doesn’t have much time left, Anton,” Viktor said.

  “I’m clear on that. But I need a few more weeks before I’ll feel comfortable trying this drug out on anyone besides my test subjects.”

  “At this point, do you think it matters if your experimental drug works or not? Time is of the essence. We are out of it.” Anton could hear the lift in Viktor’s voice that indicated the man was nervous.

  Anton exhaled slowly and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. His father’s right-hand man had a point. Anton didn’t like it, but it was valid.

  “How long do you think he has?”

  “Weeks. Maybe days. Hard to tell. He hasn’t ever fully shaken the pneumonia.”

  Damn fucking pneumonia. The man survived all these years until Anton was closer than ever to perfecting his drug. Would he be taken out of this life by an infection no one could have predicted?

  “Bring what you have. Do it now. He insists.”

  Anton grimaced. The thought of injecting his father with an experimental drug that had killed nearly every subject he’d tried it on except two made him want to punch a hole in the wall.

  But Viktor was right. It was better than nothing. If Grigory didn’t survive the initial injection, what would he have lost? A few weeks of suffering?

  Anton glanced at the floor and considered his options. “I’ll be there by the end of the week.”

  “Good. I’ll let him know.”

  Chapter Ten

  Belinda was exhausted on the way home. Working half the night, sleeping three hours, and then putting in another ten hours at the office had her dead on her feet.