Page 5 of The Arrangement

"My loss? How do you know about that?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady, the scissors gripped tightly in my hand.

He takes a step closer, and I fight the urge to step back. "I’m an acquaintance of Ned. And I’m here to let you know that he left behind a sizable debt with our organization and used this business as collateral.” He gestures to the building that surrounds us. “I’m here to collect."

Our organization.

Doesn’t take a genius to know what that means.

The words hit me like a physical blow, my mind reeling at the implications. "You think I have his money?" Fear drips from my words, despite my attempts to project confidence. The scissors in my hand feel more useless by the second. Trying to use them as a weapon would end up with me disarmed and bent over the desk, his hand on the back of my neck.

His gaze is unwavering, analyzing my every reaction. " The debt needs to be settled."

The reality of my situation crashes down on me, the danger Ned has left in his wake now standing in my office, embodied by this calm, dangerously attractive man. My grip on the scissors tightens, not out of any real hope of defense, but because it's the only action I can take in a situation that feels increasingly beyond my control.

I’d known Ned was involved with the mob. Hell, as much as I hate to admit it, his mob ties were one of the things that attracted me to him. I’d always had a thing for bad boys, immature though such an inclination might be. But he was a low-level guy, not high up enough in the ranks to get himself wrapped up in any real, dangerous intrigue.

Or so I’d thought.

Shock paralyzes me for a moment. The idea that Ned, despite all his faults, would get us caught up in something like this, to put my business—my dream—in such danger, is almost too much to take.

"Sir, I have no idea what you’re talking about."

There is something about him, something that urges me to speak to him with deference.

He nods, as if he's already factored my ignorance into his calculations. "Maksim Morozov," he says, correcting with a calm that belies the bombshell he's just dropped. “Call me Maksim. And you’re Victoria Olsen. Though your friends call you Tory or Tor.”

God, how much does he know about me?

I shake my head, desperation edging into my voice. "Listen, Maksim, I don’t have any money to spare. This place isn’t exactly a gold mine. We've only just started to see a profit."

His eyes flicker to the scissors I'm still clutching, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "I'm not going to harm you. You can put those down while we chat."

I'm not convinced, my grip tightening rather than loosening. "I think I’ll hold on to them, thanks. It’s not every day a strange man corners me in my office demanding money I don’t have."

Something shifts in Maksim's gaze then, a flicker of respect, maybe, for my refusal to be cowed. It's disarming, unsettling even, to see this hint of approval from a man who represents a world I want no part of.

"Ned died of a heart attack," I blurt out.

Maksim's expression is unreadable, his eyes holding mine in a steady gaze that gives nothing away. "I know. And I’m sorry for your loss, as I said. All the same, there’s the reality of the debt. I’m here to collect, and that’s what I intend to do.”

I'm standing on a precipice, the ground crumbling beneath my feet, and Maksim Morozov, with his calm demeanor and dangerous allure, is the enigma at the heart of my turmoil.

Chapter 2

Maksim

"My relationship with Ned ended nearly a year ago," she declares, her eyes narrowed in sharp anger. "And he's been nothing but a headache since."

Her blunt honesty only deepens the intrigue, peeling back layers of respect and a curiosity I hadn't expected to feel.

“Quite a way to talk about an ex-lover,” I say.

“Well, there’s no reason to bullshit you.”

“I can respect that.”

I've crossed paths with countless faces, dealt with every type imaginable, but never have I been blindsided by attraction like this. This was supposed to be just another shakedown, nothing out of the ordinary for a man in my line of work.

Yet, here I am, standing in this cramped pet daycare office, completely thrown for a loop by this woman.

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