Page 31 of Cunning Vows

“River,” Igor says to River, ignoring my last question. “I don’t care to entertain your fling any longer. I’ll accept your forty million in good faith that I will be considered the first choice in your next collection.”

“Fling?” I scoff.

“Anya,” River warns.

“No.” I jerk my arm free of River. Fuck this guy and these men. I’ve played nice for far too long. “Do you not know who I am? Whose fucking city you’re in?”

“Apologies if we’ve offended you, miss,” Igor says insincerely.

I laugh hysterically. I’m hungry and pissed. The last fucking thing I needed on my plate was another asshole thinking he has some entitlement to fuck with me in my own city. The men look at one another.

“Miss?” I reply rhetorically. “Oh, now come on, Igor. That just won’t do. My name is Anya Ivanov, and don’t forget it.”

I raise my hand, and, suddenly, a bullet is shot straight through the eyes of the man standing next to Igor. With a wicked smile, I pretend to blow out smoke at the tip of my fingers. Perhaps I forgot to mention how exceptional my men are with long-range shooting.

Igor’s men explode into action, pulling out guns and aiming at me, and my carnal smile only grows as I open my arms wide, daring them to fucking try. “You’re in my fucking city!” I shout. A reminder to them and River. “And you will play by my rules and bow to a woman while doing it. Do you fucking understand?”

Igor holds his hand out to ensure his men don’t shoot, and River’s stepped closer to me now. How chivalrous, but I doubt he’d really take a bullet for me. Or maybe he will. Maybe even he is no exception to my charm.

“Now, tell me. Who was the girl?” I ask again, and this time, any politeness is dipped in venom.

Igor looks at River, who I can feel is glaring at me. But I don’t care. He should know the risks involved in taking me on. If he did his research better, he would know that being quiet and a “good girl” are not qualities I possess.

“You killed my man,” Igor accuses without heat.

“You underestimated me. Why? Is it because I’m a woman?” I ask him.

He seems mildly amused. Now he looks at me like he would’ve if I were a man. Much like he respected River, he now holds the same impression of me.

I don’t play when it comes to power.

I am power.

“Yes, I do think I judged you for being a woman. Next time, I will know better,” Igor agrees. “He was chasing some dancer. That’s as much as I know.”

A dancer?

Why?

I raise my chin and step out of River’s grasp. “Finish up your business. I’ll wait for you in your car. Move it along, I have things to do.” River’s jaw clenches, and I purposely walk out of his range so he can’t reach for me. Because the way his gaze burns into me, I know he wants to pull me into him, and I don’t know if it’s to punish me or fuck me. Both are fine with me if they’re mixed together and clear my debt.

When I walk away, I overhear Igor speak. “Dangerous game you are playing with a dangerous woman there, River.”

Who knows? Perhaps out of the two, Igor’s the smarter man.

I slam the door shut behind me and curse feverishly in Russian. I want to kick and tear apart the interior of his car, but I know it’ll do very little to remedy my frustration.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I pluck my phone out of my clutch on the bottom of the car floor and hit call.

“Come on, Alek, pick up. Please,” I say quietly.

Ring.

Ring.

Voicemail.

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