Page 28 of Diamond Don

“Are you out of your goddamn mind? I’m not accepting anything. This isn’t some trinket you shoplifted from Tiffany’s, and I’m not your average fucking Joe. You will fix your mess, or I will make you regret the day you crossed my path.”

Kat merely levels an unbothered look at me. “I already do. You can punish me however you see fit. It still won’t change the facts. I can’t get it back for you. I am sorry, but it’s just not feasible.”

Against my better judgment, I admire her bravery. She knows my reputation and what I am capable of, and she is entirely at my mercy. And yet, she doesn’t even flinch at my sudden outburst.

Part of me can’t help but wonder if that in itself isn’t enough evidence that she is telling me the truth. Still, my rational side advises caution. She hasn’t proven to me she can be trusted—just the opposite, actually—and I’m tragically prone to unforgivable bouts of wishful thinking when it comes to this woman.

I release her and step away, walking to the windows to collect myself. Whether it is rage or passion, I don’t seem to control myself when I’m around her. I can’t afford such emotional explosions right now. I must keep a cool head.

I stare blankly ahead through the glass panes as the sun slips behind the horizon. It takes me a while to feel ready to speak again. I turn to face her.

“We can revisit this issue at a later date. For now, we will move on to the next part of our understanding. You are going to help me catch Maxim’s murderer.”

12

KAT

I could never have guessed my day would end like this.

Over the past week, there were countless instances when I was too weak to stop fantasizing about Nik, but I never imagined I would end up tied to his bed, completely at his mercy.

Well, that’s not true.

After all, I had longed for such an enticing scenario on more than one occasion. But the context and circumstances of my daydream were much, much different.

For starters, in my mind, my fantasy man was nothing but the sexy-as-hell, passionate lover I had assumed he was. He was just Nik.

No last name, no colorful background.

I didn’t expect him to be my latest mark, the owner of the Flame of Mir.

I most certainly never thought he could be Nikolai Stefanovich, the Russian bratva’s pakhan.

I’m old enough to know that things are never so bad that they can’t get worse. I thought my troubles with the stronzo were the worst thing that could ever happen to me. But my life has just become much more complicated.

There are now not one, but two mafia bosses who believe they own me.

And although I have always known that I’m fully capable of turning the tables on the Italian mobster if given half the chance, I’m not foolish enough to believe the same about Nikolai.

The Russian man inspires fear in the likes of men I’ve learned to dread. Even cutthroat evil-doers like the stronzo wouldn’t dare get on the pakhan’s bad side.

And I’ve brazenly taken from him his most prized possession.

And, of course, as I know very well, when it rains, it pours. Not only is he aware of the crime I’ve committed against him, but he also thinks I’m involved with his best friend’s murder for some reason.

Now I’m forced to sit before him, utterly helpless in the lion’s own den. Whatever distress I’ve felt before concerning the stronzo pales in comparison to the wave of panic that shakes me when I think of the horrors Nikolai is capable of unleashing on me.

More than anything else in the world, I despise feeling helpless. Throughout my twenty-something years on this planet, I’ve been many things. An orphan. A petty thief. A juvenile delinquent. But throughout it all, I was never a victim.

True, eventually, I got out of the system and found a way to pursue a new, better life.

But I’ve never thought of myself as a victim. Even during the darkest periods of my younger years, I’ve always kept fighting and taking action. I’ve always strived to improve my circumstances, and I’ve succeeded magnificently.

As my skills grew, so did my power. I haven’t felt genuinely helpless or hopeless in many, many years.

Until now.

Even during the worst days of our struggle against the stronzo, I’ve always known we were bound to catch a break eventually. And I’ve been confident in my ability to seize the opportunity when it presented itself. Maybe I haven’t always been sure of the how or the when, but I’ve always felt I could defeat the Italian boss.

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