Page 18 of Nikolai (Kansas City Reapers)

“You’re what?” Niko growled angrily. I couldn’t lie. That growl was as sexy as it was terrifying.

“You heard me. Or are you deaf as well as an idiot? Let me spell it out for you, big guy,” I mocked, patting his arm patronizingly. “I am getting the hell out of here, whether you like it or not.”

“Over my dead body.” The words were little more than a whisper. I could see the vein in his neck pulsating, his jaw clenched tightly shut in frustration or anger, probably both.

My eyes narrowed up at him, refusing to submit to his domineering demeanor.

“Well, then where would you like to be buried, because I’m leaving here, and I am not going to let an arrogant ass like you stop me,” I seethed, leaning up on my tiptoes to lower the distance between our faces. I meant business, and I was not about to be bullied into staying here.

“Maddy, I know that it’s difficult, but you really —” Sully began, but I quickly spun on my heel, my finger pointed at him.

“I am not talking to you.” His mouth shut so fast it was comical. The beast of a man had the decency to look sheepish, unlike Nikolai, the Russian dictator. “You, on the other hand,” I continued, turning back to the man in question. “You had better move out of my way and let me pass.”

“You shall not pass.”

“Listen, Gandalf, this isn’t the Mines of Moria, and this isn’t up for discussion.” My finger pressed into his chest, and I kept my face angrily locked on his as the bulk of his muscle tensed under my finger.

I only got a growl of warning before his hands gripped my waist, lifting me clear off the ground and setting me on a stair until we were face to face. His fingers clutched my jaw, holding tightly enough to keep me still, but not quite strong enough to hurt.

“It is not safe for you to leave. I will not allow you to leave. You are here for protection. We are providing that protection. You may not like it, but you have to accept it.”

His lips hovered so close to my own I could feel his breath fan against my face.

“I —” I began, but those fingers tightened on my jaw once more.

“You will take your things back upstairs and make peace with the situation. You don’t like it. We don’t like it. But you are to remain safe while the police work to take down the people who did this.”

His fingers gentled, his grip releasing slightly from my jaw as his eyes bore into mine. There was fire and anger, of course, but beneath that was something else.

Fear.

He was afraid.

And if these men, these war veterans who offered their services to protect me, were scared… then I should be downright terrified. The weight of the situation settled over me, stifling my anger and frustrations under a blanket of worry. I nodded my head slowly as he finally fully released my chin from his grasp.

Now freed, I turned and began gathering my bags. I was only a few steps up the stairway when I heard his whispered response. Two words that shot an unanticipated andcompletelyunacceptable pang of arousal through me like a white-hot blade.

“Good girl.”

After such an awful morning,I was grateful to be spending my afternoon out of the damn house. It was Sully’s idea, actually. I had to admit, for such a large man, standing a head taller than all the rest and with more muscles to boot, he was nothing more than a soft teddy bear. He had suggested heading outside to get some sun.

I carried a towel I had found in the bathroom as I walked across the yard towards the shop where Sully had mentioned the guys were out working on a car. It was apparently their means of income these days when they weren’t busy providing protection for girls like me. I found a pleasant spot on the pavement that led into the large garage, laying my towel out carefully before slipping off my jean shorts and shirt to reveal the red bikini beneath. Some sunbathing was exactly what the doctor had ordered.

“Lookin’ good, Red,” Sully hollered as he made his way behind me, the cooler he carried looking small in his enormous hands. He had gone inside to make lunch for everyone, apparently.

I shot him a wink before pulling my sunglasses down over my eyes and laying back on the towel to relax in the sun. The sound of their chatter dulled in my mind as I focused instead on the sound of birds calling and the wind whispering through the trees. If I weren’t forced to be here — pretty much against my will — I would have found it serene. But without a phone, a computer, or any access to my life outside of this pace, it was hell. Pure and utter —

“What do you think you’re doing?” A gruff voice with a decidedly Russian accent spat at me from overhead. Shielding the sun from my eyes with my hand, I peered up at none other than Niko himself, staring down at me with his hands on his hips. It was almost comical, his stance. I could imagine him stomping his foot in frustration, and immediately set my intention to make that very delightful idea come to fruition.

“Sunbathing. What does it look like?” I laid back down, closing my eyes and ignoring whatever it was he seemed to be upset with.

“You should stay in the house,” he all but growled. I cracked one eye open, grateful my sunglasses hid the fact that I was looking at him. He stood there seething, angry about God-only-knew what.

“I’mnearthe house. That counts.”

“It doesn’t count. You are in witness protection. Jesus Christ!” His hands flailed around in exasperation.

“So?”

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