Page 16 of The Pakhan

She seemed thoughtful as she prepared her sandwich, doing everything meticulously, something she’d always done. I’d had a feeling for as long as I’d known her that her father was a harsh taskmaster. When she was finished, she grabbed a napkin and stood against the counter to eat.

“Do you want to sit down at the table?” I asked.

“Not really. Do you know what I’d like?”

I found myself inching closer against my better judgment. “Why don’t you tell me.”

“To sit on the sofa and watch some stupid show on television. I don’t even care what it is.”

“You don’t own a television?”

She took a bite and shook her head. “I never got around to it. But I love movies and just being mindless for a little while. You know?”

Very little had allowed me to feel mindless. That wasn’t in my best interest.

“Then grab something to drink and let’s go.”

“Really?” Her eyes could light up an entire building. It was as if I’d just given her a significant gift.

“Really.”

It was funny that I almost never used the family room. I had no time for watching shows or movies, or maybe I was just never entertained. But as she flopped down on the couch, curling her long legs under her, I sensed this might be something I finally allowed myself to enjoy.

I handed her the remote, fascinated as she sped through channels, surfing like a pro. When she found something she wanted to watch, she settled in even more, chomping down on her sandwich.

While I couldn’t care less about what was on the screen, it was interesting how relaxed I felt. Especially given the circumstances. Within seconds, she was chuckling at whatever the actors were doing.

I had no idea how much time had passed, but at least she was content, the quiet we shared not unusual. I honestly had no clue what to say to her at this point. She did need her rest. Rules would be put into place in the morning, but for now, she deserved to feel protected.

When my phone rang, I snarled from the interruption. “I’ll be right back.” I moved into the hallway before taking the call. This time, it was Sergei. “How bad was it?”

“Her place was destroyed. All the computers were smashed. They even cut up her couch. They were looking for something. Francois found blood in the parking lot.”

“Yeah, a jump drive that she brought with her. Any sign of the fuckers?” She really had nailed one of the bastards with the bat.

Sergei snorted. “Like I said, just blood. The small parking lot had a trail leading to nowhere but no sign of them.”

“Okay, well, go home. We’ll talk further in the morning.”

“Good deal, boss. Have a good night.”

Yeah, I was trying. I held the phone in my hand for a full twenty seconds. Either Marino was worried that she’d found out about the email regarding the assassination or there was something on the drive that was more important than either one of us believed.

I was choosing the latter given assassinations were commonplace in my world. It wasn’t enough of a reason to warrant destroying a girl’s apartment.

After shoving the phone into my pocket, I returned to the family room. “I’m sorry, Caroline. Your place was trashed.” When I looked up, I had to laugh.

She was fast asleep, the empty plate dangling from her hand. Sighing, I walked in, staring down at her. Yeah, this was awkward as fuck. I shouldn’t be having the kind of feelings I was.

I took the plate from her hand, placing it on the table before gathering her into my arms. As I cradled her against my chest, she briefly opened her eyes, offering a salacious smile.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you are handsome?” she asked, although her voice was more like she was purring.

My cock was now at full attention. “Sleep, krasivaya devushka. Sleep. You’re safe now.”

She was a beautiful girl, too much so.

“I’m not tired.” Yet her eyes were getting heavy.

---