Page 63 of Taming Mika

“You think a measly few blocks are going to fix this?” Nikolai growls, his meaty hands fisting. “The only way you can make this right is by standing by your word and marrying my daughter.”

“Well, that’s not going to happen,” I state calmly, but my senses are on high alert.

Something in the glint of thepakhan’s eye tells me this isn’t just about setting things right. I’m not even sure this is about punishing me for breaking the betrothal contract anymore. There’s an underlying menace in his gaze—as if he’s seen this as an opportunity to start a larger conflict. My eyes flick to Dominik again as I wonder for the first time if the quiet, brooding heir isn’t actually responsible for steering his father toward a marriage alliance rather than a war. It feels almost ironic if the younger Kapranov would be the more sensible of the two, considering his reputation for violence. But right now, I get the distinct impression he’s open to the idea of cooperation while his father is only ramping up to his true motives for coming here.

“Then this meeting is over,” Nikolai states flatly.

“Father,” Ana whispers, the blood draining from her face.

Dominik’s sudden tension is my only forewarning, and I have a fraction of a second to react before the massivepakhanlaunches himself from his seat. He moves with surprising speed for someone of his size and age. I catch the glint of steel as he draws a knife, though the agreement was that we would leave our weapons at the door.

Good thing I knew better than to follow my own rules.

I rise from my chair, kicking it back in the same fluid movement, giving myself enough space to step out of his trajectory. At the same time, I slip my hand inside my suit jacket to withdraw my gun. Wood splinters as Nikolai launches my chair across the room in his rage, and he whirls to face me, his knife firm in his grasp as he raises his fists near his chin. Ana screams as he launches into another attack, and I bring the gun up, aiming it right between his eyes.

The room reverberates with the sound of the bullet leaving the chamber, and Nikolai hits the ground like a rock, his life snuffed out in a matter of seconds. For a moment, all I can hear is the ringing in my ears as I stand over his hulking body, blood and brain matter pooling at my feet. Then Dominik is on his feet. Pounding footsteps announce men approaching down the hall—no doubt a collection of Nikolai’s and mine coming to see what happened.

Without hesitation, I shift my aim to point the gun in Dominik’s direction.

“No, please!” Ana screams, her face growing impossibly whiter as she reaches out to me.

I pause, intrigued by her instinct to protect her brother. It makes me think about Nina—what it would do to her if she were to witness my death. “Do we have a deal?” I ask Dominik.

His eyes flick down to his father and then to the door that’s going to burst open at any second. “You’ll marry the girl?” he confirms.

“Yes,” I state firmly. Mika’s not going to like it, but if that’s what will get him to agree right now, then I’ll make her see why it has to be done.

“Good. Then my father found his hill to die on. Just know, I will be watching closely to ensure you do. We get the Upper East Side. And when we host a party to announce to New York society thatwebroke off the engagement, you will say nothing to contradict that. It would ruin Ana’s reputation if word got out that you rejected her.”

“Done,” I agree.

Dominik barely has time to give a single curt nod before the door splinters, and men from both families come flooding into the room.

“It’s done!” Dominik commands, his deep, booming voice making his men freeze as they raise their weapons. “The old man made a poor business decision, and it cost him his life. That’s the end of it.”

The air is thick with tension. My men stand prepared to react at the first sign that Dominik’s men won’t accept that as the conflict’s conclusion, but no one makes a move.

Then Dominik’s cold blue gaze shifts back to mine. “I’m taking my sister home.” Then looks back at his men. “Bring the body.”

Without another word, the newpakhansteers his sister from the room. His men eye me with open distrust as four of them put away their weapons to lift Nikolai’s massive form. As the Russians depart, the iron grip around my chest starts to relax. It would seem we’ve established something of a tentative truce, and I release the breath burning in my lungs.

31

MIKA

Myknee bounces nervously as I occupy a passenger chair in Alfie’s helicopter. It feels oddly anxiety-inducing to be on my way down to the city. My stomach knots as I think about his invitation to join him for dinner at his estate. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to New York City. I usually prefer the anonymity of the countryside, but if I’m going to be with Alfie, I suppose I’ll have to get comfortable with high society—at least if he wants me to attend events. He was pretty vague on the details about this dinner, and I hope he didn’t expect me to get all dolled up, because I literally don’t own a dress—I’m confident after I dug through my closet to double-check.

It’s just dinner, Mika,I coach myself, but I wonder why he wouldn’t just fly up to meet me at the barn if that’s the case. We could have had dinner in the Carvers’ old house if he wanted something fancy—he kept on their chef after buying the house, so I’ve been eating luxuriously over the last few days. I’m overthinking it, and I take several deep, calming breaths as I try to let my nerves go. I’m just not a people person. Hell, I’d go for a picnic at the barn any day over a dinner party.

My stomach somersaults as the helicopter slowly lowers, and thelanding gear lightly settles onto the ground. Vincent—Alfie’s Man in Black who he sent to collect me—gives me a curt nod, signaling that it’s okay to remove my headset. I pull it off, disrupting my messy bun as I do, and set it on the seat next to me. A second later, Vincent is stepping off the chopper, offering his hand to help me down. I ignore the gentlemanly gesture—I know how to dismount a seventeen-hand horse without a problem. A helicopter is a cakewalk compared to that. Still, I give him a smile to ensure there are no hard feelings.

He lets it go without a word, escorting me silently up to the Bonetti house, and as I get a close look at Alfie’s home for the first time, my steps falter, my jaw dropping. It’s massive. A modern-day castle built on the edge of New York City—just outside the bright lights of downtown. Nestled in a quiet neighborhood, it’s by far the most impressive home I’ve ever laid eyes on—even compared to the Carvers’ mansion—and given my line of work, with the wealthy investors that run the racing industry, I’ve seen some pretty grand estates.

“Spectacular, isn’t it?” Vincent observes, the first hint of amusement lacing his tone as he glances my way.

“You could say that again,” I mutter, then I pull myself together and climb the curving marble steps that lead up to Alfie’s towering front door.

It swings open before I reach it, and while I anticipated a perfectly polished butler to be on the other side, I’m taken by surprise as Alfie’s sister, Nina, comes racing across the threshold. She’s grinning from ear to ear before she throws her arms around my shoulders for a hug. My natural instinct is to tense from the unexpected display of affection, but to my surprise, I catch myself smiling from her open-armed welcome. Releasing me after a moment, she steps back and pulls her phone out of the hidden pocket in her adorable emerald-green cocktail dress. I’mdefinitelyunderdressed if she’ll be joining us for dinner.

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