Page 68 of Bound By Revenge

I sigh, leaning back against the couch. “I’m sorry. This is disappointing. I should’ve watched it all before showing you. I really thought it’d be more helpful.”

Nik shakes his head, his eyes still on the screen. “No, this is good. It’s another piece of the puzzle.”

I snort. “You don’t have to sugarcoat it. It’s useless. There’s nothing new here.”

Finally, he glances over at me, his voice calm but firm. “I’m not sugarcoating anything. This gave us something important—now we know exactly what McGuire and Connor had on them the night Maxim was killed.”

“So what? It’s not like they were carrying anything unusual,” I say, shrugging.

“True,” he admits, “but we might have something on the murder weapon. Connor could’ve used his headphone wires to strangle Maxim. That's something.”

“Or,” I counter, “he might’ve grabbed whatever was lying around. A weapon of opportunity. We still don’t know anything for sure.”

Nik shakes his head, his tone firm. “No. McGuire wouldn’t do that. He’s too calculated. If he planned to kill Maxim, he’d come prepared. He wouldn’t rely on luck or chance.”

“You might be right,” I concede, though part of me isn’t completely sold.

I pause, debating whether to voice what I’m really thinking—that maybe we need to widen our focus. Fixating on McGuire could be a mistake. But after last night, I hesitate. Nik’s in a better mood now, more engaged than I’d expected. The last thing I want is to ruin it.

Instead, I reach out hesitantly, resting my hand over his where it lies stretched across the couch. “Nik, I’m sorry about last night. I wish I could go back and handle things differently. I don’t know how much that means to you, but... I regret it deeply.”

He studies me quietly, his eyes searching my face. The silence stretches so long I start to wonder if he’ll say anything at all. Then, finally, he nods.

And then, surprising me completely, he asks, “Do you want to get out of here? There’s something I want to show you.”

Chapter 28

Kat

I stare at Nik,confused, and hold his gaze in silence.

He seems to mistake my reaction for hesitation. “It has nothing to do with Maxim or McGuire, I promise. Just something fun. Something I used to do a lot.”

That cryptic answer hooks me instantly. “Okay. Let’s go.” What else am I supposed to say? Now I have to know what Nikolai Stefanovich considers fun.

He nods and excuses himself, telling me to meet him at the door in five minutes. I spend the entire time trying not to pace, practically buzzing with curiosity.

When he finally shows up, he’s wearing a black leather jacket zipped all the way up. I can’t help but gawk as he slides his keys and phone into his jeans pocket. He looks good enough to eat—the whole meal in one sitting.

'Ready?” he asks, his smile reaching his eyes in a way that makes my stomach flip.

“You have no idea,” I reply, grinning.

He laughs softly, the sound doing dangerous things to my insides.

We ride the elevator down to the garage in silence. This time, he doesn’t retreat to the farthest corner. He’s so calm, so...relaxed, and it throws me off. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this. It’s unsettling—but not in a bad way.

In the garage, he leads me to a sleek black Lamborghini. When he opens the passenger door for me, I blink in surprise, and his lips quirk in a small smile.

“I’m driving today,” he says casually. “I think I’d rather it just be two of us for this.”

His words hang in the air, as enigmatic as the man himself.

I slide into the car, buckle up, and watch as circles to the driver’s side. He gets in, turns the car on with a growl of the engine, shifts into reverse, and pulls out of the parking spot with practiced ease.

As we pull out of the garage, I glance at him. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nah, I don’t think I will. It’s more fun as a surprise.” With a smirk, he slips on his sunglasses as we exit the garage and merge into traffic.

---