Page 121 of Shadows of Obsession

"You need to stop telling me things like that. My heart does weird acrobatics when it hears them," I say, and now I'm kissinghisneck.

"Ha. Interesting. So I'm not having a heart attack."

"What?" My tone is panicked.

"Every time I look at you, my heart does this weird thing, and I thought I was probably having minor heart attacks. I was actually going to ask Kai to check it out," he tells me as if this is a normal thing.

"And what if it's true and your heart has a small heart attack every time you see me?" I can't help but fan the flames of his idea.

"I'll have to train my heart better because I plan on looking at you for the rest of my life," he declares, and I can't avoid the moisture gathering in my eyes.

Someone knocks on the office door then, and Anton's voice is heard from the other side.

"Roman, I'm sorry, but it's urgent."

"Go," I tell him and kiss his cheek.

Chapter 39

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Roman

"What happened?" I ask Anton when we're outside the office.

In the last week, we've had to clean up so many messes with Devin, with law enforcement, with Maksim, that I feel like I haven't even closed my eyes before something else needs fixing.

"There's an Aleksandr Rastovski outside looking for you," he says, and the name makes me stop abruptly.

This is the guy Maksim said handles Ivan's business here.What the hell is he doing at my house?

Julia's words ring in my head. If he dares to do anything that puts Luna, Victoria, or Anuska in danger, I’ll rip his heart out with my bare hands. I'm tired of keeping calm. Maybe a little madness is necessary for everyone to understand that my family is untouchable.

"Come on," I tell Anton, who keeps his hand on his gun.

When we exit the house, I see five SUVs at the gate and head toward the center car. The car window rolls down and a forty-year-old man, blond with brown eyes, sticks his head out and smiles at me. It's not a friendly smile. It's the smile a fox would give you before stealing the fish from your basket.

"Mr. Borisov. We finally meet," he tells me but doesn't offer his hand.

"Say what you have to say and get off my property," I respond in an irritated tone.

I understand why Maksim doesn't like this guy. He has a deceptive aura. You can sense he'd stab you in the back when you're not looking. I'd shoot him right here, but I'm sure men ready to riddle us with bullets would jump out of the other cars.

"Straight to the point. I like it. Tell your pathetic excuse for a brother that he has exactly one week to give back what he stole from me or he won't like how he'll find his little whore," he tells me in an amused tone, but I don't miss the threat.

I don't know what bothers me more. That he insulted Maksim. Or that he threatened Julia. But my fist connects with his nose exactly three seconds later. I feel the bone crack, and grabbing his collar, I tell him everything he needs to know from now on.

"Next time you insult my brother, you'll leave here with a bullet in your head, my friend. And if you get near Julia, I'll make sure my brother enjoys all the resources I have at my disposal to hunt you down. Ponyal?" I add the Russian word for "understood," hoping the information will sink into that big head of his.

I turn to Anton and say loudly enough for my guest to hear, "If he doesn't leave in exactly ten seconds, shoot him."

My lieutenant just nods.

"You'll regret this insolence, Borisov," he shouts before the car starts, followed by the rest of the convoy of cars.

My hand is already on the phone, and Maksim answers within seconds.

"I got a visit from a friend of yours. Aleksandr, if I'm not mistaken," I tell him and feel I've hit a sensitive subject.

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