Page 23 of Dangerous Vengeance

“You had no right to go in there.” His eyes flash with rage, storms so dark it threatens to downpour, and all I can do is feel sorry for him. “That is my private space. No one goes in there.”

I knew it. I knew it was like some inner sanctum. That space felt too sacred to me. He’s right; I shouldn’t have gone in there. I don’t know why I didn’t leave the instant I felt that urge in my gut. All I can do is watch him seethe with anger.

“I…” I have no words, no excuses, only an ache in my heart to undo what I’ve done that has upset him and help him relax. I reach for him, and he smacks my hands away.

“You’ve crossed a line.” He glares at me and shakes his head, then storms out and locks the door.

I jump off the bed and race to the door, jiggling the knob. “Please, no, Matty. Please…” I wail and sob, smacking the door. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Please come back.” It was good. He and I have a connection. It’s not supposed to be this way. He can’t be angry and storm out and lock me up now. I didn’t mean to upset him. I wasn’t looking for more dirt. I felt like we were really connecting.

“Matty,” I cry, slapping the door, but he doesn’t return. There isn’t a sound in the house. The wind howls past the windows louder than the sobs from my throat and I slide down the door and curl into a ball leaning on it. “I didn’t mean to.”

My heart aches. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he isn’t feeling connected to me. Maybe seeing his family album was crossing a line. Oh god, this hurts and I don’t even know why. I never meant to hurt him, and now all I can do is wait and see what happens, if he is still on my side when he returns to me.

Oh god, what did I do?

14

MATTY

Isit across Dominic’s dining table from Nanette, his wife. She’s not all that different from Natalie. They’re both smart and beautiful, and Nan came about in Dom’s life in a similar manner too. Though, Natalie started out on the wrong side of things. I still wonder if she’s teetering the fence after that performance two nights ago. When I locked that door, I stood there listening to her cries, pleading for me to come back, telling me she didn’t mean to upset me. That’s a valuable trait she has, but she’ll have to prove to me she’s worth trusting. I’m teetering on that fence.

“Pass the salt, please,” Dominic says, pointing his fork at me.

There hidden behind the bowl of green beans prepared by Dominic’s maid is the salt. I grab it and hand it to him and he douses his pork roast. I’m here to talk business, but we will finish eating first. He doesn’t like his wife present for business talks. He likes to keep his personal life separate from what we do. So, despite having a very solid plan in place, I hold my tongue.

“This roast is fantastic. Mika really outdid herself.” Nanette puts the last forkful of meat into her mouth and chews slowly, savoring the flavors. I, too, am enjoying the food. It seems like it’s been forever since I ate a real meal. It's been one thing after another with family business and for several weeks I spent a lot of my time seated by my father’s bedside.

“I agree.” Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I drop my fork on my empty plate. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

“Of course,” she says, smiling. “I’ll leave you two to your business. She stands and picks up her plate, reaching for mine. I lift it and hand it to her, then plop my napkin on top of it.

“Thank you,” I say, and she nods politely before kissing Dominic on the forehead.

“I’ll wait for you to come to bed.” Nanette disappears into the kitchen, and Dominic and I are finally alone. I sip my brandy and watch him finish eating. I won’t start the discussion until his meal is complete; it’s the polite thing. I would appreciate a man who gave me that same respect. Dominic and I aren’t too different either. Same taste in women, same love for family, same thirst for truth and vengeance. He spent years hunting my mother’s rapist to enact justice and when he got it, he became a different person—more focused.

Still, right down to the familiar decorations around his house, furnishings, paintings, rugs, we are cut from the same cloth. Even the chandelier that hangs overhead is similar to the one hanging above my dining table. And within our veins runs the blood of the Gusev name, which is why we will both stop at nothing to protect our family and our business.

“So, you’ve broken her?” he asks as he wipes his mouth. His plate isn’t clean, but he pushes it away and lays the napkin over it.

“I have.” I am confident that she is broken in a way; I’m just not certain I’m the one who did it. But my plan will work.

“And the source?” Dominic leans forward pressing his fingertips together, elbows planted on the tablecloth.

“We will have the email address and a way to track where it came from as soon as we get that laptop.”

“Hmm, and what is the new plan for that?” He eyes me and tilts his chin down. Our previous plan failed massively, and I won’t let that happen again. We can’t lose any more men.

“I’m going to walk right into the newspaper and pick it up during broad daylight, and Natalie will be my escort.” I sit back with confidence and drum my fingers on the table. “She’ll use her ID and fingerprint for the biometrics, and she’ll escort me in as her ‘source.’ Once inside, we’ll have everything we need, and Natalie won’t be a problem anymore.”

Dominic’s face contorts and he scoffs. “If she knows what we believe she does, she will always be a problem, a ghost that haunts us. She has to be—”

“I’ll handle it,” I say firmly, cutting him off. If he gives the direct order there is no way I can disobey. “She won’t be a problem.”

“Good…” He stands and adjusts his tie. “Do it soon. I heard from Sergeant Monroe that they’re looking for her now. People have been asking. There isn’t an official missing persons case yet, but if we don’t get that laptop soon, there will be. It’s probably good that she’ll show her face in the office. It’ll get some heat off our backs for now. Just make sure your face is covered or their security cameras will pick you up.”

“Already on it. Lenny will divert the feed while I’m in the building.” I stand too and stretch out my hand to shake his. Dominic reaches back in a tight grip and the agreement is made. I will follow my plan and we’ll remove the threat. Then I’ll deal with Natalie, and it will be over. She just has to trust me and keep her mouth shut.

“Report to me when it’s done.” Dominic walks away and I rub my hand across my beard. Now to go home and run through the plan with Natalie again. She has to know how vital it is that she does exactly what I say. Otherwise, her life is on the line.

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