Page 62 of Hostage of the Russian
The accuracy of her observation startled him, but he managed to keep his expression neutral. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Viktor cleared his throat, breaking the tension. “So, Azriel, how are things at the law firm? Still working those insane hours?”
The conversation resumed, but Kostya’s mind was elsewhere. Danny Hartford was a loose end, a poison that would continue to seep into their lives until it was completely cut out. The man had betrayed the Bratva, yes, but more importantly, he’d hurt Azriel. Had broken something in her that she was still trying to heal. As long as he lived, as long as he drew breath, he was a reminder of everything she’d suffered.
And now he was working with the Kozlovs, their enemies, adding insult to injury. The man had no loyalty, no honor, and no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He was a parasite, a waste of oxygen that served no purpose except to cause pain.
Kostya found himself studying Azriel as she laughed at something Irina said, memorizing the way her eyes crinkled at the corners, the way her whole face lit up when she was genuinely amused. This was how she should always look. Happy. Carefree. Untainted by the fear that Danny’s existence brought into her world.
The man had to go. It wasn’t just about justice anymore, though that was certainly part of it. It was about giving Azrielthe freedom to live without looking over her shoulder, without waking up from nightmares about her past. It was about ensuring that the light he’d found in her could shine without the darkness of her father’s influence trying to snuff it out.
As the evening progressed, Kostya’s plans crystallized. He had resources, connections, and men who owed him favors. Finding Danny Hartford wouldn’t be difficult. The man was now working with the Kozlovs, which meant he was operating in familiar territory. Making him disappear would be even easier.
The Kozlovs wouldn’t protect him forever, not once they realized the cost of harboring a traitor. And when that protection disappeared, when Danny was alone and vulnerable, Kostya would be waiting.
The thought filled him with cold satisfaction. Some debts could only be paid in blood, and Danny’s had been accumulating interest for far too long. The man had sealed his fate the moment he’d offered up his daughter like a bargaining chip. He’d confirmed it every time his presence had put fear in Azriel’s eyes.
Kostya squeezed her hand gently and returned his attention to the conversation, but his mind was already racing. He had resources, connections, and men who owed him favors. Finding Danny Hartford wouldn’t be difficult. Making him disappear would be even easier.
The man had sealed his fate the moment he’d offered up his daughter like a bargaining chip. He’d confirmed it every time his presence had put fear in Azriel’s eyes. Some debts could only be paid in blood, and Danny’s had been accumulating interest for far too long.
As the evening wound down and they prepared to head home, Kostya found himself studying Azriel’s face, memorizing the way she looked when she was truly happy. Relaxed andlaughing, surrounded by people who cared about her, free from the shadows that sometimes clouded her expressions.
This was how she deserved to live. Without fear, without the constant threat of her past reaching out to drag her back into darkness. And he would make sure she could.
Danny Hartford’s days were numbered. Kostya would see to that personally.
The thought should have troubled him, should have raised questions about the line between justice and obsession. Instead, it filled him with cold satisfaction. Some problems required permanent solutions, and Azriel’s father had become exactly that kind of problem.
As they drove home through the Chicago night, Azriel’s hand in his, Kostya began planning. The Kozlovs wouldn’t protect Danny forever, not once they realized the cost of harboring him. And when that protection disappeared, when the man was alone and vulnerable, Kostya would be waiting.
He’d promised to keep Azriel safe, and that promise extended to eliminating threats before they could materialize. Danny Hartford was the biggest threat of all, a walking reminder of pain that had no place in their future.
The obsession crystallized in his mind, cold and implacable. He would find Danny Hartford, and he would put an end to this once and for all.
Chapter 20 - Azriel
The manila folder felt heavier than it should have as Azriel walked down the hallway toward Kostya’s office, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor. She’d been carrying these contract amendments for twenty minutes now, but kept finding excuses to delay the delivery.
First, she’d stopped by the break room for water she didn’t need. Then she’d detoured to the restroom to check her reflection, smoothing down her navy blouse and adjusting the collar. After that, she’d made another pass by her desk to grab a pen she didn’t require, then spent five minutes organizing files that were already perfectly arranged.
Her recent raise had come with a small surge of confidence that still felt foreign to her. The promotion from basic filing clerk to paralegal hadn’t just meant more money, though the extra eight hundred dollars a month felt like a fortune after years of scraping by on student loans and part-time work.
More importantly, it had meant recognition. Validation that she belonged here, that her late nights studying legal precedents and memorizing case law had paid off. That the girl who’d escaped her father’s house with nothing but a backpack and determination could actually build something meaningful.
The managing partner had called her into his office three days ago, his usual stern expression softened by something that might have been approval. “Exceptional work on the Hartwell case,” he’d said, sliding a formal letter across his mahogany desk. “Your research saved us considerable time and embarrassment. You’ll be getting a raise, effective immediately.”
She’d maintained professional composure until she’d reached the elevator, but the moment those doors closed, she’d pressed her back against the wall and grinned like an idiot. For the first time since Kostya had dragged her into this world of luxury and violence, she felt like she was contributing something real. Something that was hers.
More importantly, it meant she could finally afford to treat Kostya to dinner instead of always being on the receiving end of his generosity. The thought made her stomach flutter with nervous anticipation.
She’d already researched restaurants, settling on the new Korean place downtown that had received rave reviews in the Tribune. Expensive enough to feel special, intimate enough for conversation, public enough to maintain some semblance of the professional boundaries they’d been so carefully constructing.
Those boundaries had become both salvation and torture over the past few weeks.
They’d agreed to keep their personal relationship separate from work, a decision that made sense logically but felt like slow strangulation in practice. Brief nods in the hallway when they passed. Formal exchanges occurred during the few meetings where their departments intersected. The kind of polite interaction between acquaintances that made her skin itch with the need to touch him, to see that wicked smile he reserved for her alone.
Yesterday, he’d held an elevator door for her, and their fingers had brushed as she’d pressed the button for her floor. Such a simple touch, barely lasting a second, but it had sent electricity racing up her arm and left her distracted for the rest of the afternoon. She’d caught herself staring at her hand during a client meeting, remembering the warmth of his skin.
