Page 74 of Caged in Desire
My call to Sasha calmed me enough to think a bit more logically as I made my way to the Taranov compound to meet with Ivan. He assured me that his father had nothing to do with the threat to Katarina, but refused to give me any information to support his claim. That’s why I’m still mentally workshopping ways to get rid of my wife’s uncle.Just in case.
Sasha insisted on being with Katarina during this time, which is a relief. As much as I trust my brothers, they have their own wives to worry about. And there is one thing I’m certain of—if I can’t be at her side, her cousin is the best option.
Thankfully, he worked out all the arrangements for my arrival with his father, including a driver waiting for me when I land to escort me onto their property. I would normally like to have my own, but on such short notice, a paid car wasn’t high on my list of priorities.
Pulling up to the main house, I see Ivan waiting, worry painted on his face. We’ve barely parked when he’s opening my door, reaching a hand in to help me out.
“What’s going on, Henry? Is she okay?” he asks, wasting no time for pleasantries as he pulls me out of the back seat. His genuine concern is most definitely throwing me for a loop. “Henry?”
“My apologies. Yes, Katarina is alright. She’s surrounded by my family and the combination of all our security. Sasha is on his way to her as well…I’m sorry, but why are you so concerned? No offense intended, but my wife hasn’t exactly had many fond memories of you.”
Ivan takes a deep breath, and I can see the conflict in his eyes before he sighs, patting me on the back and leading the way into the house. “We should be sitting for this conversation.”
He ushers me into the sitting room, directing me toward a plush set of chairs. I grow impatient as he stares into the fire crackling in the hearth. There are a million other things I could be doing right now, and I’m sitting with this middle-aged man looking at a damn fire. I’m about to insist we get this show on the road when he finally speaks.
“I wanted to tell her first,” he says, still staring into the dancing flames. “You see, Katarina isn’t my niece, Henry. She’s my daughter.”
The room seems to freeze at his admission. Herfather.Well, damn. I guess Sasha had a good reason for not blaming Ivan. Not that it automatically makes him innocent. Looking up, I see Ivan looking at me with guilt, waiting for my response. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid you’re going to have to give me more details than that.”
Ivan half grins and takes in a deep breath before continuing with his confession. “Let’s see…where to even begin. I guess I can start with her mother, Irina.” His grin transforms into a full smile at the mention of Katarina’s mother. “She and Pavel had an arranged marriage, much like you and Kat. I think she tried at first to love him. But he wasn’t the devoted husband that you are. He was much more like my father, Dmitri. He never caredfor her or even tried to. He always enjoyed multiple women and was never interested in settling down with just one.
“She had spirit at first. Katarina is much like her mother in that regard, but after several years, she learned to lower her head around my brother. Luckily, he was away often whoring about, or with my father dealing with business. That was when she and I got so close. I was mourning the loss of Sasha’s mother, and Irina just needed someone. Over time, our friendship grew into something beautiful.
“When she found out she was pregnant with Kat, we were both so excited. We had a plan in place to run away. Of course she never made it out of that delivery room.” Ivan looks down, trying to hide the tear falling down his face.
“You see, her actual conception date was a month later than what she told my brother. And in normal situations, it would’ve been fine. Babies are born late all the time. The problem was that we had forgotten all about the marriage contract. It had been years since the drama with your father and my sister.” He stops to chuckle. “Around eighteen, to be exact. Oh, my father was thrilled when he found outtheywere having a girl. If they had known her actual due date, he would’ve arranged for a scheduled C-section. As it happened, they did not. They induced her the day before your birthday, but she wasn’t progressing. Eventually, my father and brother had enough, insisting she go in for an emergency C-section. She didn’t make it out.
“Neither Father nor Pavel cared, of course. And my father never made him remarry. He had everything he needed. An heir in Sasha and a way into the Sinclair family with Katarina.”
This time, Ivan doesn’t hide as he wipes a tear from his eyes. “She looked just like me when she was born, you know. I mean, she eventually took after her mother, thank God. But at first, she was all me. I got to hold her once. That’s all I allowed myself. I snuck into her nursery one night and held her untildawn. I knew I couldn’t have anything to do with her. If Pavel ever got suspicious enough to do a paternity test…I had Sasha to think of as well. He would have figured out a way to kill us all, consequences be damned.
“No, I kept far away, but always encouraged Sasha to look after her. It warms my heart how closely they grew up together.”
He sighs, turning his attention back to me, staring fiercely into my eyes. “I dreaded the day we came calling to collect on the contract. I had no idea what kind of person you were and had already seen what harm an arranged marriage could do to a woman. Sasha told me you seemed to be a good man, but there was no way of knowing. I had been working with someone to get her out of the contract, but it was airtight. That’s why I offered to buy her back. I certainly wanted to spend more time with her, but from all I knew, you were trying to get out of the contract as well.”
“Excuse me? What would lead you to believe that?”
“I was in contact with someone who said they were a representative of yours. Oh, what was their name…”
I can feel my face redden, as I squeeze the arms of the chair so tightly that I’m surprised they don’t crack. “Mr. Taranov, I can assure you, nobody was representing me.”
We stare at each other, realization hitting us at the same time. Whoever this person is, is likely our killer. “Do you have any way of finding their name?”
I follow Ivan as he jumps from his seat and rushes out of the room. He speeds through the house before we make our way into a messy office, and Ivan immediately starts rummaging through papers in a box stacked on the cluttered desk.
“Sorry, I know it looks like a tornado came through here. This was Pavel’s office, and I’m trying to go through his things while simultaneously moving mine in. Like this.” He pauses to pick up a fruit basket, filled with green fruit, in the early stages ofrotting. “I don’t even know how long this has been here, or why it’sstillhere!” he yells.
I feel useless watching Ivan sort through papers, trying not to panic at the disorganized state of his filing system. Moving to a box in one of the chairs, he finally finds success. “Aha! Here it is.Dilan B. Sims.”
The name sounds somewhat familiar, but I can’t for the life of me remember why. Taking the paper from Ivan, I search for anything that might jog my memory. If I’m ever going to figure this out, I have to get out of this pigsty. I need my organized office, my calming home, and my goddamn wife sitting on my goddamn lap while I work.
“Pack a bag, Ivan. You’re coming back with me, and we’re all going to put our heads together until we figure out who thefuckis after my wife.”
Before walking into the den, I look around the room at the entirety of my family waiting. Mom rocks a sleeping LJ in the corner while reading a book. Ledger and Jack bookend their wives on the sofa, passing phones back and forth, no doubt discussing nursery decor. Sasha is perched on the edge of a chair, braiding Katarina’s hair while she sits on the floor beneath him.
The moment Ivan and I step into the room, everyone straightens up, their attention on the two of us. Katarina is the only exception. She jumps up from her spot on the floor and throws herself into my arms. Suddenly, we’re the only twopeople in the room. I’m filled with guilt remembering how I left her.
I pick her up, holding her weight with one arm while my other hand digs into her hair, pulling her head to mine. “Kitten, I’m so,sosorry—”
