Page 45 of Auctioned to the Russian Pakhan
But the harsh buzz of his secure line shattered that moment, and he slipped from the bed as carefully as possible, not wanting to wake her. The caller ID made his jaw clench. Dmitri Kozlov.
“You’re late with your report,” Dmitri’s voice was sharp with irritation, the moment Matvei answered. “I expected an update days ago.”
Matvei moved to his office, closing the door behind him before responding. “Things are progressing.”
“Are they? Because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re playing house with your little Nikolai bride instead of extracting information from her.”
The casual dismissal of Irina as his “little bride” made something violent stir in Matvei’s chest, but he kept his voice level. “These things take time. She’s not going to simply hand over her family’s secrets because I ask nicely.”
“Then maybe it’s time to stop asking nicely,” Dmitri suggested, and there was something in his tone that made Matvei’s grip tighten on the phone. “There are other ways to make people talk, as you well know.”
“That’s not happening,” Matvei said flatly.
A pause. “Excuse me?”
“I said that’s not happening. She’s my wife, not a prisoner.”
Dmitri’s laugh was ugly. “Your wife? Matvei, please. She’s a tool, nothing more. A very pretty tool that you seem to be getting distracted by, but a tool nonetheless.”
The words hit him wrong, made him want to reach through the phone and show Dmitri exactly what he thought of that assessment. “I know what she is.”
“Do you? Because it seems like you’re forgetting the whole point of this arrangement. We agreed to bring down the Nikolais together. You were supposed to use her to get inside information, to find their weaknesses, to give us the leverage we need to destroy them once and for all.”
“And I will,” Matvei said, but the words felt like ash in his mouth.
“When? It’s been weeks, Matvei. Weeks of you playing the devoted husband while the Nikolais continue to expand their territory, continue to be a threat to both our operations.”
“I need more time.”
“Time for what? To fall deeper under her spell?” Dmitri’s voice turned mocking. “I warned you this might happen. Beautiful women make men stupid, especially women who know how to play the victim.”
Matvei’s free hand clenched into a fist. “Watch yourself, Dmitri.”
“Or what? You’ll defend your pretend wife’s honor? Wake up, Matvei. She’s a Nikolai. The moment she finds out what you’re planning, she’ll run straight back to her brothers witheverything she knows about your operation. You think she cares about you? You think this is some fairy tale romance?”
The questions hit too close to his own doubts, the fears he’d been trying to ignore for weeks now. Was Irina playing him? Was her sweetness, her apparent contentment, all an elaborate act designed to lower his guard?
“I have it under control,” he said finally.
“You’d better. Because my patience is running thin, and if you can’t handle your end of this arrangement, I’ll find someone who can.”
The line went dead, leaving Matvei staring at his phone and feeling like he’d been punched in the gut. The worst part was that he couldn’t shake the feeling that Dmitri was right about some things. He had gotten distracted. He had started caring more about Irina’s happiness than about the original plan.
But was that really such a terrible thing?
“Who was that?”
Matvei spun around to find Anka in his doorway, her dark hair sleep-mussed and her expression concerned. His sister had always been too perceptive for her own good, and from the look on her face, she’d heard enough of the conversation to draw some uncomfortable conclusions.
“Business,” he said shortly, but Anka stepped into the office and closed the door behind her.
“Business that involves pressuring you about revenge plans?” she asked, settling into one of the chairs across from his desk. “Business that involves using Irina for something?”
Matvei cursed silently. “You shouldn’t have been listening.”
“You shouldn’t have been taking calls from Dmitri Kozlov in the hallway,” Anka shot back. “Seriously, Matvei, what are you thinking? Getting involved with that psychopath was bad enough, but now you’re having second thoughts and he’s getting impatient?”
“It’s complicated.”
