Page 129

Story: Climbing Everest

“I’m sending a few of my own men, and I want you packing as well.”

“My daddy has people looking for your father, but no luck as of yet,” Flora says a little softly. Not like my guys can’t hear her,so maybe she’s keeping the contractors from overhearing our conversation.

At no point would the Pakhan – or any leader of a criminal enterprise – want others to know they can’t control their own people.

“While you two are out, I have a meeting scheduled with Roman Yegorov.” His brows pinch together a little and his lips form a flat line before he says, “Since someone went ahead and spoke on my behalf.”

The face I pull lets him know how very not sorry I am for that or anything that happened that night.

Well, shit. Now I’m thinking about the more…delicious activities we participated in once we were home and behind closed doors.

Not the time to get all hot and bothered and end up with wet panties.

Wait…

“Did you say to buy myself a car?” Seems a little…extravagant, but hell, if they’re footing the bill, I’ll get an expensive, fancy as fuck luxury car or truck for myself.

After all, it appears they’re trying to buy my forgiveness, and who am I to say no?

“Are you fucking serious?”

I’m seething. Kato said one thing and now he’s reneging on his offer.

Well, maybe not fully reneging.

No. What he’s doing is demanding my pretty new red Porsche Cayenne be taken back.

With a sigh, I amend my own damn thoughts. He didn’t say I have to take it back – what he said was one of his men would be arriving to take it to have itreinforced. Seriously. How the hell do they plan on reinforcing a Porsche? Not like it’s big enough for paneled doors or whatever.

“You can use one of the other cars or SUVs until they’re finished,” Kato says, his eyes on his phone. His brows are pinched together, causing a little pucker between them, but I can’t tell whether it’s from anger or confusion.

When he doesn’t say anything else, doesn’t even bother mentioning how many trips it took Dimitri and Karolos – the same guards who’ve been watching over me since that first morning I woke up – to carry all my new purchases in, I reach out and snatch his phone out of his hand.

Now, while I’m tempted to scan the screen, make sure he’s not texting another woman, I’m not generally the jealous type. That, and it might be a huge faux pas if I end up seeing something business related and not for my eyes while looking for another reason to be pissed at him.

“Give me my phone, Everest.”

“What’s going on?” I ask.

His brows only furrow tighter. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. Give me my phone. I have work to do.”

I’m not so deluded as to think he couldn’t snatch it away from me before I have a chance to react. Hell, he could easily strongarm me to get it away – not like I can hold it up over my head and out of his reach.

“I just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, and you didn’t bat an eye.” In fact, he’s planning to spend even more by sending the Porsche off for some 007 type shit.

“I told you to spend the money,” he says, his hand still outstretched as he waits for me to place his cell in it.

And the wrinkle between his eyes doesn’t smooth the entire time.

“You haven’t even bothered looking at anything I bought. How do you know I didn’t get a bunch of pink shit for the house?”

He huffs a laugh, but his lips never form a smile. “You hate pink. And if you suddenly became a different person and decided to make the entire place look like the inside of a Pepto Bismol bottle, have at it.”

It’s my turn to frown at him. Yeah, his brows are furrowed, but he doesn’t look angry. He looks deep in thought. And impatient. Of course, he’s impatient – I just took his phone hostage when he obviously has work to do.

“Did something happen?” They never did elaborate on the shit my dad said about someone coming after their business nor did they elaborate about what they meant when they told my father his men weren’t as loyal as he believed.

But it’s obvious something is going on.