Page 28 of Claim Me

“Come on. Keep practicing. If you’re really interested, which I can’t imagine a man of such obvious power would be, then I’ll teach you the rest of the alphabet. If you’re a good boy.” I leaned back against the seat, folding my legs even more tightly under me, just like I’d done as a child when I’d been robbed of my hearing.

There was nothing worse than a world of silence.

Charlie had made certain I’d had my music. My mother had read to me constantly. God, I missed my family. I wiped a single tear away. Fate had been so cruel.

He grunted, regaining my attention.

Another surprise. He was really trying. I leaned my head against the pillow, yawning as I studied every incredible inflection in his face. Such a strong jawline. Such high cheekbones.

Gorgeous eyes.

An incredible… physique and… His face was… so handsome.

I closed my eyes, immediately opening them again. Kazimir remained in front of me, fulfilling his promise to protect me. Maybe everything… would be… okay.

CHAPTER 9

Kazimir

Beauty.

For all the beautiful women who’d kept me company over the years, none had seemed quite so fragile and yet so real as Marissa. I lifted my gaze as my fingers grew stiff, finally reaching for my drink. I leaned back in the chair, studying her classical good looks. Even in the single light she’d turned on in the room, her skin glowed, shimmering naturally.

She was wearing makeup, although after the tears she’d shed and the number of tissues she’d gone through, only her natural elegance remained.

With every sharp look she’d given me, I’d gotten more of a sense of her, the kind of person she was. A fighter. The moment she’d managed to escape while seven men trained to hunt had stood just yards away from her, I’d had to rethink every thought I’d had about her.

She was certainly more resilient than I’d given her credit for.

I took a sip of my drink and glanced around her living room. The house itself was quaint and on a quiet stretch of road. She had some land, at least five acres with woods keeping a line of sight from her neighbors. The setting was both beautiful and dangerous in that an intruder could break in, handle his business, and her neighbors wouldn’t be the wiser.

What surprised me was that Charlie hadn’t insisted on installing a better security system, if he was that concerned about her safety and welfare. The basic unit that you could buy from Amazon was easily disabled by anyone who knew what they were doing.

Hell, my father had trained me to break through security systems as a kid. He’d taught all of us skills that would be frowned upon, but in our world there was a chance I’d be taken by an enemy.

Certain skills would come in handy.

To date, I’d yet to need them, but I’d exercised the additional training a few times.

Four of my men were positioned outside in different locations to protect the perimeter of the house while I’d sent two out to see if they could learn anything about the Popov Bratva. Granted, most of the bars were closed since it was after two in the morning, but if they managed to glean anything in their few hours scouring the streets, it could prove beneficial.

What I’d need to decipher is how I would handle her security. We’d need to have a long discussion, but tonight certainly hadn’t been the right time. What I needed was to get to his house. I pulled out my phone, dialing Ryker’s number. He was a good guy and I trusted him implicitly.

“Yes, boss.”

“Come to the house. I need to make a trip tonight.”

“Do you need backup?”

“Not yet. I bought myself some time.”

“Be there in five,” he told me.

Ending the call, I shoved the phone into my pocket. I’d left a voicemail for the detective, informing him that he was now investigating a murder. It was the right thing to do, although I would hunt down the perpetrator first.

It was possible Popov had used an assassin instead of one of his own men, but to discover if he had, I’d need to get into Charlie’s office, which was likely still considered a crime scene.

After another swig of my drink, I placed the glass on the table and stood. Marissa was sleeping peacefully and as I peered down on her, seeing her swollen eyes drove another moment of anger into me.