Page 30

Oh, hell no. I was barely down the road, after leaving Emerson’s side for the first time in days, and that asshole was already in my restaurant. How was it possible? Heads were going to roll for somehow letting that snake slither back into the States without me knowing about it. I had only just gotten an update with a sighting of him in Moscow, but now he was here, taunting me by showing up to intimidate my wife the second I left.

Except, when I stormed back into Khoroshiy, my wife didn’t look intimidated at all. She had one of my men, dressed up as the world’s biggest busboy, at her side, and was calmly speaking to Arkadi and a group of people I didn’t recognize. Did he have the audacity to try to bring random businesspeople to my place for a meeting?

He really did believe that what was mine was his, didn’t he?

As much as I admired Emerson’s fortitude in facing down the man who may or may not have been responsible for the attack on her life just a few short days ago, I cracked my knuckles in anticipation of greeting him much less peacefully.

I didn’t believe for a second that it wasn’t Arkadi who tried to steal her out from under my nose, nor did I believe that he wouldn’t try it again at the first opportunity. How many people did he have watching us if he could show up within minutes of me leaving for the first fucking time in days? Nope, not a coincidence.

Emerson saw me striding toward them and she shoved my busboy guard closer to Arkadi’s table, then hurried over to grab my arm.

“Please don’t make a scene,” she hissed, trying to steer me toward the hall and out of view of the guests.

Jeremy joined her, looking on the verge of hysteria. He was an amazing host who never screwed up a reservation and kept the wait staff in line, but he did tend to be dramatic when things went the least bit south.

“We’ve got the mayor, a senator, two movie stars, and a whole load of people who’d love to sell a story to one of the gossip sites,” he said.

I didn’t give a single shit. “Those people are all regulars. They’d probably enjoy a free show to round out their meal.” And if they didn’t and never came back, that was fine, too. Emerson’s safety was foremost.

Now, my sister joined in, when she was the one who had frantically messaged me in the first place. “You’ve got every other person in here armed to the teeth,” she said. “You know Arkadi’s just taunting you right now. There’s no real reason to believe he was part of the attack the other day.”

I gave my sister a look that had her recoiling in shock. I never showed anger toward her, but anyone who didn’t understand the seriousness of this situation could take several steps out of my way, no matter who they were.

Their words all garbled together, and I was done listening. It was time to take out the trash. “I’ll take it outside,” was my only promise as Emerson continued to plead with me not to get blood all over the table linens.

Arkadi sat in the dining room with his guests as if nothing was amiss. My guards kept a watchful eye from a few feet away, and they looked like they were just waiting for me to say the word. I didn’t need to; I just grabbed Arkadi by the throat and hauled him out of his chair.

There was a collective gasp behind me, making me remember my promise, so I dragged the scumbag past the shocked couple who were waiting to be seated and tossed him outside.

He stumbled and whirled around, ready to fight. I was more ready, and popped him hard in the nose. Blood sprayed as he lunged at me. I dodged, swerving to crack him in the side of the head. His fist swiped the edge of my jaw as he growled with frustration. He got another shot at me, stinging my ear, and I swept his feet out from under him as he came in with the other fist. He went down swinging at empty air and landed hard on his back. I was on him in a second, grabbing his face so I could smash his head into the concrete.

“Oh my God, please stop,” Emerson screamed from behind me.

For a moment there, the only thing I wanted to do was destroy the man who meant her harm. The anguish in her voice, as she begged me again to stop, was the only thing that could have broken through my rage. I let Arkadi’s head drop harmlessly and he instantly scrambled to his feet, breathing hard and full of fury.

My men surrounded us in a half circle, waiting for orders, and when I glanced around, a small crowd of diners had rushed from the restaurant to watch the spectacle. Exactly what Emerson didn’t want. Arkadi didn’t look like he cared at all about the audience, or the fact he was currently outnumbered by six men. One move from me, and he would have been back in the fight.

I refused to have even the most begrudging respect for him, but as much as I wanted to draw more blood from my enemy, I was surrounded by people with cameras, as well as a very unhappy wife. I had no choice but to let him go. I nodded to my men to stand down.

“Get the hell out,” I told Arkadi.

He gave me a long look I didn’t like at all, finally turning to walk toward his car. Only when it was out of the parking lot and around the corner would I take my eyes off of it. The man had already tricked my best surveillance team in Moscow, and had turned up on my own doorstep without anyone being the wiser. He was like a ghost, and I half expected the car to disappear into thin air.

Storming past the dispersing patrons, I found Arkadi’s friends still sitting at their table, bemused, but seemingly still wanting to eat. Since I didn’t recognize them, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. Like Mila had said, half the people in the place were packing heat, and were highly trained fighters. They’d seen what happened when I didn’t like someone.

“You can stay and enjoy your meal,” I told them. “But you should rethink your choice of company in the future.”

Everyone was back inside now. The mayor looked aghast, but the famous actors loved every second of it and took pictures left and right. So much for not making a scene. Damn it, now Emerson was going to be pissed at me all over again.

I spotted her, and when I caught her eye, she turned and hustled toward the kitchen, hoping to know what was coming. I caught up with her before she could duck through the doors and she rose up on her toes as she crossed her arms in front of her.

“No, no way. You took care of it. No big deal. Everything’s fine now. We can just pretend that never happened.”

She looked so desperate, I almost wavered. Almost.

“When one of my brothers finds Arkadi and I can teach him a lesson, then maybe we’ll do that.”

I took a step toward her, and she took a step back. A server rushed past us with a covered tray, and Emerson reached behind her to keep the kitchen door open. So she wasn’t so concerned with making a scene now, or she thought having witnesses might save her.

“We’re probably so behind now because of this,” she spluttered, trying to slip into her sanctuary. “There’s no way he comes back. Let me finish dinner service, at least.”

I shook my head. “Not going to happen. You’re going home.” Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her off her feet and tossed her over my shoulder. “And this time, you’re staying there.”