SWNOVELS Chapter 4
I raise my arm and glance at the Breitling strapped to my wrist. She’ll be here in just a couple of hours.
Tiana.
The name swirls around in my head. When I’ve said it out loud, I’ve liked the way it rolled off my tongue. I can almost taste it… I can’t help but feel a strange anticipation bubbling up inside me. I lean back in my high-backed leather office chair and stretch my legs out in front of me. My muscles feel tense… wired. I’m coiled like a spring, but there’s no sense of impending danger attached to it.
I like this feeling.
It’s like my blood is on fire but in a good way.
It must be the girl. There’s something about her. It’s been a long time since anything made me feel this level of anticipation. I think back to when I first saw her, her dark hair cascading down her back, her eyes filled with fear and defiance. So much innocence, and yet so much promise of hidden pleasures beneath it all.
Head in the game, Vyronov.
That’s not why she’s here!
There’s a nagging apprehension in the back of my mind.
Theo fucking Avants.
I don’t trust the man. Never did. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that he’s planning to stab me in the back. Or perhaps he already did. It’s why I’m doing this, after all. His daughter is merely a tool that will help me find out what the fucker is up to. To bait the trap and lure him into revealing his hand. And to reveal what the fuck he’s been doing inside my business these past months. But with half the money transferred, will he even deliver the girl? He knows who the buyer is; exactly the guy he’s trying to escape from.
He’ll fucking deliver.
He knows me. And he also knows exactly what will happen to him if he tries to fuck with me. But then again, maybe he’s stupid enough to make a run for it. With me buying his daughter off of him, the rope is tight around his neck. Maybe he’ll act like the fool I’ve come to expect him to be.
As I continue to ponder over this, an idea takes hold. Impulsively, I pick up my phone and dial Theodore’s number.
He answers on the second ring, his voice oily and obsequious. It turns my stomach. “Kirill, how wonderful to hear from you,” he says. “But of course, it always is. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Is everything going according to plan?”
“Of course, yes, yes! Tiana will be there on time, as promised.” He pauses for a moment. “She’s going to be everything you dreamed of and more, Kirill. I’ve raised that girl with this moment in mind. Everything will be perfect. Everything.”
Listening to him makes me want to gut him and feed him to the dogs. I may be the one who entered that auction room and made that bid, but what this man has done disgusts me. Who raises a child and grooms her with the express intention of trading her like a mindless object?
Then again, what man buys her?
I have good reason, dammit!
I keep that thought to myself, though. No sense in spooking him. “I’m glad to hear that,” I say. “My man will be there to collect her at the appointed time.”
“She will be ready. I know she’s excited about this new phase of her life. You won’t be disappointed, Kirill.”
I try not to scoff. I saw the girl’s expression when I saw her yesterday. If she’d been holding a weapon, she’d have used it on me. There’d been hate in her eyes. Not that this worries me. But this idiot annoys me with his stupid efforts to reassure me of her feelings. He clearly knows nothing about the woman he calls his daughter.
“That’s excellent news, Theo,” I say instead of telling him what I really think about his pathetic attempts to curry favor with me. “But I wanted to let you know that there is more to this deal.”
“More?” His voice turns cautious.
“Yes,” I tell him. “I’ve been giving this matter some thought, and I have decided that Tiana is going to be perfect for a particular… purpose that I have in mind. Of course, there will be additional remuneration for this.”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line. “Additional remuneration… You mean, more cash?” Theo asks, his voice dripping with greed.
“Yes, Theo. More cash.” Obviously, I’m speaking his language. “Another million, to be exact. But only if she meets certain expectations.”
“A million more?” He sucks in a sharp breath. “What expectations, exactly?” Theo asks, his tone cautious.
“I’ll leave that up to your imagination,” I say, a smirk playing at the corners of my mouth. I can practically hear the gears turning in his head as he tries to figure out what I’m getting at.
“I see,” he says finally. And what about Tiana? Will this… uh… harm her in any way? I mean, I’m sure you would have a good reason for whatever you’re planning.”
“That is not your concern anymore. This is between her and me.” I let that sink in, waiting for him to object and demand to be assured of her welfare. He doesn’t. The spineless motherfucker. I could be planning to do anything I want to her, and he’s not trying to stop me. “She will also get a million dollars in exchange for her cooperation,” I say, my voice cold and hard. “You just make sure she’s prepared for me. When the time comes, she will be well-paid.”
“Certainly, Kirill. I will make the necessary arrangements in the meantime. As her guardian, I would oversee her estate, so I will see to it that her assets are well managed.”
I’m sure you will.
Bastard. I have no doubt that he’s planning to get his slippery hands on that money.
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” I hang up the phone and lean back in my chair, a sense of satisfaction washing over me. He’s gone straight for the bait. All he needed is a million more and he no longer cares what happens to his daughter. Not that he cared to begin with. He’s unscrupulous and greedy, just the type of man I can manipulate.
But as I think about Tiana, I can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. She’s a pawn in this game, a means to an end. Yet there’s something about her that intrigues me, something that makes me want to protect her.
I push the thought aside. I can’t afford that luxury. This is business, and she is a tool to conduct business. Nothing more. I glance at my watch again. Just a few more hours until she arrives.
I can’t wait to see what she’s really made of.