Page 92 of Scarred Ruin

What had bothered me the most had been seeing him at all and the way my body ached just because he’d been close.

And it wasn’t about being angry with him. How could I be? On Halloween, his first thought had been to protect me. Yet he’d been so insistent on another attack, he almost fired on a car full of kids and their parents. I’d seen their faces in the SUV as they’d rolled by.

I’d yet to fathom how he could live that way. His daughter was mostly a prisoner. Oh, my mind was still muddled, but what I couldn’t take was being worried about what my coworkers were saying. “Fine. We were out trick or treating with his daughter.”

“Right.”

This time, she allowed me to move past her. “You don’t need to believe me.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t.” She trailed behind me, determined to push me on the subject.

I made it to my office without being harassed by anyone else, but I did notice a few eyes found me as I walked past.

She even closed the door behind me. “Seriously. We have eyes. You two are hot together, so what happened?”

I wasn’t going to get out of this. “What happened?”

I took my time heading to my desk, gently easing the coffee cup down before spewing the truth. “He’s mafia, Julie. As in the Russian Bratva, a very dangerous organization. A crime syndicate? He almost killed an innocent victim because he was worried someone was out to hurt me. That’s why.”

“He’s mafia. So what? I think that’s kind of sexy.”

I could feel my eyes popping out of my head. “Are you kidding me?”

“Trust me when I say this. My sister is a reporter for the New York Times, a crime reporter. She’s given the hardcore pieces becoming an investigator and has shared with me just how much corruption there is within white collar Fortune 100 companies. The bigwigs keep blood off their hands, but I assure you they are the ones coordinating the removal of their enemies.”

Now I was narrowing my eyes. “Okay, I get that. I’m not naïve, but I don’t think I can tolerate being around someone who’s so…”

“Crazy sexy. Hot in bed. A damn good businessman worth billions. He’s a good father and I know that for certain because you’ve already told me as much. He gives to charities and he’s perhaps the best-looking man in this city.”

I honestly had no idea what to say to her. “He might have killed people.”

“We all can’t be perfect. Now, can we?”

“You’re not helping.”

“I’m serious. Weren’t you the one who might have threatened Franklin Abbott, the building permit representative?”

Every muscle tensed. “He hadn’t even seen the plans yet since they hadn’t been drawn by me and was determined to block the project altogether, the twisted son of a bitch. I merely reminded him of a few things including his weaknesses. Including a much younger woman he should keep his hands off.” Not only had I raised my voice, but I was panting by the end of my soliloquy.

Enough so Julie was grinning from ear to ear. “Case in point. You do know blackmailing people is a crime in pretty much every state of the union. Right?”

“Fine. I did something slightly in the gray area. I think Mr. Aristov has gone much, much further into the pitch-black world of hell.”

“The last time I checked, hell was bright orange.”

“I should fire you.”

“But you won’t. All I’m saying is that when he was more than just Mr. Aristov, you were happy and alive. Look at your flowers.”

I tried not to, but she pointed to the huge vase. “What about them?” My teeth hurt from gritting them.

“He gave those to you three weeks ago. The roses look like gravity attempted to suck them into the hell you mentioned, but you won’t throw them away.”

“I just haven’t gotten around to it.”

“Bullshit.” She coughed into her hand as if trying to be funny. “The memory is important to you, Izzy, just like the handsome Russian is. I understand your concern, but everyone on this planet has two sides. Every one of us is capable of crossing that line we were talking about for their own personal reason. Every. Single. Person.”

“And now? How’s my personality now?”