Dangerous Husbands, Broken Wives [18+]

SIXTY ONE: DIRTY WORK

[IVAN]

I stomp my way down the long hallway, leading to the bank of elevators where more of my men are already waiting for me. I frown at each of them, wondering what has made them so attentive all of a sudden.

"What's happening?" I ask Igor, before we both come to a stop and wait for the elevator that would apparently take four more floors to reach us.

"About that," Igor says, and it's obvious from the concerning look on his face that something isn't right.

Of course, I already know that. If that weren't the case, he wouldn't have barged in on Ana and me the way he did. But the fact that the main door was already broken, and my phone was on silent, knocking on the bedroom door was the only option for him to get my attention. I get that. Perhaps that's why he still has both his legs and arms.

I slide my hands into my pant pockets, not able to change my spoiled mood. I swear to God if someone tried to waste my time right now, I would ship them to the North Pole without a damn second thought.

"Nikolai is here," he says, and for a moment, I'm not sure if I heard him right. But when I do realize this isn't some prank about to end in bloody gore, my jaw tightens. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

No. The question is how the hell did he know we are here? Nobody knows we are here. Except for my men and the school's headmistress. But then another thought flashes in my head, and I'm not sure what makes me more furious. The fact that it could be Ana feeding him our whereabouts, or that after this long and meaningful conversation with her, I'm still doubting her for doing something so stupid.

But I can't blame her, can I? If it weren't for how I treated her, and the distrust I showed in her loyalty, she wouldn't have turned to someone like Nikolai for help. Or better yet, someone like Nikolai wouldn't have been able to take advantage of my innocent wife. I have to remember that Ana was in a much more vulnerable state when he offered his help. She was desperate to leave me, and he was smug enough to make that happen.

Igor rubs his jaw. "I don't know. He says he wants to talk to you. And only you."

"Did you catch him lingering around?"

"No. He came by himself. But that's not even the worst part."

"What could be worse than this?"

"He came all alone."

"Did you check the perimeter?"

"Our guys searched everywhere around the hotel for over two hours but found zilch. I could've told you sooner, but I wanted to be sure it wasn't a setup. Looks like it isn't."

I nod. "Right." Just then, the elevator arrives and we both step inside. "But keep your eyes open anyway, and send a team to check all the rooftops with a clear view of this building. Especially Ana's room and mine. I don't feel like getting assassinated tonight."

* * *

Igor stays behind as I enter the conference room. I might not have a clue why this guy is here, but neither of us is going anywhere until I figure it out.

The doors close with a soft thud behind me. I fix my gaze on the man standing in the corner, his eyes trained on the city view through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall.

Nikolai turns, meeting my stare with his dark eyes. He's dressed sharp in a black suit, his blonde hair slicked back flawlessly. He doesn't resemble the bloody mess from our last encounter. Instead, he looks polished and oddly composed for someone walking into a lion's den. Maybe he's aiming for a decent burial. Can't fault him for having a final wish. People have all sorts of peculiar desires, after all.