Read Online Russian Mobster's Obsession by Bella Rose - Free Book Online Page B

appliance attempted to maintain the oven temperature. He shut the oven off and closed the door.
    Stepping around the muffin debris, Viktor tried to piece together what might have happened. The pan appeared to be bent as though it had been weaponized somehow. He smiled grimly as he imagined that Katie would not have gone willingly or easily, which was probably why Max was shut in the bathroom.
    Viktor tried the door of the hall bath. It seemed to be locked from the inside. Jiggling the handle sent Max into a renewed frenzy of barking. The dog actually sounded hoarse, a though he’d been locked in there for a while.
    Pulling out his pocketknife, Viktor slipped the narrowest blade into the door handle until he heard the assembly inside click open. He started to open it, but realized that he might well have fifty or so pounds of pissed-off dog in his face as soon as he did.
    “Max?” Viktor called through the door. “Max, it’s just Viktor.” He felt ridiculous talking to a dog as though it were human, but he knew that was the way Katie spoke to him.
    There was a pause in the frantic canine sounds. Then there was an almost polite scratch at the door. Viktor pulled the bathroom door open and stepped back, but he need not have worried. Max bolted through the opening and ignored Viktor almost completely. He put his nose to the ground and began eagerly searching for Katie.
    “She’s not here, boy,” Viktor said more to himself than the dog. “But I know where to find her.”
    Viktor had thought to leave the dog behind, but the sad puppy expression proved too much for him to resist. Standing at the back door, preparing to leave, Viktor stared down at Max’s off-kilter eyes. Their expressive blue color was almost eerily human. Finally, with a monumental sigh, Viktor waved the dog through the door.
    “It won’t lock right anyway,” Viktor reasoned. “And if you get out and get lost, Katie will never forgive me.”
    Viktor paced off into the night with Max padding along beside him. It wasn’t a long walk to Karkoff’s mansion, but it felt surprisingly good to have company for the trek.
    * * *
    Katie crossed her arms and glared at Karkoff. “You do realize that Sasha is a very disturbed individual with some serious personal issues that make him really unpredictable, right?”
    Karkoff sank down into a comfortable-looking armchair. He was treating this as if she had paid him a social call. It was rather odd. “Sasha is my older sister’s youngest child.” He said it as though that made all the difference.
    “It seems like he could have used a swift kick in the pants during his growing up years,” Katie commented darkly. “I know I’d like to kick him in the ass right now.”
    Karkoff gave a hearty laugh. “I like you, Katie McClellan. And I think I can see why Viktor does too.”
    “So is that it? You give your blessing and everyone leaves Viktor alone?” Katie almost stood up, ready to leave.
    Karkoff waved her back down to her seat. “Not so fast.”
    “Of course. There’s a catch, right?”
    “In a manner of speaking.” Karkoff narrowed his gaze on Katie. “Viktor is a valuable asset to me for the very reason everybody thinks he is worthless. He is a free agent. He can go places and do things that my own men cannot because he is not pledged to me or to anyone.”
    “No. Viktor is his own man,” she said proudly. “Which is why he should be able to do whatever he wants with his life, even if that means going to college and never working for you again.”
    “Ah, but that I cannot allow.” Karkoff wagged his finger at her the same way he had at Sasha. “I need his services. You distract him. It would be better if you ended things with him and let him live his life the way he was.”
    “But that’s not what he wants,” Katie said in confusion. “Why do you think your needs are so much more important than his?”
    Karkoff laughed. “Because I am me and I have an entire family to think about and