Hot Protector(3)

“I wish it were that simple,” she said softly. “But it’s not. It’s nothing to do with Tyler. It’s me.”

His eyes narrowed. “We aren’t actually related, you know. I can’t give you blood or marrow or an organ.”

She felt her teeth grinding. “Actually, that’s not necessarily true. You wouldn’t know without tests.” His nostrils flared and she realized she was getting distracted. “But donations aren’t why I need help. It’s…” She swallowed. “Have you ever heard of Grigori Androv?”

It was kind of a stupid question in a way, considering that Grigori owned Zoprava, a Russian technology firm that sold a popular antivirus software. He’d been in the news a lot lately, not all of it good, but that was to be expected when a man was as powerful and controversial as he was.

She’d grown up with people who lived in the media spotlight, so she knew to take it with a grain of salt. And yet sometimes what they said was true. She’d learned that too.

“What does Androv have to do with you?” Chase demanded, his sexy green eyes flashing fire.

Sophie swallowed. “I met him at a charity event. We seemed to connect, and he asked for my number. I gave it to him.”

Chase swore. Not the reaction she’d expected.

“He was nice to me. He sent flowers every day. He was… romantic.”

It felt so stupid to say that now, but it had been the truth. He’d been romantic, hitting all the right notes as he sent flowers and cards and whisked her to fancy dinners and Broadway shows. He’d romanced her the way a girl wanted to be romanced. Slow, deliberate, attentive. And since she hadn’t had a lot of romance in her life, she’d fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

Chase was looking at her with a hard expression. “Any guy who sends you flowers every fucking day is a stalker, not a romantic.” He shook his head. “I don’t care how many orphans he donates money to, Androv is bad news. You need to stay away from him.”

Sophie shivered. She’d come a long way tonight and she still wasn’t safe. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed. Tears threatened to spill over. “I didn’t know that at the time. I thought he was just a rich guy with enemies.” She swallowed. “But I know better now.”

Chase looked a little furious. Or maybe a lot furious. “What happened? Did he assault you?”

She shook her head even while her throat burned. Assault her? He’d never even kissed her.

“No, he didn’t assault me. But I… I heard him arguing with someone on the phone, threatening him if he didn’t do what Grigori wanted.” Chase frowned and she hurried on. “I know that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I thought it was just business, quite honestly, even if it wasn’t very nice. Sort of like when you’re pissed at someone and you say you could kill them, but of course you don’t literally mean that. B-but that same man was found in the East River four days ago.”

She had Chase’s full attention now. She could tell it by the way his nostrils flared and his eyes flashed. “A coincidence,” he said—and she didn’t blame him because she’d said the same thing when she’d seen the news report. Grigori’s argument with the man had chilled her, but even then she couldn’t say that Grigori had anything to do with his death.

Until tonight.

“It looks that way, but it’s not.”

“How can you be sure?”

This was the part she hated. The part that made her sick. It still wasn’t a smoking gun, so to speak—but she knew the truth. She’d seen it in Grigori’s eyes. He was unbalanced, vicious.

“I went to his apartment tonight to tell him I needed space, that I wanted to take a break for a while. He was having a small party, so I felt safe. He took me into his home office to talk—and then he got very angry. He asked me if I’d seen the news—and then he said the same thing would happen to me if I tried to stop seeing him.”

Chase’s face was a study in controlled rage.

Sophie swallowed as she tumbled on. “I thought he might hit me, but he didn’t get the chance. He grabbed me—but his butler interrupted and Grigori let me go. He left me in his office and told me not to move until he came back.”

“But you did move.”

“I was scared, so I ran while I could.” She hadn’t left his apartment empty-handed, however.

Chase shoved a hand through his dark hair. It stood on end, but in a sexy way. “I’m sorry, Sophie—but exactly what do you expect me to do about this? You had a fight with Androv. He’s a bully and an egomaniac, but I doubt he’s going to kill you because you argued. It’s risky to go around killing everyone you don’t like, and he knows that. He’s a fucking bully, and you don’t need to see him again. Go to the police and file a restraining order.”