Daidan stood by the desk, hands thrust in his pockets while he spoke in short clipped sentences, describing in painfully clear language what exactly the Kuzmich family had been accused of doing over the past year, and what his contacts knew they’d done but which couldn’t be proven.
At the end of the tirade, Taina shook her head, devastated by the risk she’d just run. “I had no idea.”
“And then there’s Sahmir’s connection.”
“What connection? What on earth has Sahmir to do with the Kuzmich family?”
“Yes, well, I probably shouldn’t have kept you in the dark about this, either. But I didn’t want to worry you. Sahmir’s wife, Rory, got caught up in some bad business with Vadim Kuzmich, the son who died last year. He’d won Rory’s estate from her father in a gambling session, and then decided he wanted Rory too. If it hadn’t been for Sahmir he’d have had her too. It’s another point of contention between our family and theirs. Another reason to get back at us. Another reason why I thought they might try to target you.”
“I’m sorry. I thought you…” She trailed off. She couldn’t bring herself to voice her doubts which seemed too stupid now, so disloyal, so naïve.
“You thought I was controlling you because that’s how I wished you to be—under my control.” He shook his head. “Despite what it looks like, I’ve never wanted that. If I had, don’t you think I’d have gone looking for you after you left? No, I didn’t do that because I believed you needed time and space, time to grow up, time to realize that our love for each other would overcome everything. You think I’m controlling? My dear Taina, I’m not controlling enough, otherwise you’d never have left me, and I’d not have let you slip through my fingers on the island this morning.”
She pressed her lips in regret and nodded. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Nothing bad happened.”
“Should we leave, now? Is it safe?”
“It’s safe. What you didn’t see is my men who are watching over them.”
“How long are we going to have this threat hanging over us?”
“Just until the launch. My sources tell me that it’s the launch they see as easiest pickings. We’ll have our biggest, most important clients all in one place. If the Solntsevskaya Bratva can disrupt it in some way, then the whole thing could work against us.”
“Should we postpone it? Move it to a different location?”
“Any changes we make now will only play into their hands. Rumors will begin which we won’t be able to stop. Besides, our guest list has been carefully vetted and what other location is there that we can secure as effectively as the island? There is none. No, the date and place of the launch stays. We’ll ride it out until then.”
“And after that?”
“After that we’ll be in a stronger position to negotiate. We’ll come to an agreement with them—there’s no other way—but it’ll be on my terms.”
She nodded and fingered through her drawings absently. He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, kneading them gently. “Don’t worry. Everything’s under control. No one will get to you. I should have told you before but I thought it’d scare you away.”
“It does scare me, but”—she twisted around to look at him—“I’m not going anywhere. I’m not running anymore.”
“Good.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Now show me what you’ve been working on.”
She pushed the papers over to him. “I’m happy with how it’s turned out. What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful.” He leaned over and traced his finger over its lines. “You’ve blended both your’s and your mother’s style to create one all of its own. It’s too late to make the piece for the launch, but we can use the designs themselves to showcase what’s coming in the future. Whet people’s appetite for next year’s collection. Show people what a great future awaits the company.”
She grinned to herself but didn’t say anything, just turned her head to one side so he wouldn’t see how much his words meant to her.
“Taina? Don’t you agree?”
She nodded her head in agreement but still couldn’t say anything.
“Taina!” He dipped his head and lifted her chin. “My Taina, tell me what you’re thinking.”
The grin broke into a laugh, this time enjoying the note of possession in his words. “I’m thinking we both have a great future ahead of us.” She rose and kissed him. “Now, let’s get back to the island and sort out this launch. The sooner it’s over the sooner we can be free of all of this and get on with our lives.”