Ginny peered at the woman standing in the doorway. She was gorgeous, with long, dark flowing hair, incredible eyelashes, and full lips. However, her cocoa-colored eyes were guarded. Not unfriendly exactly, but definitely on alert. They sized her up, and Ginny suddenly felt self-conscious in her jeans, T-shirt, and makeup-free face. She wished she’d at least tried to conceal what was left of the black eyes.

“I’m Ginny.” She held her hand out for the other woman to take.

Kat nodded and took the hand Ginny offered. “Come in.”

Tony and Ginny entered a small living room. Between Ginny’s suitcase, the three of them, and the small amount of furniture already in the room, it felt crowded. Homey, but crowded. If the rest of the apartment was as small as the living room, the entire thing could fit in Ginny’s childhood bedroom.

“Thank you for agreeing to help me,” Ginny said.

“It’s not much.” Kat gestured to her surroundings, her eyes holding an edge of challenge. “But you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

“This is great,” Ginny reassured her. She didn’t want the other woman to think she was judging her. There was often strife between the residents of the north and south sides of the city. The north siders tended to look down on the south siders, who then resented the north siders because of that. It was silly but one of the major reasons Natalie’s relationship with Knox had created such a scandal. Natalie hadn’t seemed to care, though, essentially giving high society the metaphorical middle finger.

Ginny liked her so much for that.

“Where should I put her suitcase?” Tony chimed in.

“Um, over in the corner is good,” Kat said. “It’ll be out of the way there.”

“I appreciate this, Kat.” Tony stowed Ginny’s things, then pulled Ginny aside. “I need to go.”

“You’re leaving me?” Her voice came out in a high-pitched shrieky tone—not at all what she’d intended—but dammit, she hadn’t expected he would drop her off like a piece of cargo and then haul ass out of here.

“I need to look into some things.” He didn’t elaborate, probably because Kat was in earshot, but she figured whatever he needed to do was related to this mess. “I’m sorry.” He brushed a piece of hair off her cheek. “I wish I could stay.”

Ginny believed him. She sighed. She wasn’t being fair. “It’s okay. I’m being childish.”

“No, you’re not. I would take you with me, but it’s not safe.”

Ginny opened her mouth, wanting to tell him it wasn’t safe for him, either. No matter how much of a skilled fighter Tony was, Fedor didn’t play fair. But she stayed quiet because it would never be safe for either of them until they were free from Fedor. One of them had to do something to try to clear them of this mess. It frustrated her to no end that she couldn’t do more, but her hands were tied. She didn’t have the resources Tony did and besides that, Fedor had his men looking for her.

But were they looking for Tony now, too? Her gut churned.

“I’m scared,” she whispered. Fear had been a constant since her ordeal with Fedor in the car, but now that Tony was exposed, her fear had tripled.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his, wanting to convey the agony she felt letting him go. He returned her passion with his own, holding her body close against his.

Heat consumed her—heat that represented her hope for the future and the desperation of the present. She wanted to lose herself in Tony, even if it was just for this moment.

“Ahem.”

Ginny reluctantly pulled away from Tony, having forgotten they had an audience. In the past, she would have been embarrassed by her brazen show of affection, but now she didn’t care. Tony was too important, their situation too dire.

“Kat, thanks again,” Tony said. He pulled Ginny in for one last breathtaking kiss. Then he was gone.

Ginny stared at the closed door, anguish lapping at her insides.

“He’ll be okay,” Kat said, sitting on the sofa. “He’s one kick-ass fighter.”

Ginny sat on the other end of the sofa. “You’ve seen him fight?” Ginny felt oddly betrayed that Kat had not only already known about this secret part of his life but had also seen it in action. It was stupid because she hadn’t been part of Tony’s life then, but jealousy burned in her gut.

“Sort of. Not any of his official fights, but I’ve been around when he and Knox spar. And trust me—if he can give Knox a run for his money, then he can hold his own against anyone.”

Ginny considered what she knew of Knox. While Tony had an outward polished appearance, Knox looked every bit the fighter, even at society events.

“I hope so,” Ginny said, wishing she had the confidence Kat did. It wasn’t that she doubted Tony—it was that she knew how dangerous Fedor was.

“How did you ever get tangled up with Barkov anyway?” Kat asked.

Ginny sighed. “It’s a long story.” She really didn’t want to get into it, but she figured she owed an explanation to the woman who was sticking her neck out to help her. So she told her everything except exactly what Fedor was holding over Veronica’s head. That part needed to stay under wraps as long as possible.

“I’m glad you finally wised up,” Kat said. The comment was nonjudgmental, and Ginny could tell by the look in Kat’s eyes that she understood. Whatever had happened in her life made her understand how Ginny could find herself at the mercy of a powerful but ruthless man.

“I only wish I’d done it sooner, so I wouldn’t be in such a mess right now,” Ginny replied.

“Barkov is bad news. I knew someone who dated him.” Kat paused. “‘Dated’ is probably too strong of a term. Let’s just say they had an arrangement.”

Ginny grimaced. She’d wondered if Fedor had a mistress—or mistresses—and here was her answer.

“Her face looked a lot worse than yours by the time she wised up,” Kat said.

“I take it she didn’t go to the police.”

Kat let out a laugh. “Are you kidding? Barkov is untouchable. Nothing sticks to him. And anyway, if she had gone to the cops, she probably wouldn’t be around anymore. No one’s ever lived long enough to testify. She kept a low profile for a while, but eventually she moved. She couldn’t handle looking over her shoulder all the time.”

“I don’t blame her,” Ginny said. “That sounds awful.”

It also sounded like her future life. Fedor wasn’t going to let her go—the fact that he had men stationed outside her family and friends’ homes was a testament to that.

How would she ever be free of him?

* * *

The parking lot at Adamo was empty except for the BMW parked in the space reserved for the CEO. Perfect. Tony parked next to it.

The urge to confront his father ate at him, but he was not optimistic about the outcome of that conversation. One way or another, though, he was going to take care of the B37 problem. And if his father went down with the drug, then so be it. Tony wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

He circled around to the rear of the building, looking for the outdoor NID box. There—barely noticeable behind some overgrown bushes. Shit, it looked like hell back here. Granted, no one generally came back here, but still, he’d ask Ingrid to hire some landscapers to deal with this mess.

Using a screwdriver, he pried open the box, then yanked the cables out. That ought to do it.

He returned to the front of the building, tossing the screwdriver in his car before entering. He climbed the stairs to his father’s office.

He knocked on the door and waited. After a moment, his father flung open the door. His eyebrows were pinched together and his mouth was twisted.

“What are you doing here?” He didn’t bother asking his son to come in, just stood in the doorway blocking the entrance.

“I do work here.” Tony keep his tone mild and lightly sarcastic. In other words—normal for talking to his father.

“Is that right? Wouldn’t know it lately.”

“I’m taking care of some personal things.”

“Is that what you’re calling it?” His father’s lips curled into a sneer and his eyes possessed a knowing gleam. Tony’s hands began curling into fists, but he stopped himself, relaxing them.

He didn’t respond, refusing to engage and give his father what he wanted. Instead, he merely crossed his arms, meeting his father’s hard gaze.

He was used to snide comments from his father and he normally just brushed them off, but this time, the comment was cause for concern. How much did he know? Shit. First Veronica and now his father.

Oh, well. There was nothing he could do about it now. He’d deal with things as they came.

His father looked away first, a small victory. “What do you want?”

“I need to borrow your phone. I missed a call from Nonna, but now my phone is dead.”

“Then charge it.”

“The fucking battery’s all jacked up.”

His father frowned. “Use the landline.”

“It’s out.”

His father stalked over to the phone and brought the receiver up to his ear. He angrily jiggled the receiver button. “Goddamn phone company. What the hell are we paying them for?”

Tony stepped into the office. “I’ll have Ingrid call them tomorrow. Just give me your phone so I can check on Nonna.”

“Can’t it wait? I’m expecting a call.”

“Don’t be an asshole. Let me call and check on your eighty-year-old mother. Unless you want to do it?”

His father narrowed his eyes at him, then handed over his phone. “Make it quick.”

Tony stepped out into the hallway. As soon as he was out of his father’s sight, he quickly searched for the app Natalie had told him about. It took less than a minute to install and hide it. His father would never even know it was there.

Then he put in a call to Nonna’s number. It was her night out playing bridge, so she likely wouldn’t answer, which was fine. Her number just needed to appear in the outgoing call record. Tony let it ring twice before hanging up.

He walked back into the office. “Thanks.”

His father took back the phone, saying nothing, not even looking up from where he sat at his desk and not even asking after his mother. Asshole. It was just as Tony expected.

“You need to be careful, son.” The comment was flippant. His father still didn’t bother looking at him, instead staying focused on the papers in front of him.

Tony couldn’t stop his hands from curling into fists this time. “Excuse me?”

His father met his gaze. “You heard me,” he said evenly.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” It wouldn’t take much to put Tony over the edge. He wanted to pick his father up, slam him against the wall, and demand answers. It would be so gratifying. And overdue.

But he refrained. He came here tonight to accomplish one thing. He’d done that. Now he needed to get the fuck out of here before he made things worse.

If that was even possible.

His father worked his jaw, like he was a cow chewing cud. “You know what I’m talking about.”

Oh, Tony definitely knew. The question was how much did his father know? Fuck.

“Is that a warning?”

“Consider it a piece of advice.” His father’s lips stretched into a thin smile.

Tony clenched his fists and stalked out the office before he pounded his father’s face in.