Midnight Purgatory - A Mafia Romance

I watch intently as the girl swallows again. Her throat bobs nervously and she toys with a charm bracelet on her wrist. I don't think she's even aware she's doing it. I glance down to see a link with the letter "Z" embossed in rose gold as she twiddles it back and forth.

"I don't think so," she says at last. "It's nice of you to offer, though."

That pisses me off. People don't tell me no. Not anymore. "It wasn't an offer, narushitel. Let's go. You're coming with me."

I start to turn away, but she stays stubbornly rooted in place. I pivot back in exasperation.

"My mom taught me a long time ago not to just go off into strange places with strange people," she explains.

"And mine told me to shoot trespassers on sight. Whose mother should we listen to?"

Even in the moonlight, her face goes pale. I feel a twinge of something I don't feel often: guilt. She looks terrified suddenly and I don't blame her-my mother did tell me that, actually, and it was my first instinct when my security team informed me that someone had passed over the southwestern gate.

But shooting her would be a waste of a bullet. She's no killer and she doesn't know a damn thing about who I am or what kind of organization I lead. She's just a shy, scared woman-albeit an irritatingly attractive one-and so interrogating her over dinner sounds like punishment enough.

Sighing, I point at her. "You just tore your thigh open on a rusty nail. You're favoring your other leg, so I know it hurt worse than you're willing to admit. I also know that there isn't a fucking chance you have an extra tetanus shot lying next to the half-eaten salad and the moldy loaf of bread that are no doubt rotting in your refrigerator right now. I happen to have medical supplies aplenty. So do yourself a favor: stop being stubborn, come join me for dinner, and I'll give you the medical care you need. Otherwise, you're going to wake up with lockjaw, trespassing charges, and an ugly scar that'll last you the rest of your life."

She still doesn't look convinced. So I stick out my hand. She flinches away before she realizes what I'm doing.

"I'm Uri Bugrov," I tell her. "No longer a stranger."

Delicately, she places her tiny hand in mine. "Alyssa Walsh."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Alyssa. Now, are you going to walk to my house or am I going to have to carry you?"

3

ALYSSA

I opt to walk.

One, because I don't want him to think I want him to carry me.

And two, because if he so much as tries, I'm gonna blush so bad that astronauts flying through space will be able to see my red cheeks. Uri will feel me radiating nuclear-level embarrassed heat and will assume the obvious: that I'm completely and utterly infatuated with him.

Which I'm most definitely not. Apart from having a healthy appreciation for his rock-hard physique and symmetrical bone structure, that is. I mean, physical attraction is only skin-deep, right? Practically meaningless.

I mean, sure, I have been known to ogle him in the past from the reading nook in my bedroom. But I ogle Henry Cavill, too. Doesn't mean I'm in love with him.

It's a long, silent trek across the lawn back to the mansion. He leads me inside without any sense of pride or even the slightest hint that he knows he lives in the fucking Taj Mahal of L.A. I do my best not to gawk as we pass by double-height floor-to-ceiling windows, dark oil paintings, and black leather couches big enough to hold everyone I've ever known.

The living room overlooks the garden, which can be seen through the massive bow windows that hug the curve of the room. A maid cleaning one of the nooks startles when she sees Uri, then blushes bright red.

Yeah, I feel ya, sis. Better you than me, though.

"Mariska, can you bring in the first aid kit, please?"

Hm-polite to his household staff. Didn't expect that.

Then again, what did I expect? It's not like I know everything about this man. But also, I'd be lying if I said I knew nothing about him.

I know he likes to entertain women. Mostly blondes with the superhuman proportions of a Kardashian. But it's not the only piece of information I have.

I also know that he likes to toss around a football on the front grounds of his property with a younger man that looks too much like him to not be his brother. I still remember the first time I saw them playing. My head was first turned by the shirtless, sculpted perfection of Uri's abs. But it stayed turned because of the way he interacted with his brother. Not the usual no-nonsense, don't fuck with me vibes that he always exudes even from a hundred yards away. But something more relatable.

He looked like an average guy. Well, that is, if the average guy is over six feet tall with impeccable biceps, washboard abs, and a face that could make the angels weep. More to my point, he looked like a big brother having fun with his younger brother.

It reminded me of the way Ziva and I used to be with each other. Comfortable. Easy. Effortless.

It made me sad and envious and needy all at the same time. That was the real reason I was maybe slightly too interested in Uri Bugrov. That was the real reason I couldn't totally hate him.

And maybe, just maybe, that was the reason I just accepted this invitation into his home.

Because I wanted to see if there's a human behind the flawless mask.

"Sit."

I obey before I even realize what I'm doing, taking a chair facing the windows. I scowl at my submissiveness, but it's too late to muster up some backbone, so I just sigh and sink into the seat. He wasn't wrong-my leg does hurt.

"You have a nice house," I remark.

He doesn't smile like most people do when people compliment their homes. He just nods apathetically. "I do."

"The humility is astounding."

"One of my finer qualities."

He's not looking at me. He's rummaging through a cabinet nearby. I clear my throat awkwardly as I look around in search of something to talk about. I'm not the greatest with tense silences. Or awkward silences. Or really, silences in general.

"You live alone?"

He frowns as though he finds my question offensive. "I have staff. Some of them live on the property."

"No family?"

Maybe the guy I've seen him play football with is not actually his brother. Maybe he's just a friend? A coworker? Secret lover?

Now, wouldn't that be a plot twist?

I glance around the room and notice that the maid, Mariska, left the door to the cabinet she was cleaning open. I can see a frame peeking out, half a photo, a few stoic faces.

"Is that your family?"

Before I know it, the cabinet door is slamming shut. Uri's blue eyes skewer me impatiently. "I don't talk about my family. Don't ask me about them again."