Mafia Boss's Fearless Lover (The Karzhov Crime Family series Book 1) by Leslie North

towels. When he carried her to his bed, he tucked her in next to him, spooning his body around her before kissing her once and then drifting off to sleep.
    Katya tried to stay awake. It felt so good to be safe in his arms but minutes later, she joined him in a peaceful nap.
    Nikolai woke several hours later, his stomach reminding him they’d not eaten dinner. He’d spied a casserole thawing in the fridge, with the cooking instructions taped to the top. Extracting himself from the bed, he grabbed a pair of lounge pants and headed for the kitchen.
    After putting the casserole in the oven and setting the timer, he retreated to the small porch and the journals once more. As pleasant as the last few hours had been, he knew that reality would intrude soon and something had to be done to make Danil pay for his crimes against his family. The man deserved to die for his betrayal, but first Nikolai needed to find out if he was actively working with the East Coast organizations, or if he’d simply been acting alone and it had backfired.
    Either way, at the end of the day, Danil Yakimov was a dead man. He just didn’t know it yet.

Chapter 19
     
    The next day and a half flew by as Nikolai showered Katya with pleasure, while at the same time helped her understand her place in this new world. Nikolai tried to impress upon her how tenuous her position was in terms of safety until Danil was taken care of, and he only hoped she had listened. Anymore solo trips could be her last.
    “Until I’ve figured out if there are any more loose ends, you must have an escort everywhere you go. No more skipping out on the bodyguards.” Nikolai knew his voice sounded harsh, but he needed to make her understand the seriousness of the situation.
    “You sound angry,” she commented.
    “No, just very concerned. Danil is a very smart man. He more than likely has already put two and two together and come up with six. With your appearance, he has no choice but to get rid of you as quickly as possible but I will not allow that to happen.”
    “What would he gain by killing me?” Katya asked, amazed at how much had changed in a few days. Here she was, calmly discussing her potential murder, and she wasn’t totally freaked out.
    “Katya, think about everything I’ve told you. You are a Karzhov by birth. A direct descendant of Viktor. The only descendant of Viktor and Alexei.”
    “But I’m a female. I thought you all protected the females in your world?” she asked, sure she’d heard him mention something to that effect.
    “We do, but that doesn’t mean they don’t, and can’t, hold positions of leadership within the organization.”
    “Like my Aunt Tasha?”
    “Exactly like her. Tasha wielded great power within the organization, but she chose to use that power, and her resources, to help the poor, the sick, and the hurting. She was able to separate where the resources came from and instead focus on how they could help humanity.”
    “I could do that. Nik, I don’t think I could ever kill somebody,” Katya told him haltingly.
    “And you should never have to. There are a number of people out there that are very good at killing people, so you don’t have to. My mother and my aunt also learned to focus on the good things they were able to accomplish and ignore the bad things being perpetrated by their husbands. You can learn to do the same thing. Knowing everything that goes on in the organization would serve no purpose. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
    “I think so.” She was prevented from saying more when a knock sounded on the front door. Glancing in that direction, she asked Nikolai, “Were you expecting company?”
    “No,” Nikolai said, reaching into the side drawer and withdrawing a small handgun. “Stay here. Better yet, go lock yourself in the master bathroom. I’ll come for you when it’s safe.”
    “Do you know who it is?” Katya asked as she headed for the bedroom.
    “No. Vanya and Pyotr were