ROMAN'S POV
Viktor's man was bleeding from his nose when Tony dragged him into my penthouse. Mia's roommate, Lila, followed behind, clutching her purse like a weapon, her eyes wide.
"Living room," I told Tony. "Tie him to the chair."
Mia appeared from the hallway, now wearing jeans and a sweater someone must have grabbed from her apartment. She saw the man and froze.
"Roman, what are you..."
"Educating you." I turned to Lila. "You must be Lila Chen. I'm Roman Caruso. You're safe here."
"Safe?" Her voice cracked. "That man came to my door asking about Mia. When I said she wasn't home, he tried to force his way in."
"I know. Tony stopped him." I gestured to the couch. "Sit. This won't take long."
Lila looked at Mia, who nodded shakily. They sat together while Tony finished securing Viktor's man to my dining chair. The man was mid-thirties, thick accent, the kind of muscle Viktor used for intimidation.
I pulled up another chair and sat facing him. "What's your name?"
He spat blood on my floor. "Fuck you."
"Wrong answer." I nodded to Tony, who hit him across the face. Not hard enough to break anything, just hard enough to make a point.
"Mia, maybe we should….." Lila started.
"Stay," I said without looking at them. "You both need to understand something. This man came to your home to threaten you because of Mia's association with me. That makes it my problem."
I leaned forward. "Name."
"Alexei."
"Good. Alexei, who sent you?"
"You know who."
"I want to hear you say it."
"Viktor Kozlov."
"And what were your instructions?"
Alexei's eyes flicked to Mia. "Scare the girl. Make her understand that staying close to you is dangerous."
"Did Viktor tell you to hurt her?"
A pause. "If necessary."
Behind me, Mia sucked in a breath. I kept my expression neutral.
"Here's what's going to happen, Alexei. You're going to call Viktor right now. You're going to tell him that you failed, and that I have a message for him."
"He'll kill me for failing."
"Then you'd better deliver my message convincingly." I pulled out Alexei's phone from Tony's pocket and held it up. "Call him."
Alexei stared at the phone, then at me. Whatever he saw in my face made him nod. Tony untied one hand, and Alexei dialed with shaking fingers.
It rang twice before Viktor answered, his voice crackling through the speaker in Russian.
"English," I said. "For our guests."
Alexei swallowed. "It's me. I'm at Caruso's place."
Silence. Then Viktor's laugh, cold and sharp. "You failed."
"He has a message."
"Put him on."
I took the phone. "Viktor. We need to clarify some things."
"You killed Alexei yet?"
"Not yet. That depends on you." I stood, walking to the window. "Tonight at the docks, I offered you a business arrangement. You accepted. Then you sent this idiot to threaten someone under my protection. That's a problem."
"The journalist? She's not family, Roman. She's a liability you're fucking."
Mia's sharp intake of breath was audible. I ignored it.
"What she is doesn't concern you. What concerns you is that you broke our agreement within three hours of making it."
"I was sending a message."
"And I'm sending one back. Touch her again, touch anyone close to me, and the arrangement is void. I'll come for your territory, your shipments, and every business contact you have in this city."
"Big words from someone going legitimate."
"Test me and find out if they're just words." I ended the call and tossed the phone to Tony. "Cut him loose. Make sure he gets back to Viktor with all his fingers. I'm feeling generous."
Tony untied Alexei and hauled him toward the elevator. The man stumbled, holding his bleeding nose, not looking at any of us.
When the elevator doors closed, silence filled the penthouse.
Lila spoke first. "What the hell was that?"
"That was me making sure you're both safe." I turned to face them. "Viktor won't try again. He knows the cost now."
"You threatened to start a war over Mia." Lila's voice rose. "Over a journalist you met tonight?"
"Actually, we met two weeks ago." I moved to the bar, pouring scotch. "Does anyone want a drink?"
"I want answers," Lila snapped. She looked at Mia. "What is going on? Why are you here? Why is the mafia threatening me because of you?"
Mia's face was pale. "I can explain….."
"She made a deal with me," I interrupted. "Thirty days of access to my organization in exchange for an accurate story. Unfortunately, being seen with me makes her a target. Which makes you a target by association."
"So this is your fault." Lila stood, furious now. "You put her in danger. You put me in danger."
"Yes."
The simple admission seemed to throw her. "That's it? Just yes?"
"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry?" I sipped my scotch. "I am. But sorry doesn't change the situation. You're involved now whether you want to be or not."
"Then I'm leaving. Mia, come on."
"She's staying here," I said. "Both of you are, until I'm sure Viktor got the message."
"You can't keep us prisoner."
"I'm not. You're free to leave. But if something happens to either of you because you walked out of here against my advice, that's on you."
Lila looked at Mia. "Tell him we're leaving."
Mia sat frozen on the couch, her hands clasped in her lap. "Lila, maybe we should..."
"Should what? Stay here with him? With that?" She pointed toward where Alexei had been tied up. "Mia, that man was tortured in front of us."
"Questioned," I corrected. "There's a difference."
"He was bleeding!"
"He tried to hurt your roommate. I was restrained."
Lila's laugh was slightly hysterical. "Restrained. Oh my God. Mia, this is insane. This whole thing is insane."
"I know." Mia's voice was quiet. "But I made a deal. Thirty days."
"Break it."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
Mia finally looked up, and I saw something broken in her expression. "Because he'll ruin my career if I do. And because..." She trailed off.
"Because she's stubborn," I finished. "She wants the truth, and she's willing to risk everything for it. Including you, apparently."
"That's not fair," Mia said.
"It's accurate." I set down my glass. "Lila, I'll have Tony take you home if you want. I'll put two men in your building, make sure you're safe. Or you can stay here in a second guest room. Your choice."
Lila stared at me for a long moment. "If I stay, it's not because I trust you. It's because I don't trust that Viktor won't send someone else."
"Fair enough." I pulled out my phone, texting instructions. "Tony will bring whatever you need from your apartment tomorrow. For tonight, there's a room next to Mia's."
Lila grabbed Mia's arm. "Can we talk? Alone?"
They disappeared down the hallway. I heard the guest room door close, then muffled voices raised in argument. I didn't try to listen. Whatever Mia told her roommate was her business.
Marco called. "Viktor's people are pulling back from the docks. He's pissed but he's backing down."
"Good. What about the developer breakfast tomorrow?"
"Still on. Eight AM at The Four Seasons."
"Mia's coming."
"Roman, after tonight—"
"Especially after tonight. Everyone needs to see that threats don't scare her off." I moved to the window, watching the city lights. "She's more involved now than I planned, but we work with what we have."
"You're using her."
"I'm protecting her. There's a difference."
"Is there?" Marco's skepticism carried through the phone. "Or are you just telling yourself that because you like her?"
I ended the call without answering.
Twenty minutes later, Mia emerged from the guest room alone. She looked exhausted, her eyes red like she'd been crying.
"Lila's staying," she said. "But she hates this. Hates you. Hates me for dragging her into it."
"She'll forgive you eventually."
"Will she? Because right now I'm not sure I forgive myself." Mia crossed to the window, standing beside me. "That man, Alexei. What will Viktor do to him?"
"Probably kill him for failing."
"Because of me."
"Because of Viktor's pride. Don't take that on." I turned to face her. "You're thinking about backing out."
"Aren't you? After tonight, this is clearly more dangerous than either of us thought."
"I don't back out of deals."
"Even when people might die?"
"People might die regardless." I held her gaze. "This is my world, Mia. Violence, threats, impossible choices. You wanted to see the truth? This is it. Not the sanitized version. The real version where actions have consequences and safety is an illusion."
Her eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall. "I'm not sure I can do this for twenty-nine more days."
"You can. You're stronger than you think."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're still standing here instead of running." I reached out, catching a tear that escaped down her cheek. "And because you came down that hallway to warn me about the threats instead of hiding in your room. That takes courage."
She didn't pull away from my touch. "Or stupidity."
"Sometimes they're the same thing." I let my hand drop. "Go get some sleep. Tomorrow starts early, and the developer we're meeting is worse than Viktor."
"Worse how?"
"He smiles while he destroys you. At least Viktor is honest about his violence." I moved toward my room. "Breakfast is at eight. Wear something expensive. The closet in your room has options."
"You keep women's clothes in your guest room?"
"I keep everything in my guest room. Prepared for any situation."
She shook her head. "You're impossible."
"You're not the first person to say that." I paused at my door. "Mia? Thank you for not running tonight. Most people would have."
"Maybe I should have."
"But you didn't. That matters." I went inside before she could respond, closing the door on whatever she might say next.
I undressed and lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Tonight had escalated faster than I'd planned. Viktor was now a direct threat. Mia's roommate was involved. And Mia herself had seen violence up close for the first time.
Most people would break. Walk away. Choose safety over truth.
But something told me Mia Sterling wasn't most people. She'd stay. And that would either save us both or destroy everything.
I just wasn't sure which yet.