The Code To A Don's Heart

t w e n t y - t h r e e

"Why am I being told that someone is hacking my network. Again?"

I didn't turn to Victor as I continued to crumple sticky notes in my ahnd, roll up thread and toss it all in the bin I'd brought closer from the bathroom. He closed the door behind him and the room was silent as he waited for an answer.

"That tends to happen when someone is searching for answers in places they know they don't belong," I stated calmly, continuing to clear up the board that had once been. It was a failure. Just like my efforts to do anything good in this world.

"I asked you to stay off the case."

"No, you told me to stay off the case," I corrected. "I just chose not to listen."

That's when I turned to him, throwing the last of my sticky notes in the bin. I crossed my ams and leaned on one hip, causing the other to pop out. Viktor's eyes were narrowed at me like he just couldn't understand how to approach this situation. If this conversation happened sometime last week, he wouldn't hesitate to give a witty remark of some sort but he was treating me differently. He denied it but I saw it.

"Why don't you want to stay away from the case?" he asked instead. I laughed low and dark.

"You're funny," I deadpanned. "Really, become a comedian. A straight thinking Don is not working for you."

Viktor's eyes narrowed. He didn't like my tone. Well tough fucking luck.

"I'm handling it."

"If you were, you'd have some answers for me about why and how all this is happening. You'd know who your doppleganger is and be in the process of mobilizing a mafia S.W.A.T team to take the fucker down. Forgive me for not having any hope in your word," I spat.

Viktor advanced towards me then and I stood my ground, glaring and refusing to flinch when he got close.

"I think sometimes treating you with as much kindness as I can master has made you forget who I am," he said his voice low, cold and not threatening but what he was trying to imply hung in the air between us, sizzling in the heat that we shared.

"I think you're making many grave mistakes," I whispered making my tone as dark as his. "You know you need me but I don't see why you don't admit it."

"I have a floor full of people more capable of finding me what I need. What makes you so special?"

"The fact that I have information on this case that you need."

"Like?" he quipped crossing his arms. "What could you possibly bring to the table that a room full of mature and more experinced individuals could not?"

My jaw ticked at his tone. "This case could be affecting you and your Bratva but it affects my family too."

"You mean what's left of it."

He fucking didn't.

My wide eyes and slack jaw couldn't be wiped off my face. My shock, my anger, my shame and grief. My thoughts cleared away for one emotion to slither to the surface.

Rage.

"Get out," I whispered shaking my head at him and backing out of the warmth his body would encompass me with. "Get the fuck out Viktor."

His eyes, his beautiful baby blues stopped being soft. Instead they froze over, encased themselves in darkness and I couldn't even recognise the man I thought I was getting to know. He didn't seem phased that he'd hit a sore spot and I didn't want to ask him about what he knew.

I didn't want to know whether he figured out my mom was dead, my dad was absent and my brother had left. I didn't want to know how he'd found out even as I tried to scrape the information as best as I could. I didn't want to hear him speak to me.