Free The Arrangement by Bethany-Kris Page A

the table. “Usually. Some days I can’t, though, so Clarissa or Ivan does it instead, depending on their schedule. We work it out. Rocco always gets his time for him.”
    Close enough to read the labeled rooms and spaces on the panel, Viviana saw just how big the ground level of the house really was. With a bedroom, bathroom, and hallway at the back of the house, there was a front entrance with another hallway that led to the stairwell and front entrance to the kitchen. A three level house with a basement and attic meant the home was huge, and she’d only managed to see just a few parts of it.
    She wanted to look out the window, gauge where exactly in Brooklyn they were, but Viviana had a feeling she probably shouldn’t. “This is too big to be a normal house,” she realized.
    Anton agreed silently, lifting one shoulder in acknowledgement. “Was an apartment building, but I had it renovated a couple years back to join the separated spaces and put the safety measures in. I wanted the possibility that I wouldn’t have to send you out of state somewhere to keep you safe—that we could be together instead of separated.”
    “How much did it cost?”
    “Enough. Five million, though it was closer to seven once I was done with everything.”
    “And it is safe, right, despite the location?”
    Anton looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “Of course it is, Vine! It’s not attached to my name. The feds haven’t realized this is where I’m staying after I do three car switches before coming home, and your uncle’s idiots haven’t managed to follow me here, yet. We’ll have another week or two at least before someone figures it out, I’m sure.”
    “And then what?” she asked. “I imagine your clubs keep you out late, not to mention whatever else. Just … will it be safe then?”
    He crossed the floor before she had time to blink, his large hand grasping tight to the curve in her waist while the other lifted up her chin. “I’ll be home every night, or at the least, I
will
be there for you to wake up to, always. I decided a long time ago that there weren’t a great deal of things more important to me than this right here. If I can’t be home, for whatever reason, I’ll let you know myself. No phone calls from anyone else, only me. A man at both entrances, I told you that last night. Someone capable will always be here. You must know how to shoot a gun, so Ivan will show you where the weapons are located in every room. I thought you were going to trust me?”
    “I am,” she insisted. “It’s—”
    A low cough interrupted them both. “Mr. Avdonin, Ivan called a half hour ago to say he’ll be a little late getting to the club.”
    Anton didn’t turn around, keeping Viviana’s vision blocked. “Where is Rocco?”
    “At the back entrance on the mat,” she answered.
    “Send him in to meet Viviana, please.”
    “Sure.”
    A low whistle sounded, followed by two words spoke sharply in Russian. Anton stepped to the side as the sounds of Rocco’s nails hitting the tiled floor echoed down the hallway. It was only then that Viviana finally got a good look at Clarissa, and her older age was surprising. She assumed the woman would be younger, but the lines on her smiling face and the grey in her hair said differently. Keeping her eyes drawn to the floor and avoiding direct contact, her hands were clasped to her front. The maid all but melted into the wall, seemingly wanting to be out of sight.
    A jogging Rocco entered the kitchen without hesitating to pass Clarissa by. She didn’t reach out to touch him, and he didn’t stop to acknowledge her presence, either. With a quick snap of two fingers, Anton spoke a low command and rose a palm to the air. Rocco sat, head cocked to the side and big brown eyes looking up, waiting.
    He was gorgeous with his short coat, the tan, brown, and black markings brushed and cleaned. With high pointed ears, his body sitting with a disciplined straightness, and a tail