Free Operation Heartbreaker by Christine Thomas Page A

near his father. Sergej had plans for his son, he was supposed to go into politics. He was dreaming of a new Ukraine, including Crimea and the rest the Russian stole, with his son at the top. And that’s why he needed money–lots of it. It didn’t matter where it came from. In order to win he needed a fucking fortune.
    “Danilo!” Viktor pressed between his clenched teeth when his head of security finally picked up the phone. “Get your ass into my office. And pick up the goddamn radio scanner!”
    Instead of finishing the conversation, he threw the phone at the wood-paneled wall, where it smashed into pieces. Goddamn spies! Grinding his teeth, he paced his work space. They scanned the house twice a week for bugs, but those cunning bastards changed their frequencies on a daily basis, causing Sergej and his men to constantly lag behind. Technically Enzo was perfectly up-to-date, which couldn’t be said of Viktor’s father. He wasn’t a planner like Enzo. He was a moody leader, made impromptu decisions, only to reverse them the next moment. Whoever was dumb enough to follow the first order was punished, as if it was their fault their boss couldn’t warm up to a strategy. Working with Sergej was a constant challenge, but for his enemies it was even harder. Due to his volatility he was impossible to gage. But that’s the only advantage that came with Sergej’s mood swings.
    Maybe it was good Viktor was looking after the business for a while. Too much had accumulated, the frustration of his men lingered in the air like smoke. The security leak didn’t surprise him at all. It was probably one of their own people selling his father to the highest bidder. How much was Enzo offering for a well-placed wire in his office?
    Sighing, he dropped into his office chair, grabbed Ally’s file and went through it. He didn’t have to read it, he’d done so a hundred times already. She was odd. Completely different from the girls he usually dealt with. Though girl didn’t quite fit. There was nothing girlish about his last bed warmer, especially not what Ally was exuding. Purity.
    Viktor was neither into innocence nor school girls. But this gal had something fascinating. Strange. She looked rather average. Straight, dark hair, eyes that sometimes shimmered gray, then again blue or green. She was slim. Perhaps a bit too slim for his taste. Not like Twiggy, but not exactly curvy either. And still. He took her photo and contemplatively caressed her cheek with his thumb.
    There was something about her that drew his attention. Her eyes were peculiar, it almost seemed as if they were constantly changing color. Aside from that she had flawless skin, without any makeup. She was obviously not using any, not even mascara. She didn’t have to. Her eyelashes were long and thick. While studying her picture, he noticed it was not her appearance that made him curious, but her expression.
    There was something in her gaze that reminded him of himself, an undefined longing. In the photograph stapled to her file she exuded a sadness that touched him. As if she knew that there was something she’d never have.
    He picked up a second image, a snapshot. She’d tilted her head, looking at one of her friends. A huge strength was buried in that look.
    He noticed her uneven bangs. Generally, her hair looked as if she had cut it herself despite being able to afforded a star coiffeur. He interpreted her carelessness as a contempt for the world in general or maybe for a specific person in particular. Who was that person she directed her rebelliousness at? Was it her only way to show resistance?
    The fact that he couldn’t answer those questions rankled him, which was surprising. Normally, his thoughts were turning around business, security leaks or an upcoming event.
    He slowly went through the rest of the pictures. Ally at school, at her training, jogging. No wonder she looked like a rail. In one of the photos she was laughing about something outside the