Fixing Broken Hearts Read online

  His head tilted slightly as he replied, “Near Moscow.”

  “I’m coming back after, right?”

  Her answer was a sexy smile that had her totally panicking. No way did she want to get stuck in Moscow. Her mind reeled with questions. Wasn’t that the place where summer lasted about a month and winter was like a mini ice age?

  The next thing she knew, his arm tightened once again around her slim waist and he was pulling her up through the skylight. Suddenly, something got caught on the metal framing. She could hear Viktor curse under his breath. She realized he had shorted himself on space to get her through without injury.

  She mumbled, “God, what am I going to do with you?”

  As soon as they got into the back of his van she moved towards him and began pulling on his clothing. His men all immediately drew weapons.

  Cassandra burst out laughing. “You might want to mention to your men that when a woman jumps on you and begins removing your clothing…well, that means something a little different in America than it apparently does in Russia.”

  His men burst out laughing. The little girl ran over to her and began trying to climb into Viktor’s lap.

  Cassandra gently held her back and said in broken Russian, “Papa hurt, you help doctor fix.”

  ***

  ~ Viktor ~

  Viktorija nodded, looking wide eyed. Viktor watched Cassandra grab her medical bag and pop it open. The little one began to pull out medical supplies at random, as Cassandra held a compression tightly over his wound. Unnoticed, the child threw the planner down on the seat near his leg. He snagged it and shoved it inside his jacket, earning him a strange look from Demetrius.

  His side stung like fire and there was blood everywhere. This was the kind of thing Viktor hoped his daughter would never see. Somehow, Cassandra was calm and reasonable, instead of acting hysterical like most women did in such situations. They got his shirt and undershirt off. There was a nasty gash visible on the left side of his lower rib cage.

  Cassandra murmured, “It isn’t too deep, but to heal properly and leave a minimal scar, it’ll need a few stitches.”

  Rummaging in her bag, she found a suture kit. She snapped gloves on herself and the child, then tore the kit open. She lifted out the needle, clamped hemostats around it, and handed it to the little one to hold. She gave him a shot to numb the area, and then trimmed the jagged flesh away. Funny, he thought it would hurt more.

  Viktorija seemed intrigued when Cassandra smiled at her and held out her hand for the needle. The child handed her the needed hemostat, handle first. Cassandra praised her. “Good job. You would make a great doctor.”

  Viktor translated her words because she spoke English this time instead of her rudimentary Russian. His daughter’s face lit up and she beamed as she watched Cassandra stitch up the wound.

  Cassandra said, “Ask her if she wants to cut the thread.”

  Viktor was stunned, but did as she requested. The child immediately picked up a pair of scissors, and neatly clipped the thread where Cassandra pointed. Everyone clapped.

  Cassandra smiled and rolled her eyes at Viktor, who immediately leaned over and kissed them both on the cheek. Two hands, a small one and a larger one, both came out and pressed him back for bandaging. Cassandra put a large waterproof bandage over the area. The little girl stood tearing off short lengths of tape, and Cassandra tapped the bandage down.

  Cassandra gathered up the trash, put it in a little bag, and quipped, “This is where the applause should have come in, in case you’re wondering.”

  Viktor’s voice was genuinely impressed. “That was kind of amazing.”

  One corner of her mouth turned up. “I’m a heart surgeon. This was one step away from Neosporin and a band-aid.”

  He laughed softly, and pulled her over beside him.

  She tugged the child onto her lap.

  “Thank you for coming with me to monitor my daughter.”

  “You’re very welcome. Once we’re in the air, we’ll need to contact my family or they’ll have kittens.”

  He must have looked confused because she quickly explained. “That means they will freak out.”

  “You are with me. They will not freak out if they know you are safe. I would never allow anything happen to you, Cassandra.”

  “We had an agreement that you were not going to say my name, didn’t we?”

  He smiled and gazed nervously around. He felt admired by the feisty doctor. His heart sped up. Cassandra was attractive, interesting, and had a wonderful sense of humor. Some lucky guy was going to hit the jackpot with her. Why not him? Her brother had practically given her to him, after all.

  Chapter 9

  My Body My Choice

  ~ Cassandra ~

  They were boarding his private plane within the hour. Cassandra immediately asked for his laptop and Skyped with her father. Her entire family immediately crowded around the computer monitor.

  Her father was cursing, his voice was gruff and angry. “Are you okay? My men found blood on the skylight frame. We have not had time to get it analyzed.”

  She held up one hand. “I’m perfectly fine and so is my little patient. The person who took me through the skylight was trying to ensure adequate space to get me through safely, and I’m afraid shorted himself on space.”

  Her father seemed perfectly fine with that piece of information. “I will speak with your abductor. I want to know what his demands are for your safe return.”

  Viktor leaned over and began cursing in Russian, but Cassandra planted one hand firmly on his chest and pressed him back.

  “Don’t tear out those sutures, or the next time I’m sticking it closed with bubble gum.”

  She glanced back at the screen. “Sorry to disappoint you, Father, but I wasn’t abducted, and there are no demands. Unfortunately, I never quite hold up my end of the family reputation for causing drama. Viktor came for his daughter, and I decided to go along. I want to monitor the child for at least another week.”

  Her father was not buying it. “Cassie, visitors use the damn door. Only abductors use skylights.”

  She sighed and replied wearily, “It’s been a really long day, so let’s keep it real. Do you actually expect a Russian mobster to fly several thousand miles to rescue his abandoned daughter from an Italian mobster with twenty armed men guarding the house and use the front door?”

  The old man’s voice was embarrassed and tinged with frustration. “Cassie, remember what we discussed about security?”

  She shot Victor an amused glance. “Sorry, Victor, I wasn’t supposed to tell you how many guns were in play.”

  He smiled back at her. “I heard nothing, moy kotenok.”

  Her father’s gravelly voice broke through the moment. “He’d better keep his damn hands off you, that’s all I have to say. I am sending you a private security detail.”

  She asked quietly, “What was the one and only thing in this world you ever promised me?”

  He grunted. “I don’t make promises. In my line of work, I never know if I can keep them. You know that.”

  She prompted him gently, “You did make me one promise. I want you to say it now, in front of everyone listening, so there are no misunderstandings.”

  He said nothing for a long moment, then whispered, “Your body, your decision. I never meant that to include a Russian mobster!”

  “I’m sorry, but I mean to hold you to your one and only promise. I get to choose my own men. I can date one or many, and marry or not marry. You promised me complete autonomy in that regard, therefore, I will stay with Viktor for just as long as I want. I may stay for a few days, a couple of weeks, maybe months, or even years. I may even decide he is my happily ever after and stay with him for my long life. You will not send anyone. This was your promise to me.”

  She sighed. “Victor’s no more trusting than you. He’ll probably just kill anyone you send. You can hardly blame him, you would do the same if the tables were reversed. If you can’
t trust him, then at least trust me to know what I want for myself. If things get bad for me, I’ll give you a jingle. If I call, you can send a hundred armed men if you like. Until that day, I expect you to respect my right to choose and give me privacy.”

  Her father walked off cursing. Her mother threw her an exasperated look. The woman shoved her hand through the halo of dark hair around her head and sighed. Instead of a rebuke, she said, “Be sure to get some antibiotics in him and monitor for internal bleeding. He might have nicked an artery.”

  “Don’t treat me like a first-year med student, Mother.”

  A soft smile slid onto the woman’s face. Cassie couldn’t help but return it.

  Once everyone had cleared out of the room, Tony sat down at the computer, arching his fingers into each other.

  Cassandra smothered her amusement. “You have no idea what a super villain you look like with all that dark hair gelled back. You’re even sitting in the traditional evil villain pose. If you rub your hands together and plot to take over the world, it’ll make the image complete. Any Hollywood executive that could see you right now would definitely offer you a movie deal.”

  Tony burst out laughing, as did everyone who spoke English within earshot.

  Viktor turned the computer slightly to see Tony. “Hello, my friend.”

  “Nice to see you again, Viktor. Thanks for dropping in.”

  “Thanks for inviting me,” Viktor responded sincerely.

  Tony asked, “Would you like a progress report on finding your ex-wife? We received some intel that she ended up hooking up with some businessman from the middle east.”

  “I have my men working on it as well. Link with Timur, so you are not working at odds with each other. If you do find her, I will take her off your hands.”

  Tony said, “Roger that. Enjoy the booty.” Then the screen went blank.

  Viktor saw Cassandra flinch at her brother’s words.

  Chapter 10

  Holding Back the Darkness

  ~ Viktor ~

  Viktor’s curiosity got the better of him. “So you are thinking of staying with me, then?”

  She bristled at his question. “I absolutely am not planning to stay with you any more than you’re planning to continue video chatting with me. It’s just what I have to say to my ruthless father for him to give me a week of vacation without an armed escort…or sending a sniper to kill you.”

  She gathered her stuff up and began walking over to where the child was sitting. Viktor grabbed her by the arm. “Hey, I want to talk to you.” The both looked down at his huge pale fist gripping her delicate dark wrist. The contrast was shocking and arousing.

  She pulled her hand away. “Look, I’m a cardiologist. I fix broken hearts. Unless your heart needs work, we don’t have a lot to talk about.”

  Walking to the other side of the plane, she sat with his little daughter. The beautiful doctor’s metaphor was not lost on him. He felt she was communicating that she was interested in love, not sex. He would have to thank Tony for his cavalier comment. Thanks to that, she now seemed convinced that he was just interested in bedding her.

  The other men in his crew, were polite enough not to seem overly interested in his personal business. His uncle stared curiously at him and occasionally raised an eyebrow to let him know he was blowing it.

  Viktor watched her pull at her dull grey oversized sweat suit. Even her unattractive clothing and bed hair could not hide her beauty. He enjoyed watching her interaction with his daughter. It had not escaped his notice that they had an easygoing relationship. The little one pointed out cloud formations and they giggled together. He wondered if Cassandra realized they were going to be flying about four hours from Aspen to New York, and another eleven hours or so from New York to Moscow. That wasn’t even counting refueling stops. It was going to be a long trip back to Russia.

  He asked his flight attendant to make her aware of where the shower was and to get her clean clothing. He typically kept his chest full of clothing for himself, his daughter, and the occasional female who traveled with him. They immediately took the child back, groomed her, and put clean clothing on her. Viktor gave them a bit and then went to the doorway to check on them. He saw them sitting on the bed. Cassandra appeared to be brushing Viktorija’s hair dry. His daughter began speaking to her in Russian.

  The flight attendant immediately translated. “Viktorija says that as soon as you get home, she wants you and Viktor to take her to the park, to get pizza, and to buy toys. She wants a fun day out with the two of you.”

  Cassandra turned the little girl around to speak to her directly. “Translate what I say.” The woman finished pulling out clothing, and came to stand behind them.

  “Viktorija, I know you have missed your father, and you would like to spend some time with him. He loves you more than anything in the world, and I know he wants to spend the whole day with you. However, your father is a very important business man. Many people rely upon him to keep his businesses running smoothly. If he neglects his business, bad things happen. He’ll need a few days to work first. Maybe in the meantime, you could show me around your house, show me your favorite toys, and we could go to the park together. How does that sound?”

  The little girl kneeled on the bed, hugged her, and mumbled something. Cassandra caught most of it, but the flight attendant translated anyway. “She said that would be fantastic.”

  Viktor strolled back out to his seat, confident in the fact that Cassandra understood more about his world than he ever suspected.

  Viktorija came out into the main compartment as Cassandra shouted, “No running,” from the doorway. She caught Viktor’s eye, and nodded toward the child. Viktor smiled. He liked that she was keeping his daughter safe by not allowing her to run until her stitches were out. He also appreciated that she handed the caregiving to him. He liked clear communication, particularly where his family was concerned.

  “You are a nosey man. I never would have taken you for a male that peeked in when women were dressing. Did you see anything you haven’t seen before?”

  Grinning up at his uncle’s teasing, Viktor told him what he’d witnessed.

  The man stroked his chin. “Your new female is very perceptive. I think growing up around mobsters is helping her understand your needs. She knows that anytime a boss is away, there will be a certain amount of dissention in the ranks. Once you get back, you will need a little time to ensure everyone knows you are strong and still in play. She is smart, this one, and I like that she is explaining things to your daughter that help her understand how important your work is. It is a little shocking for an American to possess such intimate knowledge about our lives.”

  When she came out of the back compartment, all the men stopped talking. Much to his annoyance, Viktor realized everyone was staring at her. She was stunning with her delicate shoulders showing and her big brown eyes looking taken aback. She was like a scared little rabbit. Pulling gently at the cascade of dark hair flowing over one shoulder, she stole his breath away.

  That others saw her feminine beauty annoyed him greatly. For one brief moment a wave of possessiveness came up out of nowhere. He entertained the idea of tearing every man’s eyes out of their sockets so they could no longer look upon what was his. Then he remembered she wasn’t his and he wasn’t a total caveman.

  She frowned and sat down with the little one again. This time she seemed self-conscious.

  Viktorija touched her shoulder and said, “She’s a princess, like me.”

  Several of the men smiled and Viktor couldn’t help the appreciative laugh that escaped his lips. A soft pink blush began crawling up her neck and onto her face, causing her coffee-colored skin to take on a slightly darker hue. Viktor found her embarrassment charming.

  She quickly grabbed a magazine and began reading. Viktor walked over and sat beside her. She glanced nervously up at him.

  ***

  ~ Cassandra ~

  Cassandra had to admit his expression seem
ed very admiring. She glanced around the room and saw it reflected on most of the faces. She drew her brows together. She had no idea what was going on here. Maybe doctors were in high demand in Russia.

  Viktor’s voice was soft and gentle. “I don’t think any of us expected a doctor to be quite so beautiful. My daughter likes your pretty, flawless skin and thinks you are a princess.”

  She smothered a laugh. “I’ll be sure to share my tight skin care regimen with her. Good skin is all just cause and effect. I do have a crown locked away. It was the first expensive gift my stepfather ever bought me. He bought my twin sister and me matching tiaras because he said we were beautiful like our mother.”

  Viktor leaned closer. “I find you quite beautiful as well, moy kotenok.”

  She quipped, “Either you don’t have vision care in Russia, or you’re fond of exaggerations. So, Mr. Balakovich, which is it?”

  “When did we begin using last names? I thought we were past that.”

  “Just how friendly do you expect to get with your daughter’s physician?”

  He ignored her rather superfluous question. “Thank you for talking to my daughter about the fact that I won’t be around much over the next week or so. It was courteous of you to explain that to her in such a respectful manner and in a way she can understand. I am always concerned she will interpret my absence to mean I don’t care for her.”

  She didn’t look up from her magazine as she responded. “My family has a term for that…it’s called ‘reasserting your dominance.’ I’m given to understand it’s kind of standard operating procedure in the business.”

  “Most women are not very understanding of such things, but for you it seems like no big deal.”

  She smiled slightly as she continued to read. He was hard to ignore but she was intent on setting clear boundaries. She forced her voice to remain casual. “I don’t know about you, but when my father is not available to keep a steady hand on the helm, bad things happen.”