The Runaway & The Russian (The Runaway Trilogy Book 1)

by Helen Bright

  They told me they had been together as a couple for the last four years—eight weeks after Nate had come to work for Kolya. Kevin had already been running Kolya’s technical security for a year before that. I loved the fact that no one judged them about being gay, but Nate said that hadn’t always been the case. One of Kolya’s guards had been so outraged that he had attacked Kevin one evening. Although Kevin was quite capable of defending himself, the other guy had caught him by surprise, and as his head hit the floor he’d been knocked unconscious. Nate said if it hadn’t been for Franco stumbling upon the attack, Kevin would have ended up with a much longer hospital stay than he had.

  Franco had beat the other guy bloody, and when Kolya found out what the homophobic prick had done, he terminated his employment with immediate effect.

  Nate said he’d known Franco for many years, having served in the Marines with him before they both came to work for Kolya. But since the night he’d saved Kevin, he’d become like a brother, as well as one of the best friends he’d ever had.

  All this had made me see Franco in a different light. From the few times I’d been in his presence, I hadn’t really known what to make of him. There was something in his big brown eyes that let you know he’d seen enough bad things in this world to make him indifferent to it. But that didn’t seem to be the case with him. Franco cared about his friends and the things he believed in. Although he seemed to be a man of few words, when he did decide to speak, his words were always effective.

  Every evening he came to check I’d done the exercises that the physiotherapist had given me, even though they seemed pretty pointless. He even gave me a few extra to do—which I protested at. But he goaded me into doing them after insinuating that I was getting too used to being a pampered female.

  After I’d finished he’d taken off his T-shirt to reveal a scar from a bullet wound in the exact same place as mine. I’d been dumbstruck. Without thinking, I reached out and touched it, tracing the outside of the distorted circular scar with my index finger. He’d hitched in a breath and for a moment I thought I’d hurt him. I apologised profusely, and pulled my hand away. But he’d grabbed my wrist and brought my fingers back to the puckered skin, telling me as he did so that mine would look much better when it healed, and that I shouldn’t be afraid of an external scar anyway, as I couldn’t do anything about it now. He said the wound you couldn’t see was another matter altogether, and I could certainly do something to aid that. So he told me to get my shit together and push through my strengthening exercises then go see George or Devina. When I opened my mouth to protest, he held up his hand and told me he didn’t want to hear what he called my “whiny-ass excuses.” Then he turned and walked away before I could toss back a reply, slipping his T-shirt on as he went. But not before I’d seen the back of his shoulder and the scar left behind from the bullet’s exit wound.

  22

  Kolya

  The exuberant atmosphere in my home today had reached all my staff. Even the little dog, Bess, seemed more excitable than usual.

  Nan had been planning for James’s arrival for the last two weeks, and currently, the majority of my home was covered in both welcome home and happy birthday banners. Tess had joined her in the kitchen many times over the last few days, baking my son’s favourite party foods. James turned twenty years old today, but Nan still thought of him as the child she took care of for so many years.

  I missed him every single day, and so often wished I’d dug my heels in and insisted he study here in the UK. My father wanted him to study in Moscow, but that could never happen. It was hard enough to secure his safety here and in the US. I doubt Russia would ever be a safe haven for my only son and heir.

  Today will be the first time James has met Tess face-to-face. He insisted on speaking to her during our video call when I first brought her home, wanting to meet the person that saved my life—to thank her himself for doing so. At first she seemed uncomfortable, which probably wasn’t helped by the fact that James couldn’t stop calling her his hero. But over the last few weeks they seemed to have built up a friendship, of sorts. James tells her all about his studies: how living in the States compares with living in the UK, and Tess lets him know all that’s going on around here. Brad—James’s best friend and housemate—usually joins in on their video calls, and I’ve often heard both Tess and Nan laughing over his antics. Brad will be joining him on this trip. His father manages KOLCAT Engineering in the US, and both James and Brad will be working alongside him as soon as they complete their studies.

  My staff will also be celebrating the return of James’s guards, Carl and Tanner. James has a security team of five, who rotate guarding him in shifts.

  Carl and Tanner—both former marines—came to work for me when James was fourteen, and have been part of his close protection team ever since. I trust them implicitly with my son’s safety, but I was looking forward to speaking with them in person regarding how we should progress with James’s security, now that he’s socialising more. I couldn’t help worrying about him going to wild parties—just as I did when I was his age.

  My father, my business, and James’s own personal worth due to my father-in-law’s legacy, could make my son a target.

  I often thought how it would be if we were a normal family, without everything that compromised our safety. But Jonesy told me that I would have worries just the same, like paying for James’s university tuition, him learning to drive then buying a car, who he was hanging around with, or him getting a girl pregnant.

  Better any of those than the threat of him being kidnapped and held for ransom.

  Hearing a squeal of laughter, I looked out the window of my study over to the basketball court, to find Tess sat on Ivan’s shoulders, trying to secure a happy birthday banner to the board behind the hoop.

  Opening the window, I called out for Tess to get down. She couldn’t hear me over the music system Franco was testing out. Leaving the study, I ran into Nan. She was holding a tray of sandwiches in one hand and a jug of lemonade in the other.

  “Oh, there you are, Kolya. Do me a favour and take these outside. We need to keep Ivan full and away from the food in here.”

  “Have you seen what he and Tess are doing?” I asked, ignoring her request.

  “Yes. They’re fixing banners to the backboards of the basketball hoops. I know you’ll all end up on the court at some point, so I thought it would be a nice surprise.”

  “But she’s sat on his shoulders, Nan. If she falls from that height, God only knows what could happen to her. It was only last week that the physiotherapist stopped coming. She shouldn’t be taking risks like this.”

  I turned to leave again but Nan’s words stopped me in my tracks.

  “Kolya, she’s not Catherine. Tess isn’t going to chase the rush like Catherine did. She isn’t like that. Tess is cautious, steady, happy with the life she’s living now. Catherine lived a different life before she met you. She wasn’t used to hearing no. From what she told me, her father gave in to her every whim. By her own admission, Catherine lived life to the extreme when she was single. Bungee jumping off bridges in five different countries, deep sea diving around sharks with just a cage for protection, riding her horse without proper headgear. She needed the thrill—a boundary to push against. She had a live for today attitude, despite knowing she had to be there for her husband and son. Tess is different. She likes to know that her tomorrows aren’t numbered. She loves it here with the family she’s become part of and the safety she feels. Don’t put limits on her happy times just because you feel anxious.”

  “But Ivan is so tall! He should know better than to—”

  “Kolya, do you really think that Ivan would risk something that would put her in danger? He adores Tess. We all do. She’s brought a breath of fresh air to this family. She’s like the daughter I never had. Hearing her laugh, seeing her smile…it warms my heart. Let’s enjoy that, Kolya. It’s been a long time coming.”

  Nan handed me the sandw
iches and lemonade before grabbing some glasses and ushering me outside.

  * * *

  “Kolya,” Tess yelled when she spotted me. I placed the sandwiches and lemonade on the table and walked over to the basketball court. After Tess had secured the last banner, Ivan lowered to his knees, allowing me to safely remove her from his shoulders. I held her in my arms for a moment, enjoying the innocence and beauty of her smiling face.

  “You’ve caught the sun, my darling. I see more of those pretty freckles appearing across your nose,” I told her, peppering tiny kisses across it as she groaned.

  “I’m wearing SPF fifty, and I’ve been out here less than twenty minutes. If I was covered in a sheet I’d still come out in bloody freckles.”

  Tess huffed out a heavy sigh which lifted copper-coloured curls away from her eyes. Her growing number of freckles were something she detested, yet I found adorable.

  Her natural beauty captivated me. More so every day. It seemed as though in the ten weeks I’d known her, she’d changed from a girl to a woman. Tess had put on weight she so desperately needed, gaining curves that I shouldn’t have noticed, yet couldn’t stop thinking about. She gained strength and muscle tone with the swimming and workouts she did with Jonesy and Franco almost every day. No longer did I call her malyutka, or little one. The endearment didn’t fit her anymore.

  Tess had grown into a strong, confident young woman, ready to take on the world. But I worried that wouldn’t last once the letter and recording from Farid Ali was in the hands of the police.

  I’d met with all my security team two weeks ago, and had decided to send in the evidence within two days of that meeting. Then James had informed me he would be through with classes early, so could come home for his birthday. I didn’t want Tess’s first meeting with my son to be shrouded with worry and sadness, but when she learned the circumstances behind the death of her friend, I knew she’d be utterly distraught.

  Tess knew we had apprehended Farid Ali at my hotel, but I’d told her we’d left him in the hands of the police. She knew he’d been reported missing, though she assumed he’d gone into hiding. I knew I risked losing her trust when I had to explain the truth to her, but I did not regret my actions. The man deserved to die; there will never be any doubt of that in my mind. The question is, will Tess keep that secret and remain here with me?

  23

  Tess

  James and Brad are a laugh a minute. Both were getting a bit drunk at James’s birthday party, although they blamed jet lag and not the alcohol they were consuming.

  Kolya looked so happy to have James home, and the party seemed like it would continue well into the night.

  James invited me to join him in the video call he was making to his grandfather. I’d seen photographs of a much younger Roman Barinov, but to see him on the screen in the same room as Kolya and James, was really something else.

  The younger Barinov men were more or less the image of Roman, albeit without the grey hair and lines around their eyes. But he’d definitely aged well, and looked much younger than his sixty-eight years. He smiled warmly when James introduced me, then told me in English that he’d been waiting to speak to me so he could thank me for saving his son. He said he was forever in my debt, and would grant me anything I wished. I told him that wasn’t necessary, as Kolya was making sure I had everything I could ever need. But then he said the strangest thing. Turning to Kolya, he told him that he should keep me within the family. That I would be a good wife who could bear him another child.

  Kolya admonished Roman, reminding him of my age, to which he shrugged as if it meant nothing. Then turning to James, he asked if he would like to wed me. James laughed it off, protesting that we’d only just met and were way too young to settle down—to which Roman replied, “Age is just a number, James, and when you find a woman who is meant for our way of life, you give her our name and you never let her go.” He then pointed at me, saying, “You, my dear, will bear the name Barinova. Of this I am sure.”

  Kolya led me from the room after the video call had ended, apologising for his father’s words. Strangely enough, what Roman said hadn’t upset me, though Kolya’s instant dismissal of me due to my age had left me feeling a little deflated. So I excused myself for an hour and paid Danny and Bess a visit. A fuss from that sweet little dog and a hug from Danny never failed to lift my spirits.

  What I wanted to do after that was disappear to my room and lose myself in one of the many romance books I’d downloaded on my Kindle. One where the hero charges after the woman he loves and tells her she’s his, then makes love to her all night long. God—if I had a pound for every time I’d imagined Kolya doing that to me over the last month or so, I’d be rolling in money. I know that realistically he’s right; I am so much younger than him, and my lack of experience would most likely bore him. Plus, I’ve seen photos of his late wife, and there’s no way I could compare to her.

  She was stunning. Tall with long, pale blonde hair, pretty blue eyes and beautiful skin that seemed to glow from within. The complete opposite of me: short and freckle faced with mad, curly, copper-coloured hair, and dark amber eyes that looked like they belonged more on a wolf than a human.

  At first I thought I was falling for Kolya because of the situation we found ourselves in: me saving his life then him taking care of me. But over the last few weeks I’ve come to really enjoy his company, and the way he shows his affection.

  If we are going for a walk around the grounds he often holds my hand. He always hugs me when he comes back home from business meetings and, well…actually, he hugs me a lot. But then again, so do Nan and Nate. Ivan, too.

  I’d never invited hugs or any kind of physical affection before. Not even from my mum, or Jean. Sarah hugged me, and I was okay with that. But receiving hugs from Kolya and his staff seemed so natural, now.

  Kolya also likes to give me little butterfly kisses on my cheek or my forehead, and strangely enough, my fingers. I’ve often wondered what he’d do if, when he was kissing my cheek, I turned my face so my lips met his. I’ve imagined how they would feel against my own and if…

  No! I have to stop torturing myself, because that’s exactly how it feels to know that what you want more than anything will never happen.

  If I did turn my face so our lips could meet, my life here would change. He may want me to leave, and that was something I’d never want to happen. I felt like I’d become part of a family here, with Kolya, Nan, and these tough yet sweet men. I would miss them so much. Even Franco and his slave-driving workouts that I bitch about. I know he does it for my own good, and I’ve seen the way he looks at me when I’ve hit one of his targets. Like he’s proud of me and how far I’ve come after being shot. He’s easy on the eyes, too, and if I wasn’t already head over heels for Kolya, I could really crush on him.

  “Hey, Tess, where are you?” I heard Brad yell, bringing me out of my thoughts about my life here and the people in it. He was in the kitchen, eating some of the delicious birthday cake that Nan made for James.

  “I can’t believe you’re still hungry,” I told him as he grabbed another slice. I swear today I’d seen him eat as much as Ivan. Both Brad and James were around six foot in height and quite muscular—in an athletic sort of way.

  “What? I’m a growing boy. Well, that’s what Nan says, so I’m going with that. Where’ve you been, anyway? James and Kolya are video calling his godfather. We thought he was flying in tomorrow, but he says he has a business emergency and can’t leave Greece until it’s resolved. I think me and James are spending a few days with him before we fly home. Have you ever been to his island, Tess?”

  “No, I’ve not. I haven’t been able to get a passport yet.”

  I’d spoken to Yannis Markos three times when he’d video called Kolya. He’s one of Kolya’s best friends, and it was his guards that should have been protecting him and Kolya the day I was shot.

  Yannis had just gone through what seemed like a complicated and messy divorce. Kolya s
aid it was the third time Yannis had been married, so he should have known how to make it work by now. Though he did tell me that his first wife left him for his father. Some screwed-up family values there for sure. He didn’t actually get a chance to divorce that wife. Both she and his father died after there was a freak explosion on their yacht. A tragic experience all round for Yannis.

  Kolya said it changed him and his attitude towards women after that, and he’d since married two complete divas who were nothing but gold diggers. Luckily, being the only son of a Greek shipping tycoon, he was able to pay them off and be done with them. Though I can’t imagine how easy it would be to do so. I mean, surely he would have loved them once or he wouldn’t have married them? Kolya said that many people married for reasons other than love. I couldn’t do that. Love would be the only reason I would marry someone.

  “Kolya has two private jets and two helicopters. I’m sure he could sneak you out of the country somehow, Tess. You could come to Greece with us. Or, if you do want to wait for your passport, come back to the US with us when we leave. You’d have to get a visa but—”

  “I can’t, Brad. Not until I’m eighteen. I’m a ward of the court, which means the state makes all my legal decisions. I’m not allowed to apply for a passport in my own right until I’m eighteen, and who knows where I’ll be then. I don’t have a job or money of my own, and I don’t know how long Kolya will want me here,” I told him.