“Here.” She handed it over to him. “There are a couple of other things I’ll need but you can only get them at the salon I use. I hoped I might be able to run over there on Monday.”
“We’ll make it work.” Kelly didn’t want her to feel like a prisoner in the penthouse. “When was the last time you fired a weapon?”
Her gaze flicked to a spot just beside him as she rolled back through her memories. “The weekend we buried Mom. Jeb took me out to a range, and we went through dozens of boxes of ammunition. It actually felt kind of good to blow holes in targets.”
He could empathize with that feeling. “Tomorrow, we’re going to take you down to the range and get you comfortable with loading, clearing jams, and firing. I’m also going to talk to Jack about getting you into some self-defense classes. Have you ever taken one?”
She seemed a bit dazed by his plan. “No. Well—they have these, like, two hour courses on campus every semester. I went to one my freshman year. We learned a lot of useful stuff, but it was very basic.”
“I can show you some moves, sweetheart,” Sully offered with a sly smile. “I’m a master when it comes to hands-on training.”
Kelly had never wanted to wring a man’s neck more. He started to question his ability to work in close-quarters with Sully but Bee simply rolled her eyes. “I could have sworn Mr. Stepanov assured me that you men had all undergone sexual harassment training. Maybe you need to sit through another course?”
Sully’s playful grin melted. Kelly could tell that Bee was joking but the other man didn’t know her well. “No, ma’am.”
“Mmmhmm,” she murmured. She motioned to Winn who had remained stoic and silent, his usual operating style. “This one I really like. Would you mind being the guard who accompanies me to work and meetings? I think I’ll actually be able to get work done with you. That one?” She gestured to Sully. “I have a feeling he’d be chasing skirts up and down the office floor.”
Winn actually allowed the barest hint of a smile to crack his stony façade. “Yes, ma’am. I would be more than happy to escort you to business meetings.”
“Fantastic.”
Glad to see that Bee could handle these two, especially Sully and his smart mouth, Kelly relaxed some. “I’m going to head out and take care of your shopping. If you need anything, text me.”
Bee shadowed him to the front door. She started to step close to him, but a glance over her shoulder stopped her. He grasped her hand and tugged her forward. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is this okay?”
He trailed his finger down her cheek. Since giving himself permission to touch her, he couldn’t get enough of her silky skin. “You tell me, sugar.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief. “It’s perfectly fine with me. In fact, please, continue.” She gestured behind them with her head. “I meant Sully and Winn. Is it going to be a problem?”
“No. They understand the dynamics of the situation.”
“Okay.” She drew a shape on his forearm. “Will you be gone long?”
He understood what she was asking. “I have to make a couple of stops.”
“You’ll be safe?”
“I can handle myself.” Unable to help himself, Kelly leaned down and pecked her cheek. “Do exactly what they tell you.” Thinking of Sully’s outrageous flirtation, he hastily amended, “Do whatever Winn tells you. You can use your best judgment with Sully.”
She snorted and whacked his arm. “You seem to forget that my big brother was a Marine. I’ve got this.”
Convinced that she did, he reluctantly left the penthouse and took the private elevator down to the parking garage. He sat in the blasting A/C for a few minutes while he tried to decide where to go first. The business card with Alexei’s name on it was burning a hole in his pocket. He figured that getting his training situation squared away was more important than seeking out the Albanian mob boss who held his father’s loan.
He tapped the address into the GPS and left the parking garage. The drive took him to one of the mega luxury car dealerships along I-45. Sitting in the parking lot there, he thought he must have been in the wrong place. He whipped out his phone and punched in the name of the dealership.
Skimming the information, he learned Alexei Sarnov owned a string of high-end dealerships around Houston as well as a trucking service. Kelly wasn’t at all surprised about the trucking company part. A man who could have trucks available at a moment’s notice was probably very useful to someone like Nikolai. Even the men who had gone legit seemed to have kept at least one of their fingers submerged in the dirty waters of the underworld.
Sliding out of his truck, Kelly crossed the parking lot. He had barely set a foot upon the sidewalk when a young man in a neatly pressed suit hurried over to greet him. Before the guy got any ideas about making a sale, he explained, “I’m here to see Alexei.”
The younger man looked him up and down with a scrutinizing eye. “You must be the Connolly guy we’re supposed to send to the main office.”
“Yeah. That’s me.”
“Come on.”
Kelly followed the salesman into the sleek building. With all the glass lining the front, he shuddered to imagine what the electricity bills were like to keep this joint so damn cold. It sure felt good to escape the muggy heat, though. Unlike the other prospective buyers who were offered water bottles and snacks and taken to cushy seats before they had their wallets emptied by the credit experts, Kelly was simply led through the sales floor to a set of stairs that led to offices overlooking the bullpen of car salesmen.
The younger guy hesitated, almost as if frightened to disturb his boss. That was enough of a clue for Kelly. His timid knock was answered by an aggressive looking man in his early forties. He wore a crisply tailored suit and stark white shirt. The neck was unbuttoned enough for Kelly to spot the bluish tint of prison tattoos.
Alexei didn’t even look at Kelly as he growled at his employee in Russian. The man paled and nodded and scurried away from the door. Finally deigning to acknowledge Kelly’s presence, Alexei asked, “Did you understand any of that?”
“No. Russian isn’t a language I speak.”
Alexei made a grumbling noise that communicated his distaste before gesturing for him to enter the office. “I told him that if he approaches his sales as weakly as he does his knocks, he’ll be out of a job by the end of the month.”
“I see you’re a fan of positive motivation,” Kelly dryly replied.
Alexei actually laughed. “You might be all right after all, Mr. Connolly.”
“Kelly,” he corrected. “If you’re going to be screaming in my face, we should be on a first name basis.”
Alexei leaned back against his desk. “You realize that training you puts me in an awkward position with my friends, yes?”
“I can imagine.”
“And you also understand that I’m only doing this as a favor to a friend?”
“I do.”
He inhaled a long breath. “Nikolai tells me you’ve fought before and that you have talent. We’re on an incredibly tight schedule here. There’s no time to properly condition you or teach you the finer points of surviving in a cage match.” Alexei tilted his head. “You look like you’re in good shape. Nikolai says you’re a Marine?”
“I’m working in private security now.”
“With Dimitri?”
“Yeah.”
Alexei made that humming sound again as he studied Kelly from head to toe. “I’m going to be upfront with you. I’m not sure anyone can beat Sergei. You look like you might have a good chance, but it will be very close.” As if to encourage Kelly, he added, “I’m reasonably certain he won’t cripple you.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
Alexei shrugged. “I make it a point to tell the truth.”
Kelly motioned to the bullpen behind him. “You own a car dealership.”
With a quirk of a smile, Alexei amended, “Whenever possible.” Stretching out his legs, Alexei said, “We�
��ll have to start tonight if you’re going to be ready. I would have recommended we head to Ivan’s warehouse but…”
“My family owns a gym. Connolly Fitness.”
“Yes, I know it.” Alexei pushed up the cuff of his jacket to see his watch. “Does six work for you?”
He didn’t want to be away from Bee again in the evening but there was nothing else to be done about it. Alexei’s remark about being crippled wasn’t lost on him. Sergei wouldn’t hesitate to put the hurt on him if it meant walking away with the victory. He needed to get into the ring and get working. “Sure.”
“I’ll have a set of instructions for you tonight. We’ll need to watch your diet and your sleep.” His eyes narrowed. “No drugs. No alcohol.”
“Not a problem,” Kelly assured him.
“Try to keep the extra-curricular activities to a minimum.”
Kelly got the message. He wasn’t about to make a promise he couldn’t keep, not with his own personal temptress in such close quarters. “I’ll try.”
“Fair enough.” Alexei shoved off his desk. “I’ll see you this evening.”
“Thank you for helping me.” Kelly extended his hand. “I know you’re sticking your neck out for me.”
Alexei considered his hand for a moment before gripping it tightly. “I’ve been where you are. Family can be…messy.” Still holding Kelly’s hand, he squeezed harder. “But if you even think about taking a dive to play the sharks against each other, Sergei crippling you will be the least of your worries.”
“If I took a dive, I’d deserve it.” Kelly had considered that Besian or Hagen might try to force him to throw one of his tournament rounds to satisfy the debt. It was the one thing he absolutely wouldn’t do.
Alexei seemed satisfied by Kelly’s reply and released his hand. Pivoting on his heel, Kelly left the dealership and drove straight to the social club where Besian liked to hold court. Like Alexei, the Albanian mob boss was expecting him.
“Kelly!” Besian grinned widely from behind his desk.
Not in the mood for chitchat, Kelly asked, “What are your terms?”
“Would it kill you to be friendly?” Kicking back in his chair, Besian tucked his hands behind his head. When it was clear that Kelly wasn’t going to attempt friendly banter, he rolled his eyes and sighed. “If you make it into the final round, I’ll consider seventy percent of the debt cleared. Win it and we’re even.”
“Ninety percent,” Kelly insisted. “You’re asking me to take multiple beatings. I know you’ll have action on my fights. If I make it into the final round, I want ninety percent of the debt cleared.”
“Eighty,” Besian countered.
“Eighty-five,” Kelly replied.
Besian seemed to mull it over and shrugged. “Yeah. Okay. You make into the final round and I’ll wipe eighty-five percent of the debt. I’ll want the remaining fifteen percent within seven days.”
Kelly figured this was the fairest deal they were going to get. “Agreed. I want Pop’s account closed. No more credit with you or your underground casinos, or the bookies.”
“Done.” Besian leaned forward and picked up a pen. “I hear Alexei is going to help you.”
Kelly wondered how these criminal types shared information so quickly. He suddenly wished he had a network like theirs. “He’s agreed to train me for the tournament.”
“Then you should have no problem making it to the final round,” Besian said as he scribbled something on a slip of paper. “The tournament is capped at sixteen men. There will be two fights the first night and two fights the second. We’ll have the bracket out next Wednesday. I can say with some confidence that you won’t be facing off with Sergei that first night.”
Kelly’s jaw tightened. “Is this tournament fixed?”
Besian snorted and tossed down his pen. “You say fixed like it’s a bad thing. No.” He met Kelly’s glare. “The brackets try to match fighters against equal partners. You’re not in Sergei’s league. If you survive the first night, you’ll get your chance with him.” The mobster turned loan shark made a face. “I hope Dimitri’s company provides good health insurance.”
Ignoring the subtle insult, Kelly asked, “Are we finished?”
Besian waved toward the door. “Go.”
He’d just stepped into the hallway when the mobster called out, “If you decide that you want to get a loan on the gym, come back and see me. I’m sure we can work something out to save it from Hagen.”
The reminder of their precarious position with Houston’s most infamous money man hit Kelly like a brick to the face. How they were going to square that one remained a mystery. Placing bets on his fights was one way to make the money, but would it be enough?
Sitting in his truck, Kelly called his eldest brother. He expected to leave a voicemail, but Jack answered after two rings, sounding a bit out of breath. No doubt he’d sprinted to his phone while in the middle of a class or training session. “Well?”
“I met with Besian. He’s agreed to clear eighty-five percent of the debt if I make it to the final round. The tournament is sixteen men. Two fights on Friday and two on Saturday.”
“Jesus, Kelly.” Jack’s anguish came through loud and clear. “That’s a fuck load of punishment, little bro.”
Kelly ran his fingers along the curve of his steering wheel. “I’ve survived worse. You’ve survived worse. Finn has survived worse. It’s two nights and we’re done.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I know you don’t.”
“What are we doing about training?”
“Yeah…about that.”
“What?”
“So Vivian’s husband found out that I was in a bind and he called in a favor for me.”
“Vivian? Wait. The painter who married the Russian mob boss? The guy who owns Samovar?”
“Nikolai,” Kelly supplied his name. “He hooked me up with Alexei—”
“Sarnov?” Jack interrupted. “Alexei Sarnov?”
“Yeah. You know him?”
“I know of him. He’s a damn good fighter. He still does some training down at the Warehouse. You know, Ivan Markovic’s joint.” Jack hesitated. “His help won’t come cheap.”
“I got the feeling his help is free.”
“Shit. That must be one hell of a favor he owes Nikolai.”
“Apparently,” Kelly agreed. “He wants to start training this evening. We’re meeting at six at the gym.”
“I’ll make sure there’s an empty space for the two of you.”
“Thanks. Now—what are we going to do about Hagen?”
“I arranged a meeting for tomorrow afternoon. We’ll feel him out and see what he’s thinking.”
Kelly had a feeling they weren’t going to like what Hagen was thinking.
“How is Bee?”
“She’s safe.”
Jack didn’t ask him to elaborate. “Good. I assume you won’t be home tonight?”
“I’ll run by to grab a bag, but I’m sticking close to her until we get this stalker.”
“Yeah. I bet you’ll be sticking real close to her.”
“Are we going to do the playground taunting now?”
“Let me get Finn. We’ll do a Kelly and Bee K-I-S-S-I-N-G in a tree duet for you.”
Kelly laughed. “I’m hanging up now.”
“Be safe, bro.”
“Always.”
With his personal business in order, Kelly drove to the nearest big box store to pick up everything on Bee’s list. He had never shopped for a woman before, so he was glad she had been specific about the brands she wanted. A couple of times she didn’t note the fragrance she liked, so he had to resort to strange measures to get it right.
Glancing around, he sniffed the soap and antiperspirant until he found the ones that smelled right. He prayed no one would come around the corner. They would probably report him to management for being a soap-sniffing freak.
As he pushed his cart down the aisle of shaving supplies
, Kelly considered what it said about his feelings toward Bee that he had memorized her scent profile. The threat against her had shaken him up enough that abiding by some unspoken rule of friendship no longer seemed important. The twenty years of friendship he’d shared with Jeb had been the greatest of his life. Never again would he have a friend like that.
But right now the possibility of creating something real and intimate and lifelong with Bee hovered just before him. He’d put his life on hold for the last four years—and he was done. It was time to live.
Back at the penthouse, he used the private elevator to access the top floor of Yuri’s skyscraper. He wasn’t surprised to be greeted by Winn the second he stepped off the elevator into the reception hall of the luxurious suite. The highly decorated soldier had obviously seen the security feed of Kelly entering the elevator from the parking lot, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Kelly liked him all the more for it.
“She’s in her room.” Winn held open the door since Kelly’s hands were full. “We ordered a late lunch. There’s a sandwich and salad in the refrigerator for you.”
“Thanks.” He crossed the living area and glanced at Sully who was fiddling with a book of Sudoku puzzles. They nodded at each other before he disappeared out of sight. When he reached the master suite, he knocked twice. “Bee?”
“Yeah?”
Taking her response as permission, he opened the door—and lost his grip on the bags. They tumbled to the floor amid Bee’s gasp of surprise. Unable to stop himself, Kelly raked his needy gaze along her very naked and incredibly nubile form. The dampness of her hair told him she’d just had a shower. The foot propped on the bed and the tiny bottle of complimentary lotion filled in the blanks.
Finally shaking herself from the shock of being discovered in this precarious position, Bee reached for the towel but Kelly stopped her with one gruffly spoken word. “No.”
Closing the door behind him, he pushed aside the bags with the toe of his boot and flipped the lock. Bee slowly lowered her petite leg. She bit her lower lip and eyed him like prey keeping a wary eye on a prowling jungle cat. Not wanting to push her too fast, too soon, he said, “Tell me to leave, Bee.”
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