by Sophia Gray
So far, our arrangement was working quite nicely. Quite nicely, indeed. And I had no reason to think things would start to fail in that department anytime soon, which was all the more satisfying.
But the other issue weighing on me was nearly crippling, and my whistling died on my lips. Vanya Golovkin had already sent a man to spy on me. If he wants to get dirt on me, I better get more dirt on him first. Two can play at this game, and the loser will die. And I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.
Although it was early yet, I called Alec. I would not waste a second figuring out how to set up my revenge.
He answered on the third ring. “What do you need?” he asked.
“For you to come here,” I demanded, and I hung up.
My cook had just finished serving me breakfast when the doorbell rang. I calmly cut into my cinnamon apple pancake and started to enjoy my meal, leaving my butler to handle the door. I was a bundle of nerves, but I would not show fear. I would not even feel fear.
Not even a minute later, Alec entered the room. He eyed the food before staring at me. “What can I help you with?” he asked.
I made a show of deliberately setting down my fork and knife. “I need you to prove yourself,” I said, glaring at him. He might be one of my right hand men, but even Alec had to prove himself to me again since he had disobeyed me recently.
Alec swallowed audibly and nodded. “Anything. I swear I didn’t mean—”
“I want you to spy on Vanya,” I declared. “Find out what his cover is, how long he’s been in town, what exactly he’s up to. Can you do this for me?” I leaned back in my seat, my hands clasped together, thumbs idly twiddling.
“You can trust me.” Alec nodded again, and the scar by his mouth pulled slightly as he smiled. “Believe me.”
“Good. Go.” I wanted to believe him. Now was not the time for distrust.
Alec nodded a third time and left.
As I resumed eating, I tried not to worry. I didn’t need discord in my own ranks, but I could have easily asked Nicolai to handle this for me. I had no possible issues with Nicolai, but Alec had disobeyed a direct order. Loyalty meant a great deal to me, and I needed to have faith in my men. Without faith and loyalty, what remained?
Nothing.
But if Alec could do this for me, if he could handle gaining intel on Golovkin, he would be back in my good graces. And I needed him by my side. I needed to trust him. Taking down Vanya Golovkin would not be easy. Having my revenge would not be easy.
But it would happen, and it would happen soon.
***
A week passed, and finally, Alec messaged me to let me know he had info for me. I was at the gambling ring when I received the notification, and I called him in and told him to meet me at my house. There were too many ears at the ring and the bar, and while I was sure most everyone there was on my side, I didn’t want to risk it. My men were loyal, and I hadn’t seen any newcomers lately, not after the spy Vanya Golovkin had sent there, but money could be a terrible temptress, and it was better to be overly cautious than not. I finished my beer, said my goodbyes to the men there, and left.
Alec beat me home and was waiting for me in the study. Lily was upstairs. Normally I would go up and see her as soon as I returned home, but tonight my attention was needed elsewhere. I would see her later. Just the thought made me grow hard, but the look on Alec’s face had my cock going soft again.
I slammed a fist onto the table. “Well? What did you learn?” I demanded as I sat down.
“He has a new business in town.” Alec had been standing but now he sat too. “Owns it under a different name.”
“What is his business?” I shouldn’t have to ask.
“An auto shop.” Alec laughed, the sound loud and jarring, or maybe my headache was making me anxious. I had been having a lot more headaches lately. For the most part, Lily was able to make them go away, but they were from stress, and my stress level was going to remain high until Golovkin was dead.
I would’ve laughed if things weren’t so dangerous. “Is he embezzling money?” I figured that to be the case. An auto shop wouldn’t be a way to make a lot of money, and money equaled power, and Golovkin was all about seizing power. His killing my family was testimony to that fact.
“Most likely.” Alec tilted his head to the side. “Not that I can prove it without going in deep. Way deep.”
“A cover, too?” I asked.
After my parents died, I went through every bit of their personal belongings. Every file and paper about Vanya Golovkin I had read and reread, so I knew he had a propensity toward buying and selling drugs. Lucrative if you were smart enough to not get too greedy or to get caught.
“You know him. Wouldn’t be surprised.” Alec shrugged. “That’s all I have. Know it’s not much, but I’d have to infiltrate his circle or find an in somewhere to learn more.”
I had figured that would be the case. To go undercover with my main foe… Despite his disobeying me with Lily, Alec had always been there for me, and there was no one else I trusted more to pull off this con. “Go there,” I said, not demanding it, willing to give him an out if he wanted it. “Check it out. Take your car to the shop to have it fixed and look around for anything suspicious. I want solid intel this time.” This information was good, but not good enough. Nothing to help me bring Golovkin down.
“You can count on me.” Alec’s smile disappeared. His face was solemn. He was serious.
“I do.”
He started to stand.
“Thank you,” I added.
“Anything for you.”
My men were loyal, but without a doubt, so would Golovkin’s. If this came to war, the victor might turn out to be the one whose men were the most loyal. My men had, at one time, been my father’s, but now they were mine. When I first set out to reclaim my birthright as the leader of the Kovalsky mob, a number of men came forward without question. The rest I slowly earned their respect despite my age. Respect was where true power came from, not money, not fear. If the war did require loyalty, I had no doubt I would emerge the victor.
***
It was another week before Alec came back, which didn’t surprise me. At least I had Lily to occupy my mind so I didn’t obsess with my revenge every day. This time, the info Alec had was more than promising. I met with him in the study and sank into my chair with a groan and a half smile. I had just come deep inside of Lily, and I was still riding the high from it. Every time we slept together, I discovered new things about her body, and she loved to explore mine, as well. We made a fine match beneath the sheets, and it would only be a matter of time before she became pregnant. This arrangement was working out better than I ever anticipated. While I was confident I would not fail, that I would not be the one to die, I desired an heir.
I desired an heir with Lily.
I desired Lily.
My cock was coming back to life, but I forced thoughts of the curvy woman away so I could better focus on the task at hand. I readjusted myself and leaned forward, my elbows on the table. “Good news, please.”
“Very good news.” Alec looked like he had just been given that assault rifle he had been pinning for. “I met a girl there, at his shop.”
“A girl?” I rubbed my forehead wearily. He was thinking with his cock instead of his brain. Alec was a lady magnet. Maybe I should’ve sent Nicolai after all. “I thought you already had a girlfriend.”
“I dumped her. Thought I told you. Doesn’t matter. This girl isn’t just any girl.” He grinned as much as his scar would allow. The women found him dark and mysterious. The scar wasn’t a turn-off at all.
“I hope you have a reason for bringing her up,” I said dryly.
“I do.” He somewhat reclined in his seat. “Because of her father.”
“Ah.” It clicked into place, and my grin matched his. “She’s Golovkin’s daughter.”
“Yep.” Alec rubbed his hands together.
“Good. You’ve done well so far.” I appra
ised him. He was the perfect one for this job — if he didn’t get distracted. “Are you ready for the next step?” I asked.
“Of course. What do you need?” His expression told me he already knew what I was going to ask of him, and that he accepted already.
“I want you to seduce her for intel. Can you handle that?” I stared him down. This wasn’t for fun. He couldn’t just think with his cock. He had to be smart about things because if he got caught, he would be tortured and killed. But I didn’t have to explain that. Alec knew what exactly I was asking of him.
“Of course. I’ll fuck her and learn everything she knows.” He rubbed the side of his face. “Wonder if she prefers beards.”
Alec stood and left the room. I remained in my seat. Good. Very good. Everything was starting to fall into place. Lily would get pregnant soon. Vanya Golovkin would be brought down. Death would be too simple for him. He had killed my family, and so now I was going to go after his.
Chapter 15
Lily
Life was slowly falling into a routine. I still couldn’t get used to waking up here, in Anton’s house. Mansion, I should say. This place was huge, massive, and it took me some getting used to. I wasn’t used to a life of opulence, and the servants who were always working and the bodyguards. It was like I had stepped into a fairytale — a messed up fairytale. I still got lost walking around the place at times.
But one place I never felt lost was in the bedroom. When Anton wanted me, he had me, and I had no complaints in that department. I hadn’t known what to expect when I signed the contract to have a baby for him, but so far, things weren’t bad at all. Yes, I missed my mom, but I did call her all the time, and she seemed to be doing better. It probably helped her to be away from me, honestly. I had been under so much stress before that it had to have rubbed off onto her, no matter how much I tried my best to hide it. I was doing this for her, although when I was actually getting it on with Anton, I forgot about her and the contract. The whole world would just fall away. Or maybe my whole world was becoming centered on the amazing sex we had together.
But when Anton left my side, my brain would start to work again. I still would like to know why a mob boss wanted a child so badly, but I wasn’t making any progress on that front. His staff wouldn’t answer my questions, not that I asked many. I couldn’t risk being too nosy and having Anton find out. I couldn’t risk anything that would get the contract voided. His business was his business, and I had a vested interested in having his child.
One morning, when my cell rang, I grabbed it, figuring it was Denise. We talked daily, even more than I talked to my mom. Denise was kind of freaking out about my new job, even though she had been the one to mention it in the first place.
I looked at the screen and saw it was an unfamiliar number. Oh God.
My finger trembled as I pushed the button to accept the call. “Hello?” I whispered, fear churning in my stomach. Was it the hospital? One of Mom’s doctors? Had something happened to her? Had she taken a turn for the worse?
“Hi, Lily?” a somewhat familiar voice said. “This is Clara Adams. I’m your mother’s nurse.”
The one Anton had sent. The one who made it easier on my conscience to be here, away from her. The one who was going to give me a heart attack if she didn’t hurry up and say what was wrong. Because something had to be wrong. Clara hadn’t called me until now, and it had been weeks since I moved in here. All kinds of different scenarios raced through my mind, each worse than the previous one.
“I’m afraid to say your mom is in the ER,” she continued.
I could barely get my questions out, and I could barely register her answers. I might have even hung up on her mid-sentence. Mom was in trouble, and I hadn’t been there for her. That was all I could think about.
All I could do was hate myself.
In a rush, I darted out of the house as I called for a cab. I had left my car behind with Mom in case she or the nurse needed it. I kind of wished I had it now since I was trying to spend as little money as possible. I wanted to stretch the first million dollars as long as I could. If Mom having cancer with no health insurance had taught me anything, it was that money was precious, and having a healthy amount stored up in case life threw another curveball was a solid plan. Maybe it was better I didn’t have my car, though. My hands were shaking so much and my nerves were a mess. I probably would get into an accident if I tried to drive myself. And while I could ask Leo, my bodyguard, to take me, I didn’t know if he would or if he would waste time arguing with me or if Leo would have to call Anton first. Better to just take the cab and go and not deal with any of that.
Trying not to throw up, I paced the sidewalk until the cab arrived, and when I told him to take me to the hospital, he gunned it without my even having to ask him to. I was a wreck, fretting over Mom, wondering what could be wrong. I should’ve listened better to what Clara had told me, but we were pulling up to the hospital now so there wasn’t a point in calling her back now.
I tossed some money at the cab driver — I was in that much of a rush that I didn’t care if I overpaid him — and ran up to the information desk. Thankfully, there wasn’t a line, and somehow despite my rambling, the woman behind the desk located my mom and her room number. I rushed down the hall to the stairs — I knew from previous trips that the elevator took way too long. Up four flights and down the hall to a room on the right.
I burst into the room. Clara was sitting in a chair by the window, and my mom was sleeping in the bed. Before I could say anything, a throat cleared behind me.
“You must be the daughter.” A doctor who looked like he should still be wearing diapers smiled at me.
“Yes. Lily. My name is.” I was babbling. Damn nerves! “How is she? What’s wrong?”
“Your mother fell when she was trying to go downstairs.” The doctor glanced over at Clara, who nodded to confirm his retelling. “But don’t worry. She’ll be all right.”
“Thank you,” I said to the doctor, who nodded and left the room. “Thank you,” I repeated, this time to Clara.
She smiled. “Of course.”
I sank into the chair closest to the bed and held Mom’s hand as she slept. I wanted to cry. The weight of my guilt was enough to crush me. I couldn’t help blaming myself. I never should have left the house. I should have at least asked Anton for different accommodations. Maybe that I could go over to his place when he wanted me but still live at home. Yeah, that wouldn’t have been easy. And he was paying me enough money that I shouldn’t be complaining that room and board were included. Since he was willing to pay for a nurse for her, would he be willing to have my mom move in, too? Of course not, and I couldn’t dare ask that. Seriously. I know you’re paying me for my uterus, but do you think my mom could move in, too? So wouldn’t go over well.
If only Mom didn’t live so far away from Anton! But we lived in the poor part of town, and Anton definitely didn’t. And at the house, Mom was closer to the doctor and to the hospital than she would be at Anton’s. It was best for her to remain there with Clara.
And where was it best for me to be? Was Anton’s really the best place for me?
Don’t have a choice. Not once I signed that dotted line.
Dimly, I realized Clara got up and left, probably to give me privacy. I rubbed my palms on my pants. They were wet. From tears. I was crying. Sobbing. Shakily, I pulled myself together, but another round of tears burst out of me.
Mom stirred, moving her head from side to side, eyes still closed. As quickly as I could, I rushed to wipe away the last of my tears.
She opened her eyes and smiled at me. “Lily.”
“Mom, how are you feeling?” I squeezed her hand, and it felt like a vise was squeezing my heart. If I had been home, she never would’ve had a reason to go downstairs by herself. I always walked her down when it was time for her appointments. If the cancer wasn’t bad enough, her sight was getting worse the older she got. I didn’t think to blame Clara at all. My mom n
ever asked me to help her up or down the stairs. She hated having to ask for help. She’d almost fallen once before when she had tried to go downstairs once by herself shortly after one of her first chemo treatments. I had been at work. When she told me about it, I had a fit and made her swear she wouldn’t do something like that again. I had gotten into the habit of asking her the night before if there was anything she might need from downstairs that I could bring up for her since she was often asleep when I had left for work in the morning. Anything I could do to make her life easier.
Should’ve remembered to tell Clara that, but that wasn’t on her. It was on me. I had left in such a rush. I hadn’t thought things through enough. Yes, Mom needed the money, but here she was, in the hospital and not even because of her cancer.