“Will you get in trouble?”
He shrugged and it hurt his shoulder. “Possibly, but it was worth it to me. I had to make sure you were safe.”
“It isn’t your responsibility,” she said.
How could she say that? Why didn’t she understand? “You were in danger because of me. It’s that simple. I took out the danger. It’s what I do.”
“There must have been another way.”
“No, there wasn’t. People like Luis have no boundaries. No morals or ethics. They think that whatever they do is right, no matter who gets hurt. Human life doesn’t mean anything to him.”
How could he make her understand? There was evil in the world. He’d stared it in the face more than once. The average person had no idea, but ask anyone in law enforcement and they see it on a daily basis.
Before she could say anything else, his stepmother and father came in. his father had a mask on. Good idea since he had a compromised immune system. His stepmother kissed his forehead, sending a glare at Destiny. What the hell was wrong there?
“Hello, Dad. Hello Natasha,” Nikolai said.
His father and Destiny exchanged some pleasantries. She squeezed Nikolai’s hand. “I’m going. You’re in good hands.”
He wanted to call her back. Tell her how he felt, but she was gone and he had to turn his attention to Natasha and Yuri.
“You look pretty good for getting shot,” Natasha said.
Of course she would. She was under stress to make everything seem good. What was her problem with Destiny? He needed to get to the bottom of this.
“You looked at Destiny oddly. Why?”
Natasha licked her lips. His father may let her get away with things, but he was going to call her on her behavior. Destiny was important to him. She’d also been his father’s assistant for a long time. There should be no ill will between the two women.
Destiny had just ignored her, so the attitude must have been around for some time.
“Uh, I guess I was surprised to see her. What was she doing here?”
“I care about her, Natasha. And she’s been invaluable while Dad has been out sick. I wanted her here.”
Natasha glanced at Yuri. He cleared his throat. “What Natasha is worried about is that you’re mixing business with pleasure.”
“This isn’t my business. It’s yours. I’ll be going back to the FBI when you’re better.”
The two glanced at each other. “Uh, my prognosis isn’t that good. I’m giving you the company.”
Nikolai would have gasped, but it hurt too much to breathe like that. His father wasn’t going to live? And the company was his? He hadn’t expected that. He had hoped that his father would make a full recovery and life would go back to normal.
On the other hand, he would have more stability. He would have more to offer Destiny. No more law enforcement. The biggest hazard he would face would be a paper cut.
“I have to think about this, Dad. I didn’t really plan on staying.”
He had more reasons to now. Luis was dead. His career might be over anyway. Destiny was here. He would miss her if he was gone.
“Please think about it soon. I’d like to make the transition as soon as possible. You have to take care of Destiny. She isn’t to lose her job or she gets a very generous severance.”
“I’ll take good care of Destiny,” Nikolai said.
The look on Natasha’s face said she knew just how well he would take care of her. Well, yes if she would let him. Derek had charmed his way into his heart so he would have a ready-made family. The idea took his breath away.
And it made his heart sing at the same time.
The Final Chapter
Destiny had her car, Derek, and all the stuff she needed for him. She unlocked the door to her apartment and hoped it didn’t smell too bad. She’d have to clean out the refrigerator and go food shopping.
The apartment smelled musty, so she opened some windows. Then she set up the crib in her bedroom. That way she could put Derek down for a nap. She gave him a bottle then settled him into his bed.
She had to clean the place. Derek slept through the vacuuming and in an hour the place was spotless.
She would have to move. This wasn’t a fit neighborhood to bring up Derek. She also had to write her resignation letter. She couldn’t work with Nikolai. Not after she realized how she felt about him. Even if he went back to the FBI, she wasn’t cut out for that life. No, she had to leave him behind.
Her heart hurt at the idea.
She plopped onto the couch, but she had no time for self-pity, but she’d like to wallow at least for a second. Someone knocked on the door. She looked out to see Martin Krevchenko on her doorstep.
What the hell?
She opened the door slightly, pasting a fake smile on her face. “Hello, Martin.”
“I’m glad I caught you home, Destiny.”
This was definitely not his neighborhood, so he’d come here for a purpose. She never trusted the man. She certainly wasn’t going to open the door for him any more than she had to. She kept her foot against the door so he couldn’t push into her apartment. The man was up to no good.
“What can I help you with?”
“I’m here to help you.”
She doubted that, but she didn’t let her smile falter. He wasn’t going to know how she felt. “What do you mean?”
She heard Derek beginning to fuss. He’d been down long enough that she knew he’d be hungry soon. Hopefully, Martin wouldn’t take up too much of her time.
“Word in the office is that you’re about to be arrested for embezzling money.”
She doubted that, but the thought scared her. She was resigning anyway. If they wanted to charge her, they were going to have to prove it. Even knowing that she hadn’t stolen anything, she wondered what Martin’s angle was. How could he turn this to benefit him?
“You’re here to tell me that?”
“Yes and to help you hide.”
“Why would you do that?”
Why indeed? She trusted Martin about as far as she could throw him. He was a big guy. She wouldn’t even be able to pick him up. Too many rich man dinners, unlike Nikolai who was all muscle. Not that she could pick him up either.
Don’t think about Nikolai.
“Because I think you are going to get railroaded. I’m here to make sure you get to tell your side of the story.”
She had no side other than she was innocent. Derek was making more noise.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I have a lawyer and he can help me all I need.”
She started to shove the door closed, but Martin put his foot into it. “He can’t help you the way I can.”
She didn’t like his tone or the predatory look in his eyes. “I’m going to scream if you don’t get your foot out of my door.”
Martin looked up and down the hallway. “In a place like this, you could scream and no one would come to help you.”
He wasn’t wrong, but she wasn’t going to admit that to him. “I have good neighbors. Now, go, Martin. Before I call the cops.”
“Probably not a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’ll get arrested sooner.”
She shook her head. She wasn’t going to get arrested. She knew that. Both Yuri and Nikolai would talk to her first. She knew this with every fiber of her being. “Martin, go. You’re risking your career.”
He frowned. “Let me help you, Destiny. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for you.”
More like a hard spot in his pants.
“Go away.”
She shoved the door harder and he pulled out his foot. She was able to slam it closed. He didn’t knock as she went to get Derek. The boy was wailing now. She didn’t like to let him get to this point.
Her phone rang, but she ignored it. Probably Martin trying to get her to open the door. She wasn’t going to. In fact, she could hunker down here until she looked at that one apartment again. She�
��d sign the lease then quit her job.
She had enough in savings and she was pretty sure she’d get another job easily. She was good at what she did.
Hopefully, Derek wouldn’t get sick before she had insurance again. Quitting wasn’t the most responsible thing to do, but it was what she had to do. Her heart wasn’t in it if she had to work with Nikolai.
She’d never get over him and every day would be torture. She looked down at Derek who was happily sucking up the formula. “We’ll be okay. I’ll find a better place than this, but just not as expensive as I was looking at.”
Derek just looked up at her as if she had the wisdom of the world. Too bad she didn’t. Her phone rang again. Nikolai. No, she wasn’t answering it. On her agenda today was to sign a new lease in a new place then quit her job.
He wasn’t on her radar for the day. She wondered if he was close to breaking the embezzling case. Was that why Martin was here? Had he done the embezzling? She didn’t know. She shouldn’t care, but she’d spent a lot of time at Alman Enterprises. It had been a safe place to work for her. Now she was leaving.
She could go in on the weekend and pack up her stuff.
No reason to see Nikolai at all.
***
Nikolai sat on his hospital bed, dressed to go home. His arm sat in a sling. His heart sat in one, too. Destiny hadn’t come to visit him the few days he’d been here. Was she mad at him?
He’d screwed things up with her. He wanted to get home and make things right. He knew how he felt. He knew what he wanted. His father had been happy when he’d agreed to take over the company for good. He wouldn’t sell it.
Sacha strode into his hospital room. “You look ready to go.”
“The nurse has to wheel me down.”
Sacha laughed. “That will be a sight. I hope she can push you all the way. You’re a big guy.”
“They have to get a bigger wheelchair.”
Sacha chuckled. “You look good.”
“Thanks. How is Kendra?”
“So ready to have this baby.”
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“A little girl,” Sacha said.
His eyes lit up. What would that feel like? To know that a life was growing inside of the person you loved? That this little person was part yours? Nikolai had never thought about it.
“Congratulations. You are going to be wrapped around her little finger.”
Sacha grinned. “Probably. Lord knows how much I let Kendra rule things.”
“You happy?”
“I couldn’t be happier. You should try this domestic bliss stuff. It’s pretty good. I come home from work to a great environment. Homey,” Sacha said.
Nikolai had never thought that would sound appealing. Right now it did, but he needed to fix things first. He had to prove to Destiny that he could be a long term guy despite what he said. He could also be a father, which was probably even more important to her.
The nurse came in and he sat in the wheelchair, a grimace on his face he was sure. Sacha put his bag into the back seat then drove him back to his house. Destiny’s car wasn’t there, but she was probably at work.
“You sure you want me to drop you here and not the office?” Sacha said.
“No, here. I want to do some things before Destiny gets home. I have some surprises up my sleeve.”
“Okay. Make sure you rest, butt-head. You don’t want to overdo it and not be able to perform.”
Nikolai laughed as he put the key in his house’s front door. Leave it to Sacha to think the same way he was thinking. He would get things ready then take a nap. He’d be fine. Right now, he had energy.
Checking for the ingredients for a nice dinner, he perused the cabinets and the refrigerator. He had all that he needed. He had some white wine chilling. He couldn’t drink any because of the pain killers, but Destiny could.
Nap time. He headed upstairs. That’s when he realized that Derek’s portable crib was no longer in his room. He searched the other bedrooms. No sign that a child lived in this house. His hear leapt into his chest.
He called Destiny’s cell phone. She didn’t answer, so he left a message. Then he called his office.
“Nikolai Alman’s office,” the person said.
Someone other than Destiny.
“This is Nikolai Alman. Who is this?”
“This is Kayla. I’m your temporary secretary.”
“Where is my usual secretary?”
Where could Destiny be? If she wasn’t answering her phone and she wasn’t at work, he had no idea.
“I don’t know, sir. I just know that she isn’t here and I’ve been asked to answer phones while you’re both out. I have a stack of messages. Do you want them?”
Work could wait. Just another day or so. “No, I’ll collect them when I get into the office tomorrow. I’ll be in for part of the day. You can tell people that,” he said.
He hung up, sitting on his bed. He needed to sleep, but he doubted it would come with worry over Destiny. Had she left him for good?
His phone rang. He looked at the screen hoping it was her. It was his father.
“Hello, Dad.”
“Hello, Nikolai. Are you at work?”
“No, I’m taking one more day. I’ll be in the office tomorrow for a few hours.”
“I’m getting calls from various people.”
“What’s going on?”
Was the place on fire? Why were people calling his father instead of him? Oh, right. There hadn’t been an official announcement yet that Nikolai was taking over for good. He was sure that some people would be relieved while others would be unhappy. Yuri had been well liked. He hoped to someday be that well liked at the company.
“People think that Destiny is getting arrested for embezzling.”
“She isn’t. I proved who is doing it. I just have to talk to the cops first. I got sidetracked.”
“I understand. Have you talked to her?” Yuri said.
“No, I can’t get a hold of her. I don’t want her worrying, but let’s keep the story going to throw off my actual suspect.”
“Which is?”
“Krevchenko. He’s pretty good at it, too,” Nikolai said. “I’ve set it up so that his dummy company isn’t getting any more payments. I doubt he’s figured it out yet.”
“I had high hopes for Martin. I don’t know why he would do this to me.”
Yuri was clearly disappointed.
“He has gambling debts and a wife who’s divorcing him.”
“That’s sad. Well, you better at least let Destiny know what’s going on.”
“As soon as I get in touch with her. She isn’t at work and she isn’t answering her phone.”
“What did you do, Nikolai? Did you mess something up?”
Guilt shot through him. “Yes, I did, Dad, but I’m going to fix it.”
“She’s a good girl, Nikolai. Not someone that you should trifle with.”
“I’m not. I promise. My intentions are honorable.”
“Then fix this and make it all right.”
*
Destiny had lucked into an apartment that was ready the next day. She packed as much as she could, but knew she had a few days before she really had to empty her apartment. She’d let her grandmother know about the move, but that was the only person she told.
Today was the first day that her grandmother was going to see Derek. Destiny had dressed him in his cutest outfit. She tried to forget that Nikolai had picked it out. It was a onesie that looked like a tuxedo. Of course the billionaire would think of that. He’d probably been dressed in a tuxedo at a young age.
Her grandmother was sitting up and looking very spry. She would be released soon and Destiny would bring her to their new home.
“That boy is so adorable. Oh, my lord. He looks exactly the way you did as a baby,” her grandmother said.
“He’s a pretty good child, too. He only gets up once in the night.”
“You were a toug
h baby according to your mother, but I suspect that she didn’t know how to care for you,” Victoria Brown said.
Her grandmother was probably right. Her mother hadn’t had the patience. Several times during Destiny’s life she’d tried to raise her little girl. Each time, she returned Destiny to her grandmother. She’d broken her heart a few times.
That wasn’t going to happen to Derek. She’d handle it. Her grandmother couldn’t help physically, but she’d be moral support and could give advice. Destiny didn’t know much about babies, but she was sure she’d figure it all out.
“Any word on when you’ll be released?”
“Hopefully next week. I’m walking better and better. I only need a cane now,” she said.
That sounded positive.
“Good.”
Derek started making noise, but he didn’t seem to be fussing. Just adding to the conversation. Victoria smiled. “He’s precious. I’m so glad you found him.”
“Nikolai did.”
“How is that handsome man?”
Destiny shouldn’t have said his name. She didn’t want to talk about him. Her heart was still aching. He’d called a few times, but she hadn’t answered. He didn’t know where she was because she’d moved. The landlord wouldn’t give out her new address to just anyone.
She could make this break cleanly. With little fuss. “He’s okay.”
Not wanting to mention that he’d been shot, she searched for a better subject.
“Destiny Brown, what aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing, Gram. I just haven’t seen Nikolai in a few days,” she said.
That wasn’t a lie. She hadn’t seen him since he woke up in the hospital. She wouldn’t see him either. It was for the best.
“That was a fine man, Destiny. Did you do something to push him away?”
“He doesn’t want children, Gram. It’s okay. That’s his prerogative. He’s a bachelor and wants to stay that way.”
“I saw how he looked at you, Destiny. That man would follow you anywhere.”
She shook her head. No, he wouldn’t. He’d been sweet because that’s how he was, but that was the end of it.
The conversation had continued like that until Destiny chose to leave.
Her Russian Billionaires - The Complete Billionaire Romance Collection Page 56