Owned by the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance

by Rose, Bella

  “What other problem?” Alek muttered as Grisha began to walk away. He raised his voice. “What other problem?”

  The annoying man grinned over his shoulder. “The daughter of the man you hate.”

  Alek watched him leave and took a deep, steadying breath. The sun set and his men found nothing. Finally, he sent them all home and went it to get Natalia for dinner. The guard shook his head at the door. “She hasn’t moved, Boss.”

  “Damn,” Alek muttered and waved his guard away. Inside, he found Natalia curled up on the closet floor still covered in blood. Someone had cleaned up the glass, but Ana’s blood still stained the carpet. His stomach turned when he looked at it. His staff knew it was dangerous to work for him. He let them walk whenever they wanted, but Ana was brave. She thought she could handle everything that came her way.

  Bending down, he picked Natalia up. She opened her eyes and stared at him. “She’s dead.”

  “I know,” Alek murmured as he carried her into the shower. Under the warm water, he slowly stripped her bloodied clothes from her and began to work the shampoo through her hair.

  “It’s my fault,” Natalia mumbled. She stared at the tiled wall as Alek worked on her.

  He paused. “It’s not your fault, Natalia. It’s my fault. Her death is on me. Don’t for a second think this is your fault.”

  “You didn’t call the authorities. Why?”

  “They were notified,” he said tightly. “They came out here to talk to us, but we process our own property.”

  Natalia lifted her head and stared at him. “That’s insane.”

  He smiled a little, but he knew it didn’t reach his eyes. “The authorities and I have an arrangement.”

  She shook her head. “Ana is dead. And you talked to a bunch of dirty cops. You’re unbelievable. Unbelievable. Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me, I hate you.”

  “Natalia,” Alek said quietly. She slapped his shoulder and stumbled away, but he grabbed her before she could hurt herself. Immediately, she burst into tears, and they sank to the floor of the shower. As he held her, he pressed his head into the crook of her should. She held nothing back. As she cried, she called him cruel names and accused him of everything from murder to fucking mothers. Through it all, he held her. Finally, she was spent and leaned against him.

  “Her family?” she asked softly.

  “Ana doesn’t have any family. Her parents died when she was younger. I’ll take care of her, Natalia. She deserves the best, and I’ll make sure that she has it.”

  “The best,” she said softly. “You liked her.”

  Alek nodded his head. “Like a sister,” he said hoarsely. Closing his eyes, he pulled her closer. “I tried to get her to quit. I tried over and over again. I promised to pay for anything she wanted if she left. She didn’t leave. She said she could make me a better person. And now she’s dead.”

  Knocking her head back, she stared at him. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  Leaning down, he obliged. Tasting her slowly, he reached down and ran a hand over her breasts. “I want you, Natalia. But I know how you feel about me, and…”

  “Make me forget, Alek. Please. Make me forget. I’m yours. No contract. Nothing. Just you and me. A man and a woman who want each other.” Her hands slid up his body as she turned around. “It’s not about my father. It’s not about your job. It’s just two people who want to feel something other than fear and anger. Please.”

  Alek hissed when she leaned down and ran her hands over his thighs. He wanted to tell her to stop. He wanted to tell her that the longer they played this charade, the more dangerous things would get, but when she took him in her mouth, he had nothing else to say. “Natalia,” he gasped when her lips slid all the way down to the base of his cock.

  The water drenched her, and he leaned over and pushed her hair to the side. He wanted to see her face when she pleasured him. As he slowly pumped his hips, she closed her eyes and moaned quietly. She enjoyed it. She wanted him to feel good. And it stayed him.

  She was skilled, but he didn’t want to lose it quite yet. Pulling her off him, he scooted back until his back hit the wall. She straddled him, and he leaned over and took one of her luscious nipples in his mouth. Her whole body stretched, and he ran his hands over the length of her back and over her curved ass. Everything about her was perfect. The way she fit into his hands. The way she tasted. The way she shuddered beneath his touch.

  Perfect.

  “I’m ready,” she whispered. “Please. I want to feel good.”

  “You do feel good,” he said hoarsely as she lowered herself on him. Even though he’d had her before, he still felt a rush of pleasure when she tightened around him. “So good.”

  Her lips moved over his chest and brushed along his neck. She wasn’t hesitant. She held nothing back. For the first time since he’d held her, he felt this was genuine.

  She’d never faked it. He knew that, and she’d always enjoyed it. But this time, she’d initiated it. This time she wanted him, and it was more than just a physical connection. Her breath hitched, and she pulled back to stare at him. “Alek,” she whispered. Was it a question? What did she want from him? He wanted to give her everything.

  Grabbing her hips, he pushed her back and followed her down. Cradling her so she wouldn’t hit her head on the tile, he pushed into her harder. “I’m right here, baby. I’ve got you.”

  As he sank even deeper into her, she cried out and grabbed his shoulder. As her nails sank into his skin, everything inside him tightened. He knew without a doubt that he would never feel this way with anyone else. There was no anger or disgust in her eyes. There was only desire and something else that haunted him.

  Love.

  She looked at him with love, and that alone sent him spiraling over the edge. Reaching down to press a thumb against her clit, he pushed into her one last time. Her legs shuddered, and she bowed her back and shouted his name with her own relief.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Ana is dead,” she whispered to him. He rolled over and put his arms around her. Gazing into his face, she wiped the sleepiness from her eyes. “I’m sorry. I should let you sleep. I don’t think that waking you up in the middle of the night is in the contract.”

  “I’m not really the person to talk to about this, Natalia. But I’m sure I can find someone.”

  His voice was husky with sleep, and she smiled and slid a hand over his naked chest. The touch was comforting. It wasn’t sexual. It gave her an odd sense of peace. “I don’t think that talking about her being dead is going to help me. Can you tell me about her life? I didn’t know her for very long, but she was my friend. From the moment she came in here, she was my friend.”

  “Is it really that bad? You being here?”

  “There have been bad moments. You know that. You caused them. I’m fairly certain you do it on purpose. And up until she thought I was a mole, she helped me through all of those moments.” She turned and snuggled into his arms. “Ana was a good person. She was a better person than me.”

  “Why do you say that? You signed a contract with a horrible human being so you could save your father. That makes you a good person.” His breath was warm on her ear.

  “He’s my father. I know you think he’s a terrible man, but he’s the only family that I have left. Repulsive or not, he’s my father. You have to understand that.”

  “Why?”

  The question haunted her. “Why what?”

  “Why do I need to understand how you feel about your father? Why is that important to you?”

  His arms loosened around her, and she reached up to catch his hand. “Why do you care that I need you to understand?”

  “We just keep going around in circles,” he chuckled softly. “You’re not wrong about Ana. She was an extraordinary person. She was probably one of the only people here who could talk to me the way that she did and still live.”

  “You don’t have your people killed,” she said with a laugh. When he did
n’t respond, she turned her head. “Alek. You don’t have your people killed.”

  His hands slid away from her, and she didn’t do anything to stop him. “What do you think I do here, Natalia? Do you think I just push papers around? I was targeted by an assassin. You were targeted by an assassin. I’m a violent man, Natalia. And if I feel like my staff is not doing their jobs, I’m inclined to fire them. And if I feel like they’re endangering me, I’m inclined to kill them.”

  Just like that, the warm and fuzzy feeling inside her grew cold and hard. Pushing herself slowly off the bed, she turned to glare at him. “Why would you say something like that? Why do you act like that?”

  “Act like what? This is me. You can’t romanticize this. You can’t romanticize us.”

  “Romanticize?” She laughed hollowly. “What’s there to romanticize? I’m a prisoner. I’m a sex slave.” Tears gathered in her eyes, and she wiped them away furiously.

  “I’m just saying—”

  “Shut up,” she hissed. “Just stop talking. My friend died. Your friend died. I thought that maybe, just maybe, for one night we could comfort each other. We could pretend this isn’t happening. That this isn’t real. Because sometimes pretending this isn’t real is the only way I get through the day!”

  He stared at her for a minute, and she thought she saw a veil of pain sweep over him. “I’m glad pretending none of this is real is the reason you get through your fucking day.”

  Natalia’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me right. Didn’t you just tell me not to romanticize this? What the hell do you want from me?”

  Shaking his head, he reached over to grab his pants. “I don’t want anything from you,” he said simply as he pulled his pants up. “Not one damn thing.” The door slammed so hard behind him the windows rattled, and she flinched.

  “I need something from you,” she whispered. “I just need you to tell me the truth.”

  Angrily, she picked up the pillow from the bed and threw it across the floor. It didn’t make any loud and satisfyingly shattering sounds, but it was nice to only have to look at one pillow. Her pillow. Not his pillow.

  “Idiot,” she said as she breathed hard. She flung herself on the bed and curled into a ball. Ana was dead. Alek despised her. What was she doing? What was she hoping was going to happen?

  Alek was never going to love her. Alek couldn’t even be bothered to care.

  ***

  Alek stretched out on the couch and tried to get comfortable. Nothing was like lying next to Natalia. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but when she wasn’t near him, the nightmares returned. People screaming. Blood everywhere. And Ana lying on the ground covered in red.

  It could have been Natalia. It almost was Natalia. It was supposed to be Natalia.

  “Fuck,” he said as he got up and ran his hand through his hair. “What am I doing?” He wasn’t even halfway through his contract, but he knew he’d never be able to keep Natalia here a full year. She was so unhappy, but that was the point. He wanted her unhappy. The more she suffered, the more her father suffered.

  Something changed. Or maybe it was never what he expected, and he just didn’t want to admit it. He couldn’t afford to go soft now, but he couldn’t keep denying the truth. She was under his skin. She was seeping into every pore of his body, and nothing was going to purge her.

  He could tell her. He could simply tell her the truth, but what good would it do? She didn’t love him. She would never see him as anything more than a warden. The sex didn’t mean anything. Good chemistry was nothing. It was nothing compared to how he felt about her, but it was all she felt for him. He knew she liked to hide away in her dreams and pretend that things could be different for them. If he was a different man, if they were in a different situation, maybe this could have turned into something bigger. Something more real.

  But he wasn’t a different man. He was Alek Evanoff. And it wasn’t a different situation. He had a job to do, and he could not afford to let anything or anyone get in his way. So there would be nothing bigger. There would be nothing real.

  The hours ticked away, but he didn’t sleep. When he closed his eyes, the nightmares returned. And he knew Natalia would never be by his side to chase them away.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Alek was shuffling through papers and rubbing his temples when Misha knocked on the door. “I hate paperwork,” Alek growled. “I swear there is more paperwork involved trying pretend to be legit than if we were actually legit.”

  “Boss,” Misha said softly.

  “And the thing is that it’s ridiculous. More work when I could be doing less work.”

  “Alek,” Misha tried again.

  “I’m trying to so hard to be patient and make this work, but it ends up being more work on me.”

  “Alek Evanoff,” Misha finally shouted.

  Alek leaned back and blinked. “Sorry, Misha. Clearly you have something to tell me.”

  “There’s someone here to see you.”

  “Send them in,” he said mildly, but he could see Misha’s uneasiness. “You don’t want me to see this person. That’s new. You normally love the conflict, so this must be interesting.”

  Misha nodded his head. “Petr Primac is here.”

  “Excuse me?” Alek rose and rolled his shoulders. The anger as already rising inside him. “Why is Petr anywhere near this property?”

  “I don’t know, but he says he’s not leaving until he sees you. He has a briefcase with him. I’m a little concerned about trying to take that briefcase away from him.”

  Alek rolled his eyes. “He’s not going to blow us up, Misha. Not when his daughter is inside. Send him away. Actually, no. Let him in. I’m interested in what he has to say.”

  A cruel smile spread across his face. He couldn’t wait to tell Petr about all his daughter knew. He couldn’t wait to see Petr’s face when he realized that his daughter no longer worshipped the ground he walked on.

  The older man looked hesitant when he walked in. “Alek,” he said softly. “I need to speak with you.”

  “Petr!” Alek smiled and spread his arms. “Welcome back. I guess you never thought you’d be back here again. Or maybe you did. I have to admit, I was surprised when you retried as early as you did.”

  Petr shook his head and slammed the briefcase on the desk. “I’m not here to talk about our past, Alek. I’m not even here to talk about what you did. I’m here to buy her back.”

  “Excuse me?” Alek snorted. “Nowhere in the contract does it say you can buy her back. Why would you even think it’s an option?”

  “I have to try. She’s my daughter.”

  “You didn’t even know she existed,” Alek snarled. “How can claim to love her when you didn’t even know she existed? Why do you even care? You’ve never cared for anything in your life.”

  Petr stared at him before slumping in his chair. “You were older than most of the kids that I was hired to recruit. I knew you would be good at this. I knew within the first five minute of meeting you that you’d be excellent at this. I’ve made mistakes, but I didn’t want you in this life. I didn’t want any of you in this life.”

  “Then why didn’t you stop,” Alek asked coldly. “Why did you do it?”

  Petr leaned back in the chair and shook his head slowly. “Natalia’s mother wasn’t a fling, but I kept her quiet. The last thing I wanted was Grigori to find out. He exploited weaknesses. He used love against people, and I loved her mother. When she got pregnant with Natalia, I knew their time was limited if they stayed with me. She never understood. She called me every name under the sun, and she swore that I would never see my baby.” Tears pricked his eyes. “I lost everything that day, and Grigori found out. It didn’t even matter that they weren’t in my life anymore. He knew I cared for them, and that’s all it took. He held it over my head for the rest of my career. I did have a choice. And I chose her. I’m not sorry for the choice I made, but I am sorry for the lives that I’ve destroyed. I finally f
ound a way to get Natalia and her mother safe, and I walked out and never looked back. I stayed in the shadows until Natalia showed up, and I realized I had so much to make up for. I knew what I was risking when I started gambling, but I just wanted to make her happy. And now all I’ve done is screw up her life.”

  Alek turned his chair and stared out the window. His anger and rage had fueled him this far, but hearing Petr talk was painful. There was nothing fake or planned about the speech. He stumbled over his words, and he gasped for breath like it was the most painful thing he’d ever said. And Alek understood. He understood wanting to make Natalia happy.

  “She knows,” he said quietly. “I’ve spent the duration of her time here answering every question she’s had about you.”

  “I figured, but I don’t care. I don’t care. I do not care. She’ll never speak to me again, but as long as you promise she won’t be anywhere near this life again, I don’t care,” Petr pleaded.

  Alek whirled around and slammed his hand on the table. Petr jumped, and Alek closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m tired of hearing you say you don’t care,” he muttered. “And I highly doubt that Natalia is the type of person to never speak to you again.”

  “I hope that’s the case, but I don’t want her to know any of this. I’d rather her never speak to me again than for her to think I abandoned her mother.”

  “But you didn’t,” Alek said softly. “You were protecting them. That’s the money for your debt?”

  Petr nodded. “It’s all here. I swear. I’ll sit here for as long as you want while you count it. Count it as many times as you want. I can wait. I’ll wait.”

  “You’re a broken record,” Alek sighed as he got up. “Misha. Count the money, and make sure that he doesn’t wander the grounds. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Where are you going,” Petr asked, but Alek ignored him. The truth was he didn’t give a damn how much money was in the briefcase. He didn’t even care about Petr’s apology, but Petr coming back had made him see the truth. The man had done horrible things his entire life to protect the woman Alek he loved.