When my father died, control of the family business went to Jax, the oldest son, and my mother. Everything under my family’s control had always run smoothly. Operations rarely went south, and my brothers commanded respect on and off the streets. Wolf Industries provided the perfect cover for my family’s dealings, and I’d managed to escape it.
I pressed my lips together, realizing I was still separating myself from them, pretending their world wasn’t mine. Over the years, I’d come here for our obligatory family dinners, listening to their frustrations and worries about rival competitors and framing up their dealings for the week as if their actions were all in a day’s work, but I knew triggers were pulled if rules weren’t followed, if outcomes weren’t met.
“Not to mention we weren’t even responsible for Anton’s fate.” My mom tucked a piece of her dark hair that had fallen from her bun behind her ear.
“That is very true,” Drake agreed, looking at Devin. “So do you think we can squeeze anymore out of Abram?”
“I think if he had anything else to say, he would have,” Devin answered. “He was a small fish, dipping his fins where they shouldn’t have gone.”
I furrowed my brows and hid a chuckle at my brother’s analogy.
“What’s the name of the cousin?” my mom asked Devin.
“Max.”
My mom turned to face me. “So what are you going to do about Max?”
“I’m going to find him and I’m going to take care of the situation.”
“So you do have it in you. I can see it in your eyes.” She drew a deep breath. “Do you know your father was worried you’d go soft, but I convinced him it would be good for you to play professionally? I promised him you’d be able to step right back into the shoes you left.”
My heart was pounding erratically as she and my brothers watched me.
“It’s good to know I was right.” She tilted her head, smiling. “You know I love you. I love all of my children. You’ve made us all proud, Blake. You’ve proven the Volkovs can be successful no matter what we choose to do, but it’s time for you to come back to us. You’ve had your fun. It’s time to get to work now.”
“I agree that Blake needs to take the lead on this, but I’m not sure it would be wise to send him out to finish the job until he gets his feet wet,” Jaxson told my mom.
“What are you talking about?” My mom laughed. “It’s like riding a bike. Besides, Blake hasn’t been the most innocent footballer on the field or off. I read the news about you.” She winked at me.
“Devin and I will assist him,” Drake offered. “It makes the most sense. We don’t need to make any mistakes.”
My eyes flashed to Drake’s and I gave a slight nod.
“All right. I expect that you will handle this, and I won’t have to think about it again.” It wasn’t a question. “Now, is that all the business we need to cover?”
“That’s it,” Jax said, sliding his chair from the table.
“Good.”
“Mia is lying down upstairs,” Drake said. “I’ll go see if she’s up to dinner.”
My mom’s demeanor instantly changed at the mention of Drake’s fiancée.
“I didn’t even know Mia was here,” I said, pleasantly surprised.
Mia was an amazing addition to our family, and she was pregnant with my mom’s first grandbaby so she was an immediate favorite. I never thought there’d be a day when my mom’s sons took second fiddle, but we did, and I understood. Mia added a lightness and brightness to our family that we’d desperately needed since my sister’s and father’s deaths.
“She caught a cold last week, but she’s still exhausted even though she stopped sneezing days ago.” Drake’s expression completely relaxed while he was talking about her, and it made me think about Ava. Actually, I hadn’t really stopped thinking about her since last night.
When my brothers piled out of the dining room, I pulled my phone from my pocket and quickly texted Ava. I waited a few minutes, and when I didn’t get a text back, I sent another message before going into the kitchen to join my family.
Mia looked sleepy, leaning into Drake as she tried to wake herself up. Her pregnant belly would have been hidden under a bulky white sweater and leggings except that Drake kept proudly rubbing it.
I honestly never thought I’d see the day. Drake never seemed all that interested in a relationship, but that all changed when he met Mia. He was willing to risk everything for her, and he almost had.
But if love ever managed to come into my vocabulary, that was how I wanted it. I wanted to feel that connection that tears at your soul merely with the thought of losing it.
“Hey, Blake,” Mia said, walking over to give me a hug. “It’s so good to have you home. I wish it wasn’t this way though.”
Since Mia came into our lives, our family got together a lot more. In fact, she often brought her brother and sister-in-law over when they were in town.
I nodded and smiled. “Thank you.” I knew she meant it.
She came from her own interesting background, but a few common threads like loyalty and honor bound our families together.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, taking a celery stick from a vegetable plate.
I hid a chuckle, realizing no one in my family had even asked me that for weeks.
“I’m doing good. It wasn’t that bad.” I smiled and she rolled her eyes.
“Sure it wasn’t.”
Drake walked over and slid his arm around her shoulders.
“So, I think the sooner we can take care of Max, the better,” he informed me, and Mia glanced at me, looking for a reaction.
“After we find him, I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”
Mia’s eyes connected with mine. “I could have my brother find him.”
Drake shook his head. “Best to keep these things separate.”
“I just don’t see why you’d want to make it hard on yourselves.”
“It’s only to protect Luke,” I said, grinning.
“Believe me. The one thing Luke doesn’t need is protecting. Just let me know if you change your mind. Excuse me, but I need to help Mama V drain the pasta.” She swept a kiss on Drake’s cheek and he swatted her butt.
“I’ve got a guy looking into Max’s financials. We should be able to track him down in a week,” Drake informed me.
“Why didn’t you tell Mom?” I asked.
“Because if it turned out to be two weeks, I didn’t want to hear about it.” He smiled and took a sip of beer.
“Good call.”
“How are you doing with everything?” he asked, nodding at my leg.
“I was beginning to wonder if anyone remembered.”
Drake laughed.
“It’s fine for the most part. I’m still doing physical therapy twice a week, and I’m not supposed to be on it for long periods of time.”
“If you’re on a job, do you think it could cause a problem?” His brow curved slightly.
“Depends on the job,” I admitted. “I’d imagine every week it will be better.”
Drake nodded. “I was hoping you could go with Devin on his tonight.”
“You’re not really asking.”
“No.”
“Then yeah.” I slid my phone out of my pocket, hoping to see a reply from Ava, but my screen was blank.
“Hot date?”
“Apparently not.” I shoved my phone in my back pocket. “So what’s with wanting me to chaperone Devin so much?”
“This isn’t really his run, but I thought it would be good for you to tag along.” Drake’s gaze fell to the floor.
“What’s the real reason?” I asked quietly.
Devin wasn’t even in the kitchen, but Jax was, and I didn’t know what the situation was.
“I just think it’s good to have eyes and ears on the ground with him right now.” He took another sip of beer. “Just being cautious.”
“You’d think the house was bugged with that cryptic mes
sage.”
“You never know.” His grin widened as his gaze caught Mia’s. “So I heard you were at Priva with the doctor.”
So much for Devin keeping a secret.
“Yeah. I thought I could find out a little more from her.”
“I’m sure that was it. And did you?”
“Nope.”
“Better luck next time.”
“Hopefully.”
By the time Devin and I pulled up to the storefront, it was well past midnight and the streets were virtually empty. There were seldom people in this part of town once it went dark, except for stumbling drunks and lost tourists. Seediness reigned in this part of the city. The sidewalks were littered with wrappers, receipts, cigarette butts and just about anything else a person wouldn’t want to pick up once it fell.
“So is this a quick one?” I asked, unbuckling.
“I’ve got this. You can stay in the car.”
I glanced at the flashing sign in the window advertising an ATM and sucked in a deep breath.
“I need a pack of beer for the fridge.”
Devin tilted his head and stared at the ceiling of the car.
“So Drake asked you to keep an eye on me.”
So much for needing to buy the beer.
“There’s no point in coming with you and then not seeing things through. It’s not personal.” My fingers rested on the door handle until Devin nodded slowly.
“Fine. It’s not a big deal. It’s just a collection night.” He didn’t look at me and just climbed out of the car. I did the same, following him into the convenience store.
Devin kept his gaze forward, not looking at the cashier or customers, as we marched through the tiny aisle filled with processed foods until we reached a green door with a red Employees Only sign.
He reached for the handle and pushed open the door. The back room was dimly lit with rows of cardboard boxes stacked to the ceiling. A musty smell permeated the air, and I assumed a rat would be running across the concrete floor at any moment.
Devin quickly made his way over to a Coors Light sign hanging on the back wall and moved it slightly to reveal a safe. He spun the combination, the door clicked, and Devin opened it. He grabbed a small white envelope and slid it in the interior pocket of his jacket.
“See how easy that was?” he asked, closing the safe door and spinning the dial before putting the sign back where it was before we came inside.
I nodded and followed him back through the store. The moment I got outside, I breathed a sigh of relief. I still had so much to learn about the routes. I assumed it was cash he’d be picking up, but I was wrong. Obviously, inside the mini-mart wasn’t the place to ask.
The breeze had changed direction and with it, the smell of sewer swept our way. It was one of the more unpleasant smells of the city.
I crawled into the car as my brother walked around the front of the car when two guys from nowhere jumped him.
Without even thinking, I leaped out of the car as one of the men slammed my brother onto the hood, his head hitting the metal. My fist connected with that guy’s chin as the other man came up behind me. His arm looped around my neck, and a glimmer of a knife blade flashed in his other hand. I quickly bent over, flipping his body over mine and smashing it to the concrete.
I was flying high on adrenaline as the guy on the ground stabbed my ankles, and I kicked away his knife before my foot connected with his abdomen, feeling his soft stomach constrict from the power behind my kick. He curled into himself and spat out blood as his buddy came for me next.
I shook my head, feeling the same pulse of excitement I’d turned away from so many years ago. Instead of lunging at me, the man crouched, circling around me as if I were his prey.
He had it wrong.
I wiggled my two fingers at him, tempting him to come for me as his friend wheezed for air on the ground next to me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brother silently move behind the guy who remained.
“You don’t know who you’re messing with,” the guy hissed, and I held in a laugh.
“Ever hear of the Wolf brothers?” I asked, grinning, and pure terror darted through the man’s gaze.
He straightened up and looked at his friend.
“What about them?” he asked, his voice falling to a level nearly impossible to hear without straining.
“Would you ever want to mess with them?” my brother asked, tapping the guy’s shoulder.
“No. Never. We’d never . . .” He stopped talking when he turned to face my brother.
“Well, you screwed up tonight.” The darkness in my brother’s eyes was something I hadn’t seen since my return.
The guy on the street scrambled to get up and away from us, leaving his friend shrinking between my brother and me.
Typical coward.
That was why our family ruled these streets. We had one another’s backs. Loyalty reigned above all else, and I always knew that about my family. I always knew I’d be coming back to this life.
“I’m . . .” The guy turned back around to look at me for help, licking his lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. We didn’t know.” He looked for his friend, who’d already taken off.
“So back to your earlier statement,” I began, cracking my knuckles. “Who did you say we needed to be worried about?”
“No one.” He shook his head. “I was wrong. I didn’t—”
My brother’s fist connected with the guy’s side, and he doubled over, gasping for air as my brother kneed him in the chin.
“You’d better think twice before you roll up on a couple of average Joes and try to steal from them,” Devin informed him.
“Yes, sir,” the man gasped as my brother kneed him again.
“Think we should let him go?” my brother asked me.
I watched the man struggle to stand upright, and I looked behind me, not seeing any sign of his partner. Rocking back on my heels, I looked down at the man, fear rolling though his gaze as my smile widened. I shook my head to make him nervous before answering.
“Yeah. Let this piece of shit go. He’s not worth our time.”
“Agreed.” My brother pushed him away from the car, and the man stumbled a few steps before taking off in a sprint in the same direction the other guy went.
“Well, that was a little bit more exciting than I’d anticipated,” Devin said, running his hands over his jacket.
“Your head okay? It was quite a knock,” I asked.
“I’ll survive.”
We got into the car and my brother handed me a pocket square.
“What?” I asked, taking the fabric.
“Your brow.”
I flipped down the visor and looked in the mirror. A trickle of blood ran from a cut.
“Must’ve been when I rolled him over my shoulders,” I said, wiping it off with my sleeve.
“Felt good, though, didn’t it?” My brother eyed me before pulling onto the street.
I sat back in the seat, and my muscles relaxed as if I’d just had a deep-tissue massage.
“Yeah. I have to say it felt really good.” I looked out the window, wondering what stories those two would tell about encountering the Wolf brothers. “So what did you grab from the safe? I thought it was dough we’d be picking up.”
Devin laughed and shook his head. “Coordinates for a pick-up on Tuesday. How’s your leg after all that action?”
“It’s throbbing a little, but I’ll get over it.” I shrugged.
“It’s good to have you back.” My brother grinned, and I let the thrill of the night wash through me.
Chapter Ten
Ava
I never responded to Blake’s texts. Seeing the heartache run through my dad’s gaze was gutting, and he was right. I had more sense than to let a Volkov have my number, yet I handed it right over.
Sleeping with him had been a mistake.
But Blake was a professional athlete, not a mobster. He couldn’t help who his family was, and I doubted he�
��d had much time to do much, if any, of the damage my father knew about.
Ashamed that I was making excuses, I took a deep breath and glanced around my office. The door was closed, the blinds were down, and the overhead lights were off. Only the soft glow of the lamp on my desk lit the office. If I didn’t act like I was in hiding, I certainly looked like it. I was jumpier than I had been in months, and it didn’t help that I’d managed to upset the one man who’d always tried to protect me with a simple mistake. My dad deserved better.
Really, none of my mixed-up emotions mattered. Blake was a one-night stand. No big deal.
Then why couldn’t I get him out of my mind?
I stared at my sandwich. I wasn’t hungry. I actually hadn’t been hungry since I got the delivery. It was sweet of my dad to make my favorite soup last night, so I forced myself to eat, but all it did was make my stomach slosh even more.
My phone rang, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. My dad’s number flashed across the screen, and I quickly picked it up. After the incident last night, we didn’t say much except good night.
“Hey, Dad,” I said.
“Hi, honey.”
Either he had bad news or he’d had a sudden change of heart. Knowing my father for thirty plus years, I knew which it was.
“What’s up?” I asked, pushing the sandwich away.
“The lab was able to verify that it was Alfred.”
“No surprise there.”
“No,” my dad agreed. “No surprise there.”
The connection was silent for a few beats too long.
“So what else did they find?”
“I looked over some video footage from street cams. He’s been stalking you for quite a bit of time.”
“How long?”
“Weeks, if not months.”
A chill of terror sliced through my body as his words settled around me. The idea that Alfred had been watching me while I blissfully imagined him in other states, in other places far from here, made me absolutely sick.
I refused to let this man dictate how my life worked. I’d already left a job I loved because of him. I wouldn’t give him anything else.
Blake: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 1) Page 8