by L. J. Dee
What I couldn’t understand was why they’d never done anything about it.
I was staring at her as ‘Wonderment’ came on, my heart pounding at the memory of that incredible weekend. She was a way in front, but she’d turned suddenly as if an instant connection was drawing her to me, staring straight at me. She couldn’t believe what those incredible emerald eyes were showing her, and the pull on my heart was indescribable. I wanted to run to her, scoop her up in my arms and kiss those incredible lips, run my hands over that beautiful skin, but I knew that I couldn’t. I had to let this thing play out. I’d disappeared in the blink of an eye and she probably thought she’d imagined it. I knew I hadn’t, and I still saw her face now, that incredible face every bit as beautiful and vivid as I remembered.
That weekend at the house, they’d insisted they were friends, but there was more lurking under the surface. I’d seen it in Charlie’s eyes when I kissed her in the kitchen, but it was too late then. The damage was done and I’d already had my first taste of that magnificent, addictive body, claiming her hard and fast as though I knew I’d never get another chance, before worshipping that sweet hot pussy well into the night.
Perhaps Scarlett was the issue, perhaps now it was me. Maybe Charlie hadn’t realised how he felt about her yet, or maybe Chas was the one putting the brakes on. I couldn’t be certain, but one thing was clear to me now. Until they made up their minds, I wouldn’t be going back for more.
I knew I’d fucked up the instant those chopper blades started to rotate; lifting me from the estate and carrying me to the airbase. I’d reverted to type, split without a word with the beautiful form of that soft sweet girl curled peacefully next to me. Even now I wasn’t sure how I’d managed it. If she’d have moved one inch, I’d have buried myself inside her and never left.
The attraction had been as instant for her as it was for me. Sprawled on her arse in that graveyard I knew immediately that I wanted to fuck her. That wasn’t unusual, but she’d made me want more, and that was. She’d firing up feelings long since forgotten, and in just three days, Chastity Evangelista had made her mark, breathing new life into a heart that I thought had died along with Anna.
I wasn’t the man on her list, but I knew one that was, and it was hard to wrap my head around. Our physical lust had been intense and overpowering, but with Charlie there was something more, something deeper, cultivated through affection and I just wasn’t buying the whole friends act.
He was trying to make things work with one woman, when everything I’d seen tonight told me he wanted another. I took a long swig of brandy, knowing I’d need to stay away. It was the right thing to do, the only thing I could do, although I wasn’t convinced he’d ever make a move now, wondering how I’d feel if the situation was reversed.
Could I be with a woman my brother had fucked, however much I loved her?
I sighed deeply, knowing I should regret being with Chas, but I didn’t. I regretted splitting and that was it. Even that had led to another incredible night. I was sure she’d throw me out, spit out some venomous hatred with that sharp tongue of hers, or knee me in the bollocks. She almost had and I smiled at the memory. However mad she’d been, she wanted the right goodbye; a fitting tribute to the time we’d shared and I wanted that too. It had been every bit as special to me as it had to her.
She’d blown my mind. Good sex I’d never been short of, but great sex, amazing, can’t-get-enough of sex was another thing entirely. The way she’d played games with no inhibitions and opened her heart as much as her body, had pulled me in disturbingly quickly.
I wasn’t just enchanted by that beautiful figure; her soft round breasts, smooth curved hips and that velvet pussy that made me lose my mind. It was her laugh, her sharp wit, the way she could be soft and then prickly and the way she looked at me. Those bright green eyes pulled me in with their silent promise of pleasure. She’d bewitched me, and even now, with every sane thought in my head fighting against it, I wanted to go back for more.
She’d brought me back to life, back from the brink, making me realise I had something to live for instead of nothing to lose. If it hadn’t been for her, I would have gone from that graveyard and into the night, turning my back on Greenfield Hall, my brothers and my entire past. Instead, Chastity Evangelista had brought me home.
The truth was out, and despite my worst fears; the gnawing feeling in my gut that I would lose them all and be truly alone, my words had changed nothing. The support from Tyler and Lucas had been overwhelming and my fight with Charlie had hammered it home. We were back to normal and life was good.
My phone rang through the silence, pulling me from my thoughts as I checked the caller I.D. “Igor,” I smiled, “What’s the job?”
His low chuckle reverberated down the line. “This one’s unusual,” he said and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“They’re all unusual, Igor.” Wasn’t that the truth? Lately I didn’t know what the hell I’d be landing in, most of the time. Peace time negotiations seemed to be fraught with more danger than those I’d been involved with in the most war-torn districts of the world. When they had no active enemy, these people seemed to go out looking for them I thought, shaking my head.
“You know the customer,” he said and that in itself was different. My deals were one time offers, too risky for long term involvement. In and out, no evidence and no trace as if the whole thing never happened.
“Who is it?” I asked, knowing this would determine my decision; this and the other pressing matter I hadn’t got to the bottom of yet.
“Milanovich,” he said as my eyebrows shot up in surprise. Milanovich was a decent guy, a Russian Oligarch we’d secured from capture, negotiating his freedom and that threat had been neutralised.
“What does he need?” I asked and the ensuing silence probably meant I wasn’t going to like it. Sometimes I’d find out what the operation was on the journey over, depending on the secrecy of the mission, but there was something in Igor’s humorous tone tonight that let me know he already had the details on this one.
“You’re not going to like it, Roman, but he’ll double your fee for a month’s work.” A cool million for four weeks meant one thing – my life was on the line. My life was always on the line; but I’d learnt pretty quickly that there were degrees of danger in this kind of work. A million was about as dangerous as it got. It wasn’t just the money, I had plenty of that; it wasn’t why I did it. It was the thrill, the rush, the unbeatable adrenaline; the feeling of being alive and sometimes you had to nearly die to get that. At least I had before Chas.
Walking into this blind would be foolish. I trusted Igor implicitly, but I needed details. He chose me because I took chances, risked everything to secure the result. But that was before. Things had changed.
“That’s a significant amount of money Igor, what’s the job?” I asked again, smiling at the cool chuckle.
“Sienna,” he said as I blew out a huge sigh.
“What about her?” I asked. I’d been hoping never to encounter Sienna Milanovich again.
“You’re the only one who can control her, Roman,” he said as I laughed.
“How many has she seen off now?” I asked.
“Three security firms in as many weeks. He thinks she’s in danger and we have a team on the ground working on the threat, but it’s pointless if he can’t keep her in line,” he said as I shook my head.
“Tell him to fucking lock her up until you take them out,” I said and he was laughing again.
“She asked for you, Roman.” I tried to stifle my incredulous gasp, laughing loudly, unable to believe that Sienna Milanovich had actually requested me. The last time I’d seen her, we’d just secured her father. She’d made a bratty comment that I didn’t take kindly to, and I’d told her as much. She’d thrown a vase at my head and run at me, digging her fucking claws into my skin and drawing blood before I bound her with cable ties, secured her to a chair and locked her in the cellar with a note for her dad.
“Crazy fucking bitch,” I laughed and Igor was laughing too. “Forget it, I’m no one’s bodyguard,” I said as Igor sighed down the line.
“I told him you’d say that.” he said.
“And how did he respond?” I asked and for the first time Igor didn’t sound happy.
“He told me to offer you two million.”That’s was why he wouldn’t be happy. The cheaper he got me the more commission he’d cut for himself. I’d probably just cost Igor half a million quid.
I slumped back into the chair, not quite able to believe my luck. Two fucking million for guarding some spoilt little rich bitch, it was like taking candy from a baby. Only Sienna Milanovich was not an easy charge, far from it. She was a one woman walking tornado and if they thought I’d tamed her, I could only imagine what she was like when she was out of control. It wasn’t all bad; she was also a woman. I’d yet to meet one of those I couldn’t win over.
Apparently she wanted me, despite the cable ties and the thought made me laugh. I hadn’t been afraid to take Sienna in hand and get physical and she was actually asking for me to guard her, apparently convincing her father to pay two million quid for the privilege. It was a surprising and interesting offer, and for that kind of money I’d have jumped at the chance if it wasn’t for the only other thing standing in my way.
“It’s good money, Roman. Two million for guarding his daughter for a month, you’d be a fool to turn that down. I can’t believe you’re taking so long to consider it. Drugs Lords, dictators, psychopaths and human traffickers and you’re in. Don’t tell me you’re worried about a pampered little princess,” he laughed and he was probably right, but the thought was less than appealing.
My mind turned to Chas. If I was intent on giving her and Charlie a chance, it would be better if I was out of the picture. It would also be a hell of a lot easier for me without the daily urge to go and see her; caress that perfect skin and kiss those soft, supple lips. Just the thought of it had me hard again.
I wasn’t good news for her, but the heart wants what it wants. Maybe I thinking with my cock; it certainly knew where it wanted to be buried right now. The thought of that sweet velvet warmth was torturing me. No, we’d said our goodbyes and I needed to give Charlie some time to sort his fucking head out; I owed him that. If I’d have stuck around in the first place, talked to my brothers and forced everything into the open, Charlie wouldn’t have been hurt and maybe me and Silus could have found our peace. I’d made one bad choice. I wouldn’t make another.
“I’m in,” I said regretfully as Igor laughed.
“I’ll send a chopper to the Northern rendezvous point. How soon can you get there?” he asked as I looked at my watch. Igor was the only person in the world who knew my whereabouts at any given time. I was his responsibility. To the Government and everyone else, I was just a deniable asset, a number not a name, not governed by the usual rules of engagement, employing whatever means necessary to get the job done. It was as thrilling as it was dangerous, crossing politics and often the line between right and wrong. I was freelance and the rewards were high, but so was the risk.
Only one person would know when I died, and my family would never find out where or how and that thought had never concerned me before. Not since Anna had I considered the future, treating every day like it could be my last and many times it almost had been. But that weekend had changed everything. The love my family had shown me deserved more respect than I’d given it. Whatever I thought, I wasn’t alone, and that incredible girl had helped me to see that.
“Give me an hour,” I said, regretful that I wouldn’t get to see Chas again and hoping that I hadn’t just made the biggest fucking mistake of my life.
I showered quickly, packing my bag and pulling out the card and the charred letter that she’d rescued from the fire. That act alone had moved me, and she was right about the words she’d chosen. I’d read them over and over again the morning I’d left her, absorbing my father’s words, finally allowing myself to grieve. I hadn’t cried since Anna, and Chas had brought me that too. She’d resurrected a world where I could feel again, where everything wasn’t numb or incomplete. Pain was tough, but it was better than the alternative. Pain meant life and it was a long time since I’d felt alive. It was why I needed the job; that incomparable surge of adrenaline, the fear, the danger and the thrill of the unknown. No one had even come close to matching that high for a long time, but Chas had made me feel it all over again. Human heroin; and it was fucking addictive.
I’d almost let go in the soft embrace of her arms, given in to my grief, but I managed to pull it back. It wasn’t how I wanted to spend our last moments. I’d choked back the pain in my chest and lost myself in that beautiful body again, taken her comfort and affection as she wrapped herself around me, taking me to a place I would never forget. I walked across to the dresser, pulling out the hotel stationary, placing the card inside and scribbling a note.
I have to go away for a while. Please keep this safe. Roman
There was only one person I could entrust it with, and I knew she’d take care of it for me, writing her address on the envelope. I left it with the receptionist and checked out, making my way through the rainy Manchester streets and grabbing a cab to the rendezvous point.
There was just one more message I had to leave as I pulled out my phone, paying the driver and racing across the field to the waiting helicopter.
I saw the gig tonight and you were fucking incredible. Out of the country for a while. I’ll see you when you’ve hit the big time. Roman
He wouldn’t text back, he couldn’t. The number and signal were scrambled and untraceable. I’d call them all soon when I was settled in Moscow. I needed to look out for them. Lucas couldn’t do this by himself.
“Igor, can you get someone on the inside of Dimitri Gorav’s operation?” I asked as he pulled a worried frown, staring at me intently.
“Why, Roman?” he asked seriously and I understood his concern. This wasn’t an easy request.
“It’s a precautionary measure, that’s all,” I said as he shook his head. “I’m not going after him, I just need to know if he has any plans to move on Lucas Hunter, or anyone connected with Hunter Industries.” I rarely asked for security around my family from Igor. I didn’t need to reinforce the importance of this and his slight nod indicated he understood.
“I’ll keep my ear to the ground, Roman, but it’s nigh on impossible to infiltrate Dimitri’s circle. They’re tight and he vets everyone thoroughly. There are thirteen murders listed on file that the police attribute to Dimitri’s gang, but there isn’t a shred of evidence or proof, no witnesses or corroboration from anyone. We both know thirteen is just the tip of the iceberg. He’s a sharp operator and extremely paranoid, which makes life for a man like me incredibly difficult.”
I gazed out of the window as the helicopter rose, lifting us away from the rendezvous point and towards the airbase, watching the twinkling lights of the city below us and wondering if I’d done the right thing. “You’re quiet, Roman, do you want to tell me about it?” Igor asked as I smiled to myself. This man knew more than any other about my life and he’d proved a good sounding board in the past.
“I went back,” I said as he raised his eyebrows slowly. I was adamant I wasn’t going to, but despite everything that had happened in the last few months I owed the man who had been my father for the last twenty seven years, and I needed that time alone by the graveside to reflect.
“I know that much, I dropped your papers at the estate,” he said as my mind flicked back to that incredible afternoon with Chas. “What happened to change your mind?” he asked as I chuckled.
“I met someone at the graveside. She was on her way to the funeral but she was late,” I said as he watched me carefully.
“She must have been someone special to make you decide to face your brothers, Roman. I’ve been trying for months but you wouldn’t listen,” he said, throwing me a wry smile.
“She w
as.” I was trying to give little away, but Igor just knew me too well.
“Is that why you were so hesitant to take this mission?” he asked as I nodded. Was I that fucking obvious? “Tell me about it, Roman.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Everything with you is fucking complicated,” he laughed, still waiting for an explanation. We’d sit in silence until he got one which would make for a very long trip.
“I like her, Igor, really like her. She’s the first person since Anna that I could actually see myself spending time with aside from just fucking,” I said as he gazed at me seriously.
“Then that’s something you can’t take lightly, Roman. You haven’t said that for a long, long time,” he said and wasn’t that the truth. “You can still back out of the job if you want to stay and see how things pan out.”
“It’s not that simple, Igor.”
“Why?”
“I think she has feelings for Charlie, and I’m certain Charlie has feelings for her. They maintain they’re just friends, but it’s more than that. I see it when they’re together.”
“Then that is complicated,” he said, watching me closely. “How does she feel about you?”
“She likes me well enough. The weekend was fucking incredible. I split like an idiot without saying goodbye, but I went back. I asked if she wanted more; if her expectations had changed. I was kind of hoping she’d say yes,” I sighed. “She knows what I am. I need to step away and give them a chance to work out how they feel about each other before I make another move. I won’t risk hurting Charlie and I’m pretty certain he loves her,” I said as Igor frowned.
“Why don’t you just ask him?” he said and it was the obvious question.
“Because when I dropped the whole paternity bombshell he went running off to apologise to Scarlett. Silus told him he’d caught us fucking and he ditched her. He’s wracked with guilt and she’s snared him back in. So we both want Chas, but he’s with Scarlett and I’m on my way to fucking Moscow,” I laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Nothing was ever straightforward.