Hold You Close

by Jessica Linden

  Ginny’s head whipped around. “Excuse me?”

  Natalie shrugged unapologetically. “I spent years holding my tongue. Not anymore. I don’t know you well at all, but Fedor Barkov? Really?”

  “Yes, really.” Ginny paused to give her drink order to the bartender. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d show my fiancé a little respect. He’s an important man.”

  She nearly choked on the words.

  Natalie burst out laughing. “You’ll have to do better than that if you want people to believe you.”

  Was she really that transparent? Perhaps she should set aside some money for acting classes. She’d never been a good liar and her work was already cut out for her in trying to convince Fedor she would be a dutiful and loving wife. Now she realized he wasn’t the only one who needed to be convinced.

  She needed to make everyone else believe it, too.

  Ginny tried to appear indignant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m not trying to get into your business,” Natalie said gently, “but I know all about being under the thumb of a controlling man. If you ever need anything, you know how to find me.”

  Ginny watched as Natalie walked away, wishing it were that easy. Wishing that all she had to do was make a phone call to make all of this go away.

  But life wasn’t so simple.

  “Gin and tonic, miss?”

  “Thank you.” She took the glass and set off to find Fedor.

  * * *

  Barkov and Ginny stood with Natalie and Knox, presenting the perfect opportunity for Tony to interject himself into the situation. He started to make his way over, but stopped when Ginny and Natalie walked away. He watched the exchange between them from a distance, wondering what was said. Whatever it was, Ginny seemed troubled by it.

  He waited until she’d gotten a drink from the bar before approaching. He put hand on Ginny’s arm and she jumped, her drink sloshing out of the glass.

  “Damn it!”

  Despite the circumstances, Tony couldn’t suppress his grin. “You’ve got a nasty habit of spilling drinks when I’m around.”

  “What are you doing?” she hissed, frantically looking around with wide eyes. She seemed skittish, a far cry from the confident, upbeat woman he remembered. That was Barkov’s doing. Tony’s fists clenched and he had to force himself to keep things light.

  “Celebrating the Grekowski engagement. Same as you.”

  “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”

  Tony nodded at her drink. “I wouldn’t take you for a gin drinker.”

  “It’s not mine. Shit. It’s a mess. I need to get another one.”

  “Allow me. It’s my fault you spilled it.” Tony could guess who the drink was for and it turned his stomach to do anything that would benefit that asshole, but he’d do it if it meant extending his time with Ginny.

  “I’ll get it.” She glanced over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to him. “Leave me alone, Tony. I mean it.”

  “No.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “No,” he said again. She gaped at him, and he stared right back at her, his gaze unwavering.

  She ended their stare-down by grabbing his arm and pulling him behind a panther’s cage. The sleek animal flicked its tail once, then turned its head away. They were of no interest.

  He put a hand on her shoulder, wanting to do so much more than that. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He wanted to hold her close until the fear left her eyes. He wanted to kiss her worries away.

  She shrugged his hand off. “I don’t know how to make you understand. But if you care about me at all, you’ll let it go.”

  Tony rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “I do care, which is why I won’t let it go.”

  Her family may have signed off on her decision to marry Barkov, but he wouldn’t be so easy to push over. He could understand Veronica not giving a shit, but what about her parents? How could they turn a blind eye to their youngest daughter’s choice?

  Not that he was suggesting Ginny should still obey her parents. Fuck, she was a grown woman—that dress she’d painted on tonight made him perfectly aware of that. Even now in the midst of an argument, his body still responded to hers.

  And if he was the only one in her life who was willing to try to talk some sense into her, then so be it. Challenge accepted.

  She put her left hand over her eyes, which put her large diamond engagement ring on display.

  It was a punch to the gut. The gaudy ring did not belong on her hand.

  When her lower lip quivered, he gathered her in her arms, her protests be damned. Her body folded easily into his—her curves meeting his hard angles. She fit. Dammit, she just fit. When would she realize that?

  “Ginny, I’ve got you.” He stroked her hair and pressed his lips to her forehead. “It’ll be okay.”

  She pulled away from him and wiped at her eyes with her fingertips. “Will it? Will it really? Because you don’t know shit about it. If you only knew . . .”

  “Tell me!” The words were louder and more explosive than he’d intended, but dammit, he’d been trying to get her to talk to him about it, so fuck if she was going to throw it in his face that he didn’t know the full story. “Tell me,” he said, his tone more controlled. He gently cupped her chin in his hand, hating the misery on her face. “Whatever it is, I can help.”

  “You can’t. Not with this. I wish you could, but I’m in too deep and there’s no escaping now.” She pulled her eyes away from his and wrapped an arm around herself.

  “Are you afraid of him?” If Barkov had given her reason to fear him, so help him, someone was going to have to restrain him. He might kill the man. “Has he done anything to you?”

  “No, it’s not—I have to go. I’m fine, but please, I don’t want him to see us together.”

  “Why not? You’ve introduced him to everyone else here.” He was CEO of Adamo Enterprises, which was no small role. He had power in his own right. If Barkov wanted to make connections, he’d play that game for Ginny’s sake.

  But then she looked at him, the raw look in her eyes speaking volumes. It almost knocked him back a few feet.

  There was passion, intensity, and warmth. But most important, longing.

  She felt it, too. It wasn’t just him. Whatever this was between them—she felt it. In that moment when she looked at him, her gaze was filled with pure longing. Pure and unadulterated need.

  His heart felt like it’d been hit by a sledgehammer.

  “You know why,” she whispered. “Don’t make me say it. That just makes it harder.” She put a hand to his chest and quickly pressed her lips to his. The kiss was over nearly before it began. “Goodbye.”

  She pulled away and Tony let her go. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to settle himself. It was all he could do to keep himself from hauling her out of the ballroom and keeping her safe at his place while they figured this mess out together.

  But that would make him little better than Barkov.

  Still, he wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing. He didn’t care what the fuck she said. She needed help and if she wasn’t going to tell him what was going on, he would find out for himself. He wasn’t without his own resources.

  He walked out from behind the animal cage and scanned the room. Ginny was nowhere to be seen. But she wasn’t who he was looking for.

  Across the room, he saw Knox loitering against a wall, looking like he was trying to be invisible. If anyone hated these functions more than Tony, it was Knox.

  He made his way over to his friend and crossed his arms. “Tell me everything you know about Barkov.”

  Chapter 7

  Ginny stared at her complexion in the mirror and dabbed at her cheeks with cool water. The water did nothing to calm her racing heart.

  All it took was the slightest touch from Tony for her to forget her priorities. She’d like nothing more than to walk out those doors with him and not look back. To
forget Fedor, Veronica, and her family’s failing company.

  Sometimes she felt like she was carrying everyone and everything—that everything in her life was dragging her down. What about what she wanted? Did that matter?

  She blinked, trying to clear her vision.

  She wanted Veronica safe. She wanted her family’s company to thrive. And if making Fedor happy was what it took to achieve those things, then she wanted that, too.

  It was stupid to expect to have everything she wanted in life. So what if she wanted Tony? So what if he ignited things in her she hadn’t known were still there? Nothing was as important as her family.

  And that included Tony. It had to.

  She couldn’t keep doing this. Seeing Tony was dangerous. It risked everything she was working for. Her feelings for him had to be written all over her face. All it would take was for Fedor to see her with him once—

  No, that couldn’t happen. From now on, she wasn’t leaving Fedor’s side at these events. She would be the doting, devoted wife-to-be. Surely Tony wouldn’t approach her when she was with him. Would he?

  God, she hoped not. He wasn’t that stupid.

  She was the one who was stupid. Kissing Tony like that—what the hell had she been thinking? They weren’t even alone, for Christ’s sake. Sure, they were behind the stupid panther’s cage, but the cage was made of bars, not a solid wall.

  She knew what she’d been thinking—that Tony was what had been missing from her life all these years. That she couldn’t stand to be near him without touching him. That she needed this moment, because it was the last she’d have with him.

  But if anyone had been looking that way . . .

  She shuddered to think. If she’d wanted to, she might have been able to get out of the engagement before it was made public, but that would have put her sister in danger. And now that everyone knew, Fedor wouldn’t let her go easily now that his pride was at stake.

  “Shit, shit, shit.”

  She patted her face dry with a paper towel and pulled out her compact to touch up her face. No, she was doing the right thing. She’d made her decision and she’d chosen what Fedor had offered. She’d chosen her family. Tony hadn’t been a factor when she’d made that choice and he wasn’t a factor now. Besides, there was no turning back. So it was pointless to consider what might have been.

  She left the ladies’ room and went in search of her betrothed, finding him lingering near the exit. Though his posture was relaxed, she could tell by the tenseness near his eyes that he was anything but.

  “Are you ready to leave?” she asked, hoping the flush in her cheeks had died down.

  Fedor grunted and gestured for her to walk in front of him. When they got outside, she found the driver had the car idling at the curb.

  “After you, my kotik.” Fedor’s words were slurred as he pulled open the back door of the town car himself instead of waiting for the driver to come around like he normally did.

  Ginny stopped, frowning. When she’d seen him just twenty minutes ago, he was fine. When had he gotten drunk?

  This was unlike him. Although Fedor drank regularly at events they attended together, he’d always been able to hold his liquor.

  “I’m waiting.”

  “Of course.” She walked quickly and ducked down into the car.

  She slid to the other side of the seat, placing her purse next to her. When Fedor got in, he knocked it to the floor, pressing up against her. The spacious backseat of the luxury town car instantly shrank. Ginny felt as if the walls were closing in on her.

  She wasn’t normally disposed to claustrophobia, but now, in the back of the car with Fedor’s large body invading her space, she felt trapped. What a damn appropriate metaphor.

  “Drive,” he commanded and the car immediately pulled away from the curb. He gripped Ginny’s knee so tight she gasped and clawed at his hand. “Where did you disappear to?” The alcohol on his breath was so strong she had trouble not gagging.

  “The ladies’ room.” She straightened, trying to move away from him, but she was already up against the car door. There was nowhere to go. “I didn’t feel well.”

  “Don’t lie to me.” He gripped her chin, squeezing and turning her face toward his. The pain brought tears to her eyes. If he didn’t ease up, she’d have finger-shaped bruises on her cheeks.

  “Fedor, please,” she managed to get out. “You’re hurting me.” He didn’t respond and fear rose in her, causing her pulse to spike. Would the driver help her? She shifted her gaze toward the front of the car, but the driver was paying attention to the road. He was either oblivious or he didn’t care. Or even more likely, he bowed to Fedor’s wishes.

  God, moments ago, she’d had Tony’s arms around her and now? Now she’d never felt more alone.

  Fedor’s grip got tighter on her face and she whimpered.

  “I don’t tolerate liars,” he growled.

  “You’re going to leave a mark.”

  That got his attention. He let go and pushed her face away. She rubbed her jaw with her fingertips.

  Fedor moved to the other side of the seat, and she leaned down to pick up her purse. She used her compact to examine her face. At that point, she didn’t really care what it looked like. She just needed a distraction.

  Her hands shook. She’d figured Fedor could be violent—he didn’t get to be a powerful man in the dark side of society by playing nice. But she’d naively assumed the violence wouldn’t extend to her.

  Tears threatened to spill over. Stupid. She was so stupid. She wasn’t immune. And when she became his wife, she’d be even more at his mercy. Men like Fedor didn’t consider wives their equals—more like their property. Somehow Ginny had thought that since Fedor was using her to make in ways into polite society he would adhere to the rules of decency. She was so wrong.

  Fedor might look the part of a refined gentlemen, but at his core he would always be a monster. And she’d put herself at his mercy.

  * * *

  Tony looked up from his computer, coming out of his tunnel vision. Dr. Gilbert, the lead scientist in the lab, stood in his doorway; he’d obviously been waiting for a while.

  “If this isn’t a good time, I can come back,” Dr. Gilbert said. He looked every bit the scientist—wiry gray hair sticking out at all angles, thick glasses, mismatched clothes under a white lab coat. Tony didn’t know him well—Gilbert wasn’t exactly a people person—but by all accounts, the man was brilliant.

  “No, I’m sorry. I was deep into those reports.” Tony blinked a few times to moisten his dry eyes. Staring at the computer for hours made him want to buy stock in Visine. And Advil. Of course, he could go down to the lab to swipe some ibuprofen. “Come in. I don’t want to waste any more of your time.”

  Dr. Gilbert took the seat across from his desk, sitting on the edge. His knee bobbed up and down. “How can I help you?”

  “I was reading over the files in the lab last week and I was denied access to one. Naturally, I was curious about it.”

  Dr. Gilbert frowned. “That’s weird. You, your father, and I should have unrestricted access to everything.”

  “It’s probably just a glitch in the system or something.”

  “Which file is it?”

  “B37.”

  He shook his head. “We don’t have anything like that.”

  “Huh,” Tony said, noncommittally, studying the scientist. He didn’t think the man was lying, but he knew what he’d seen. Dr. Gilbert struck him as the type of man who micromanaged everything, practically living in the lab. He ran a tight ship and Tony was pretty sure no one could sneeze in that lab without the doctor knowing about it. All of this made the existence of B37 raise even more red flags.

  Dr. Gilbert straightened in his chair and rubbed his forehead. “Are you sure about the name?”

  “Pretty sure, but perhaps I’m mistaken.”

  “There shouldn’t be anything happening in the lab without my knowing about it. I’m going to look into th
is.”

  His brow was furrowed and his knee bobbed double time. He’d also taken to drumming his fingers on the edge of Tony’s desk. Tony’s mention of B37 had rocked this man’s carefully controlled world. He was definitely nervous, but it wasn’t from wrongdoing on his part. Rather, he was worried someone had pulled something over on him in what he no doubt considered his territory.

  Instinctively, Tony knew that if something shady was going on, Dr. Gilbert wasn’t part of it. And he didn’t want him getting mixed up in it if he could help it.

  “Don’t waste your time. I could have the name wrong.”

  “Even if you had the name wrong, you should still be able to access everything,” Dr. Gilbert said. “So something is still not right.”

  Tony nodded in approval of Dr. Gilbert’s assessment of the situation. The respect he had for the scientist was definitely warranted. “Very true. I’ll double check on that file name.”

  “When you find it, let me know.”

  “Of course.” Tony studied the man as he stood to leave. There was a determined gleam in his eyes, and Tony knew that Gilbert would look into the situation immediately, despite Tony’s claim he may have mistaken the file name.

  A pebble of suspicion formed in Tony’s gut, and he hoped he’d be able to squash it before it turned into a full-on boulder.

  “Doctor, one more thing,” Tony said, “if you find something, please report it directly to me. No one else, okay?”

  Dr. Gilbert paused before slowly nodding. Tony was sure he could read between the lines. The only other person the scientist reported to was Tony’s father. It didn’t escape Tony’s notice that Dr. Gilbert didn’t question his reasoning—he seemed to understand what Tony was implying and didn’t seem to be the least bit shocked.

  Tony hoped like hell his suspicions were wrong.

  * * *

  Full of apprehension, Ginny approached the towering front doors. Fedor had taken up office in one of the oldest buildings in the city. While the rest of the city blocks were brick or if they were newer, metal, this particular building was brownstone, giving it a historic feel.

  Ginny had never actually gone to see Fedor at work. They’d done all of their negotiating at his home and had mainly only seen each other in neutral locations, such as charity events or restaurants. She was beginning to realize how little she knew her fiancé. She’d had no interest in his business dealings and still didn’t, but it would behoove her to get to know the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with.