The Actuary's Wife

by K T Bowes

  “Idi syuda,” Rohan said. He motioned with his fingers, bidding Emma to obey him and turning his head quizzically when she pursed her lips and shook her head. “Emma?” His voice was soft and cajoling. “I want you, devotchka. I want you more than anything but right now, I need to talk to you and it’s more important.”

  “You’re messing with my head.” Emma’s fingers fluttered with stress as she put her hands over her ears. “You always do this and I can’t live like it anymore.” She pushed her body into the corner of the shower cubicle and turned her back on Rohan.

  “Emma!” Rohan’s breath was hot on the back of her neck as he bent at the knees, turned her and scooped her into his arms. He struggled to balance himself as he carried her through the wide shower doorway, sending Emma through feet first. She kept her hands over her ears, banishing her husband’s sweet words and persuasions. Tendons and sinew stood out on Rohan’s neck as he carried Emma from the bathroom, grunting and leaning his weight on his prosthetic leg as he snagged a warm towel from the rail.

  Emma poised her body, readying herself to run as soon as he set her on the floor but he didn’t. Rohan sat on Emma’s side of the bed and folded her into his lap, wrapping the towel around her shoulders and maintaining a tight grip. He pulled her left hand away from her ears and let her struggle for a moment. “Em,” he whispered. “I didn’t come here for sex; I needed to make sure you and Nikolai were ok. A man died outside the gate, Em and it’s possible he was a Triad. Nobody knows why he came here.”

  Emma gulped, her eyes widening in horror at the very real and present danger overriding her emotional turmoil. “He came to hurt you, or us?” Her face paled and she rubbed a shaking hand across her eyes. “Even Nicky?”

  Rohan cuddled her closer and kissed Emma’s damp forehead. “The Triads don’t care, Em. They’re after me because I left the Contessa to die in the house fire. I knew all bets were off and you and Nikolai would become collateral damage once they found out about you. I thought I’d been more careful than that.”

  “Is that what Christopher meant? The Contessa is loose?”

  Rohan spoke through gritted teeth, his expression thunderous. “Da, well, he would know, wouldn’t he? It was all under control until he got involved! His interference blew the whole thing out of the water.”

  Emma slumped into Rohan’s chest as her disjointed memories of the terrible night caught up with her, reducing her resolve to rubble. “I heard you tell Frederik to burn the house with everyone in it.” Her words came in gasps and Emma swallowed hard as orange flames licked a Scottish house in her inner vision. Drugged and insensible, she remembered the night as a series of disjointed snapshots and images.

  “Da,” Rohan nodded.

  “Christopher too?” Emma’s brown eyes contained accusation.

  Rohan’s jaw stiffened again and he shook his head. “Absolutely, Em. He betrayed me and allowed the Contessa to get close enough to hurt me. He knew the score and made his choice. Dragging you into it was his last mistake.”

  “But killing him?” Emma screwed her face up, not understanding. “That’s massive!”

  “Da, Em. But one of the must have crew let him go and look what he did? He took the Contessa with him and led her straight to us!”

  “He wouldn’t do that!” Emma protested. “Anton asked him to...”

  “To what, Em?” Rohan’s anger bubbled over into his voice, already betrayed in the stiffness of his legs and the tight hold on Emma’s body. “To look after you? Maybe you should ask him the wording of his task because it’s very different to his claim. Anton asked him to take care of you until you reunited with me and were safe in this house.”

  “How do you know that?” Emma asked, doubt in her face.

  “I’ve seen the terms of my brother’s will,” Rohan replied, his expression one of pain. “My tech hacked into the solicitor’s system when I sensed Dolan was still hanging around. He found the emails for me and now I know how much that durak was paid by my brother.” He balled his fists. “I knew the Contessa was loose but never expected her to track me right to our front door. There’s only one way she could’ve found me, Em and Dolan’s the logical answer.”

  “But why would he?” Emma pleaded. “He always maintains he’s protecting me. He loved Anton. I don’t even think he’s being paid anymore, the money must’ve run out by now.”

  “Emma.” Rohan turned her face towards him with his index finger under her chin. The motion was half pressure, half caress. “Who knows how that man’s mind works? I couldn’t come straight home because my tech intercepted noise from the Triads which suggested they were following. I made the drop in Paris a few days after I left.” He paused and bit his lip at Emma’s look of incredulity.

  “But you were away for two weeks.” Her eyes flashed with accusation.

  “I took another job, Em. It was unexpected, dorogaya. I booked my flight home and then took a call from Moscow. There was a problem and my new risk turned out to be human.”

  Emma shook her head and began to struggle on his knee. The towel around her felt damp and itchy in the cool of the bedroom and she braced herself against Rohan’s chest. “Don’t you dare pass that child off as a business deal. He’s the image of my son, Rohan. Don’t take me for a fool!”

  “I won’t, I promise.” Rohan seized Emma’s hands in a firm grip and held onto them. “I want to tell you everything, but I can’t, Em. Dolan’s here; I know he is. If he thinks so little of my family that he’ll give you to the Contessa, he’ll enjoy handing over someone else I care about. I’m upset the Triads have come here, Em; I won’t risk anyone else.”

  Emma shook her head. “I don’t understand.” Her body sagged on his knee. “I want to be left alone to live my life; is that too much to ask?”

  Rohan shook his head. “It’s because of me and I take full responsibility. But Dolan’s the problem, Em. He brought the Triads here.”

  “What shall I do?” Emma’s huge pupils made her brown eyes look black. “How can we make it go away?”

  “I don’t know,” Rohan shrugged. “For the moment, stick to your routines and I’ll keep living elsewhere. Let Dolan think we’ve separated for good.”

  Emma pursed her lips. “Who says we haven’t?” Her eyes flashed and Rohan looked saddened.

  “I wanted you to get rid of Dolan but on second thoughts, if you ask him to leave, I suspect he’ll give you up to them. It’s possible he’s using you for leverage at the moment and hasn’t told them everything.” He shook his head. “Why the hell Anton trusted him, I’ll never understand.” Rohan bit his bottom lip and sighed. “Wherever Dolan goes, trouble follows.”

  “How did you get onto the property and into the house?” Emma asked.

  Rohan smiled and kissed the end of her nose. “You should pay more attention to the blueprints of this house, Em. Don’t worry, nobody else can get in that way. I’ll come and go when I can, but Emma; I’ll always be watching.”

  Emma nodded, feeling exhausted. She was surrounded by men who painted themselves as heroes and yet exposed her and Nicky to danger. Two years on one of the worst housing estates in Britain proved less fraught. “Oh, Rohan, what a mess,” she sighed. She ran her index finger down his cheek and around the line of his strong jaw. She added her thumb and turned it into a grip containing Rohan’s chin. Her eyes narrowed as her fingers tightened and Emma stared him in the eyes. “Swear that baby is nothing to do with you.” Her gaze was intense, her teeth gritted.

  Rohan shook his head. “I can’t do that, Em. He is something to do with me, but I’m not his papa, I promise.”

  Emma closed her eyes and weighed her options. “I have to believe you, don’t I? I’m running out of choices.” She acknowledged Rohan’s nod. “But who’s the woman, Ro?”

  “Emma, no.” His voice was soft as he released her hand from his face. “But I’ll tell you one truth, so you know. I’m not living with her. I’ve been sleeping at Mama’s apartment for the last few days, contrary
to whatever Dolan’s told you. The child needed a doctor the other day and his mother couldn’t cope. Maybe the flight caused it, but he has an ear infection. That’s what you saw, Em. I promise. Obeshchaniye. I tell the truth.”

  Emma lowered her eyes and the towel slipped from her shoulder. Chilly air kissed her skin and she shivered. Rohan’s blue eyes followed the line of the fabric as it caressed her and he raised a finger to touch her exposed shoulder. “Where’s Nikolai?” he whispered.

  “In the sitting room watching TV,” Emma replied. “The dog’s with him.”

  Rohan nodded and a small smirk touched his lips. His index finger trailed down her breast, following the line of her body until it rested on the small bump underneath her navel. “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed. “It’s killing me not waking up next to you; I miss you.” His eyes coveted her shapely body and his pupils dilated, betraying his desire. His fingers strayed to Emma’s thigh, running along the contours of her buttocks, his feet shifting in discomfort as his neat trousers constricted his hardened interest.

  Rohan hauled himself to a standing position, still cradling Emma in his arms. She reached around his neck in fear as he balanced precariously and stripped the sheets back with his hand. The scent of fresh laundry assailed their noses as Rohan lay Emma on the plush mattress and covered her body with his.

  He devoured her with his fingers and lips and Emma fought his clothing with ferocious need. Rohan’s buttons popped and skittered across the floorboards as she pushed his shirt backwards over his shoulders and exposed his muscular frame. Rohan swore as he fumbled with his zipper and underwear, Emma’s lips caressing the soft skin between his neck and shoulder. She nipped and Rohan gasped. “Hold me,” Emma begged as Rohan settled into his rhythm and he pressed his lips over hers and enfolded her tightly in his arms.

  Chapter 21

  “I don’t want you to leave.” Emma voice dripped with sadness and Rohan kissed her temple and drew her closer.

  “I need to go back to Mama’s,” he whispered. “Let them track me in and out of there; it’s better than being seen here.”

  “It’s an old peoples’ home,” Emma said in disbelief. “How do you manage to live there when you’re not even thirty?”

  “Skill,” Rohan scoffed and Emma sighed.

  “Nicky will come looking for me soon. Do you want to see him?” She leaned up on her elbows and picked at a loose thread on the pillowcase. “I’m sorry for what I said before. It’s been hideous believing you cheated on me with another woman and fathered a love child I knew nothing about. I’d never stop you seeing Nicky but didn’t like you very much for a while there.”

  “You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” Rohan snuffed, pressing his face into her soft hair. “I couldn’t help kissing you outside the gate when you turned up in your bright red car.”

  “Were you play acting?” Emma asked in a small voice and he shook his head in reply.

  “Nyet. I felt devastated. I saw how easily I could lose you over this.”

  Emma’s long lashes brushed her cheeks as she picked at the thread and concentrated on the mundanity of the task. “Why does this woman, the Contessa, hate you so much, Ro? Who is she?”

  Rohan exhaled and rolled onto his back, his blue eyes raking the ceiling. “Dolan!” he sighed. “And it’s really slozhnyy.”

  “What does that mean?” Emma trailed a finger lightly over Rohan’s chest muscle, noting with satisfaction the red welt from her lips at the bottom of his neck.

  “Complicated, for sure.” The deep rumble of his voice comforted her and Emma walked her fingers down his defined pectoral and brushed his nipple. Rohan’s strong fingers stopped her roving and he turned to meet her eyes. “There’s a few of us out there, Em, liberating and eliminating risk. There’s enough work for everyone. No self-respecting company or individual ever employs two professionals to work on the same job; we work alone and we get the job done. We have backers who fund our expenses and take a cut of the profit at the end. Dolan likes to play games. Anton recommended him as a tech and I trusted his character reference, which turned out to be a big mistake. Everything’s a game to him and he gets people killed. A Triad group in Auckland back the Contessa; she’s the niece of the Che family who run that operation so it’s tight and family based. Dolan used a trip to New Zealand to flush her out and get her into bed. She was on her way back from collecting a database stolen by a disgruntled employee and spent two days holed up in a hotel instead of delivering the risk to her uncle. Dolan stole it.”

  “Ohhhh.” Emma pursed her lips and shook her head. “That sounds like him.”

  “Yeah, he couldn’t resist. He tried to pass it off on me and I wouldn’t take it. I wasn’t stepping into the centre of that, not for some dumbass Irish idiot who treats everything like it doesn’t matter.”

  “What happened?” Emma tried to release her fingers from Rohan’s hand but he gave her a knowing look and kept hold of them.

  “He found out who my backer was and took the database direct to them. They arranged the alternative drop and the Triads were discredited. Dolan started a war and I got caught up in it.”

  “Is that why she stabbed you last time?” Emma shuddered at the memory of the wound on Rohan’s back and how the white flesh gaped open under her pathetic attempts at first aid.

  He nodded. “Da. I heard you make a noise in the hallway and took my eye off her for a second. She aimed for Dolan and I got in the way. One of my men shot her and Dolan knocked him out. I’d had enough of Hack to last me a lifetime. I hit him and he went down and didn’t get up again so I figured they could both burn. I should’ve waited around to make sure it happened.” Rohan released Emma’s fingers and ran his hand over his face, his brows narrowed with frustration. “This will go on and on until one of us dies. Unfortunately, my backer enjoys the game and periodically leaks my jobs to Che. He sends the Contessa after me and so it goes on, like an endless quest.”

  “Do these Triad people know your real identity?” Emma’s fingers fluttered nervously at her throat.

  “Only if my backer chose to tell them,” Rohan said quietly. “And if they’ve turned up here, it’s possible he or Dolan already has.”

  “Who’s your backer? And why would he do that to you after all this time? You’ve been the Actuary for years.”

  Rohan blew out a breath and turned on his side. Emma heard the metal of his prosthetic leg clank against the zipper of his trousers, snarled up in the covers near his feet. “My backer is a family member who lives in Moscow. He’s my mama’s brother and isn’t happy about her being in prison right now. Once he discovered she was on remand, the game became nasty.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Da, dorogaya. Dolan’s nasty game just turned on me.”

  “But she’s guilty! She poisoned both our fathers, your baby sister and countless others at the residential home, not to mention she made our lives a living hell, you, me and Anton!”

  “I know, Emma!” Alanya’s guilt still bit at something deep within her son’s heart. “She’s mentally ill; she thought she made people better. I don’t want to talk about her; I have other problems.”

  “But can’t we make your uncle understand?” Emma’s face was earnest. “I can talk to him.”

  “No!” Rohan’s reply was a reprimand, an order and Emma pulled back. “They don’t know about you and Nikolai yet and it stays that way.”

  “Of course they know about me and Nicky! They came to our front gate!”

  “No, they knew I visited here and followed me. I’m not staying here anymore so that takes you out of the firing line. Keep Dolan on side and then he won’t tell them.”

  “You’re happy for him to stay here?” Emma screwed her face up and her tone was disbelieving.

  “I’m anything but happy, Emma! Don’t let him in the house and lock the bedroom door at night; I don’t trust him but he seems to have enough regard for you to protect you and my syn, for now. Who knows how that man thinks
, but I’ll be watching him. If he comes any closer than a room’s distance from you I’ll kill him. Then when I sort this out, I’ll kill him anyway!”

  “But it’ll never end!” Emma hissed, her eyes widening in fear. “I don’t understand this world you live in. I’m the daughter of an Anglican vicar, for goodness sake.” Emma bent her knees and leaned forward to hug them. The ridges of her spine showed through her soft skin, her ribs standing out like the construction arms of a bridge. Rohan splayed his fingers along the lines and Emma shuddered at his touch.

  Rohan sat up and the white sheet slipped sideways, exposing his naked hip. He pulled her into him and kissed the side of her neck. “It’ll be ok,” he whispered. “Somehow.”

  “Would you like to spend time with Nicky?” Emma asked softly. “Or must you stay away from him too?”

  “Yeah, I’d love to. I’ll talk to him and explain why we need to meet inside the house. It’s probably best if he goes with the story that we’re separated.”

  “You’re asking my son to lie?” Emma sounded incredulous.

  Rohan snorted. “No, Emma. I’ll treat him like an adult and explain the problem. Nikolai’s smarter than you think. He didn’t survive on that housing estate by being naivnyy, naïve.”

  “Yeah, well you’ll have to explain that Harley Man’s possibly a baddie then.” Emma rubbed her palm across her nose roughly and Rohan pulled her hand away from her face.

  “What?”

  “He thinks Christopher Dolan is Harley Man, a hero action figure. Dolan’s been talking to our son for years and I thought it was his imagination until a few months ago when I saw him on...”

  “Anton’s old Harley! Krovavyy ad!” Rohan lay back on the pillows and groaned.

  “Was that a swear word?”

  “Da, but not the first one which came to mind!” He ran his palm across his bristly chin and Emma heard the shushing sound it made. She wanted to feel it sweeping across her bare neck and shoulders again and smirked, distracted.