by Roxie Rivera
“Is everything okay?”
Shay’s anxious expression spurred him into action. He walked around the long kitchen island separating them and took the bundle of clothing and shoes from her arms. When they were out of the way on the counter, he placed his hands on her shoulders. She had asked him for honesty, and he was going to give it to her.
“Nikolai Kalsnikov is coming over. Do I need to tell you what that means?”
Her eyes widened, and her lower lip actually wobbled. On the verge of tears, she asked, “Is he going to kill me?”
“What? God no!” Alexei hauled her into his arms and crushed her tight to his chest. Dipping his head, he touched his cheek to the unbruised side of her face. The mere mention of Nikolai’s name had scared her so much she was shaking. “I told you, Shay. No one is going to hurt you.”
She tried to pull back so he let her. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized she had grabbed hold of him in her fear. She still gripped his shirt on either side of his hips as she gazed up at him with watery eyes. “But he’s the mob boss in Houston.”
“Yes, he is.” There was no point in denying what she knew. “But he’s my friend. We go back. Way back,” he emphasized. “We have history, and he owes me. If he can’t provide the coverage we need, there are other men who will for the right price.”
Shay slowly released her hold on him but she didn’t attempt to step out of his loose embrace. “What if the price is too high?”
Didn’t she understand? Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head. He allowed his lips to linger there for a moment longer than necessary. “There is no price too high, not for you.”
“Alexei,” she breathed his name, and his control wavered. Maybe one little kiss wouldn’t hurt…
A knock at the door startled them both out of that unexpected moment of romantic tension.
“It’s probably just Carlos,” he murmured. “The concierge.”
“Oh. Um.” She glanced around nervously. “I’ll go hide in the bedroom.”
Before he could ask her why she thought she needed to hide, she was already scampering away like a little rabbit. It occurred to him as he tucked away the bloody clothes in a cabinet and headed for the door that she might be embarrassed to be caught wearing only his shirt. Her sense of modesty amused him.
A quick peek through the peephole confirmed his suspicions. As he let Carlos inside, Alexei felt uncomfortably prepared for an ambush or a fight. I need to start carrying a piece again.
After the groceries were stowed on the counter, he walked Carlos back to the door and handed him the envelope of cash. “No one comes up to the eleventh floor without my approval. I want it locked down. Understand?”
Carlos slipped the envelope inside his suit jacket. “As you wish, Mr. Sarnov.”
Owning every unit on the floor and keeping them all empty save for this one had its perks. Chief among them the fact that Carlos and his friend in the maintenance department could shut down elevator access to the floor. It wasn’t a perfect solution for keeping Shay safe but it was the best option he had right now.
“I’m expecting a visitor soon. He’ll come through the trade entrance. Make sure he gets up as quickly as possible and without being seen.”
“Done.” Carlos left the apartment, and Alexei locked the door behind him.
When he made it back to the kitchen, he found Shay putting away the groceries. It was a domestic vision that rattled him. For a moment, he could almost believe they were like any other couple. There she was with her wet hair, wearing his shirt and putting away groceries as if this were something they did every night. It was such a simple thing to witness, but fuck. It made him want something simple and normal and real.
“Do you want some coffee? I could make you something to eat,” Shay offered.
“Sit.” He pointed to one of the tall leather barstools on the other side of the island. “You fed me once. Now I’ll make you something to eat.” He caught her disbelieving smile as she slid onto a seat. “What?”
“I just never figured you for the cooking type.”
“And how do you think I feed myself?”
“Takeout? Restaurants?”
He had to give her that one. “All right. Most days, yes. But I do know how to cook eggs. You’ll see.”
Before he started on their eggs and toast, he poured a glass of orange juice for her. “Drink this.”
She dutifully sipped the cold liquid. When she licked her upper lip, he had to avert his eyes and suppress a needful groan. Did she have any idea how damned alluring she was? If she did, she played the game superbly and better than any woman he had ever known. But he sincerely doubted that was the case.
He had just finished plating their scrambled eggs and toast when a knock interrupted his work. He thrust a fork into her hand. “Eat.”
She accepted the fork but her scared gaze darted toward the doorway. While he understood her fear of Nikolai, it was misplaced. The boss was a hard man, ruthless when necessary and not afraid to get his hands dirty, but he never hurt women. In some ways, he was the dark champion of the innocent.
Alexei smiled encouragingly and gently pushed her hand toward the plate. “Eat.”
Shay took a small bite. Satisfied that she was going to get some food into her stomach, he left the kitchen and answered the door. Instead of his customary bespoke suit, Nikolai wore jeans and a black hoodie that obscured most of his face, but those Ferragamo boots gave him away. Alexei stepped aside and gestured for the boss to enter.
Once inside, Nikolai lowered his hood. His green-eyed glare warned Alexei to tread carefully. “I had to leave my home and my bed and my pregnant wife, Alexei. After everything that’s happened this year, how do you think I feel leaving Vee with her guards at night?”
To say the boss was unhappy was an understatement. He was so incredibly protective of his wife. It was no secret that Nikolai worshipped Vivian, and now that she was giving him a son and heir? He was utterly devoted to her. Dragging the boss out of bed and entangling him in this mess? Blin.
“If I could have avoided this—”
“You are not a street soldier anymore,” Nikolai hissed. “If you want to make a move, you clear this shit with me first.” The boss stepped forward and invaded his personal space. “This,” Nikolai lifted his hand and pointed to the tattoo on the underside of his wrist that every member of his crime family was given, “is the only reason Ten and Danny aren’t dragging you out of here and down to the warehouse.”
Alexei rubbed the tattoo branding his own wrist. Guilt soured his stomach as he considered the impossible position he had put Nikolai in tonight. “Boss—”
“Where is she?” Nikolai turned his back and started toward the kitchen. “What’s this one’s name? Treasure? Satin? Dynasty?”
It was a mean barb that hit its mark. His preference for dancing girls was part of the underworld legend. “Her name is Shay. She cleans my office. Part-time,” he clarified. “She’s an entrepreneur with a college degree.”
Nikolai stopped and turned. His discerning gaze made Alexei uncomfortable. The man had a gift for seeing right through people. What was he seeing now?
As if trying to figure out a puzzle, Nikolai asked, “Are you serious about her? Because if you are, I need to know now.”
“I’m serious about her.” Whether or not Shay was serious about him remained to be seen.
“You should have told me about this woman when things got serious. I should have been made aware of her connections so I had a complete picture of our family’s underworld ties.” Nikolai exhaled a long breath. “You won’t get out of this cheaply, not after you put three of Mueller’s men in the hospital.”
“I know,” he gravely answered. “I know.”
The boss nodded. “So long as you know…”
Alexei trailed Nikolai into the kitchen where Shay anxiously stabbed her fork into the small mound of scrambled eggs left on her plate. Half of her toast had been eaten and her glass of juice was empty. G
lad that she had gotten something in her belly, he flashed her a reassuring smile.
Without a word of introduction, Nikolai walked right up to Shay and carefully clasped her chin. He gently turned her face left and then right before tilting her head back to get a better look at the fingertip bruises on her neck. The marks had really blossomed now and provided a clear picture of what had happened to her earlier in the night.
The tic in Nikolai’s jaw eased the tension in Alexei’s chest. He trusted Nikolai to be fair with Shay, but after seeing her battered face, the boss would make sure she was protected.
Nikolai gave Shay’s shoulder a squeeze and then stepped back. Her grip on the fork loosened, and she visibly relaxed. Hoping to set her at ease, Alexei traded her empty glass of juice for the full, untouched glass sitting next to his plate. She took the juice with a thankful smile and sipped it.
“Shay, this is Mr. Kalasnikov.”
She wrapped both hands around the glass. “Hello.”
“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Shay. So long as you’re honest with me,” Nikolai added as he slid onto the closest barstool. “I don’t tolerate lying.”
“I understand,” she said softly.
“Good.” He tapped the countertop with tattooed fingers. “Do you know why I am here?”
Alexei made Nikolai a cup of tea while Shay cooperated with this mini-interrogation. It kept his hands busy, and his stress levels in check while he waited to see how this would play out.
“You’re here because my sister and her boyfriend did something really stupid, and now we’re all in trouble.” She swallowed nervously. “You’re here because Lalo tried to rape me and I nearly killed him with a paperweight.”
That last piece of information caused Nikolai’s eyes to widen. The boss’s irritated glare landed on Alexei. In Russian, he asked, “What the fuck is this?”
Surprised the boss hadn’t heard that piece of information yet, he said, “I thought you must have known.”
“No, I didn’t. I thought the damage to her face was caused by Mueller’s men.”
“No, it was Lalo.”
“Fucking little prick,” he swore nastily. Switching back to English, he addressed Shay. “Tell me what happened with Lalo.”
She cleared her throat. “I went to the Arena to find my sister, to warn her after those awful men trashed my car. When I got there, Lalo was waiting. He took me into an office, and he tried to…” Still traumatized, she lowered her gaze. “He wanted me to pay for my life and for my sister’s life with my body. He hurt me…so I hurt him.” She ran her thumbs up and down the glass. “And then I ran.”
Nikolai placed a cautious hand on her arm. Shay’s gaze flicked to the mob boss’ face. “You were defending yourself. Whatever happened in that room, whatever you did to get out of there, it was the right thing. Do not ever apologize for protecting yourself. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Taking back his hand, Nikolai said, “Considering I haven’t heard this story yet, it’s clear Lalo wants it quiet. I’m sure he’ll put a spin on it. Whatever story hits the streets will be one that makes him into a hero or a martyr. If your name isn’t mentioned, then keep your mouth shut about your involvement, Shay. If he can save face, it may save your life.”
“Duly noted,” she whispered.
“Now tell me about this identify theft scam your sister and that street slinger were running.”
“What?” Shay couldn’t fake that confused expression. “What identify theft scam?”
“Why do you think Mueller and his men want your sister?”
“I don’t know. I just sort of assumed this was another one of her dumb counterfeit scams. You know, like purses and DVDs. She and Ruben got into a scrape earlier this year when they were selling that stuff in someone else’s territory.”
“This isn’t about territory. It’s not about counterfeit goods. It’s about your sister and Ruben stealing financial information so they can sell it on the black market.”
Alexei placed the cup of tea in front of Nikolai and offered him milk and sugar. Shay seemed to be trying to wrap her head around this new revelation.
“Look, I love my sister, and she’s everything to me, but she is not smart enough to run a scam like that. Okay? She’s not detail-oriented. She never follows through on anything. She can barely work her freaking iPhone! There is no way she did this.”
Nikolai stirred his tea. “Ruben outsourced the tech side. All your sister had to do was plug in a little flash drive and hit a couple of keys. She used her access to all those offices she cleaned to infect as many networks as possible. The information they compiled? It’s worth millions and millions of dollars on the black market. Word on the street is that they have a buyer ready and waiting.”
Alexei filed away that piece of information. There weren’t many buyers with that kind of cash on hand. He needed to nail down the buyer and fast.
“Your sister and Ruben have some information in their possession that is extremely sensitive. Mr. Mueller wants it back. He’s not going to stop until he gets it.” Nikolai put down his spoon. “Do you understand what that means, Shay?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Mr. Mueller and Mr. Contreras reached a compromise on this matter. The terms were all worked out very neatly, and I raised no objection because I had no reason to interfere in business that didn’t concern me. Had I known that you belonged to Alexei, I would have made sure you were protected from this.” He gestured to her bruises. “Now that I understand the situation more clearly, I’ll make sure that you can walk the streets of Houston safely.”
When Nikolai leveled a serious stare in his direction, Alexei didn’t have to ask what the boss was thinking. Alexei was already cataloguing the assets he controlled. There wasn’t a damn thing he owned that he wouldn’t gladly give away to ensure Shay would reach old age.
“Mr. Kalasnikov?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Yes?”
“What’s going to happen to my sister?”
Nikolai took a slow sip of his tea, lowered his cup and met her tearful gaze with that cold, distant stare he had perfected. “You’ll find it easier to move on with your life if you learn to stop asking questions that have answers you don’t want to hear.”
Shay’s lip trembled pitifully, and she blinked rapidly. She couldn’t manage an answer, only a shaky nod.
Alexei hated Nikolai for being so callous with her. Aching for Shay as she realized that her sister was marked for death, he crossed the small distance between them and stood behind her. He placed a hand on her hip and another on her shoulder. He needed her to know that she wasn’t alone. Whatever happened, he would help her through this.
“Do you know where your sister is? Where she would hide?” Nikolai might have felt some compassion for Shay but he wasn’t going to let it get in the way of business. “The sooner this matter is cleared up, the better for everyone.”
“I don’t know where she is. Really,” she insisted. “We had one short phone conversation earlier tonight. Lalo said Shannon and Ruben had run off and disappeared.”
Nikolai drained the last of his tea. “When your sister contacts you, I need to know about it. You will tell Alexei, and he’ll take care of it.”
Shay agreed sadly. “Okay.”
The boss stood up and carried his empty cup and spoon to the sink. “A few days hiding out here is your best option.”
Alexei patted her hip before following Nikolai to the door. Alone in the hallway, they drifted back into Russian.
“You’re going to need someone to sit on her while you’re at work.” Nikolai stated the obvious. “I have the perfect man.”
“I bet you do,” Alexei grumbled. “Which soldier? Danny? Boychenko?”
“Stas.”
“I don’t know him.”
“He’s a new guy, down from Brighton Beach. We’re transferring in some new blood. Loyal blood,” he added. “We need to grow but I need men with
experience. He’s a good enforcer. He’s done bodyguard work. I trust him.”
Because Nikolai trusted him, Alexei was expected to do the same. “I’ll give him a try, but if he makes Shay uncomfortable…”
“You can throw him back to me,” Nikolai promised.
“Fine.”
“He’ll be up in a few minutes. I brought him with me.”
Alexei frowned. “I see.”
“And he’s going to need a salary.”
Alexei snorted roughly. “Why do I get the feeling you had this planned even before this mess with Shay happened?”
“Because I did,” Nikolai answered honestly. “Your companies are clean. You have plenty of job openings for a man like Stas. Just give him a job title and put him on your payroll.”
“It’s not that easy, and you know it. Fuck. I hate it when you do this. I’ve worked hard to keep the businesses legit.”
“And you have those legit businesses because I gave you the first dealership,” Nikolai reminded him.
“I haven’t forgotten.” Because Christ knows you aren’t ever going to let me forget.
Nikolai glanced away and grimaced. “I sound like Maksim when I say shit like that.”
Alexei didn’t know why that was so surprising or why it seemed to bother Nikolai so much. Maksim had been his mentor, after all. “He’s the big boss. You learned everything you know from him.”
Nikolai made a throaty humming sound before running his fingers through his hair as if exasperated with himself. “You’re my friend. You gave years to the family, and you helped me take this city one street at a time. You bled for me. Everything you’ve built? You earned that through hard work, and it’s bullshit for me to simply assume you’ll do what I tell you, even when it puts your legitimate holdings at risk.”
“I am grateful for every opportunity you gave me. Our brotherhood? The blood we’ve spilled? That binds us forever.” Accepting Nikolai’s apology, he decided, “I’ll hire Stas because I need him.”
“Thank you. Now, listen, I’ll set up a meeting with Mueller. It shouldn’t be too difficult to iron out your issues with him. He’ll want payments for the soldiers you’ve put out of commission.” Nikolai glanced back toward the kitchen. “What’s the story between Shay and Lalo?”