I feel a knot in my chest. I have always tried my best to give Luke everything he needs. I have sold nearly everything I owned to try to keep both of us off the streets.
“Thank you,” I say as I continue to look out the window.
“I want you and Luke to come live with me.”
My head snaps around, and I stare at him. His eyes are focused on the traffic in front of him, but I know he’s aware of my stare. “No.”
“Listen to me before you reply,” he grunts. I notice him pulling into a basement. Two men standing inside nod at him as we drive past. When he parks, I notice other men standing around in the basement, all wearing suites like Nik. I’m guessing this must be some kind of mafia hideout or something.
“Where are we?” I ask.
“You will see,” he says as he turns towards me. “Keep an open mind. I really want this to work.”
I can see the determination in his eyes. “I understand that you want to spend time with your son, but you really don’t have to add me to the equation. We can work out a timetable where you can see Luke.”
He frowns before shaking his head. “You are very much part of the equation. I explained to you that I didn’t leave because I didn’t want to be with you anymore. I left you because I was trying to protect you.”
I feel the knot in my throat growing as I try to keep the tears back. For months, I prayed to hear these words, and now that I was finally learning how to live without him, he explodes into my life and tells me everything I wanted to hear before. The problem is, I can’t let myself fall for his words again. What if he decides once again that he needs to protect us from something and leaves?
“Don’t say that. I don’t want to be with you in that way,” I choke out. I don’t get a chance to react as he places his hand behind my neck and pulls me towards him. His lips crash down on mine, and he is kissing me with all the passion I have dreamed of for these last three years.
We are interrupted by Luke shouting in his seat. “Mama, Mama.” Pulling away, I look back and see his angry face as he looks at Nik. “Up,” he mutters.
“We should go,” I mutter, not looking at Nik, my heart still racing and my panties drenched from our potent kiss.
“You can’t ignore what we have, Raven,” Nik states as he opens his door and steps out. I hurriedly get out of the car before he can come open the door for me, and see him frown, but he opens Luke’s door and starts to unbuckle him. When he finally has him out of the car and the car door closed, Luke hurriedly launches himself at me.
I see Nik frown, but he doesn’t say anything at Luke’s obvious show of possessiveness with me. Nik guides us into a lift. When we get out, he walks down a short corridor and punches in a code on the keypad of the door, which has it clicking open.
I never thought he would live like this. How did I not suspect before? The door opens, and he stands to the side as he places his hand on my back and prods me forward. I gasp at the view that assaults us when we enter. There are floor-to-ceiling windows—the view is breath-taking.
“Wow,” I say as I take another step in and hear him close the door behind us. Looking around, I’m surprised to see that there is hardly any furniture except for a long black leather couch and a flat screen mounted on the wall. Looking to my right, I notice what looks like a kitchenette with a counter that consists of four high black chairs.
“Do you live here?” I ask curiously, because it doesn’t look lived in.
“Yes, I have lived here ever since I came from Russia,” he confirms. “It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and the kitchen. There is also a gym downstairs, and meals are prepared if we want.”
“Why did you bring me to your apartment, Nik? I thought we were going somewhere to eat, not to your place.” I place Luke on the floor before turning to face Nik.
“I wanted you to see where I live. I want you and Luke to move in with me.”
To say I’m shocked is an understatement. “No,” I say angrily. “Are you mad? You leave me, I don’t see you for three years, and then when you find out you have a son, you want us to move in with you? Well, the answer is no.” My anger is palpable. How dare he think that I’m just going to accept him back after he left? I know he says it’s because he wanted to keep me safe, but if he loved me, he would at least have checked up on me in the last three years. If we hadn’t bumped into each other, he would never have found out he had a son or come to see me.
“I know you’re still angry with me because I left, but you are being stubborn. You know this will be better here for the two of you. If you want me to take it slow, I will, but I can’t let the two of you stay where you are living.” His audacity is astounding.
“You can’t let? Well, it’s too bad that you don’t have a say, isn’t it?” I say. “I’m not moving in here. We have been living there since Luke was born, and we are fine.”
“Actually, I do have a say. He is my son, too, and I will not let him be in danger.”
“Are you accusing me of putting Luke in danger?” I ask angrily.
“I’m not accusing you of anything. I know you’re doing the best you can, but you have to agree that that is no place for you or our son.”
“Well, how admirable of you, thinking about our safety after all this time,” I scream.
“Fuck, Raven, I didn’t fucking know. I went looking for you, and there was someone else living in your apartment. I nearly killed the son of a bitch when I saw him entering your flat,” he shouts.
At his words, I still. He went looking for me?
At his raised voice, Luke starts to whimper as he holds on to my legs. “Fuck,” Nik grunts as he looks down at Luke. “I’m going to order us some breakfast.” He walks towards the kitchen and a phone on the wall.
“It’s okay, Luke. We were just talking. You want to see the pretty view?” At my calming voice, he looks up at me and nods, his lip still trembling. Picking him up, I walk towards the windows, my mind a jumble of thoughts. Is it possible that Nik did think about me? One thing I know about him is that he is honest to a fault.
“Car,” Luke says as he points at the cars driving past down below, his chubby little finger against the window. I see Nik’s reflection on the window and realize that he is standing a few feet behind, looking at us. I look over my shoulder at him and see a sad look in his eyes that he hides as soon as he realizes I’m looking at him.
“The food will be here in a few minutes,” he says. “I got us bacon, eggs, and toast, and for the little guy, only eggs and toast.” At his raised questioning brow, I nod.
“Raven, I don’t want us to fight,” he says, and my stomach knots at his words. “Will you think about it? Think about the better quality of life for both of you?”
That’s unfair. I know that it would be so much better for us here, and it would be so easy to agree, but how can I just move in with a man I haven’t even seen in three years? And yes, I still love him, and the attraction is still there. The kiss we shared was hot enough to melt the soles of my shoes, but will I be able to overlook him being in the mafia? After all, I don’t even know what he actually does.
From what he says, this was the reason he had to leave last time. He wanted me to be safe. Will I be safe now? Will Luke? “I will think about it,” I answer, and see his shoulders relax as he nods.
NIK 5
After our breakfast two days ago, Raven insisted on being taken home. If it were up to me, I would have kept both of them here, but I decided to try it her way and give her a chance to agree to come live here. I will give her until the end of the week. If she doesn’t decide, I will force my hand. Today they will be delivering her new car and taking the other away. I know that she will argue about it, but I won’t give her the opportunity to reject it, as I have instructed them to take the other one away before giving her the key to the new one.
Dimitry sent me all the information he could find about Raven. I want to head out to her work and kill her fucking boss. No wonder she has to stay a
t her current flat. The man is exploiting her. I’m surprised she was able to maintain herself and Luke for such a long time on the pittance he’s paying her.
After moving her in here, I will insist that she leave that son of a bitch, and if she doesn’t, I will convince him to let her go. Looking down at my wristwatch, I see that they should be dropping her car off at her work about now.
“Nik.” Looking up, I see Jade frowning at me. “You haven’t listened to a thing I said, have you?”
“Niet.”
“You want to talk to me about it?” Since finding out that I want to bring Raven to live here with me, Jade has been pestering me about things I need.
“Niet,” I grunt.
“You know, maybe I could talk to Raven and try to convince—”
“Niet.” I know that Jade just wants to help, but the last thing I want is for Raven to know anything about the Bratva now. I need to explain things to her, but I’ve decided that it’s best to tell her everything once her and Luke are safe with me.
“You are so frustrating. Is that all you know how to say today?” Jade grumbles as she turns and walks away.
“Where are you going?” I ask. She insisted on coming out today to buy more baby stuff that she apparently absolutely needed. I know she’s bored at home, especially now that she has stopped her studies.
“Well, look at that. He actually has more words in his vocabulary,” she grumbles as she continues to walk.
“Jade,” I snap. She knows I won’t take disobedience when we’re out in the open.
“I’m finished,” she snaps.
I incline my head so that the men standing around know we are leaving. I follow Jade, catching up to her in a few strides. “I will introduce you to Raven the next time I bring her to the house,” I mutter, knowing that will make her day.
She stops and looks up at me, a frown marring her forehead. “You know I just want the best for you, don’t you?” Since meeting Jade, she has become a kind of sister I never had, and I know she considers me the same. I will place my life before hers, not because she’s the boss’s woman but because she’s special to me.
“Da.”
“Good, now maybe we can go have some of those nice cinnamon buns you like so much,” she quips, which makes me shake my head in amusement. Since Vlad had the bad idea of offering Jade cinnamon buns from one of his favourite bakeries, she has craved them.
“What?” she says as she raises her chin. “The baby likes them.”
“Sure,” I quip as I help her into the car. Walking around, I slip into the driver’s side. I’m about to start the car, when I receive a text. Looking at my phone, I see that the car has been delivered and the old one has been towed away. Tonight, I will go see her and Luke. I’m sure I will get an earful, but she will have to agree to use the car, as I won’t give the other one back.
We just pulled up to the bakery when I get another text from one of our guys letting me know that I’m being followed. Fuck, I need to keep my concentration. Looking at my rear-view mirror, I see an SUV a few cars back. “We’re not stopping at the bakery,” I state, and see Jade tense. She looks over at me and then at her side mirror.
“Is someone following us?” I can hear the fear in her voice, but I will be damned if anything happens to her.
“Don’t worry, they’re not going to do anything. They’re just looking,” I state as I dial Vlad’s number, I won’t dial Alexey because I know he will lose his shit if he knows that there are men following us. This happened once before when the Catalonian mafia followed Jade and one of our men. As they were trying to kidnap her, she got hurt in the crossfire.
“Da,” Vlad answers.
“I’m out with Jade, and we have eyes on us,” I say in Russian as not to worry Jade. I hear Vlad swear before he asks me where we are and what is happening. After explaining everything to him and getting his confirmation that he will have other men intercepting them, I disconnect the call.
“I hate it when you do that. Alexey does the same thing. I swear I’m going to learn Russian,” Jade mumbles. She has already picked up a lot of the language, but I know it’s not enough to understand a conversation. “Were you speaking to Alexey?”
“Niet, I called Vlad.”
“Good, because Alexey won’t let me out of the house for the next decade if he knows about this.”
“We have to tell him. There is no way he isn’t going to know about this,” I state.
“Great,” she mutters. “I may as well say goodbye to my freedom.” We are a block away from home when my phone rings.
“Da.”
“Update,” Alexey says angrily. I guess Vlad thought it prudent to tell him earlier than later.
“After the shopping, your woman wanted some of her cinnamon buns. We were nearly at the bakery when they were noticed. I didn’t stop and am right now turning into our underground parking.” I can hear Alexey expel a breath at knowing we are safe.
“How is Jade?” he asks worriedly.
“She’s fine. Worried that you are going to lock her at home and not let her out anymore.” I hear him grunt before he disconnects.
“Who was that?” Jade asks, as I was speaking in Russian, so she has no idea that I was speaking to her husband.
“The boss knows,” I confess, and see her shoulders sag at my words.
“Was he upset?”
“Yes, but he was more relieved than upset when I told him we’re already home,” I say as I get out of the car and open Jade’s door. We are both nearly at the lifts when I get a call from one of the men at the entrance to the building.
“Da.”
“There’s a woman here wanting to see you. Says her name is Raven.”
I tense. Raven drove here. I want her inside as soon as possible in case someone is watching the entrance to the building.
“Let her in,” I order.
“You’re about to meet Raven,” I say to Jade, and see her surprised look as she turns at the noise of an approaching car. Raven doesn’t park in an allotted parking. She drives up to us and stops the new gunmetal-grey bulletproof SUV I bought her. Opening the door, she jumps out and hurriedly makes her way towards the two of us. By her flushed cheeks and tense body, I know she’s about to tear into me.
“Nikolai, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asks angrily. “I want my car back. Do you hear me? I don’t want this one. It will be stolen as soon as I park it at home.”
The moment she stepped out of the car, I could feel myself harden. Fuck, this woman has always affected me physically like no one else ever did.
“You are keeping the car,” I say. “It’s safer for you and Luke.”
“Oh . . . you make me so angry. You have no right to just take my car and replace it with another one.”
My eyes are trained on her chest and how it rises every time she takes in an agitated breath. Raven has the best breasts I have ever seen, and it doesn’t look like pregnancy has ruined her body in any way.
“Nikolai, are you even listening to me?”
My eyes snap back up to her eyes, and I see her frown at me in displeasure. “No one is going to steal the car, and the other one has been scrapped.”
“You are so frustrating. What am I supposed to do now?” she asks as she strokes her fingers through her long dark-brown hair. At twenty-five, Raven has been through a lot that most people don’t, and I blame myself for that, because I should have kept an eye on her instead of trying to forget her.
“There is nothing to do. The car is yours.”
“These men are very frustrating, but they mean well,” Jade says suddenly from next to me. I see Raven only now realise that Jade was standing right beside us. Her cheeks heat with embarrassment. “I’m Jade, by the way. Nik babysits me.”
“Sorry about that,” Raven says. “I’m Raven. What do you mean he babysits you?”
I see Jade smile impishly as she lowers her voice conspiringly. “My husband, Alexey, got Nik to be my bodyguard
. As I said, these men are frustrating, but you have to love them.”
“How don’t you kill them?” Raven asks as she looks over and glares at me.
“Oh, trust me, I have thought about it a time or two,” Jade says as she elbows my arm playfully. “Would you like to come upstairs for some coffee?”
Raven tenses and then shakes her head. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you, but I have to go get my son at his sitter.”
“How about Nik brings you and your son this weekend? I don’t want to be pushy, but I get really bored sitting at home,” Jade explains with a dejected look on her face.
Raven hesitates and then nods. “That would be nice, thank you,” she concedes as she starts to turn away and walk back to the SUV.
“I will come by tonight,” I state, making her stop in her tracks. Her shoulders tense as she glares at me, and then she hurries towards the SUV without saying another word. I see that Artur has followed her and is waiting in his car for her to leave. I nod at him as she pulls away.
“That was very underhanded, Nik. I didn’t know you were like that,” Jade says as she continues to make her way to the lift.
“It was the only way to get her to accept the car. The other one was dangerous,” I explain.
“Well, good luck getting her to come live here now,” Jade says as she walks into the lift. I know that Raven is upset with me at the moment, but once she thinks about it, she will realise that this car is the best thing for her and Luke.
RAVEN 6
On the way home, I realise someone is following me. Not only does he take my car but now he has someone following me wherever I go. If he thinks he can just take over my life, he has another thing coming. The audacity of the man, thinking he can just take over my life after being gone for three years.
Parking the SUV, I hurry and make my way to pick up Luke. I know it won’t be a problem, but I don’t like to be late picking him up. “Fancy car,” a guy leaning against the wall a way down shouts. I continue walking without looking at him. This car is going to get me into trouble. I know he means well, but in this area, they will think I have money when driving a car like that.
TURMOIL: Bratva Fury (book 2) Page 4