I look back at Preston, my brow raised.
“Jason is well aware I was looking for you, everyone knows about you, Skye.”
I press my face into Preston’s side, leaving just enough room to take a peek at his friend. He has a huge grin on his face but is looking at Preston. “She’s good for you mate, it all makes sense now.”
Preston squeezes me and then starts rubbing my arm, relaxing me. “Skye, I briefly told Jason about your inheritance. Before we get too far into the details let’s all sit down.”
He puts his hands on the small of my back and guides me to the sofa. I sit down and he sits right next to me, pulling one of my hands into his. Jason follows us and unbuttons the jacket of his three-piece suit as he takes a seat across from us. Classy.
Bending down, he reaches into his briefcase, pulls out a pen and paper, then looks up and looks directly at me. “Now, first do you know who your father’s lawyer is?”
“Yes, it has been Dillan MacDonald for as long as I can remember.” Just saying his name makes me want to vomit. My father taught me a few lessons with his backhand while Dillon watched and did nothing. Preston squeezes my hand and brushes his thumb over the top, his touch strengthens me.
“Yes, I know of him,” Jason says with a small frown and writes on the pad of paper. “This inheritance is from your grandmother, correct?” He stops taking notes and looks up at me.
“Yes, she passed away when I was nine,” I say softly.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he says gently.
“Thank you, it was a long time ago.” I fight back the lump in my throat at the thought of her.
“Time doesn’t always take away the pain of losing a loved one.” He presses his lips together and looks down at his notes and continues writing.
“No, I never really mourned for her.” I quickly close my mouth and look up at Preston.
He gives me a smile. “She would be proud of the woman you’ve become, Detka.”
I swallow hard and give him a small nod, choking down all my emotions.
“Do you know any of the particulars of the will?’ Jason gets us back on the subject at hand.
“All I know is, I get control of her entire estate when I turn twenty-three.”
“When do you turn twenty-three?” he asks.
“I already did, a few weeks back.”
“Good, I will petition the courts for a copy of the will and also to start the transfer of funds into an account in your name.”
“How long does something like this take?” I ask quickly.
“It all depends on how clearly the will is written. This could be quick and simple, that’s the outcome I am hoping for.” His pen is moving across the paper a bit quicker now.
“Can my father fight this?” I blurt out, wondering if it will be worth it.
“Am I correct in thinking he isn’t of blood relation to your grandmother?”
“Yes, that’s right. She was my mother’s mom.”
“Then I doubt your father has a leg to stand on, but I need to get hold of the will to be certain.” He pauses his pen as he answers me then goes right back to scribbling notes down.
“Okay, is there anything that I need to do?”
“I will need you to give me your bank account number so I can set the transfer of funds in motion.”
“Oh… I don’t have one. I mean I know my father has my name on the main account, but I don’t have access to those numbers.” I look up nervously at Preston.
His smiles softly. “We will set you up with one. Is there anything else we should prepare for, Jason?”
He looks down at his notepad and then back up at Preston. “No, I can handle everything else.” Jason picks his case up off the floor and puts his pad of paper in it. Standing up he moves toward us. “I will get back to you both when I have a copy of the will.”
“Thank you, Jason.” Preston stands and shakes his hand.
“Anytime, it was a pleasure to finally meet you Skye.” He extends his hand to me. Standing, I pull mine free from Preston and place it in Jason’s.
“It was nice meeting you too and thank you.”
“Don’t thank me just yet, I’ll be in touch,” he says as he releases my hand and leaves the room.
We stand in silence for a few seconds as I watch the doorway where Jason just left, Preston’s soft touch down my arm brings my attention back to him.
“Detka?”
“Mmm?” I reply absently.
“Are you ok? Is this all too much for you?” He brushes his knuckles down the side of my face.
“Is this all worth it? My father always finds a way to win.” I look away and bite my lower lip.
“He won’t win this time. We’re together, we are strong and my family is more than a match for him.”
I furrow my brows. “It’s so weird hearing you talk about family referring to the Volkovs.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “I know, it’s still strange sometimes for me and I’ve had a few years to get used to it.”
“Do they hate me because of my dad?”
“No, of course not, Detka. They know what you mean to me and that is enough to make you family in their eyes, but…” he drifts off and I panic at the word but.
“What is it?” I plead.
Preston sighs. “I want your permission to tell them the truth about all that Bob has done to you,” he asks gently.
I take a step back. “No.” My eyes break from his and I look down to the floor.
“Detka, look at me.”
A second passes and I bring my eyes up to his, unable to find the words for how I feel at the moment.
“None of it was your fault. They don’t need every detail, but I think they need to know just how low he really is.” He takes a step closer and cups my face, using his thumbs to swipe away tears I didn’t realize were falling.
“Why do they have to know anything?” I whisper, shame still at the forefront of my warring emotions.
“Because they have a lot on the line to help me bring him down. I think they need to know what we know. He is not only a crooked businessman who tried to get me killed, he is also a vile child abuser. The Volkovs hold family above everything, especially now that my grandfather doesn’t run the family anymore. They should know who they are dealing with.”
A terrible show reel of some of the lowest times of my life flashes through my head and my stomach rolls at the thought of anyone knowing those things. But Preston is right. If they are willing to help us take my life back, they deserve to know what kind of man they are taking down. “Okay, as long as they don’t know the specifics. I want the details buried in the past where they belong.”
Preston nods and leans down to kiss my forehead. “I’ll handle it.”
I wrap my arms around his waist. “Thank you.”
Twenty-Nine
The phone call to my cousins went as expected, they were furious. It’s well known that Bob was into anything that would make him a quick buck, but to put your child out there like that is just sickening. It was a good thing I called them when I did. Apparently they were going to come and knock down my door. I guess that’s what happens when you go dark and off the grid, your friends and family come to pull you out, whether you want them to or not.
I assure them I’m fine. More than fine now that I have Skye back. I fill them in on Skye’s plan to reclaim the inheritance Bob has been sitting on for years. They agree that everything is in place to make our move and we just need to wait for Bob to discover that his shipment was stopped.
Hanging up my phone, I get up from the desk and walk across the room. Opening my office door, I still. Skye’s laughter rings through the house. I smile at the carefree sound as I go in search of her to find out what is making her laugh. I find her in the living room laying on the sofa with her legs over the side, her feet swinging back and forth. There is a commercial on the television, I walk around the sofa and see the phone to her ear.
I stop just
out of her sight, watching her.
She smacks her forehead. “Oh my God, Lea. You are so horrible.” She says laughing into the phone.
I step into her view and her eyes go wide, I quirk a brow at her. Before I say anything her eyes pop and she busts out laughing. I step closer and run my palm up her shin, she moves her feet together on the arm of the chair and tenses. I smile at her.
“Lea, I have to go.”
I can’t make out the words, but I can hear Lea talking faster, trying to finish her conversation before she loses Skye to me. I move my hand around and squeeze her calf.
“Mmmhmmm… I really should go.” Skye keeps her eyes locked on mine.
I caress her gently and can feel the goose bumps on her soft skin. I tenderly trail my fingers over her knee and place my open hand on her inner thigh. She squeezes her knees together keeping my hand in place. I watch as she licks her lips looking at me with hooded eyes.
I step to the end of the sofa and place both hands behind her knees and in one swift movement I pull her to me, so I am standing between her legs.
She lets out a big breath. “Lea…”
I look down at her with her pink cheeks, her green eyes sparkling like a grassy field after rain. She is so beautiful. Her dress is bunched at her waist and I move a hand to cup her mound, placing the other hand on her belly to still her. I slip my fingers into her panties and brush my knuckles across her tender flesh, she gasps.
“Pres…”
The look I give her stops her from speaking and sure as shit I can hear Lea still talking in her ear. I lean over her and pluck the phone right out of her hand.
“Lea?” I say into the phone.
“Uhh… Preston? What happened to Skye, I was in the middle of a story,” she says impatiently. I can hear her heels clicking on the pavement as she walks.
“Yeah… she’s busy right now. We will see you later.”
“Wait Preston, I’m at the mall and need to get Skye’s advice on an outfit,” she rushes out.
“Send her a picture, she’ll answer in a few.”
“But…” I don’t let her finish and hang up, tossing the phone on a nearby chair.
Without breaking eye contact, I again stroke my finger over her sensitive flesh, this time watching her quiver with need.
She sighs and lifts herself to meet my hand.
I use my other hand to press her back down on the sofa. Her response to me is immediate. My fingers explore her as her body dances in time with my touch, her eyes not leaving my face. She opens her legs wider, begging for my touch.
The ring of the phone covers her gasp, and her eyes glance over to where I threw it. “Are you going to answer that?” Her voice has an aroused edge to it.
“No, she can leave a message.” I manage to keep the growl out of my voice. The phone stops ringing and I listen to see if a message is being left and hear the phone click off. I grin down at her as if to prove my point. “Now, where were we…?”
The phone starts ringing again and I groan. Then a feeling of unease has me walking over to the phone and picking it up to look at the caller ID.
“Who is it?” she asks, the arousal gone from her voice.
I sigh and hand her the phone. “It’s Lea.”
Her brows furrow as she answers. “Hello?”
I watch as the color leaves her face and her eyes snap to mine. “What’s the matter, Detka?”
“My…” She pauses. “My father bumped into Lea and wants to talk to me.”
I take the phone from her. “Lea, the answer is no, stay where you are and let me come get you.”
“It’s too late for that. He already asked me to go with him to his house,” she says in a monotone voice, not showing any emotion.
I hear Bob in the background. “Tell my slut of a daughter to hurry up and meet us, I haven’t got all day.”
“Lea, listen to me for a second. Can you get away?” I look down at Skye. She is biting her fingernails, now sitting up on the sofa. I try and give her a reassuring smile.
“No, I tried, he forced me,” she hisses. I hear a scuffle through the phone and what sounds like a smack. Lea yelps in pain as the phone is taken from her. “You bastard!” she spits. “Don’t come! He is going to hurt you!” she screams into for me to hear.
“Hurry up and come home, Skye,” Bob growls down the line, “before I hurt your little friend here.” I hear another thud and Lea’s grunt before the phone goes dead.
I squeeze the phone in my hand and look down into Skye’s eyes that are wide with worry. “What does he want Preston?” she asks with a hitch to her voice.
“He wants you to meet him at his house.”
“Is Lea okay?”
“I hope so.” I grit my teeth, a bad feeling in my stomach. I can’t bring myself to tell her what I just heard.
“I have to go. We can’t just leave her.” She stands up and searches the room blindly.
I firmly grab her by the shoulders and give her a slight shake. “I’m going to call my cousins and we will go get her together. You need to stay here.”
“No. I can’t just leave her there, it’s me he wants. I won’t allow anyone to get hurt because of me.” She looks at me with narrowed eyes.
“You need to stop for a second, Detka.” She has a stubborn tilt to her chin that I know very well, there won’t be any stopping her.
“You should think as well, you call your cousins and it won’t end pretty.” She narrows her eyes.
I sigh. “You’re right, we will go. But give me a minute to gather some things, and when we get there, you need to follow my direction and stay out of his way. Can you do that?”
“I can try,” she says softly.
I nod. “Okay, we need to get you into some jeans and a long sleeved shirt. I want you to be comfortable and able to run if you have to.”
She looks down at her sundress and steps out of my grip. “We need to hurry, Preston, I have a bad feeling, I’ll be back quick.”
She turns and walks to our bedroom to change. I have a change of heart. Bob is unpredictable, I need to let someone know where we are going. I won’t put Skye in more danger. I scrub a hand over my face and dial the number.
It rings three times before he answers. “Preston?”
“Dimtri? Bob has made a move and has Skye’s friend.”
“Okay, I’ll get Evgeni and we will be at your house in a few minutes.” He has a calmness to him that settles me, he is used to this sort of job.
“No, I’m calling as a courtesy. Now isn’t the time to make our move. If you go in with us it will blow five years of keeping our connection a secret. I just needed someone to know that we are going to get her out.” As I talk I’m walking into my office and going directly to my wall safe. I punch in the combination and take out my Beretta, setting it on my desk, before also retrieving the box of ammunition.
Dimitri lets out a frustrated growl. “Okay, be smart cousin. Stay safe and call us in an hour or we are going in,” he says sharply and hangs up the phone.
Checking the gun and loading it, then locking the safety on it, I put it in the back waistband of my pants.
“Skye?”
I frown at the silence. “Skye?” I call again as I open up our bedroom door, I quickly scan the room to find it empty.
“Fuck.” My curse echoes off the walls as I turn and take off at a run to her parents’ home.
Thirty
I curse myself the whole way to my parents’ house. Why did I think he would leave me alone if I just stayed away? I stop at the end of the drive and look at the house, trying to remember just one good time spent here. Nothing comes to mind, this place was my hell. I straighten and swallow hard, the thought of Lea in there with him gives me the courage to walk up the drive.
I bite my lip as I reach for the handle, my mind screaming for me to run. The door swings open before I have a chance to open it, and the surprised squeak escapes before I can compose myself.
“Skye,” my f
ather says in a cold voice. “Come in.”
I stare at him, keeping still, controlling the urge to clutch my hands. His eyes almost look sane, I am in deep shit. Cold dread sits at the pit of my stomach. I should have waited for Preston.
He doesn’t wait for me to cross the threshold. He turns and walks away. The door is left open, he knows I won’t leave Lea here. A classic scare tactic that he has used before, I glance over my shoulder hoping to see Preston. He is nowhere in sight. I swallow hard, straighten my shoulders and walk into the house, gently closing the door behind me
The house is eerily silent. Other than his footsteps pounding on the Spanish tile, marking his way to the living room, there is no noise. I stop in the doorway and see Lea, gagged and bound to a chair, indignant fury in her eyes. Any other time I would laugh at how pissed she looks.
“Let her go,” I demand, surprised at how strong my voice sounds.
He turns by the bar and places an elbow on the polished surface, leaning onto it. This sickens me. He has always perched himself there, at the bar. King of his castle. Entertaining his disgusting friends and holding court in MY home. Using MY money to get fat and hold me prisoner. Using MY body however he saw fit. I wish I had a gun. I would finish him right there on his precious throne.
Lea starts grunting, trying to talk through the piece of fabric in her mouth.
“Shut up, or I’ll shut you up,” he snarls at her.
Lea scowls at him, her eyes narrowed and filled with hate. He takes a step toward her, and she reacts. I have to get him away from her.
“Where’s mom?” I blurt.
He stops and turns back to look at me. “Who knows.” He leans back onto the bar, Lea forgotten for now. When he puts his arm up I see the big sweat stain on his shirt, he isn’t as calm as he appears.
“What do you want Dad?” I hold myself still in the doorway.
“Don’t you dare call me that,” he says with his face all scrunched up and spit flying from his mouth.
“I’m sorry.” The apology comes automatically and makes me sick at how weak I sound. I don’t know what else he wants me to call him.
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