Alexandr's Reluctant Submissive (15 page)

“What is it?”

Krom’s face remained closed down, but his eyes kept darting over his shoulder to where Tatiana and Jessica still sat on the couch, giggling at each other.

“I have brought meal for Tatiana.” He grimaced for a moment. “Gwen insisted and I did not want her interrupting you, so I brought it.”

“Gwen insisted?”

Frowning, Krom nodded. “You should know now that she is like a rabid mother bear when it comes to Tatiana. She loves your daughter very much and has considered herself both Tatiana and Jessica’s protector for a long time. While she will never be a formidable fighter, that does not mean she is not a formidable woman.”

If he didn’t know better, he’d say the emotionless man was interested in Gwen. Right away Alex knew that situation would be a disaster and he’d be stuck with a woman scorned as his nanny. The thought of exposing his daughter to such tension made his voice come out with a snap that made Krom’s shoulders stiffen.

“You will keep your relationship strictly professional, am I understood? Since you will both be in close contact with my daughter and each other, as Tatiana’s main bodyguard and nanny, I will expect you to find other women to fuck. The last thing I want is to have to face Jessica’s wrath when you break that woman’s heart.”

The dishes on the tray rattled faintly for a moment and Alex was shocked to see that Krom actually looked angry enough to hit him. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“Good. Give me the tray and I will take it to them.”

Krom shook his head. “Your uncle Petrov called; he said it was important that you call him back as soon as you could.”

He turned back to find Jessica and Tatiana watching them. “I must make a phone call. Krom has brought you dinner, Tatiana. I promise I will not be long.”

Jessica smiled at him, but the worry was evident in her gaze. “Take your time. We’ll eat, then take a swim, I mean a bath, in that giant tub and relax.”

His phone rang and he looked down, noticing his uncle Petrov’s number. Jessica blew him a kiss and he left the room, his daughter’s excited chatter filling the air behind him. As soon as the door was shut, he answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Alex, I am sorry for interrupting you now of all times, but I have some information that you need.”

“What is it?” Maks met him at the top of the stairs and together they descended to his lower-level office.

“Word has spread that Jessica has returned and,” Petrov sucked in a harsh breath and when he spoke again, his voice faintly trembled with anger, “there has been a bounty put on Jessica’s head. It was on a mercenary site one of my men monitor. They want her alive, not dead, so that would mean someone seeks to use her as leverage against you. This is not a surprise, but I did not expect it so soon.”

His fingers went numb as he clenched his phone hard enough that the case squeaked in protest. He wanted to rant and rave, to throw things then go out tonight and slaughter whoever had done this. Someone had a death wish that he was going to fulfill.

“Who do I have to kill?”

“If only it were that easy. First we need to discover who offered the bounty, and who may be stupid enough to take the job. My men took the posting down as soon as they found it, but you and I both know that in this age, once information is out there is no taking it back.”

He placed his phone onto the mount on his desk, hitting a button so it was on speakerphone. “How much is the bounty?”

“Five million.” Petrov gave a humorless laugh. “Should I be offended that it is higher than the price on my head?”

Alex struggled once again to contain his emotions, gripping the edge of his desk so hard his hands ached. Even if he was being torn apart inside by his fear and rage, he must keep his cool in front of his men. Maks had been joined by three other Black Tier members and they all had their laptops open and were typing furiously.

“Everything is secure.” Maks glanced up at Alex, then back down on his screen. “I will die before anyone touches them, Alex.”

He ignored the other man, focusing his attention on Petrov. “She is safe for the moment.”

“Of this I have no doubt. We both knew it was inevitable, she is too big of a target, but I was hoping for a little more time. That is a luxury we no longer have. Come to my home tomorrow morning with your women. There is something we must discuss in person, a way to make sure the people we love are safe.”

He’d planned on spending all day tomorrow with his family, on not letting them leave the nearly impenetrable fortress that was their home, but he could not ignore his uncle’s request. “We will be there.”

“Thank you. Now, go enjoy your family and tell Jessica I very much look forward to meeting her tomorrow.”

Jessica sighed as Tatiana fidgeted around in her car seat in the Bentley that had basically been turned into an armored tank. They were flanked on either side by men on motorcycles, and in front and behind by behemoth black SUVs that were stuffed with bodyguards. It was still early in the morning, barely past nine am, but Jessica’s jet-lagged body made her feel like it was the dead of night. She was so damn tired and wished she could go back to bed, but Alex had said his uncle needed to see them this morning, and Petrov Dubinski was not the kind of man anyone, even her husband, crossed.

The smatterings of silver glitter on Tatiana’s pretty dress caught the light streaming through the windows, throwing random patterns of speckles onto the ceiling of the car. She wore her favorite sneakers with the dress, the scuffed black shoes that lit up when she walked. Jessica had wanted her to wear the cute shoes that came with the outfit, but Tatiana had thrown a hissy. She cut her eyes over to her husband, who was busy texting. Normally she would have nipped Tatiana’s fit at the bud—the little girl was beginning to test her boundaries and Jessica knew better than to give in to her demands—but Alex had right away said that Tatiana could wear anything she wanted.

Irritation still clenched her gut at the way he’d casually overruled her, like she had no say in what her daughter did now that he was here. Already she could see signs that Alex would majorly spoil Tatiana, but they would have to deal with that later. Right now she was trying to puzzle out the bits and pieces of information she’d picked up this morning about some kind of increased threat level. When she’d asked Alex, he’d merely shrugged, his face as closed down as could be, then told her that there was nothing to worry about in a rather condescending manner.

She shifted and crossed her legs, briefly admiring the pretty knee-high suede teal boots that went with her black, teal, and white block dress. Just like Tatiana had a complete wardrobe in record time, Jessica had the same. A whole spare room had been turned into a giant closet for her and she’d been overwhelmed by it all. Hell, she’d been overwhelmed since the moment she’d walked through the doors of that villa in Spain and had seen Alex.

“Mommy, are we almost there?”

“I’m not sure, honey. I’ve never been to Uncle Petrov’s house before.”

Alex glanced up as Tatiana bounced in her seat. “We are almost there. Be good and I will have a surprise for you when we return home.”

Her daughter beamed at Alex and she watched him visibly melt like a sugar cube left out in the rain.

Shoot, she didn’t want to interrupt this special bonding time between them, but she and Alex had to get some things straight. She was not going to have Tatiana turn into one of those spoiled socialites who expected the world to lay itself at her feet. Despite her ill-gained wealth, Jessica had managed to raise Tatiana in as normal a way as possible, which meant the little girl didn’t get everything she wanted, and didn’t get a prize for behaving like she should.

After counting slowly to ten, she said to Alex in stiff Russian, “You are going to spoil her.”

He didn’t even look up from his phone. “It is my right as her father.”

Patience, she needed to have patience with him. “And it is my right as her mother to keep you from turning her into an entitled little beast.”

Now he looked up and his expression was not happy. “Do you think I would allow that to happen? What is wrong with giving her nice things? I have the money, is of no concern.”

Aware of Tatiana watching them with wide eyes, she kept her tone light. “It is not about the money, it’s about raising her to be a good person.”

“Are you saying I am a bad influence on my daughter?”

This time she had to count to twenty before she spoke again. “I am
saying
that I would ask that you respect my wishes on this matter and stop buying her things.”

“No,” he snapped. “End of discussion.”

Furious, she clenched her hands into fists to keep from throttling him. “End of discussion? Are you for real?”

“Mommy,” Tatiana whispered, cutting through their tension. “Please don’t fight.”

Right away the bubble of her anger was pricked and she forced herself to calm down, to save this conversation for behind closed doors. “We’re not fighting, honey. Just talking about adult things.”

The car slowed as it approached an elegant four-story townhome in a gorgeous section of Moscow, surrounded by a concrete wall with black wrought iron spikes on top. Mature trees lined the street and the wealth of those who lived here was obvious. Tatiana turned in her seat to watch the gates slide smoothly open, admitting their entourage.

The home that they stopped in front of was painted a dark hunter green with gray accents, a very classic yet modern vibe. Alex tried to take Jessica’s hand in his but she shook him off and ignored his hurt look. No, she was not holding hands with him when he’d been so openly disrespectful to her.

He was lucky she didn’t stamp on his foot.

Maks opened their door and gave Alex a nod before helping them out. When he held her hand to escort her from the car, his gaze was decidedly heated and his thumb rubbed her palm before he released her. She glanced over at Alex to see if he’d noticed Maks’ hot look, but he was busy helping Tatiana from the car.

With the little girl between them, they turned to face the double doors at the top of the small set of stairs leading to the home. As if on cue, the doors opened, revealing Petrov and his wife Vera.

If she hadn’t known that Petrov was one of the most powerful people in the world, she would have dismissed him as an attractive older man, with dark hair like Alex’s that had been liberally shot with silver. Dressed in a pair of black slacks and a crisp white button down shirt, he certainly didn’t come off as a ruthless killer, but that is indeed what he was.

Her instincts were to shield her daughter from this dangerous man, but she wouldn’t dare insult Petrov like that.

His wife, Vera, was probably in her late sixties but still exuded class and beauty, dressed in a tasteful blush pink pantsuit with her hair up in an elegant bun. What Jessica assumed were rather large diamonds sparkled at her wrist and ears. Her face didn’t have the stretched and pulled look of Botox and facelifts and her blue eyes were kind but reserved as she met Jessica’s gaze. For a moment they all stood there, examining each other, before Petrov smiled.

“Jessica and Tatiana, it is my utmost pleasure to welcome you to my home.”

She couldn’t help returning his smile, utterly disarmed by his charm and charisma. “Thank you so much for having us.”

His gaze flickered to the bodyguards surrounding them, then he held out his hand. “Please, come in. I must steal your husband away for a little bit, but Vera will take care of you and your lovely daughter.”

As soon as they were inside, Jessica found herself being led away into the elegant home by Vera, with Maks and a man she wasn’t familiar with trailing after them like a pair of dark wolves.

They reached a room on the second floor with Vera pausing now and again, usually to show Jessica a picture of Dimitri and Alex when they were younger, among the other framed photos decorating the walls. Each image came with a story, and while Vera was still standoffish with Jessica, she was sweet to Tatiana and told her tales about her father when he was a little boy.

“Tatiana,” the formal woman said in lightly accented English. “I would like to introduce you to some of your cousins. They have been awaiting your arrival and are in our playroom. Come, we will take you to them so your mother and I may talk.”

Her daughter gripped her hand. “Mommy, I don’t want to go. I want to stay with you. Please.”

Alarmed at her daughter’s sudden ashen look, Jessica gave Vera an apologetic smile. “Would it be possible for her to stay with me? At least in the same room?”

“Of course, but why don’t you take a look at the playroom first, Tatiana? Would be shame for you to miss out on the wonderful chocolate cake chef made for you as snack.”

An unfamiliar, exasperated voice came from Jessica’s right. “Mother, you know Lani is going to kill you if you keep feeding the kids sugar.”

They both turned to watch a curvy, glowing and very pregnant young woman in a stylish black-and-pink dress waddle down the hallway. Jessica absently noted that the woman’s bare feet were very swollen, and that it looked like her belly had dropped. She bore an amazing resemblance to Vera, but her smile was wider, her gaze less guarded.

The woman looked at her and welcoming look. “My name is Polina and I am Petrov’s youngest daughter.”

Tatiana shifted, then took a couple steps and placed her hand on the woman’s belly. “Are you having a baby?”

Polina startled at the slight touch, then shifted so she could look around her rounded stomach and smiled. “Yes, darling, I am. A little boy. Soon you will have new cousin.”

“A cousin,” Tatiana said in a wondering voice and Jessica’s heart constricted. “I’ve always wanted a cousin. Gwen has a bunch and they’re all so nice.”

Polina smiled and stroked Tatiana’s hair. “Now you have many, many cousins, who are so happy to have you here.”

“Jessica,” Vera said in a low voice, “it is important we talk in private.”

She looked between Vera and her daughter, still chattering away with Polina. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable having her away from me.”