Owned by the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance (18 page)

“Idiot,” she said as she breathed hard. She flung herself on the bed and curled into a ball. Ana was dead. Alek despised her. What was she doing? What was she hoping was going to happen?

Alek was never going to love her. Alek couldn’t even be bothered to care.

***

Alek stretched out on the couch and tried to get comfortable. Nothing was like lying next to Natalia. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but when she wasn’t near him, the nightmares returned. People screaming. Blood everywhere. And Ana lying on the ground covered in red.

It could have been Natalia. It almost
was
Natalia. It was supposed to be Natalia.

“Fuck,” he said as he got up and ran his hand through his hair. “What am I doing?” He wasn’t even halfway through his contract, but he knew he’d never be able to keep Natalia here a full year. She was so unhappy, but that was the point. He wanted her unhappy. The more she suffered, the more her father suffered.

Something changed. Or maybe it was never what he expected, and he just didn’t want to admit it. He couldn’t afford to go soft now, but he couldn’t keep denying the truth. She was under his skin. She was seeping into every pore of his body, and nothing was going to purge her.

He could tell her. He could simply tell her the truth, but what good would it do? She didn’t love him. She would never see him as anything more than a warden. The sex didn’t mean anything. Good chemistry was nothing. It was nothing compared to how he felt about her, but it was all she felt for him. He knew she liked to hide away in her dreams and pretend that things could be different for them. If he was a different man, if they were in a different situation, maybe this could have turned into something bigger. Something more real.

But he wasn’t a different man. He was Alek Evanoff. And it wasn’t a different situation. He had a job to do, and he could not afford to let anything or anyone get in his way. So there would be nothing bigger. There would be nothing real.

The hours ticked away, but he didn’t sleep. When he closed his eyes, the nightmares returned. And he knew Natalia would never be by his side to chase them away.

Chapter Sixteen

Alek was shuffling through papers and rubbing his temples when Misha knocked on the door. “I hate paperwork,” Alek growled. “I swear there is more paperwork involved trying pretend to be legit than if we were actually legit.”

“Boss,” Misha said softly.

“And the thing is that it’s ridiculous. More work when I could be doing less work.”

“Alek,” Misha tried again.

“I’m trying to so hard to be patient and make this work, but it ends up being more work on me.”

“Alek Evanoff,” Misha finally shouted.

Alek leaned back and blinked. “Sorry, Misha. Clearly you have something to tell me.”

“There’s someone here to see you.”

“Send them in,” he said mildly, but he could see Misha’s uneasiness. “You don’t want me to see this person. That’s new. You normally love the conflict, so this must be interesting.”

Misha nodded his head. “Petr Primac is here.”

“Excuse me?” Alek rose and rolled his shoulders. The anger as already rising inside him. “Why is Petr anywhere near this property?”

“I don’t know, but he says he’s not leaving until he sees you. He has a briefcase with him. I’m a little concerned about trying to take that briefcase away from him.”

Alek rolled his eyes. “He’s not going to blow us up, Misha. Not when his daughter is inside. Send him away. Actually, no. Let him in. I’m interested in what he has to say.”

A cruel smile spread across his face. He couldn’t wait to tell Petr about all his daughter knew. He couldn’t wait to see Petr’s face when he realized that his daughter no longer worshipped the ground he walked on.

The older man looked hesitant when he walked in. “Alek,” he said softly. “I need to speak with you.”

“Petr!” Alek smiled and spread his arms. “Welcome back. I guess you never thought you’d be back here again. Or maybe you did. I have to admit, I was surprised when you retried as early as you did.”

Petr shook his head and slammed the briefcase on the desk. “I’m not here to talk about our past, Alek. I’m not even here to talk about what you did. I’m here to buy her back.”

“Excuse me?” Alek snorted. “Nowhere in the contract does it say you can buy her back. Why would you even think it’s an option?”

“I have to try. She’s my daughter.”

“You didn’t even know she existed,” Alek snarled. “How can claim to love her when you didn’t even know she existed? Why do you even care? You’ve never cared for anything in your life.”

Petr stared at him before slumping in his chair. “You were older than most of the kids that I was hired to recruit. I knew you would be good at this. I knew within the first five minute of meeting you that you’d be excellent at this. I’ve made mistakes, but I didn’t want you in this life. I didn’t want any of you in this life.”

“Then why didn’t you stop,” Alek asked coldly. “Why did you do it?”

Petr leaned back in the chair and shook his head slowly. “Natalia’s mother wasn’t a fling, but I kept her quiet. The last thing I wanted was Grigori to find out. He exploited weaknesses. He used love against people, and I loved her mother. When she got pregnant with Natalia, I knew their time was limited if they stayed with me. She never understood. She called me every name under the sun, and she swore that I would never see my baby.” Tears pricked his eyes. “I lost everything that day, and Grigori found out. It didn’t even matter that they weren’t in my life anymore. He knew I cared for them, and that’s all it took. He held it over my head for the rest of my career. I did have a choice. And I chose her. I’m not sorry for the choice I made, but I am sorry for the lives that I’ve destroyed. I finally found a way to get Natalia and her mother safe, and I walked out and never looked back. I stayed in the shadows until Natalia showed up, and I realized I had so much to make up for. I knew what I was risking when I started gambling, but I just wanted to make her happy. And now all I’ve done is screw up her life.”

Alek turned his chair and stared out the window. His anger and rage had fueled him this far, but hearing Petr talk was painful. There was nothing fake or planned about the speech. He stumbled over his words, and he gasped for breath like it was the most painful thing he’d ever said. And Alek understood. He understood wanting to make Natalia happy.

“She knows,” he said quietly. “I’ve spent the duration of her time here answering every question she’s had about you.”

“I figured, but I don’t care. I don’t care. I do not care. She’ll never speak to me again, but as long as you promise she won’t be anywhere near this life again, I don’t care,” Petr pleaded.

Alek whirled around and slammed his hand on the table. Petr jumped, and Alek closed his eyes and shook his head. “I’m tired of hearing you say you don’t care,” he muttered. “And I highly doubt that Natalia is the type of person to never speak to you again.”

“I hope that’s the case, but I don’t want her to know any of this. I’d rather her never speak to me again than for her to think I abandoned her mother.”

“But you didn’t,” Alek said softly. “You were protecting them. That’s the money for your debt?”

Petr nodded. “It’s all here. I swear. I’ll sit here for as long as you want while you count it. Count it as many times as you want. I can wait. I’ll wait.”

“You’re a broken record,” Alek sighed as he got up. “Misha. Count the money, and make sure that he doesn’t wander the grounds. I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Where are you going,” Petr asked, but Alek ignored him. The truth was he didn’t give a damn how much money was in the briefcase. He didn’t even care about Petr’s apology, but Petr coming back had made him see the truth. The man had done horrible things his entire life to protect the woman Alek he loved.

Alek didn’t have to do anything horrible. He just had to let her go.

She was sitting on the window seat reading. “Don’t you have something important you need to be doing?” she said without looking up. “Something that doesn’t involve being anywhere near me.”

She wasn’t looking at him, and he could drink her in. She was pissed and angry, but she was beautiful in a way that he’d never expected to find anyone beautiful. He’d had only one goal in life, and he never expected to live past that goal. He’d been steeped in anger and violence for so long he’d forgotten what it meant to see something beautiful. To admit that something was beautiful. And it wasn’t just her looks. Natalia wanted to believe that everyone was good. She saw something pure in every bit of darkness, and he saw the darkness in everything that could be pure.

He was completely toxic. The longer she stayed around him, the more she would lose that beauty. She would lose the purity. Petr had taken the innocent and created monsters from them, and Alek knew he would be no different if he continued to chip away at Natalia.

“Your father is here to collect you. As promised, your bags are being gathered to return to you, and you are welcome to take anything in the closet that you’d like.”

She slowly lowered the book and stared at him. “What?”

“Your father paid off his debts. Your contract is void.”

“What?”

Alek shook his head. “You’re more like your father than you think. You both like to repeat things until you drive me insane. What part of this situation do you not understand? Your father has paid off his debts. I have no reason to keep you here. I’m giving you the wardrobe. I’m getting your things together. You are leaving, Natalia.”

Natalia tossed the book aside and stood to face him. “So what happens after that?”

“What you do after this is no concern of mine. Why would you want my opinion?” He stared at her coldly, but he knew exactly what she was asking.

“No concern of yours. I see. Well, I can tell you right now that I don’t want anything from this house. Nothing. So I’ll be leaving as soon as my bags are ready.” She glared at him as she pushed past him and stalked out into the hallway. “And just so we’re clear, once I’m gone, you don’t come near us again.”

“That’s the idea.”

The pain in her eyes struck his very sole, but the words were out and they had the affect he wanted. After today, she would never speak to him again. And absolutely nothing could keep her safer.

***

Natalia walked slowly down the stairs, trailing her hand along the wall. She felt numb inside. After everything they’d been through, she never thought Alek could look at her with such empty eyes. Empty and cold.

“He doesn’t love me,” she whispered as she sagged against the wall. Alone in the stairwell, she slowly lowered until she was sitting on the step. Half of her still expected Ana to show up and give her a dose of reality. But Ana wasn’t coming. Ana was dead. Alek was tossing her out on her ass, and her father was here to pick her up.

This morning she was angry at Alek. Now she was never going to see him again.

“He doesn’t love me,” she murmured again. Taking a few deep breaths, she pushed herself up. She was strong. She would move on. He was a mob boss. She didn’t need that in her life.

Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin and made it the rest of the way to the foyer. Petr stood there with a nervous look on his face. “Natalia,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

His bruises had faded, but there was a haunted look in his eyes. Guilt. There was nothing but guilt shadowing him. “Let’s go,” she said softly as she gave him a small smile. She wanted answers for what he’d done, but she also knew he wasn’t the same man he was back then. The man who stood before her now was not the same man who’d recruited children into the services of mobs. And from the moment she’d met him, she’d sensed the guilt inside him. He’d tried to hide it, but now, as he stood waiting for her, knowing all his secrets were revealed, that guilt was wrapped around him.

And if she could help him heal, she would. He was her father.

“Did he hurt you?” He shook his head and reached out to wrap his arms around her. “Natalia, I’m so sorry. I’ve made so many mistakes.”

“It’s okay.” She hugged him and looked up to see Alek lounging in the doorframe watching them. “He didn’t hurt me, Dad. Not in the way that you think. Let’s go.”

Breaking eye contact, she reached down to grab her luggage. Turning her back, she left. She would leave this place behind. She would move on with her life. And she would pretend that Alek Evanoff didn’t even exist.

Chapter Seventeen

She’d been gone for two weeks. Two weeks, and he wanted to climb the walls. “Misha,” he bellowed. “Why the hell is Vicktor Borsch’s debt still not paid. If he’s not going to pay, I want him in a hospital.” His yells were met with silence. “Misha. Misha!” Pushing himself from the desk, he threw open the door where Misha was usually stationed.

No one was there.

“Where the fuck is my man,” Alek growled as he began the search. Stomping up the stairs, he immediately turned to the left. Since he’d moved into the house, he’d slept in the same bed. He’d had women in that bed, but he’d only slept with one woman, and now she was gone. And he hadn’t stepped foot in the room since she left. Not once. It bothered him more than he even thought possible to walk into the bedroom and see that she wasn’t there.

As he stared at the empty bed and exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to the empty room, but it was too late. She wasn’t here.

A distinct moan sliced through the silence, and Alek turned slowly. That moan was suspiciously familiar, and now that Ana and Natalia were gone, the floor was supposed to be empty.

Following the sound, he didn’t even bother knocking on the door. Slamming it open, he found Misha mid-thrust with Claudia on top. “Having fun?” he asked dryly.

There was a flurry of activity as Misha pulled a sheet around his waist. Claudia, on the other hand, didn’t bother covering. “Alek. Darling. Care to join us? I’ve heard you gave your pet back to the pound.”

“You don’t talk about her like that,” Alek said through clenched teeth. “How long has this been going on?”

“Boss.”

“Stop it,” Claudia hissed as she got out of bed and yanked her clothes on. “Don’t call him boss. He hasn’t been your boss in a long time.”