Protected by a Mobster 2: A Russian Mafia Romance (Volsky Mafia) (6 page)

“Don’t stoop to her level. She’s so far beneath you, she doesn’t even breathe the same air as you. Remember that.”

“She gets a pass this time, Vlad, but the next one will cost her out the ass. I may look sweet and innocent, but big things come in small packages.”

“I don’t doubt that. Come on. Let’s hit the bar.”

Vlad followed me to the bar where I ordered a bottle of Russian Standard Vodka. Vlad quirked a brow as the bartender sat the bottle on the bar with a fresh glass filled with ice. In rapid-fire Russian, Vlad spoke to the bartender and received a nod in return. I didn’t have a clue what the hell he said. Another thing to add to my list of things that irritate the hell out of me these days.

“What did you say to him?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Only that Mr. Volsky would like for you to have whatever you wish, no questions asked. Come on. Let’s head up to the office. Ruslan will join us there shortly, after his business is handled.”

“Fine.”

As we headed up the stairs, I noticed the young blonde skank giving me the stink-eye again. Instead of letting her nasty attitude get the best of me, I forged ahead to the office to enjoy my beverage in peace. Later, I’d hit the dance floor and have some fun for a change.

The office was just as I remembered. Stepping inside, I felt a shiver work down my spine at the memory of kneeling on the hard floor in the center of the room, begging Ruslan for his help. Jesus, the memory alone made me weak in the knees.

“Hey, Vlad. Are you going to join me for a drink? It’s good stuff.”

“Sure, Lil.”

I poured up a couple of glasses, adding ice to his from the bar in the corner of the room, and slid his glass across the glass coffee table before plopping my ass on the couch across from him.

“Your bodyguard will be arriving sometime tonight.”

I turned my glass up and drained it dry at his words. Honestly, I didn’t want a damn bodyguard. Having someone follow me everywhere made me feel like a prisoner. I guess, in some ways that’s what I was until this was all over and done with. With a deep sigh, I chose my words carefully. “So… who is this guy?”

Vlad refilled my glass and his before responding. “Let’s just say he’s not usually one to keep people safe. But he can be trusted.”

“Oh.” I didn’t need to ask what he meant by that. This guy was certainly one of the more dangerous men in the Bratva. “So a killer is supposed to keep me alive. That’s rich. Hope he doesn’t get confused and off me instead. Does he at least have a sense of humor like you? I’d prefer not to have an arrogant asshole follow me around. I’ve had enough of that flavor of bodyguard.”

With a shake of his head, he downed his drink in one long gulp and stood from his seat. I remained quiet. Something was eating at Vlad. His usual easy-going attitude shifted away as tension filled his body. It was a noticeable shift. What wasn’t he telling me?

While Vlad was a funny guy, there were times he clammed up and got quiet. Just talking about this mysterious bodyguard irritated him. That was enough to worry me. The look on his face during those moments was harsh and cold, his lips drawn into a tight thin line as his eyes darkened with fury. And that was the expression he wore currently as he ambled across the room and stood peering out at the crowd below.

“Ruslan can fill you in about him. It isn’t my place to share stories of others. Understand?”

“Yeah.” I refilled my glass for a third time, enjoying the cold burn of the vodka as it slid down my throat. Vlad’s phone rang and I watched him fish it out of his jacket. He spoke in Russian, as they usually did, blocking me from understanding anything being said. I didn’t mind. Not really. But I was thankful Ruslan had hired someone to teach me the language beginning next week. I was more than ready to learn and to be able to speak to and understand the people around me.

“I’ll be back soon. Boss says he wants you to stay here and wait for him. Okay?”

I nodded and sipped my drink. Left alone in the expanse of the office, I grabbed the near-empty bottle of vodka and walked around the room, taking everything in. When I made it to the desk, I plopped down in the leather chair, kicked my heeled feet up on the desk, and waited. The heat from the vodka radiated throughout my body, warming my skin.

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander over everything that had happened these last few months and tried not to think about the fight and what would come after. My mind took me to our wedding day and I got swept up in the fantasy of it all. Beautiful white dress and the scent of flowers as I walked down the aisle to meet Ruslan in his sharp, well-tailored suit made for a Russian god. The shimmering diamond ring on my finger. The soft romantic words whispered into my ear as the priest began the ceremony. The sweet kiss that turned hot, filled with promises of a night of passion beyond my wildest dreams.

I must have dozed off because the next thing I know, someone is sliding the bottle of vodka and my glass out of my hand. For whatever reason, I just assumed it was Ruslan or Vlad returning to the office, but it wasn’t. The feel of this man’s presence was all wrong. His scent was different, too. When he finally spoke, my heart leapt in my chest, fear stabbing me like a knife.

“You shouldn’t drink alone?” the male voice said.

My eyes snapped open, but my liquor-addled brain was too fuzzy, my reactions too slow. I scanned the room as my head twisted around to locate the person speaking to me. He stood at the bar in the corner of the room opposite me. His back turned to me as I gasp for breath.

“Who the fuck are you?” I demanded in as harsh a voice as I could muster up.

“Calm down,” he responded coolly as he helped himself to my damn bottle of Vodka. Asshole. “I’m Gabriel.”

I watched as the man shifted around to face me, lifting the bottle of Russian Standard and giving it a slight shake. “You have good taste. We should get to know one another, I think.”

He sat my glass of vodka in front of me and took a seat across the desk from me, quietly sipping from his glass, eyeing me. I crossed my arms over my chest, careful not to shift the top and reveal my breasts to the man. He was a big man, similar in size to Ruslan, although a little shorter, but not by much, with dark jet black hair and dark brown eyes the color of chocolate. He looked like the serious sort. Dangerous. Commanding. When he smiled, it wasn’t the comforting kind of smile. There didn’t seem to be any emotion behind the action at all. It was unsettling.

“So you’re the killer assigned to me?” I asked, keeping my voice as even as I could, considering I didn’t have a damn clue who this man was. Gabriel. The killer. Murderer.

He laughed. Oddly enough, the laugh wasn’t cold or unfriendly. Nothing about this man made sense. But I could see the coldness in his eyes. The darkness buried deep inside him.

“Da. I am. And you are the Markow princess. Liliya, I believe. Yes?”

I sat up straight, dropping my arms on the desktop as I leaned forward, my gaze locking on his.

“I am. You have a fucking problem with that? You know what? Don’t bother answering because I don’t give a shit what you think. Just sit there and enjoy my damn vodka and keep your mouth shut until Ruslan gets here.”

I was probably pushing my luck talking to a killer like that, but the man rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t appreciate the tone of his voice or the way he looked at me, like I wasn’t worth his damn time.

“You have quite the mouth on you. Not sure what my brother sees in a mouthy little bitch like you. The kiska (
pussy
) must be like a drug.”

“How dare you? You don’t know a damn thing about me. I’m… wait… brother?”

“Da.”

“Great. Just great,” I huffed in frustration. This is the exact kind of guy I didn’t want as a bodyguard. Another arrogant asshole. “I guess I’m stuck with you then.”

“You are. I’m the best at what I do. You want to stay alive, da?”

I nodded.

“So we hope this problem of yours is handled quickly. You go back to your life and I go back to mine. No worries.”

“Agreed,” I snarled. “There’s just one problem. I won’t be leaving to go anywhere, asshole. Your brother will be marrying me after he wins the death match.” I grin as I turn up my glass and drain it dry.

As I neared my office door with Vlad at my side, I could clearly hear the raised voices from inside. Liliya was pissed the hell off. Given everything the woman had been through, I had yet to hear her raise her voice as I was hearing her do this very moment.

She was a feisty little thing, giving as good as she got. Vlad moved to step around me and head for the door when I held up a hand, halting his movements. I had hoped to avoid Gabriel and Liliya interacting without my presence but it just wasn’t in the cards. Instead of bolting inside to put an end to the verbal bashing they were dishing out to one another, I listened, halfheartedly hoping they would work out their shit.

Gabriel had always enjoyed pushing people’s buttons to get them riled up, and from the sounds coming from my office, he had accomplished just that. At least they hadn’t moved to destroying my office and everything in it. That in itself was a pretty good sign.

Vlad gave a chuckle as Liliya lashed out once more at my brother. “Damn Gabriel is such an ass. I’d hoped to avoid this shit.”

Vlad didn’t respond, other than to shake his head, offering up a knowing smirk. He knew Gabriel pretty damn well and preferred not to interact with him if he could help it.

We stood in the hallway, listening for a couple of more minutes until they finally came to the agreement to work together as best they could. I had not had a chance to let Gabriel in on all of the details surrounding Liliya’s situation or how it would affect me, but we’d get to that soon enough.

As I reached for the door, Liliya’s voice rang out, letting Gabriel know in no uncertain terms that she would be remaining in Vegas with me. The word ‘marrying’ cut through the room like a razor-sharp knife and I heard Gabriel gasp in shock from where I stood. Damn.

Knowing how Gabriel is, I busted into the office, not meeting his eyes. “Liliya, I see you’ve had the pleasure of meeting my brother, Gabriel, already.”

Her whiskey eyes darted to meet mine in an instant and a beautiful smile played across her features. She was standing behind my desk, her fist balled up, pressing into the desktop in that sexy-as-sin dress, her chest heaving with fury. Never had I seen a more gorgeous sight.

“I have, but I would in no way call it a pleasure, Ruslan. He’s an asshole. The bastard called me a bitch… and something in Russian, too. I’m sure it was equally as nasty. Surely there’s someone else more qualified to watch over me instead of this brainless...”

Her words faltered, not at the sound of Gabriel’s animalistic growl, but a loud crash followed by the sound of rapid-fire automatic weapons coming from the ground floor.

Liliya’s eyes went wide with confusion that was soon replaced with horror and fear. Her little mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out as I darted across the room, grabbing her small frame and taking her down to the floor. Shouts from Vlad and Gabriel filled the office as the glass floor-to-ceiling wall of my office shattered, spraying the room.

I pulled Liliya against my body, tucking her head into my chest. Her legs wrapped around my waist. It was all so very intimate. My heart thundered, blood rushing in my ears. Closing my eyes, I focused on the turmoil downstairs. Opening my eyes, I focused on Liliya and getting her calmed down as quickly as possible. I had no clue who was shooting up my club or why, but we needed to get a handle on this shit and fast. “Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. It will all be over soon.”

Angling my head to survey the room, I found Vlad had made his way to the door, slamming it shut with enough force to rattle the walls. Gabriel was at his side. Each of the men had drawn their weapons, ready for whoever might come through the door.

Pulling my gun from the back of my pants and flipping the safety off, I moved to get up. Liliya’s grip on my jacket tightened with my movement.

“Don’t leave me. Please,” she begged.

Cupping her cheeks with my hands, I gave her a quick kiss. Her bottom lip trembled as I wiped away her tears.

“I need you to hide under my desk, baby. Stay quiet. Don’t come out until I say so. Do you understand?”

Her voice was weak and shaky. “Y- yes. I understand.”

“That’s my girl. Don’t make a sound.”

I watched as she crawled behind the desk, disappearing from sight. Loud shouts rang out from downstairs as the sound of heavy booted footsteps made their way up the metal staircase towards the office.

Vlad and Gabriel stood silent, their large bodies pressed against the walls on either side of the door. I rushed to the corner, tucking myself against the wall next to Gabriel.

Gabriel raised his hand, holding up four fingers, indicating we were about to meet at least four of our uninvited guests.

Five seconds.

Three seconds.

One second.

The door to the office burst open. Wood splintering as it slammed open, blocking Vlad’s view. The four men filed into the room, guns raised and trained on the desk across the room, and for a moment I regretted having Liliya hide underneath it.

Gabriel must have been thinking the exact same thing. He stepped forward and grabbed one of the men. Bringing one hand around the guy’s head and grasping his chin, the other hand on the back of his head, Gabriel gave it a solid jerk and it was done. Vlad grabbed another man and followed suit, dropping him to the floor quickly and quietly. Dead. The other two men weren’t even aware of the fact they had just lost two men and were now outnumbered and outgunned.

“Evening, assholes,” Gabriel growled from behind the men.

I watched as they jerked around, stunned looks on their faces as they took in their fallen comrades. That’s when they saw our guns raised and trained on them.

“Who sent you?” I snapped, moving forward, pushing the barrel of my gun into one of the men’s forehead.

“We only want the girl. Hand her over and we leave,” he growled, completely unaffected by my gun pressed to his flesh. He wasn’t afraid of dying.