ROMANCE: Billion Dollar Question (BWWM Billionaire Bad Boy Romance) (African American Alpha Mail Order Bride New Adult) (46 page)

“I shouldn’t,” said Ashley. “I don’t really have much of a choice, though… Have you decided what to do with me?”

Alexei grabbed the television remote from the coffee table and joined Ashley on the sofa. “I’m going to sleep on it.” He turned on the television and found them a movie to watch. It wasn’t like Douglas was going anywhere. The money wasn’t going anywhere either. As it turned out, Ashley might not be a good criminal when it came to escaping, but she did have a head for white collar crime.

For a while, they both sat there. The television was the only source of noise between them.

Alexei had chosen a romantic comedy. Maybe he was a bit of a marshmallow. In his line of work, he tended to go in for mindless entertainment.

By the time the credits rolled, Ashley was asleep. She had tucked her legs up on the cushion beside him. Her head rested on the arm of the sofa. She was snoring, softly.

Alexei wasn’t surprised to find her asleep. She had had a long day, after all. Considering Alexei had spent most of he previous night sitting in a car, keeping a look out for her, he could probably use some sleep, himself.

Alexei considered waking her up, but he didn’t have the heart. She looked so peaceful lying there. Instead, he took a throw from the back of the sofa and spread it out over her. Taking care to keep his noise level down, he left for the bedroom.

The next morning Ashley was gone. It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it did. Alexei, honestly, hadn’t seen this coming. He was her best shot at surviving this whole ordeal. Granted, she might not be convinced of that. She had no reason to take him at his word. He searched for a note, but there was none.

Alexei tried to tell himself that worrying was silly. This was a woman he barely knew. He had been helping her out of spite toward a man he casually disliked. He owed her nothing.

Still, he couldn’t help but hope she did a better job of getting out of town this time. He was almost tempted to let her keep the money. He had a job to do, though.

Alexei got his phone and proceeded to make a few calls. It was time he settled this matter. He didn’t absolutely need to catch a flight back home until the weekend. If he finished everything up today, he could forget about Douglas completely and just go have a good time.

“Alexei!” Douglas said, jovially, when he answered his phone. “I was just about to call you!”

“Oh, yeah?” Alexei asked, rhetorically.

“Any news on that bitch that made off with my money?” he asked.

Alexei felt a twinge of annoyance at Douglas’ tone. “No luck finding her, I’m afraid,” he lied. “Got some people following the money trail, though. I’m sure we can find some way to resolve this whole thing to everyone’s satisfaction.

Douglas gave a long and low sigh of annoyance. “Fine,” he said at last. “I guess we don’t have much choice. See you soon?”

The last thing Alexei wanted was to get stuck at Douglas’ home again. Tiffany and Heather were fine, but not if it meant Douglas’ company. “I’m not sure that’s necessary,” he said instead. “I think I have most of this tied up. I hate to waste your time if it’s not necessary.”

“Ah.” Douglas was silent for a moment. “Well, maybe we’ll do dinner before you head back to Russia.”

“That sounds great,” Alexei lied. “Let’s be sure to do that.”

After wrapping the call up, he took a nice long shower and found himself a change of clothes. He was pulling on a fresh shirt when someone knocked on the door. Hopeful Ashley had wised up and come back, he went to answer it. Glancing through the peephole showed him it was only Tiffany.

She was standing there, clutching her purse and looking a bit lost. She smiled when Alexei opened the door, though.

“What are you doing here?” asked Alexei, immediately a bit suspicious.

Tiffany’s smile became a frown. Evidently, she had expected a warmer welcome than this.

“You gave me and Heather your the address to where you were staying… Remember?” She held up her phone, where Alexei’s room number was still displayed on the screen. “You told us to come by any time?”

Alexei, vaguely, recalled giving her his number. She had been fun. Both of them had. “Probably not the best time. You should have called first.”

Tiffany’s eyes grew wide. She didn’t strike Alexei as the sort who had experienced a lot of rejection in her life.

“Seriously?” She moved into the doorway, so he couldn’t just shut her out. “I was on my way to a party, though. Heather’s there. She said I should drop by on my way over - see if you wanted to come.”

Alexei’s suspicions eased up a bit. Tiffany was a girl who liked to party, not a criminal mastermind. “Will Douglas be there?”

“I don’t think so.” Tiffany shrugged then flashed him a flirty smile. “But Heather will. She’s been wanting to spend some… quality time with you again.” She moved a little closer, touching Alexei’s forearm suggestively. “We both do.”

That settled it. “Only a few hours,” he said. He stepped out into the hallway with her then hesitated. What if Ashley had only stepped out for a moment. What if she changed her mind and came back.

“I’ll have you back before dark,” Tiffany promised, putting her hand in his. “Come on, big guy. Let’s go have some fun.”

‘You don’t owe Ashley anything,’ he reminded himself. He found it odd that he was having such a hard time getting her out of his head. Clearly going out with Tiffany and Heather really was the right choice. He followed her downstairs.

“Come on,” she said, leading the way around the hotel building, toward the adjacent parking structure. “We’ll take my car.”

Alexei started to object. He had a perfectly good rental. He would prefer just to follow her to wherever it was she was going. It was too late that he noticed the car with the tinted windows pulling up behind him. Someone large and strong was grabbing him from behind before he had a chance to react. A damp cloth was pressed over his nose and mouth. Alexei was a big guy who could hold his own in a fight, but even he couldn’t fight through the effect of a rag soaked in chloroform.

Chapter 5: The Son

Alexei didn’t know where he was at first. This wasn’t the first time he had woken up to find his hands tied and something covering his eyes. He had been in the underworld for a while. This sort of thing was often part of the job description, unfortunately.

That said, being kidnapped wasn’t exactly something you got used to.

“Are you awake?” asked Ashley.

Hearing Ashley’s voice reminded Alexei of what had, undoubtedly, happened. The last couple of days came rushing back to him. Her voice was a bit muffled by the bag over his head, but it was definitely her.

“Where are we?” he asked, even though he was fairly certain that he knew already.

“At Douglas’ place,” said Ashley. “God, I’m sorry I dragged you into this. This is all my fault.”

Alexei snorted. “Please. This is hardly your fault. You didn’t exactly ask for my help… I don’t suppose you’re in a position where you could untie me?”

“No,” said a voice that was not Ashley. “But I am.” Douglas pulled the bag from over Alexei’s head.

It took Alexei a moment for his eyes to adjust. He was back in Douglas’ living room. Douglas stood in the center of the room, holding a gun and making a real effort to look menacing. Ashley was on the sofa across from him. Her hands were tied behind her. Her legs were bound at the ankles. On either side of her sat Tiffany and Heather. Both women looked rather fidgety and awkward. Tiffany, especially, wouldn’t meet Alexei’s gave.

Alexei gave a sigh. “You’re making a mistake,” he told Douglas, calmly.

“I am?” Douglas laughed. “It seems to me like you’re the one who made a mistake. Do you have any idea who I am?”

Alexei rolled his eyes. He couldn’t help it. “Do you have any idea who
I
am? Who my father is?”

Douglas’ wry smile faltered. Apparently, he really didn’t have any idea of who Alexei’s father was. That wasn’t uncommon. Generally, people didn’t take Alexei for anything more than a simple grunt.

“Your best bet would have been to complain to my boss,” Alexei continued. “If you have a problem with how I’m handling things-”

“You
helped
the woman who stole from me!” Douglas interrupted, waving his gun toward Alexei for emphasis.

Alexei shrugged. “I liked her more than I liked you,” he admitted. “But, the fact remains, my boss might have been more sympathetic if you had come to him with this news. Maybe he would have even given me a slap on the wrist. As it stands, you’re going to get a lot worse than that for kidnapping his son.”

The color seemed to drain from Douglas’ face. He stared at Alexei.

Tiffany’s brow furrowed. She looked from Douglas to Alexei than back again. “He’s his son?” she asked.

“Shut up, Tiffany,” snapped Douglas. He turned away from Alexei and started to pace. Suddenly, the situation was a much more complicated one than he had anticipated.

Maybe this whole thing could still be defused. “Let me go, and I’m willing to not make any mention of this to my father,” said Alexei.

Ashley shot him a meaningful look from where she sat tied up on the sofa.

“Let Ashley go, too,” he added.

That was the wrong thing to say, apparently. “Why her?” Douglas demanded, glaring at the woman who had betrayed him. He shook his head. “No, how can I even believe you?”

Alexei would have called him paranoid, but he had a fair point. Alexei had every intention of letting his father know what had happened and no way of proving to Douglas that he wouldn’t.

“I’m going to have to think on this,” Douglas murmured to himself as he wandered off toward the kitchen. Alexei could see him through the door and down the hallway, cell phone to his ear as he made himself a drink. If he could find a way to make this all go away, he was going to go for it. There was a very real chance that involved getting rid of Ashley and Alexei much like he had Ashley’s sister. This wasn’t looking good at all.

Alexei turned his gaze to Tiffany. Her eyes met his briefly then darted away. “You tricked me,” he said. “I’m impressed. I really didn’t take you for the type.”

“There really was a party,” Tiffany said, as if in her own defense.

“It was last night,” Heather clarified, speaking up on her friend’s behalf. “We swung by to see if you wanted to join us. Douglas told us to keep you happy, and you’re a fun guy, so…”

“We saw you go in with her.” Tiffany nodded to Ashley who was looking more annoyed than ever.

“I stepped out for just a second,” Ashley said with a groan. “I could see a donut place from the balcony, and… Well, obviously, I didn’t realize we were being watched.”

“It’s nothing personal,” said Tiffany.

“Yeah,” Heather added, giving Ashley an earnest look. “We never disliked you. You’re a good person. It’s just… well…”

“If you get me out of here, I’ll make it worth your while,” Alexei said, trying to keep his voice down and his eyes on Douglas. He couldn’t see the man anymore but assumed he was still in the kitchen, talking on his phone.

Both women looked uncertain. They said nothing, though Heather cast her own nervous look back in the direction of Douglas. Maybe they were aware of what had happened to Ashley’s sister.

“If you don’t help me, I can’t promise you won’t get caught in the crossfire when my father comes to see what happened personally.” That was a bit of a stretch. Alexei’s father would probably take the time to investigate, but it was unlikely he would pay much mind to people as seemingly unimportant as Heather and Tiffany. They could, easily, escape his notice. All the same, Alexei let the threat hang there.

Tiffany stared. The gears in her head were turning. For a moment, it seemed like he had gotten through to her. Then, all at once, she stood and left the room. Heather left the room on her heels.

Ashley took this opportunity to test the ropes binding her wrists and ankles. Alexei didn’t see much point but he didn’t fault her for the effort. His own were tied very securely. Evidently, this wasn’t Douglas’ first kidnapping.

“If I could get over there to you, do you think you could untie me?” asked Ashley.

Alexei raised an eyebrow at her. “With what?”

“I don’t know. Your teeth?” Ashley flopped back on the sofa, giving up. “Sorry if I’m a bit new to this whole being kidnapped thing.” She was silent for a few moments then heaved a big sigh. “I’m sorry,” she said again, without sarcasm this time. “You did me a favor. I blew everything. This is all my fault.”

Alexei frowned at that. As tempting as it was to blame someone else, his conscience wouldn’t let him shirk all the blame.

“I got careless,” he admitted. “You didn’t ask for my help. I should have taken this whole thing more seriously. If we’re being honest, I probably only helped because I thought you were cute.”

Even in their current predicament, that coaxed a smile from Ashley. She had a nice smile. It was warm and dazzlingly white. “If we get out of here, I’ll owe you a date.” Her smile turned a bit sad as she said that. “If,” she repeated.

The distant sound of Douglas talking on his phone ceased. He came back down the hall and into the den, a half empty glass of clear liquor in hand.

“What’s the verdict?” Alexei asked, impatient for news of their fates.

Douglas threw him an annoyed look and sat on the sofa beside Ashley. He switched on the television and drained his glass.

Alexei frowned. Douglas’ silence didn’t tell him much. “Well?” he prompted.

“Well, we’re waiting for… some friends of mine to get here,” said Douglas, keeping his tone curt. “They’re going to help me… resolve this.”

Alexei didn’t much like the sound of ‘friends’. “Maybe, once this is behind us, we can discuss future business arrangements?” Alexei offered.

Douglas rolled his eyes. “Girls!” he called, holding up his glass for a refill.

Tiffany and Heather entered the room. Evidently, they hadn’t gone much further than the hallway. Tiffany took the glass from Douglas and hurried off. No one wanted to test his temper today.

“I think we’ve taken our business relationship as far as it needs to go, don’t you?” asked Douglas, not taking his eyes off the television. “Let’s not kid ourselves. If I let you out of here, you’re not going to let bygones be bygones.”

“You don’t know that,” Alexei said, quickly. “I’m very good at forgiving and forgetting.” That was a lie and one Douglas clearly wasn’t buying into.

“How are you going to get your money back?” asked Ashley.

Douglas didn’t even look at her. He put a hand up. “
You
don’t get to talk to me.”

Not to be deterred, Ashley pressed on. “At least let
him
go.” She nodded to Alexei. “Let him go, and I’ll help. Whatever you have planned, this would be faster… Wouldn’t it? Come on. This is my fault.”

“This is your fault,” Douglas agreed. He agreed to nothing, though. He didn’t even budge on bargaining.

Even so, Alexei was touched. No one had offered their life for him before. Maybe she just hoped he would return the favor once he was free. Either she was smart, selfless, or both. He smiled at her. He couldn’t help it.

Ashley smiled back at him. It was a sad smile, though. There was a lot of missed potential there. Maybe they could have had something, but now neither of them would find out.

Tiffany and Heather came back with the drink Douglas had asked for. He took it, draining half the glass in one gulp. “We have an hour or two,” he told everyone. “Settle in.”

It was a little surreal, just sitting there watching a movie while you waited to die. Oddly enough, it was the same romantic comedy Alexei had watched with Ashley the night before. It figured. Not that he was paying attention to the movie. Alexei was too busy wracking for his brain, trying to come up with something.

When the men Douglas had called arrived, he would try reasoning with them. There was no point in them crossing the Russian mafia. Worst case scenario, they would probably have to untie his legs to get him to his feet. Alexei would take that moment, and-

“Did you kill him?” asked Heather.

Alexei looked up, pulled from his plans by the women’s voices. Heather and Tiffany were scooting closer to Douglas on the sofa. Douglas himself was slumped over, chin on his chest. His eyes were closed. The now empty glass had slipped from his hand.

“I didn’t mean to,” said Tiffany, looking alarmed. She reached out a shaking hand to check his pulse but shrieked at the last minute and pulled her hand away. “Oh my god, what if I killed him?”

Ashley, sitting on the other side of Douglas, sat up a little straighter. “What the hell happened?” she asked.

Alexei frowned, trying to sort this out. “Did you poison him?”

“I drugged him,” Tiffany admitted, sounding pained. “It seemed like the best option at the time.” She gave a distressed little sigh.

Heather gave Douglas a poke. When he did nothing, she got up and hurried over to Alexei. “If we untie the two of you, you won’t kill us right?” she asked. “We won’t be in trouble with the Russian mafia or anything?”

“No,” Alexei said quickly. “If you untie us, I’m going to owe you. I’ll owe the two of you big time.” He meant every word of that.

Heather worked on the ropes for a while. Finally, she ended up going to the kitchen for a knife. It took her a moment, but she got the ropes off of him. She moved on to Ashley next.

“We need to hurry. We should be gone before the guys Douglas called get here.”