They moved in perfect sync, like dancers performing a show on a tightrope. They were standing on the edge of something, both tipping towards the edge, but eager for that fall, aching for it. Their bodies knew exactly where to go, exactly how to please one another. They contorted into one person, joined, both their heartbeats beating together. They were passionate. They were intimate. And, as they both reached their climax and screamed out the other’s name, they realized – they were in love.
Alexei took care not to crash on top of her and held himself up on his forearms. For a while, they just sat there, waiting for their breathing to settle down, staring into each other’s eyes.
She could look at his blue eyes for eternity. She always thought that they looked like a clear summer sky. They filled her nights and dreams with visions of summer days, picnics in the grass, dates by the beach. She cupped his cheek in her palm and ran her thumb across his cheek. He gave her the softest smile she had ever seen on his face as he leaned forward to lay a kiss on her forehead. He then moved to lie next to her and gently pulled her to him, so that her head was resting on his chest.
They awkwardly tried to get under the covers, and giggled to themselves when she almost elbowed him in the face. They settled in and he slowly rubbed her arm. She could feel his breathing and so knew when he’d drifted off to sleep.
Kaelyn couldn’t sleep though. Her eyes stayed wide open as she snuggled in comfortably to the wonderful man that had unexpectedly stumbled into her life. If anyone had told her a month ago her soulmate would be an ex-bratva member who was asked by her sister’s boyfriend to protect them from his sadistic uncle, she would’ve laughed them out of the room.
But here they were.
To say that it wasn’t what she’d imagine would be the understatement of the century.
Yet it was everything she’d hoped for.
She could never have asked for anyone more perfect or loving than Alexei. He treated her with so much love, care and respect, and he was even fantastic with Amelia! Just the other day, she had come home from the supermarket to find him snuggled on the couch with her watching The Princess and the Frog for the third time in a row. It was Amelia’s favorite movie, and even Kaelyn had gotten sick of it. Alexei was so patient with her despite everything.
She knew how difficult it could be, dealing with autism. Amelia didn’t always express her desires verbally, but somehow, he found a way of understanding her and knowing what she wants. The fact that Amelia simply adored him definitely had helped Kaelyn accept him in the first place.
But then there was that pesky little thing with the Russian mob. They just happened to want to kill the love of her life. She sighed as she snuggled closer to him for his warmth. She didn’t want to think about what might happen if they found Alexei.
Wanting, unfortunately, had little to do with it. She wanted her family to be safe. She wanted her daughter to never experience the disturbing harshness of the world. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Alexei somewhere quiet, peaceful and safe, that they could call home.
Her wanting those things wasn’t going to change anything.
The thought of Alexei’s death wasn’t new to her mind or heart, but that didn’t stop the tightening of her chest. Talking to Saylor would’ve probably helped ease her mind, but every time she thought of telling her sister about them, something made her hesitate. This was unusual for Kaelyn; she’d always been comfortable telling Saylor everything. But ever since all this shit went down, she’s been under so much stress. She knew her sister would understand, but she’d also just worry even more. And all that would do was make the picture of Alexei dying all the more real for her. Maybe this thought was why she hadn’t told Saylor; to not make it real. Her eyes finally began to drift shut.
Well, don’t need to open that can of worms today.
3
Alexei
Alexei woke up at the crack of dawn. It was a nasty habit left from his days in the bratva. The watery light filtered through the drapes and filled the room with this eerie glow. For a second, he let himself relax with Kaelyn in his arms, sheltered in their little cocoon of isolation. But, unfortunately, that couldn’t last too long.
His body was fully awake now. He carefully maneuvered himself from under her, so as not to wake her. He then proceeded to get dressed, grabbed his keys and hit the streets.
He had been doing this every morning since he left the bratva – jogging to the gym, spending some time on the punching bag, then taking a long run around the city. He needed this. It cleared his mind, made the thoughts in his head less jumbled and confusing. It helped ease the tension and crazy energy that never seemed to leave his body.
This morning, though, he needed it to form a plan.
How the hell was he going to convince Kaelyn of Stone’s idea?
He hadn’t told her because he knew she’d turn it down without question. But Stone thought they should be seriously considering it; going back to New York.
It was risky, there was no doubt about that. But there hadn’t been any activity from Senya for an entire month. Things were starting to cool down and all he wanted was for Kaelyn and Amelia’s lives to get back to some semblance of normalcy. Being in hiding was not easy and definitely had an impact on Amelia’s wellbeing.
They had to have stability.
Had to know that they were safe. And Alexei was beginning to feel that maybe he wasn’t enough. Stone, though, had an enormous security force, a top-of-the-line alarm system and enough guards to cover every inch of their movements. It would be the only thing that could guarantee their safety.
Alexei knew what the problem was, though. It was less with Kaelyn not wanting to leave and more with her sister, Saylor. He knew Kaelyn didn’t want her sister finding out about them.
Who could blame her?
An ex-bratva member who knew more about killing than pop culture; whose hands are more accustomed to holding a gun than a TV remote; who had extensive knowledge on how to extract information from someone, but no idea how to boil a fucking pot of pasta. Of course that would be the person she’d want raising her niece!
Kaelyn was worried that Saylor would tell her that she had to leave Alexei. And Alexei was worried that she’d see sense in that. No point in hiding the reality of who he truly was. He knew who he was when he agreed to protect her. He knew who he was when he fell in love with her. And he will still know who he is when she makes the right decision and leaves him.
That didn’t change anything. Stone was right.
London was lovely and their life here had been tremendous, and he’d hoped it could last forever, but it couldn’t. New York was their home.
It was where their future would be. Where Amelia could go back to school and be able to have every single opportunity spread out before her. That was his only bargaining chip – Amelia. Kaelyn would go to the ends of the earth for her daughter and he knew how much she wanted her back in school. He couldn’t be sure that it would be enough, but he had to hope.
He stopped for a bit to catch his breath. Looking at his watch, he cursed out loud.
He had been running for over two hours!
He was in a new neighborhood he had never been to for. Gingerly, he sat down on the curb to rest for a while before figuring out a way back to the apartment. He finally had some scrap of a plan regarding how to talk Kaelyn into this New York thing. But that didn’t mean he was thrilled. In fact, he knew he shouldn’t, but he was prolonging his stay on that sidewalk, dreading the moment when he’d have to tell her. She’ll probably agree even. Again, that gave him no joy. All he could think of was Saylor convincing her to leave him and him having no reasonable way to change her mind.
It was selfish. The most selfish he’d ever been. But there was nothing he could do about any of it. Eventually, he got up and made his way back. He cared about her – about them – too much to not try to give them their best chance. Alexei wasn’t an idiot; he understood how difficult it would be to accept
him and all his past. Only one person had understood and accepted him wholeheartedly: Stone.
Alexei would never forget that day. He’d finally made it out of Russia, detouring through almost half of Europe before ultimately landing in the US. Finding Stone was easy enough – the giant skyscraper with ‘Testova Corp’ painted on the side was difficult to miss. Convincing him that he was in danger, now that would prove to be a challenge.
He hadn’t spoken to his brother since they were…nine? Ten? He couldn’t remember. So much had happened. So much of their lives had changed. But it was time to converge the two paths. It was time to tell Stone the truth.
He knew they’d never let him up to his office, so he waited in the garage. A silver Honda sat parked in the space labeled S. Testova. Alexei hid in the shadows waiting for his brother. Until, finally, he came.
Stone was taller than him, but Alexei was broader. They had the same square face, and pale blonde hair, but their eyes were different. He was making his way to the car, unbeknownst that his life was about to get thrown into turmoil.
Alexei abandoned his hiding spot and stepped closer to the car. Stone froze dead in his tracks.
“Who are you?”
Alexei answered him in Russian. “I think you know, rodnoy brat.”
Stone had looked as though Alexei was the last person he had wanted to see. It made his resolve waver but he stayed firm. He continued, now in English.
“We need to talk.”
Stone sighed, “Yeah, I bet we do. Come up to the office. I’ll pour us a drink. Something tells me I’m going to need it.”
They made their way up to the office and Alexei had to keep himself from constantly glancing at Stone to make sure he was real. This was real; he was actually going to do this. He was going to tell someone about everything he had done for the past ten years.
He regretted coming.
When they’d settled down with their drinks, Alexei began. He explained about the Bratva and its intricate network of organized crime. He then talked about Senya Ruskov, their uncle, and how he practically ran the whole operation. And finally, he talked about his own involvement. He tried not to go into too much detail, but there was no way to hide the horror of his actions.
Stone’s eyes were wide saucers in his head. It was so comically tragic how appalled he looked that Alexei had to physically stop himself from bursting out laughing. He didn’t know if the look on his face was because he believed him and was horrified or he didn’t believe him, in which case, he just thought he was insane.
“I’m not crazy, Stone. This is all true. I’m sorry I just dropped all this on you, but you needed to know-“
“Why?” Stone demanded. “Why do I need to know?” He got up, put both his hands in his hair and started pacing. “My life was going normal! Everything was fine! Now, I know this and I just - what am I supposed to do with this information, Alexei? Turn you over to the police? Report our uncle to the FBI? Tell me, why could you possibly think it was a good idea for me to know all this?”
“Because they’re after you now!” Alexei had stood up. Fists clenched by his side; he told the truth that had been haunting him since Russia. The truth that he put his brother in danger.
Stone had stood still, staring at Alexei in disbelief, probably hoping that he’d heard wrong. “Why would they be after me?”
“Because I left them. I’m trying to walk the straight and narrow. And he needs to get back at me for that. And the only way for him to do that is through you.”
Stone sank back into his chair. His face returned to its initial neutral expression. He stayed silent for several minutes. Minutes that tortured Alexei as he wondered how his brother would react. Would he kick him out for ruining his life? Send him to prison? He deserved all that and more. But, as long as he’d warned Stone, as long as he could now take the necessary precautions to protect himself from Senya, it was all worth it.
Stone finally looked up at his brother and Alexei was shocked at the genuine warmth in his eyes. Without a word, he stood up and hugged his brother so tight. Tears sprang in both their eyes. Alexei didn’t understand what was going on.
Did he not hate him?
“I’m sorry I freaked out. You were trying to save yourself from a life that I cannot begin to imagine. It must have been so difficult for you to get out of there.”
Alexei could feel his brother’s hand on his back.
“But I put you in danger… I-I put so many people in danger. I helped destroy lives. How can…”
“How can I forgive you? Alexei, you left them. That was such a brave leap. I don’t care if they come after me. Hell, I’ve got an arsenal of security teams that have been sitting on their asses for too long. Time to get them to work.”
“But…everything I’ve done-“
“Is irrelevant compared to everything you will do. You’re going to clear the red from your past. I know it. I know you.”
It was Stone, now and always. He couldn’t expect everyone to be this accepting. It didn’t matter, anyway. He was wiping the red from his ledge. Doing the right thing. And if that meant not having Kaelyn and Amelia in his life, then so be it!
At least, that was what he told himself as he found himself at the foot of the apartment building. His teeth began to chatter as his clothes got soaked from the rain. It was noon now and they would both be awake. He made his way up the stairs and walked through the door.
“Alex!” squealed an excited voice. “Where were you? You missed breakfast!”
Amelia was sitting at the kitchen table, playing with this animal matching puzzle game Alexei had bought for her.
“Sorry, baby girl. I’ll make it up to you, kay? We can watch ‘The Princess and the Toad’?”
“Yes!”
Kaelyn cleared her throat from her place on the couch and gave him a mock glare. “You’re going to pay for that.”
Alexei just chuckled and settled next to her. She looked at him with a worried expression. “Where were you? You look like you ran a marathon.”
“Just the usual. Gym. Running. Decided to explore a different neighborhood this time.”
“If it was ‘just the usual’, you would’ve come back at ten, like you always do. Alex, is there something you’re not telling me?”
He opened his mouth. He had to tell her. He glanced around and Amelia was still at the table but now she was humming a song from the movie.
“Look, I got lost in the new place. And there wasn’t really anyone around to give me directions. Everything’s fine, don’t worry. Now, go grab the movie.”
I’ll tell her, he promised himself, just not right now.
4
Kaelyn
Alexei was acting strange. She could tell that something was bothering him, but Kaelyn knew that pushing him was not going to accomplish anything. First, it was the unbelievably long run, then, he completely spaced out during the entire movie. Sure, that’s what they usually did considering the millions of times they’d seen it. But he didn’t even sing along with Amelia like he did every time, without fail. He only noticed when Amelia tugged on his shirt.
She didn’t want any secrets between them, but she could understand that that was asking a lot of someone who had lived his whole life on secrets. She’d accepted long ago that she would never be able to fully comprehend all that he went through in the Bratva, but she wanted him to, at least, give her the chance to try.
He didn’t need to hide behind facades anymore; he was a part of their little family now, whether he liked it or not, and she was not going to have him terrified of showing her his true self.
The thought of family made her mind go to Saylor. Kaelyn didn’t think her sister would approve of the relationship; regardless of the fact that she’s with Alexei’s brother. Saylor would just be worried about her safety, physically and emotionally, and the safety of her niece. She couldn’t fault her sister for that. Kaelyn would probably do the exact same thing if the roles were reversed.
Kaelyn looked at her daughter, all tucked in under her blanket, and her heart filled with such love, it was indescribable. She knew it probably sounded cliché, but Amelia was her entire world. The universe stopped and started in her soft eyes. Kaelyn would walk on burning coals, letting every ember pierce the soles of her bare feet, just to see the sweet curl of her smile. Sure, they all had their worries and fears, but none like her. None like a mother.
“Mommy?”
She turned back to see Amelia had opened her eyes again.
“Is Alex sad?”
“Why would you think that, sweetie?”
“He wasn’t singing. Did I do something wrong?”
“No, of course not! He was just tired. He had a long run. It had nothing to do with you, I promise.”
“We can watch something else tomorrow? Something he’d like?”
They both hear a chuckle and turn to see Alexei standing at the doorway.
“I could never be upset with you, baby girl. And the only movie I’d like to watch is one where we can both be singing.”
Amelia smiled a big, toothy grin. “Goodnight, Alex. Goodnight, Mommy.”
“Goodnight, Mia.”
With that Kaelyn kissed her forehead and looked to Alexei with trepidation. The look on his face wasn’t reassuring. She thought he was finally going to tell her what was bothering him, just like she’d wanted.
She didn’t know why that terrified her so much.
He took her hand and guided her silently to the couch. They sat down and he took a deep breath in, before letting it out slowly. He still didn’t say a single word and now she was on the brink of totally freaking out.
Love Affair with the Billionaire’s Brother Page 2
