Just Business (Aegis Group Dangerous Ladies Book 1)

by Sidney Bristol

  He looked up at her and there was anguish in his eyes. “Everything.”

  Haley could have kicked herself then. She crossed the cellar and sat next to him. “You can’t beat yourself up over this.”

  “She knows I have two weaknesses.”

  Haley swallowed down the lump in her throat. Another reminder she cared far too much about this family than she should.

  “Zasha and you,” Konstantin whispered.

  She whipped her head around and stared at his profile.

  Her?

  Her and Zasha?

  Not Ivana, the woman who had raised him?

  “If I could go back and do it differently knowing what I know now? I’d have retired Ivana when Zasha was two. I’d have two nannies. I think what I’d do the most different would be the night, about three weeks after I’d hired you.”

  Haley thought back, but it was all a blur right now.

  “You came in and you were such a force. You brought order and stability to our lives. Ivana has a big heart, but she lets so many things slide. You picked up on that and nothing was getting past you. Not even me.” He chuckled. “I was trying to sneak Zasha a midnight snack and there you were, marching her back to bed. You were so pissed at me. It was the first time you weren’t perfectly professional. You yelled at me. Do you remember that?”

  “No.” Though she had chewed Konstantin out a number of times over the years for things like snacks at one in the morning. It was exactly the kind of thing she’d do.

  “I think I’d have kissed you then instead of waiting all these years,” he said.

  She swallowed. That information didn’t quite sit well with her.

  “You’d have retired Ivana?” she asked.

  Konstantin turned his head and looked at her. “She’s too old for the job. She has been for years, but she didn’t want to give it up. I shouldn’t have let her...”

  Haley felt cool air on the back of her throat and knew she was gaping at him.

  “All this time you knew Ivana wasn’t cut out for the job anymore?”

  “At her age it’s impossible. But she had you.”

  Haley had been a fool. She’d suffered Ivana’s cranky moods all because Haley thought that Ivana could get fired.

  “I should have known better. I should have damn well known.”

  “I’m sorry. I thought you two had it worked out. Why get involved?” He glanced away then. “Zasha adores you. Me and Zasha? We’re just fill-ins for Ivana. Sometimes I wonder if we’re all just replacement kids for the one she lost, or if she’s only ever truly loved my mother. I’ll always appreciate Ivana’s role in our lives, but... She isn’t you.”

  “This whole time you knew I was doing my job and her job.” She shook her head, ignoring that last comment. “Here I’ve been worried about you firing her. I started helping because she broke down crying one day about how she was so tired, but she had to keep going or you’d let her go. She was terrified about not having a place to go.”

  He frowned, his brows drawing down into a dark slash. “I’d never turn my back on her. She knows that.”

  “Jesus.” She tipped her chin up and looked at the ceiling.

  Hours, days of her life, maybe weeks or months spent doing two jobs.

  “I’m sorry. Zasha... She loves you. If I was going to pick a role model for her, I’d want it to be someone as smart and capable and caring as you.”

  “Wow. Just wow.” She let her shoulders sag.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “You should be. I should have asked for a big, fat raise.”

  “I’d offer back pay,” he said without hesitation.

  “That’s not the point.” She glared at him. “You have used me for years. That’s not a good feeling, Konstantin.”

  “I’m sorry...”

  “God, now I wish you had tried to fuck me back then. I’d have left and avoided all of this.” But she’d also have missed out on so much. So many memories, so much love.

  “I know,” he said. “Ultimately that’s why I never crossed the line. I care about you, Haley. Zasha loves you. You’re part of this family, fucked up as it is. If I can do anything to make this right, if we make it through this, I hope I can make it up to you somehow.”

  “I’m not sure you can.” She drew her knees up and hugged them to her chest.

  What she wouldn’t give for her own cell right now.

  Konstantin had known all along that she was shouldering two jobs and he’d let her. He could say he cared about her all he wanted to, but his actions said otherwise. He’d...

  Haley swallowed.

  He’d been attracted to her from the beginning. But rather than act on that, he’d chosen to take a step back for the sake of his daughter. That distance from him had allowed Haley and Zasha to bond. It had also allowed her to get to know Konstantin and the big heart he hid.

  It didn’t make Konstantin’s choices the right ones, but she couldn’t muster much anger either. He’d been twenty-five at the time? A kid raising another kid making the best decisions he could.

  The last of her anger evaporated. No, she wasn’t happy with him, but that was the past.

  “I’m not mad at you,” she said.

  “You could be.”

  “I could, but what’s the use of that?” She turned her head and looked at him. Warmth swirled in her chest regardless of how she wished it wouldn’t.

  He looked back at her. “I never meant for things to go this far. It was working. Why change things? You were in our lives, and that made all the difference.”

  Our lives.

  She swallowed again and told her heart to calm down. He wasn’t in love with her.

  “I’ve royally fucked this up.” He shifted on the concrete and turned his body toward her. “Is this over? Are there any redos?”

  She blinked at him. “This is life, not a video game.”

  “People get second chances sometimes.”

  She threw her hands up. “What do you want me to say? Yes, please let me continue to work for you and do all the jobs that slip through the cracks?”

  “No, not that. I mean...us. Did I screw that up so much there’s not a chance?”

  Haley stared at him and felt every carefully raised wall around her heart tumble down.

  For several moments they sat there on the cold, hard concrete just looking at each other.

  “I need to process all of this, and we need to survive. I don’t have an answer for you right now.” Taking a break from him after that would be wise. But she wasn’t sure she would be able to force herself away from them at that point.

  Konstantin nodded, but his expression was that of a determined man.

  She’d seen that look on his face before when he wanted something. And now, it was aimed at her.

  13.

  Sunday. Rose House. Arlington, VA.

  Tasha stared at her reflection. The skin around her eyes was a little darker from lack of sleep, but otherwise she didn’t appear to have suffered any ill effects from being out most of the night. She’d never been much for late night activities, and even less so the older she got.

  She’d used every cream and procedure she could afford to preserve her youthful appearance as best she could. While she was as vain as any other woman, her looks were also a weapon.

  Her first use had been against Leonid Titov, and she’d been far more successful than she could have dreamed. She’d set out to snag a powerful admirer and wound in the role of his wife. Though if it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t be where she was now.

  Men underestimated beautiful women. She’d used that fact over the years until she was finally where she belonged, at the top of the food chain.

  Footsteps hurried down the hall.

  Nikolai, no doubt.

  She rolled her eyes and tied the sash of her dressing gown tighter around her waist.

  A moment later a single, brisk knock sounded at her door.

  “Come in,” she said.


  Nikolai stepped in, holding the phone they’d taken from Konstantin’s home in the country.

  “It’s him,” Nikolai whispered.

  Leonid had let this call languish all day. Was this a power move on his part?

  She had to be at her best to deal with this man. He might be a grandfather, but his mind was no doubt as sharp and dangerous as it had always been.

  “Husband, hello,” she said, slipping back into Russian.

  The silence stretched on. She almost pulled the phone from her face to ensure the call was still connected.

  “What are you up to, Natasha?” Leonid asked in that tiresome voice of his that had made a younger her wilt.

  “Did you get my message?” She crossed one leg over the other.

  Again, Leonid didn’t answer immediately.

  Tasha glanced up at Nikolai, still hovering. She waved him away and he retreated to the door.

  “I’m calling you, aren’t I? You’ve been trying to get my attention, now you have it,” he said.

  “From your flippant tone I would almost think that the boy and his bastard don’t matter to you.”

  Silence met that statement, but it wasn’t like she’d expected him to admit to actually having a heart.

  “I want us to get together. Have a little family reunion. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

  “No,” Leonid said with no hesitation.

  “I’ve gone to all this work to get your attention. The least you can do is attend.”

  “Do what you want, Natasha, but leave me out of it.”

  The line clicked.

  She pulled the phone away from her face and stared at the screen.

  “He hung up on me? He hung up on me?” She stood, knocking the padded stool over, then hurled the phone across the room. It hit the wall with a satisfying crack.

  Nikolai winced and went to the device, picking it up from where it had fallen on the floor.

  “That insufferable old toad,” she said, switching to English. “Oh, I just want to wrap my hands around his throat and kill him.”

  “Would you like some good news, ma’am?” Nikolai asked.

  “Yes,” she snapped.

  “The team was able to get Ivana and the girl without a confrontation. They should be here within an hour.”

  “Good.” She waved a hand. “Put them in rooms, watch them and keep them out of my hair. Especially the old woman.”

  Tasha paced the bedroom, thoughts whirling.

  She’d played into Leonid’s game. Let him rile her up. But he was worried. If he wasn’t, he’d have never called her back.

  The hook was set.

  SUNDAY. ROSE HOUSE. Arlington, VA.

  Ivana clutched the arm rests of the chair as she steadily rocked. The motion had helped her soothe four babies to sleep. Now she desperately hoped that it would do something for her.

  She’d made a very big mistake.

  Natasha was no longer the sweet, energetic girl she’d been. Ivana had excused much of Natasha’s behavior under Leonid’s roof because the man was so difficult. But now? Now Ivana wondered if all along it wasn’t Leonid saying Konstantin should be punished for things like crying or not being able to sit still or use cutlery that was too big for his little hands. What if, all along, it had been Natasha?

  “Look at this.” Zasha turned and held up a picture.

  “That’s beautiful. Very pretty.”

  “I want to give it to Haley when we see her.” Zasha very carefully put the picture in a stack with others earmarked for Haley.

  Please let them be okay, Ivana prayed.

  This was her doing.

  If she hadn’t allowed herself to be blinded to Natasha, she’d have told Konstantin about his mother at the very start. He’d have cut off communication with Natasha, but it would have been for the best.

  Ivana feared that the girl she’d raised had become someone else entirely.

  She recalled the first time she’d seen Natasha since her wedding. Ivana had arrived two weeks before Konstantin’s birth. That first night Natasha had buried her face on Ivana’s shoulder and wept about carrying the devil’s child.

  What if Leonid wasn’t the monster in all of this? What if it was Natasha?

  Konstantin’s father had never harmed them. In all these years, it hadn’t happened. And now, Ivana had opened the door and let the true demon into their midst.

  Somehow, someway, Ivana needed to make this right. She had to show Konstantin. If she could just think of a way to get them out of here, to be free. Ivana feared that if they didn’t, if they remained at Natasha’s mercy, their lives might end all too soon. While Ivana had lived her days, Zasha didn’t deserve that. And neither did Konstantin or Haley.

  Ivana touched the cross around her neck and said another prayer, a plea to see the path that would set them free.

  SUNDAY. UNKNOWN.

  Konstantin stretched his legs out in front of himself. He stared at the toe of the shoes he’d been wearing earlier, noting the grease on one side and a bit of what he assumed was blood on the laces.

  He’d royally fucked this up in every way imaginable.

  Haley lay stretched out on the far side of the wine cellar, asleep. How she managed to do that on the cold floor was beyond him, but she’d assured him she could and would. Now he was left alone with his thoughts.

  His head was a pretty grim place right now.

  Who would have thought he’d end up at his father’s mercy after all these years? His mother’s continued existence was less of a surprise. Given the nature of her disappearance was already covered up by his father, there had been little opportunity for Konstantin to do his own due diligence there.

  At this point he didn’t see himself surviving. His father wouldn’t come, and his mother didn’t care if Konstantin lived or died. He just hoped Ivana and Zasha were safe, that they’d stay out of all this.

  That left Haley, and he wasn’t sure if he could protect her or not.

  To think, he’d be the cause of her death all because he’d kept his hands to himself. It wasn’t what he wanted for her. Not one bit.

  He wanted Haley to have a happy life. He wanted to listen to stories about her family after her trips home. He wanted to spend time with her.

  Konstantin rubbed at his chest.

  The truth was he’d been in love with Haley for a long time. He just hadn’t wanted to admit it. Before her, he’d gone after the type of woman that was there today and gone tomorrow. He’d liked that temporary feeling, because it was simple. There was no introducing those women to his daughter. Everything was kept neatly separated.

  Until Haley.

  He blew out a breath and stared at her sleeping face.

  He’d loved her before he’d kissed her.

  If he told her that, she’d laugh at his pathetic ass.

  A long, slow creak broke the silence.

  Konstantin sat upright, straining to listen, and stared at the partially visible stairs.

  The door thunked shut.

  Someone was coming down the stairs.

  He reached over and placed his hand on Haley’s shoulder. She drew in a deep breath and her eyes popped open. She blinked twice then sat up, looking at him with eyes far too alert.

  He pointed at the stairs just as a foot thumped on the wood.

  Haley pushed to her feet and so did he.

  They stood facing each other at the gate, watching as the first foot came into view.

  Konstantin frowned.

  That wasn’t a man’s foot, and given his mother’s taste in clothes to visit a crime scene, he didn’t see her wearing orthopedic shoes.

  Haley grabbed his arm. “Ivana?”

  “Give me a minute,” Ivana said from the stairs.

  Konstantin gaped as slowly but surely the rest of Ivana came into view.

  If she was there...

  He grabbed Haley’s hand, clutching it tight.

  Zasha was here, too.

  Ivana reached the bottom
of the stairs and paused, holding tight to the rail while she sucked down air.

  “Need to do more stairs,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “What are you doing here?” Haley demanded coldly.

  Ivana glanced at them, pain etched into every line and the curve of her mouth.

  Konstantin wanted to hug her. The truth was shining out of those bright blue eyes. She’d seen Natasha for what she really was.

  “I’m sorry,” Ivana said.

  Haley gave Konstantin’s hand a squeeze back, but didn’t move to let him go.

  “Sorry doesn’t fix this,” Haley said.

  “No, it doesn’t.” Ivana patted her pockets, then pulled a ring of keys out of her left. “But maybe this will make up for it?”

  Konstantin didn’t dare hope.

  “Where did you get those?” Haley’s tone was no less hard.

  “People don’t pay attention to an old woman. Especially young men.” Ivana held the keys up.

  Haley held out her hand. “Give them to me.”

  Ivana did as ordered. Haley took them and began flipping through with quick, decisive motions. Ivana stared at Haley for a moment with sad eyes.

  “Where is Zasha? Is she okay?” Konstantin had to know.

  Ivana inclined her head. “She’s upstairs sleeping.”

  “Shit.” He turned and shoved his hands through his hair.

  Haley reached through the bars and fit a key into the lock. She muttered a curse when it didn’t twist and pulled it back out.

  “How many men are upstairs?” she asked.

  Ivana blinked a few times. “I don’t know.”

  “Think. How many did you pass? You had to notice them.”

  “Four or five?” Ivana wrung her hands.

  “Talk it through with me,” Konstantin said. “When you left Zasha you went...?”

  “Into the hall. There wasn’t anyone there.”

  “And then?”

  Haley tried another key. There were dozens on the ring. Too many.

  Ivana perked up. “I went to the stairs they brought us up, but there was a man sitting in an armchair in the hall.”

  “Okay, good. So how’d you get downstairs?”

  “There’s a smaller, narrow staircase at the back of the house. It comes out close to the kitchen. Two men were in there, so I waited until they left to look around. I saw another sleeping on a sofa.”