“I’ll live. Ice for the swelling and ibuprofen for pain.”
She frowned. “That’s all he did?”
Tonya shrugged, still not quite looking at the two of them. “He did x-rays of my back and ribs, and there are no broken bones or kidney damage. I’ll be fine.”
“You should stay with us.”
Tara was surprised by his suggestion, but it sent warmth shooting through her. She couldn’t resist giving him a meaningful glance that soon turned heated.
“Oh, gross. No way. I’m not spending the next few days looking at that.” Tonya rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. I’m going to go home and rest.”
“Does Tarlington know where you live? Is your new place ready?”
Tonya gave her a small smile full of hopefulness. “Well, like I said, that place isn’t mine yet. I might have blown it when I told my realtor to wait. I was kind of hoping I could stay with you, sis.”
“Tara is living with me,” said Alexei, in a tone that made it clear that wasn’t going to change.
Tonya slowly nodded. “Yeah, I kind of guessed that. Is it okay if I crash at your apartment for a while, Tara?”
“Of course, but will Tarlington look there for you?”
With a shake of her head, her little sister leaned back against the seat. “Nah. I met him at the club, and he always picked me up there after my shift.” Her eyes were blinking, and it was clear she was close to napping.
Alexei leaned closer to her, his lips near Tara’s ear. “I’ll provide her a byki for a few days, until we’re certain Tarlington is finished causing trouble. I don’t think he wants to face off against me again, but it’s better to be certain.”
She nodded, keeping her voice low not to disturb her sister. “Thank you, Lyosha.” When she turned slightly to kiss him, it was meant to be a gentle peck to express her gratitude. Instead, it quickly escalated.
Tonya abruptly sighed loudly. “You two should get a room.”
Tara laughed softly as she cuddled closer to the mobster cradling her so tenderly. It was strange to be so cheerful and euphoric after the evening they’d had. She should still be worried—and she was—about Tonya instead of feeling so blissed out and mellow from the crazy-good sex and his tender side. It was difficult to worry about anything with Alexei to take care of her.
She knew that thought should send alarm bells clanging in the back of her mind, but she couldn’t muster the energy to be worried by her thoughts.
Chapter Seven
“You seem distracted tonight,” said Tara a few nights later, as she lay with her head on Alexei’s stomach, having recently collapsed there after an intense bout of passion that had been fulfilling, even though he hadn’t seemed completely present.
He grunted, but didn’t push her away. Finally, he said, “I have an important visitor coming tomorrow.”
“Oh?” For some reason, her stomach clenched with dread. “Who?”
“My uncle Vasile.”
“That’s nice, right?” She sneaked a peek up at him through the veil of hair partially obscuring her vision. She was still too languid to push it aside.
He grunted again. “No, it’s not nice. It will be problematic, lisichka.”
“How so?”
Alexei hesitated before shaking his head. “It’s complicated.”
She grimaced, knowing that meant he wasn’t going to share anything further. “Okay.”
“I would like you to stay out of his way as much as possible, Tara.”
She turned onto her side and propped her head on her bent arm to look at him. “Why?”
“He’s dangerous.” He softened his harsh words by lifting her hand to kiss her fingers.
“Okay,” she said again. “Should I stay in your room while he’s here?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps as much as possible. I’m not hiding you away out of shame or anything. Do you understand that, lisichka?”
“Is this more of your overprotective macho bullshit?” she asked with a curve of her lips and a teasing tone.
“Completely, engel.”
Pretending to consider it, though she had already decided to comply, she finally nodded. “If you insist.” It was no hardship to avoid a dangerous man anyway. If he was related to Alexei, he was probably vory as well.
He kissed her fingers again. “As always, I’m humbled and shocked when you listen to me.”
Tara stuck out her tongue.
Alexei’s eyes gleamed as his cock twitched. “Since you’re so eager to show me your tongue, perhaps I should give you a task for which to use it.”
“Hmm, perhaps.” She licked her lips. “Don’t forget to speak Russian.”
* * *
Alexei struggled to hide his unease and any other outward sign of emotion as he sat across the desk from his uncle. He noted the other man had gained weight in the last two years, since they had met in person previously, but it didn’t do much to diminish his air of intimidation. He was still a large, solid man, but it wasn’t even his size so much as the aura he projected that made him fearsome and had his enemies quaking when they saw him. Alexei didn’t think he was quite on his uncle’s list of enemies, but he knew the older man was displeased with him.
“What you’ve done here, Lyosha…it’s not good, molodoy chelovek.”
Alexei struggled for a neutral expression and an impassive voice, trying to hide his displeasure at the faint reprimand implied by calling him a young man. “I apologize for not informing you of my father’s condition, dya-dya, but I hope you understand why I wasn’t eager to relinquish power once I had it thrust upon me.” That wasn’t entirely untrue, though Alexei’s primary motivation for concealing his father’s rapid decline from Alzheimer’s and for stepping in had been to make changes that he saw as necessary to stay competitive in their changing world.
Vasile gave him a small smile that hinted at understanding. His dark eyes remained cold, and there was nothing about the expression that actually warmed Alexei.
“I understand the addictive nature of power, Lyosha. I’ll concede you’ve done a good job in many areas, but this issue with Vadim concerns me.”
Alexei stiffened slightly at the other man’s name, though he wasn’t surprised to hear it. It had made sense that Vadim had gone to the head when Alexei had shut down his skin markets. “Dya-dya, I’ve shown you the figures and the money that I’ve brought in. We’re making six times as much from moving money around the world markets and laundering for ourselves and our associates. There’s no need to be in the risky business of selling human cargo.”
He didn’t try to appeal to the other man’s softer emotions, or make him see the people as actually human instead of a commodity. It wouldn’t do any good. Even his own father had been blind and deaf to that argument, back when he had still been in full possession of his faculties.
Vasile tapped the sheet thoughtfully, once again giving the appearance of staring at all the numbers before him. Finally, he nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, most impressive. For this alone, I will be appointing you Pakhan to take your father’s place officially. You have the stars, I take it?”
Unconsciously, Alexei touched one of his shoulders, which bore the eight-pointed star of the elites of the vory, and there was a matching twin on his other shoulder. He nodded.
“Good, that’s good. However, we aren’t going to walk away from any kind of money that’s on the table, Alyoshka.”
That had been the name his mother had used for him, and it grated to hear it on Vasile’s lips. Alexei forced himself to hide his reaction to the endearment, knowing it was designed to annoy him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean we don’t have to choose one or the other. It’s a simple matter really. You’ll see to your new business interests, and I’ll appoint Vadim in charge of overseeing the other side of the business, the one which you apparently show no interest in.” He made it sound like an accusation of weakness.
Alexei struggled to maintain his neutral expression, disgust w
elling in him as he realized the flow of human traffic would soon congest the city again, thanks to the blindness and greed of his uncle and Vadim. “Money-laundering is safer and far more lucrative, dya-dya. I had hoped you would see that.”
Vasile’s expression darkened slightly. “And I’d hoped you would see that it’s foolish not to diversify. You want to try new things, so try them. As long as they remain profitable, you’ll hear no complaint from me. In the meantime, Vadim will oversee our other business interests that still bring in a nice amount of money. You’re young, Lyosha, but eventually you will understand the wisdom of not abandoning tradition.”
Alexei forced himself to nod as though he accepted his uncle’s words. In reality, he had little choice in the matter now. Since Vasile knew what was going on in the city now, he would be keeping a closer eye on Alexei’s operation, and Vadim was clearly Vasile’s man.
His loyalty would go first to the head, and then to him, and then only grudgingly. It seemed obvious that if there was a dispute between himself and Vadim, his uncle would support the other man over him, simply because of tradition—and an appalling lack of regard for other people’s rights and happiness.
Vasile nodded, as though the matter was closed. For now, it was, though Alexei still hoped to find a way to thwart the flow of human traffic. There had to be a way to stop the skin trade without risking his life or position. He just had to find it.
Vasile pushed back from the chair, gaining his full height. Despite his age, and he had to be in his mid-sixties, his back was still straight, and his shoulders weren’t even a little bit stooped. Despite the extra pounds, he carried them well and moved decisively toward the door. “Now I will spend more time with my brother.”
Alexei nodded, and then said, “Of course.”
The older man hesitated at the door, hand on the knob as he turned back to look at Alexei with an analytic expression. “Have your girl join us for dinner.”
Alexei stiffened, unable to hide his reaction to that. “Girl?” he asked casually. “If you need entertainment while you’re in town, I’m sure there are some dancers who could would be happy to show you a good time.”
Vasile laughed softly. “I have no doubt, but I wasn’t referring to one of the girls from your clubs. I meant your girl, the one you have living here. The one who witnessed you murder someone and who is still alive.” The way he said the last line was ominous.
Alexei took a deep breath, pushing down the urge to demand the other man stay away from Tara. “I’m not sure why you want to meet her, dya-dya. You are unlikely to have anything in common with her.”
“Indulge me. Ivan has been singing her praises, and Stepan was happy to tell me how she came to be part of your household.” The elder man lifted a shoulder as though unconcerned, though his expression remained watchful. “I want to satisfy my curiosity about the girl.”
Alexei nodded jerkily. “Of course. She eats dinner with us every night.” Except he hadn’t planned to bring her down while Vasile was visiting, and she had acquiesced with surprising ease to his request that she remain in hiding as much as possible. If he hadn’t been so relieved, he would’ve been shocked that she had given in so readily. As it was, he had been grateful that common sense had led her to let him guide her in the matter, and now he had to tell her she must join them to face Vasile.
He wondered if she would be as nervous as he was.
* * *
Tara was just finishing up for the day, working through a complex paper she was translating from French to English for a medical journal, when Alexei entered their room. With a start, she realized she had used “their” without thinking. It felt like their room though. She lived there, her things were in his closet and drawers, and her possessions were scattered throughout the suite. He showed no inclination of letting her go or sending her away, so it would have been stranger if she hadn’t started to feel at home, she guessed.
He looked tired, but also angry, and she sensed the complicated matters were even more complicated now. Setting aside the document, she pushed away from the desk he had installed for her and walked over to him. She slipped an arm around his waist and pressed her cheek against his bicep. “Bad day?”
Alexei laughed, but it was a harsh sound rather than one of true amusement. “You have no idea, lisichka, and it’s only going to get worse.”
She stiffened, but didn’t break the embrace she had initiated even when he drew her into his arms in a grasp that was slightly painful because he was holding so tightly. Concerned, she looked up at him and brought a hand to his face to smooth away some of the frown lines. “What do you mean?”
“My father didn’t know not to tell Vasile you’re here, and apparently, Stepan was more than eager to fill in the details. Vasile knows you saw me shoot Slava, and he knows I broke the code by keeping you alive. He wants to evaluate you, presumably for your trustworthiness. You’re supposed to join us for dinner, and I’m here to beg you to be quiet and demure, to acquiesce to his demands, and to act like you are a broken slave rather than my cherished companion.”
Fear filled her, but a surge of warmth overtook it. Even knowing she was going off on a tangent, she couldn’t bring herself to focus for a moment as she cupped his cheek with the hand that had been smoothing the lines off his face. “Am I really?”
He arched her brow. “Really what?”
She licked her lips, nearly overcome with nerves at the thought of asking and of hearing his answer. Yes or no would both be terrifying for different reasons. “Your cherished companion?”
His expression softened slightly, but a new hint of aloofness also appeared. “You doubt that?”
She shrugged. “Most of the time, I guess not.”
“And the rest of the time?”
She heaved a heavy sigh. “When I know you’re reading my emails before I can, and you have possession of my phone that I have to request in order to have any sort of outside contact, and I’m only allowed to do so with you nearby—well, it’s those times it’s a little harder to believe I mean something more to you than a convenient body. I know you were supposed to kill me, and I’ve done my best to ensure you’re pleased with me, but it’s difficult to know how much is real and how much is fake.”
His expression darkened, and his hands clasped her biceps roughly. “And what about you, lisichka? Are you sly enough to fake everything?”
She bit her lip, struggling not to tremble in the face of his anger. She wasn’t truly afraid of him, but she had a feeling she had unknowingly poked the bear. “That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t trying to offend you.”
He laughed, though he didn’t seem amused. “What did you mean then, lisichka?” He released his hold on her arm to cup her breast in a rough hold, squeezing the soft flesh with enough force to hurt. “Do you fake it when you’re screaming my name as I suck on your nipples?”
His hand slid lower, gliding over her stomach to the outside of her mound, which he cupped through the gauzy harem pants she wore. They offered an almost nonexistent barrier, and she could feel the heat of his palm pressing against her sensitive flesh, already growing slick just from his touch. “Do you fake it when my tongue is in here, or my fingers, or my cock? When you’re thrusting wildly against me, screaming my name as your pussy tightens around me, is that all fake?”
“Of course not,” she said before moaning as he pressed two of his fingers against her cleft, fingering her clit through the thin material.
“If you’re not faking with me, why do you think I’m faking with you, Tara?”
It was difficult to think at all while he was pummeling her clitoris, almost forcing an orgasm from her as he pressed tightly and with more strength than necessary, grinding his fingers against the taut bud and making her buck her hips in response. His touch danced on the edge of pain, but she couldn’t deny it felt so good that she could barely hold back the impulse to beg him to fuck her.
“I’m not faking anything with you. I’m not a good man, bu
t I’ve never lied to you. You’re mine, and I’ll be keeping you for however long I wish, regardless of what Vasile says. Never doubt your place or what you mean to me.”
His words were as rough as his hand, but the expression on his face was heartbreakingly tender, and it was that, or mostly that, rather than the way he pressed firmly against her clitoral hood, that made her body jolt into an earth-shattering orgasm that brought tears to her eyes and had her slumping in his arms. If he hadn’t held her up, she would have fallen to the floor.
A moment later, his expression was devoid of any hint of emotion again. He cupped her chin with the same hand he’d used to finger her through her pants, making sure her gaze was locked with his. She couldn’t have looked away if she had wanted to, but she didn’t. She could get lost in his dark eyes.
“Remember what I said, lisichka. Be the little mouse tonight that Papa calls you. Do not engage him, and do not become defiant. This is for both our sakes. Do you understand me?”
She nodded, comprehending the seriousness of the situation. The idea of playing meek and quiet didn’t sit well with her, but when the alternative was clearly something violent and even less appealing, she could handle the role for one night. “I promise I’ll do what you say.”
His expression showed his satisfaction with the agreement, and he brought his fingers to his face, pressing them against his nose to inhale her scent deeply. “Good. Later, I’m sure we can arrange a reward for you being such an obedient myschka.” He flicked his tongue in an obscene gesture between his fingers as he parted them to form a triangle before winking at her.
A new flood of cream drenched her, soaking her pants and panties anew. “Does it have to be later?”
He laughed, and this time it was one of genuine delight. “I swear you’re an insatiable little thing. Alas, there is much to do before we’re expected to join him for dinner in two hours. Otherwise, I’d spend that time making sure you understand nothing is fake.”
MAFIA: Dark Romance Collection Page 34
