by Zoey Parker
“Mikhail Vasilev is back,” I said without preamble, watching their faces closely.
“Want me to knife him in the back?” Dima offered, his hand going to his side. He always kept at least ten weapons on him at all times. Honestly, it was surprising Aleksey had the visible scar compared to Dima, who got into more than double the amount of fights as Aleksey.
I waved his words and his offer away. “Killing him isn’t enough. He and his family will be ruined first.” I slapped my fist into my open palm.
“How are we going to do that?” Aleksey asked. He fiddled with the cards in his hand, but I knew I had his full attention. He was trying to make sure no one was paying us any attention, that they would think we were just playing a round. That he felt the need to put on a show here, when my men surrounded us, made me uneasy.
I could trust everyone here…couldn’t I? I would be a fool to blindly trust them all, and I was no fool.
“We’ll think of something.” I appraised the two of them. We had gone through the wars together. Dima and Aleksey were trustworthy, maybe even more trustworthy than I was. They would help me with everything, no matter how crazy it seemed. And this next part was going to seem more than a little crazy. “I also need to take care of something else,” I added casually. I laid a card down, continuing Aleksey’s charade.
“What is it?” Dima asked. He tossed his cards down, folding without even looking at them first.
“I need to find a woman to sire an heir in case I should be killed,” I said as calmly as if I had asked for a new suit.
I was the last remaining Petrov, and without an heir, my family mob would disintegrate. I would never ever allow that to happen. Mikhail Vasilev had taken too much from me already. He would not take my future, too. I would not go down without a fight.
I would not go down period.
Chapter 3
Kelly
The next morning went by more quickly than I thought possible. Between taking care of Mom and searching for job leads on my computer, I was so stressed out I wanted to rip out all of my hair one strand at a time.
My cell rang, and I groaned. I wearily rubbed my tired eyes and answered it. “Hello?” I ran a hand down my face. All I wanted to do was to go back to bed. To go back to yesterday and find a way to keep my job. No. To go back to before Mom’s diagnosis. No. Even farther back, so I could force Mom to get checked much earlier. If the cancer had been found earlier, maybe she would’ve been cured by now.
But that was all wishful thinking, and wishes were for fools.
“You aren’t the only one having a hard time right now,” Stacy said gloomily. She sounded far unhappier than she had in a long, long time.
“Uh-oh,” I said sympathetically. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so tired anymore. “What happened?”
“It’s…” She sighed heavily. “I don’t wanna dump on you. You have so much more on your plate, more than anyone should have to deal with and—”
“Stacy, I’m your best friend. Of course I want to know what’s going on. Just because my life is going down the toilet doesn’t mean I can’t still be here for you.”
“You sure?” When I didn’t respond, she added, “Well, after I tried to find you leads, I went out with Aleksey.” She paused.
I grimaced. Stacy liked bad boys, and Aleksey was probably the baddest out of all of the ones she had dated. I didn’t care for the guy, personally, but Stacy had been head over heels for him. She really thought he might be the one. Of course, she thought that with every guy she dated.
And the worst part about Aleksey was that he was probably a mobster. Seriously. Who would date a guy like that? Yeah, even I thought he was hot, but that shouldn’t be enough to make someone turn a blind eye to his flaws. Stacy liked to walk the wild side, and while I liked bad boys myself — more accurately, I had a major weakness for them — a mobster? Never!
“What happened?” I asked, kinda hoping he had dumped her because Stacy wasn’t even considering that, and she just plain didn’t see he was no good for her. She deserved someone who would treat her like gold. I’d never forget the time she called me in tears because Aleksey cancelled plans on her at the last minute. She’d spent a pretty penny on tickets to a ball game for the two of them for his birthday, and something came up and he just dropped the, well, he dropped the ball.
I clicked on the next link for a company looking for a secretary. Not much of a web presence and it would be an hour commute. Too far. If something happened to Mom, I needed to be much closer to home. Cross that one off the list.
“Did you hear me?” Stacy asked. Her tone suggested mild annoyance, which actually made me feel a little better since I’d rather her feel angry with me than for her to wallow.
I winced. The last thing I needed was to push my only true support away. “I’m sorry. I’m a little distracted. What did you say?”
“He dumped me,” Stacy wailed. “I can’t believe it. I mean, I gave him everything he could have asked for. I was the perfect girlfriend for him. I was kind and loving and not too clingy. I just don’t know what went wrong.”
“It’s a good thing,” I muttered without thinking.
“What was that?” she asked, her tone sharp.
Crap. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Me and my big mouth. “It’s—”
“It’s not a good thing!” she fumed. “How could you say that? Seriously, Kelly! You know how much I cared for him!”
I winced again. “I didn’t—”
“I heard you!” she shouted.
“I’m sorry. I’m just…I’m overwhelmed. I’m trying to find a new job and—”
“You want a new job? I got one for you.” She still sounded pissed, so whatever job she was going to mention was going to be completely off the wall. “Maybe you should get with Aleksey’s boss.”
“His boss?” What was she talking about?
“Yeah, some guy named Andrei. I’ve met him a few times.” She didn’t sound quite so pissed any more, at least. “I thought Aleksey was hot, but even he has nothing on Andrei.”
Now that was saying something. What did this guy look like? “What about this hot Andrei?”
“You should get with him,” Stacy said. “Andrei’s looking for a woman to give him an heir. He wants to knock someone up, and it sounds like he’s willing to pay big money for it.”
What the heck? How in the world could Stacy even propose such a thing for me to do? She must be really ticked off that I hadn’t been listening to her. Or she really was seriously bent over Aleksey.
But even more than her suggesting it, I was taken aback by the whole idea of needing an heir. “Isn’t that really archaic?” I asked.
“Kinda. It’s probably a Russian thing. It’s kinda strange, I know.”
Too strange for me. I shook my head. “Hey, I really am sorry I wasn’t listening to you more. You just know how I feel about Aleksey. You deserve better. I’m just looking out for you. You know I always have your back.”
Stacy blew out a breath. “Yeah, I know you always hated him,” she muttered.
“Hate’s too strong a word. I just love you enough to be real with you. You need a guy who can be there for you. How many times did he blow you off for unknown reasons? He always had excuses, but he never bothered to share them,” I pointed out.
“You have a point. It’s just…he made me laugh and smile, and yeah…you might have a point. I wasn’t completely stupid for being with him, was I?”
“No,” I assured her. Aleksey, for all of his faults, had made Stacy happier than some of the other guys she’d dated.
“Well, my lunch break is just about over. Gotta run.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry I brought up the whole Andrei thing. I know it’s not your thing.”
I laughed without humor. “Right? Totally crazy.”
We hung up, and for the next hour, I called around to a bunch of companies to see if they had any job openings. I even called up that place that was way too far of a commute. Nothing
worked out. They either weren’t looking to hire anyone or else had already hired someone and so any positions were now unavailable.
This was unreal. I couldn’t believe it, but I was so incredibly desperate I was actually thinking about it. The idea of Andrei needing an heir, it sounded so old-fashioned, and it also made me think about the notion of old money, too. This Andrei…would he be willing to pay top dollar to the surrogate? Just how much money were we talking? Stacy had mentioned big money, but just how big?
No. This was crazy talk. There had to be another job out there. There had to be.
I did more digging and found a few small restaurants that were looking for waitresses, but the pay was laughable and the area of town they were situated in meant tips were not going to be stellar. Hell, I might make more money collecting from unemployment than if I took one of them. Maybe instead of waiting on tables, I should dance on them.
Which had me cycling back around Andrei and his heir.
Just then, coughing sounded. I raced to Mom’s room. She was sleeping fitfully, tossing and turning. She had lost a lot of weight since her diagnosis, and there were times when I almost didn’t recognize her. She was so frail. Treatment was almost running her more ragged than the cancer itself. I hated seeing her so weak and worn all the time. She used to run me everywhere. I did a bunch of sports in school, and she got me clothes and equipment from secondhand stores. After Dad died, we didn’t have a lot of money, but I never wanted for anything. She gave me everything I could have ever hoped for.
Now, her remission was all I hoped for.
I closed the door quietly and walked away. I would do anything for Mom. I would go to any length to ensure she could still receive treatment, so she had her best chance at remission.
Which meant I knew what I had to do.
I was going to seek out this Andrei guy and offer myself as the mother of his child.
Chapter 4
Andrei
I had spread the word to my men about needing an heir but gave them clear instructions to not tell anyone about it. The last thing I needed was for word to spread to the wrong people. Or the wrong women. I didn’t want just any woman to be the mother of my heir. I didn’t just want a woman who was leaping at the chance to make some money. I didn’t want a woman who couldn’t be trusted. I didn’t want an ugly woman, as vain as that sounded. It wouldn’t do for my heir to be ugly.
The mother would have to be willing to stay under my protection, to take care of herself and her pregnant body. She would have to be intelligent and maybe kind. I was not a kind man, but maybe my heir could inherit that from her. Of course, since she wouldn’t have a hand in raising him, maybe that was wishful thinking.
I had given a lot of thought to the kind of woman I wanted, but I hadn’t yet figured out how to go about finding her, but find her I would.
The next night after I learned about my hated enemy coming to town, I returned to my bar. Smoking a cigar and drinking did little to ease my nerves. I kept jumping at every shadow, seeing ghosts when nothing was there. Last night, I had slept little, if at all. I refused to be scared, to revert to the terrified boy listening to imagined screams. I would have my revenge, and as such, I had my men more focused on locating Mikhail Vasilev than on finding me a woman. That I could handle myself.
But where could I find a woman to have a child with quickly? I needed one who would agree to my conditions.
A curvy brunette entered the establishment and glanced around, hesitating by the door. I straightened in my seat, watching her. I hadn’t seen her before, and she seemed too innocent to be here. Yes, the bar itself was more upscale than most, but the gambling ring, the drugs, the fighting…that wasn’t her scene at all, and her appearance here had me instantly intrigued. She wore a long trench coat that hid her clothes but was tied tightly enough that I could see her curves, her hourglass figure. Her hair bounced as she glanced around some more, and she held a worn purse close to her as if she was afraid someone would snatch it and take off.
Don’t worry, lady. You’re safe enough from purse snatchers in here. There are other demons you should be frightened of instead.
She took a step forward, and suddenly, her expression changed from apprehension to annoyance or maybe even irritation. Interesting. It seemed like she was looking at Aleksey. As soon as she looked away, though, her features relaxed. She undid her coat, and I caught a glimpse of her short, tight dress as she slowly made her way through the tables and people to work her way toward the bar.
What kind of a drink would she order? Probably something fruity. Girly. She was good looking, that much was clear, but she wasn’t meant for this kind of place, or this kind of crowd.
You’re out of your league here, lady.
Before she could reach the bar, Kiril stepped into her path. She barely even looked up at him. Kiril towered over her at six feet two. I was six three myself. It was hard to tell in the dim lightning, but I thought she was blushing at whatever Kiril was saying. That man had no manners at all. Yet, he found it almost as easy to pick up women as I did, but the kind of women he hooked up with weren’t in the same class as the ones I enjoyed.
A leggy redhead walked by my table, slowing down in a practiced move to try to catch my attention. I’d fucked her once, but she hadn’t been that good of a lay and she had only wanted to be with me because of my name and my money and my resources. Not the kind of woman I wanted in my life right now. A few days ago? Sure. But now? No. Not anymore. Not until I had an heir and Mikhail Vasilev was six feet under. Then I could go back to doing whatever I wanted and fucking whomever I wanted. Then I could go back to living my life on my terms.
The redhead walked by me again, and I curled my lip at her. She paled and walked away as fast as her hooker high heels allowed her.
It took me a moment to realize I was looking around and seeking out the uncomfortable, curvy brunette now that I wasn’t distracted. Kiril had moved on, and the woman was talking to the bartender, talking longer than was necessary for a drink order. She still seemed nervous and uptight, her posture rigid, her purse tight to her body, arms close and tight to her chest as if she were trying to hide.
Vulnerable. That wasn’t something I often saw. I surrounded myself with strength. My men were strong. Even the women we associated with had some power to them, whether it was actual skill or money or some other intangible thing.
She was a rose among thorns, and she really had no business being here. Maybe Ryan, the bartender, would send her packing. Doubtful. He was one of the softest men here, though his accuracy with a simple handgun was impressive.
Honestly, I was a little surprised that Pete, tonight’s bouncer, allowed her entry, though we never did turn down customers unless they belonged to a rival, and none of my rivals were stupid enough to step foot in here. Not that I had many rivals, and none were noteworthy after Mikhail Vasilev.
My shock rose when Ryan pointed at me. He knew better than to point me out to strangers. I had made it quite clear the moment I stepped into my bar tonight that I didn’t want to be bothered. I had too much to think about, too many mental demons to extinguish, and the bottom of a bottle of whiskey seemed the best way to go about just that. And for him to send a woman who should be at her home in bed and far away from here, well…that just struck me as off. What did she want with me?
The curvy brunette turned away from the bar. The moment we made eye contact, my cock grew instantly hard. Who was this woman, and why was she looking for me?
I leaned back, amused, and waited for her to approach.
Chapter 5
Kelly
What was I doing here? A dark bar, not seedy, more upscale than the bars I normally frequented, but it felt a little…edgy. Dangerous. Just walking inside gave me a thrill.
Yeah, sure, I gave Stacy grief over Aleksey, but the truth of the matter was that she wasn’t the only one with a weakness for bad boys, and it sure looked like every guy here was a bad boy.
Oh God, had
it been fun talking to Stacy earlier.
“Hey…I need some info from you,” I had said.
“Sure. Whatever you need. Unless it’s a listening ear,” she’d joked.
“What are you talking about?”
“You. Earlier. When I told you about Aleksey and you hadn’t been really paying attention and then voiced your thoughts out loud? Ring a bell?”
I had winced. No way would she stay mad at me long for not paying attention to her and being a little less than sympathetic about the whole Aleksey-dumping-her thing, but I kind of hoped she would’ve accepted my apology. “I already told you I’m sorry for that! And I really am. I’m sorry.”
“I know. And you’re right. He wasn’t the one for me. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s over now. Time to move on and take another stab at Mr. Right. And besides, you really do have so much on your plate that I shouldn’t be asking anything of you. You need to focus on yourself.”
