Blake: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 1)

by Karice Bolton

“So you’ll split your dose tonight?” I asked.

  “I will.” She sat up straighter.

  “Okay. Is there anything you want to discuss before tomorrow?” I asked.

  “No.” She shook her head. “Just . . . thank you for listening. My parents think I’m a drama queen. It’s nice to have someone who hears me.”

  I nodded and touched Nicole’s hand. “And you have my phone number if you ever need me.”

  She smiled. “I do. It’s in my wallet.”

  I stood up and shook Nicole’s hand before exiting. I could finally take a deep breath. I glanced at the clock on the wall and the green light above my office door. My next appointment was here.

  Another new patient.

  I grabbed a bottled water and headed back to my office. This was my last appointment of the day, and I really hoped it wouldn’t leave me worrying the rest of the night. I opened the door, took a seat at my desk, and had a sip of water. Pressing the button on my phone, I let Tara know I was ready for my final patient.

  She nearly hummed her response that she’d bring him in, and I had to chuckle. Tara wasn’t very good at hiding her fondness for good-looking men. She had a habit of humming and singing when she was enamored. We’d all caught onto it, but she hadn’t a clue.

  I logged onto my computer, glanced at the patient name, and opened up my notebook. When I heard Tara’s voice sing-song down the hall, I knew she was close. But what I didn’t expect was to see the man I’d been daydreaming about only minutes before walking in behind her. Every daydream and fantasy slammed into my mind like a semi-truck as I pretended not to care.

  My eyes slid to the patient name on my screen, and it certainly didn’t read Blake Volkov, yet here he was standing in front of me in a pair of jeans and a black sweater, looking completely gorgeous and rocking my very rigid world.

  I glanced at his leg—the plaster cast now changed out for a walking boot—and wondered if he was really supposed to be putting weight on it. I guess it had been about six weeks since the injury, so maybe it was okay. I held in a groan. Why was I even worried about it? Couldn’t I just focus on the fact that he was here?

  “Thank you, Tara.” I stood up and shook Blake’s hand and motioned for him to take a seat in front of my desk. Tara turned around and closed the door behind her as Blake moved the chair forward and sat down. His sapphire-colored eyes steadied on mine, and I felt my body respond to him, which was completely unacceptable considering he was here in my office.

  But I couldn’t help it.

  “Scott Bishop?” I asked, sitting back down to hear his explanation for the sudden name change. “I take it you have a good reason for using a pseudonym?”

  “Several, actually.” A smile tipped Blake’s lips, and my mind flashed back to seeing him on the field. The confidence he exuded in Seattle was nothing compared to what I felt rolling off him now, but he’d positioned himself as my patient and I was now his doctor.

  “How can I help you?” I asked, keeping my gaze on his.

  “I was hoping for a referral.” He looped his hands behind his head and stretched. “I’m facing some life changes and thought it might be a good idea to talk to someone, get things hammered out.”

  I wasn’t sure I bought it.

  “You could have called my office for that.”

  “I also wanted to say thank you.” His smile widened. “And ask you for a drink.”

  The same giddiness I experienced from his innocent wink on the field spread like wildfire, and I quickly glanced at the empty sheet of lined paper underneath my fingertips.

  This wasn’t happening. I was a doctor who rarely went out, seldom dated, and devoted my life to studying the human mind.

  “I don’t think that’s possible.” I closed the notebook and looked up at him.

  “And why’s that?” He actually seemed somewhat amused.

  “Many reasons.”

  “Let’s start with the first one.” He looked me over with a seductive gaze barely hidden behind his sultry smile.

  “Doctor patient—”

  “I’m not a patient, and there’s no record of my being here.” He looked pleased with himself. “Or at least the real me.”

  He had a point.

  “A thank you card would’ve been sufficient.” I cringed at my response. Could I sound any more stuck-up? I think I had spent too many days and nights in the halls of medicine.

  “You’ve been on my mind, Ava.” I realized his confidence only grew with my response, and I found myself attempting to clear my head as I imagined what it would be like to go out with him.

  “How is everything healing up?” I asked, trying to stay far away from the sticky situation attempting to unfold.

  “Good enough to live, but not good enough to play.” Sadness flickered through his gaze, but he quickly hid it. “If I weren’t trying to impress an incredibly beautiful woman, you might have spotted a little limp.”

  I studied Blake before glancing at my screen. Five minutes until the end of the day, and a little over an hour until I had to meet my friend for happy hour—the first time going out with her in three months.

  “So can I persuade you to go out for one drink?” His blue eyes darkened, and I noticed his gaze drop to my chest before quickly glancing out the window. Heat blossomed in my belly, and the idea of spending a bit of time with him was enticing.

  “You’re used to setting goals and getting the results you want,” I said, attempting to steady my breathing. I’d never had a man produce this kind of reaction, and now I was literally feeling like my entire body was on fire.

  “For the most part,” he agreed, bringing his eyes back to mine.

  I wanted to fall into a fantasy world of smooth one-liners and sexy escapades with professional athletes, but that wasn’t the world I was grounded in. That was a make-believe place that I was too scared to fall into. He wanted something that I couldn’t offer him or anyone, and the life I’d built was far too important to carelessly throw away.

  “What really made you come here today?” I asked, propping my elbows on the desk.

  He drew in a deep breath and a few seconds of silence passed by.

  “How did you know what happened to me wasn’t an accident?” he asked. “It had to have been more than a hunch.”

  Blake’s gaze hardened, and I realized it wasn’t a date he wanted.

  It was answers.

  Chapter Five

  Blake

  It was so hard to stay focused. Ava Dalton was the most beautiful woman I’d ever encountered, but there was something far more intriguing than what was purely on the outside. She was self-assured, intelligent, and completely uninterested. There was a coolness about her that unsteadied my world and made me want to unwrap her bit by bit here and in the bedroom.

  I watched her slowly tap her index finger on the notebook as she debated what to say. I knew this was a risk, coming here, but I didn’t want to get caught up in a web of receptionists and medical assistants. Ever since Ava made her way to Oyster Cove to relay the information, I knew I’d find a way to see her again, and this was my best option.

  After getting over the shock of my injury, I focused on my physical therapy and thought of how to best handle the situation. Turns out, Abram Vasiliev was hired by another crime family we knew all too well, the Sokolovs. We only found out that information after my brother, Devin, flew out to Seattle and met Abram for an impromptu truth session.

  My brother informed me that Abram opened up fairly quickly after the first round of Volkov justice was served. The good news for Abram was that his leg break was far less severe than mine. Now we had to figure out what to do with the information.

  Ava parted her lips, and my mind imagined where I’d love to feel the softness rub against me. She was making it extremely difficult to stay focused, and she hadn’t a clue about her effect.

  “I’ve spent years learning to read people. Between observation, experience, and science, I’ve been able to trust my ins
tincts more times than not.” She took in a deep breath and her chest heaved slightly. “I’ve found that when I ignore my gut instincts, bad things happen. Was there something to my . . .” She didn’t finish her sentence.

  “Yeah. You were right on.” I nodded.

  I couldn’t tell her much of anything without jeopardizing my family, but there was something that bothered me since she came to the house, and I needed to know.

  “You said you didn’t go to the police because of my family. That you looked us up.” My brow arched.

  She froze. She must have realized her mistake.

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

  I cleared my throat and noticed a guy outside. He’d been loitering since my brother parked the car and I’d been inside. His attention seemed directed only at Ava’s office.

  “When you said you looked us up, that caught my attention. We do a very good job of keeping out of the news, so I wasn’t sure where you were coming from with that. Yet you knew we appreciated discreetness.”

  “Umm. I meant that with your reputation, being a professional athlete and all.” She sank her teeth into her bottom lip. “I just didn’t think the police would be a good place to start.”

  “I don’t think that’s what you meant at all.” I crossed my arms over my chest and studied her.

  She let out a deep sigh and fidgeted slightly.

  “Your family has a reputation for being connected to the mafia,” she blurted out, looking completely horrified for even having to say it.

  We weren’t connected to the mafia. We were the mafia.

  “How so?” I asked.

  She paused and slammed her lips shut in protest. “You know, I’m not sure why I need to answer you at all.” Her brow arched and she sat back in the chair.

  “You don’t. It was merely a question. We do a pretty good job of scrubbing the internet. Not that I know what you’re talking about.” I smiled and shook my head. “I was only curious how you knew much of anything unless Abram told you.”

  She shook her head. “Why would he know?”

  I shrugged. “Beats me. Why would you?”

  Her eyes dipped to her desk for a few seconds of silence before returning her gaze to mine.

  “So was that all you wanted?” Her brown eyes hid something, which only drove my curiosity more.

  “I still want to take you out for a drink, at the very least.”

  A heated look darted through her expression, and I wasn’t sure if I’d pissed her off or turned her on. Either way, it was sexy as the sin I wanted to commit with her, and I prayed she wasn’t going to make me beg.

  “I’m actually already running late. I’m meeting a friend for happy hour and dinner.” She shook her head and stood up.

  “How about after? I’ll be at Priva with my brother. We’ve got some business to deal with, but I’d imagine we’ll be there most of the night.” I didn’t wait for her to completely reject me before sliding my cell number to her. “We’ll be there at ten. Hope to see you there, Ava. You can text me.”

  A smile touched her lips before I stood up and saw myself out of her office.

  The moment the cold air hit me from barging through the doors of the lobby, I felt immensely better. Being cooped up with a woman I wanted so badly was almost painful.

  My body ached at the thought of getting close to her.

  I glanced in the direction of the guy wandering around the campus. His gaze was still focused on Ava’s office, which was unnerving. I walked over to my brother’s car and climbed in.

  “Feel better now?” Devin joked.

  “Not in the slightest.” I pointed at the guy across the way. “What do you think that’s all about?”

  “So you do have it in you?” Devin smiled, shaking his head. “I’ve been watching him too.”

  “Well, he’s looking straight into Ava’s office.” I adjusted in my seat. “And when you grow up in this stuff, it’s pretty hard to shake.”

  “Just like riding a bike.” Devin laughed. “Always looking over your shoulder. Remember that time you were in sixth grade and the cops were waiting in the parking lot of your school for Dad?” He shook his head, smiling, his hand resting on the gear shift.

  “Hard to forget something like that.” I pressed my lips together. “It was the last time I attended public school.”

  “Any of us,” my brother corrected, and I nodded. “They were just trying to intimidate Dad.”

  “No one intimidated Dad.” I kept my eyes focused on the guy.

  He’d turned around and was heading for an old Honda. I glanced at the office and noticed the lights had been turned off.

  “Truer words couldn’t have been spoken.”

  Talking about my dad in the past tense was still something I couldn’t accept. He always seemed untouchable, and for the most part, he was.

  Until my sister’s death.

  Her murder killed him, and their deaths took a piece of all of us.

  I took in a deep breath but still felt like I was in need of oxygen. There’d been a reason I’d stayed far away from my family and the business. I wasn’t cut from the same cloth.

  I didn’t enjoy looking over my shoulder and everyone else’s.

  “Your buddy’s getting in his car, headlights on, and pulling out of the lot.”

  I glanced in the rearview and saw him leave. There was no sign of Ava. It didn’t look like she’d left the building yet.

  Maybe I was just being paranoid.

  “Want me to follow him?” my brother asked, already pulling out of our stall and heading in the same direction.

  I nodded. “We’ve got some time before our appointment.”

  “That we do.” My brother tapped the steering wheel as we waited at the red light, a few cars behind our mark. “Has Jax said anything?”

  “About what, in particular?” I asked, glancing at my brother.

  He shrugged. “Nothing.”

  “There’s got to be something or you wouldn’t have asked.”

  “I just figured since he’s having you go on all my calls, there was a reason.” His expression hardened.

  “If there is one, he didn’t fill me in on it. I assumed it was to get my feet wet again.”

  Devin laughed cynically as the light turned green, but we stayed back far enough to keep a safe distance while tailing the guy.

  “They act like this business is hard.” Devin’s tone had changed, and I knew there was a lot more going on between my brothers than I realized.

  “The business might not be hard, but staying out of jail certainly can be.”

  “Are you going soft?” Devin questioned, flashing a sly grin. “You’ve been slipping through the authorities’ fingers since you were a kid.”

  “No thanks to you.”

  “I resent that,” he said, flipping on the blinker. “But if it hadn’t been for me in the getaway car . . .”

  “There never should have been a getaway car because there never should have been a need for a getaway.” I laughed, thinking back to one of our first and last botched jobs. I was still in high school.

  “Who knew picking up that run for Pops would have prepared us for the rest of our lives?” My brother chuckled.

  Life didn’t have to be like this. I shoved the disgust down. It wasn’t my brother’s fault. He didn’t know any different.

  I did, and that was what made being back in this circle so difficult. If a person didn’t know what they were missing, it was impossible to mourn that way of life.

  Instead of jogging onto a field out in the open to thunderous applause, I was hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce on our prey.

  But that stir of revenge lured me to stay, at least until the score was settled.

  Our family didn’t get this far by allowing other families to assert power or pretend to dominate the streets.

  It bothered me that I was falling into step so quickly.

  Anton and Artur Sokolov were
responsible for my sister’s death, and my mother made it her mission to see to it that they were taken care of. After my father’s death, my brothers devoted their lives to making things right while I played professionally.

  Now, Artur and Anton were no longer a problem. I didn’t ask for details, but I knew there would never be a reason to look over our shoulders because of those two brothers. Our vendetta had ended against the Sokolovs. Justice was served the only way our family knew how when the criminal justice system wouldn’t step in.

  My brothers never counted on other Sokolovs stepping back into the ring. It was a gutsy move and very foolish. There had been an unstated truce. We were entitled to end Anton’s and Artur’s time on this planet. It was an unspoken rule.

  The guy drove his Honda in front of a brownstone and pulled up to the sidewalk. The area was completely out of this guy’s league. My brother parked across the street, and we watched the guy climb up the steps and leave an envelope at the door before climbing back into his Honda and taking off.

  “I didn’t think he lived here,” I muttered, watching the guy drive away.

  “Want me to follow him?” Devin asked.

  I shook my head. “Just pull up front and I’ll go see if he wrote something on the envelope.”

  “Sure thing.”

  My brother pulled up to the curb, and I jumped out of the car. I climbed the steps, careful to avoid the slippery leaves that had littered most of the sidewalk and steps, before getting to the bright red door. The white envelope was propped against the door, but there wasn’t anything scribbled on it.

  I hopped back down the steps and shook my head.

  “Nothin’.”

  “We should probably get to our appointment. We don’t need Jax thinking we’re both losing it.”

  I turned to look at my brother. “What makes you think Jax thinks that about you?”

  My brother put the car in drive and pulled back onto the street.

  “I’ve messed up a few things recently.” He frowned. “Drake’s actually had to step in and save the day a few times. If Jax knew the extent of it, he’d probably kick my ass.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked. I’d heard a few things from my brothers about Devin flaking out, but nothing about his behavior getting in the way of business. Drake thought it was because of Devin’s girlfriend, Cynthia, breaking up with him. But Cynthia wasn’t just Devin’s girlfriend. She was one of the last connections my brother had to Vera. Cynthia and my sister were best friends.