by I. T. Lucas
Obviously, this wasn’t the whole story. Alex had no need for a personal harem. There were plenty of readily available females at the club who were more than willing to share his bed. And besides, he was not known as a generous employer. For his offer to be good enough to cover what the women had been making from prostitution, he must’ve expected more than sex from them—and running the yacht as an added bonus wasn’t it, or at least not entirely.
The question was what? And how to get them to spill? Geneva was still perfectly lucid despite the second bottle of vodka.
“I don’t understand, though. It’s not like being a captain of a vessel this size is something one learns in a day.”
“No, I already had a license, and the club owner must’ve told Alexander. Not that it was a big secret or anything; everybody knew I was saving up to buy a small cruiser. I was planning to run dinner tours out of St. Petersburg. That’s why I was working at the club. It was the only way to make enough money for it. Renata was saving up too, she was going to be my partner and the chef.”
“Then Alex’s offer must have seemed like a godsend to you guys.”
“Exactly.”
Geneva’s choice of adjective indicated certainty, but her tone didn’t, and a barely perceptible shadow of regret crossed her impassive face.
But why?
This job was a big step up from her previous one, and several steps closer to her dream.
Perhaps she resented having to sleep with Alex as part of her new job description. Except, the woman seemed genuinely impressed with the guy’s bedroom skills.
“Is sharing him okay with you, though?”
Geneva shrugged again. “It’s not as if any of us has fallen in love with him or anything. And none of us is in a big hurry to find a decent man of her own—if such a creature even exists. It’s just business. Just until we make enough money to make a new life for ourselves here. We like it in America. We want to stay. But with a fresh start—leave our old lives behind and start over clean.”
Amanda nodded and poured another shot. “To new beginnings!” she saluted, and the women joined her with an enthusiastic one of their own.
Fascinating story, but what did it hint at? Other than Alex’s fetish for mud-covered females, that is?
The most likely scenario she could think of was that he was using the yacht to smuggle drugs. Alex must’ve figured that an all female crew would be less suspicious—or, that as females with a shady past and questionable legal status the Russians would be easier to control.
And in case the Anna ran into trouble, they were certainly not helpless either.
But for some reason, she had a nagging suspicion that it wasn’t about drugs, at least not exclusively. There were much easier ways, not to mention less costly, to smuggle illegal substances.
Then what?
Maybe illegal aliens?
Except, she was pretty sure that smuggling illegals wasn’t all that profitable.
Unless, the illegal aliens were the big money types, who liked to travel in style.
Drug lords? Mafiosi?
Recalling her conversation with Syssi, Amanda chuckled. Kian a Mafioso, really… as if her uptight, do-gooder brother fit the profile. But Alex kind of did. And although Amanda thought he was okay, Syssi’s opinion of the guy differed—she thought he was a major creep.
So yeah, that must’ve been the story behind the Anna and her peculiar crew. Alex was using the boat to smuggle wealthy criminals in and out of the United States, and probably drugs too.
She had no proof, though.
Unlike Kian, Amanda wasn’t a do-gooder and, therefore, didn’t feel morally outraged at Alex’s alleged criminal activity. Not that she condoned it, but still, Alex was a friend who’d graciously loaned her the use of his boat.
Should she share her suspicions with Kian? Or should she keep them to herself—at least until she uncovered some solid evidence?
After all, to add fuel to her brother’s antipathy toward Alex—based on a mere hunch—wouldn’t be the right thing to do either.
Or would it?
To tattle on Alex without proof was bad. Except, how on earth was she going to get it? And even if she looked and failed to find any incriminating evidence, it wouldn’t necessarily mean that there was none. After all, she was not an investigator.
If she chose not to confide in Kian because she had no proof, no one would even know that there was something fishy going on that required further looking into.
Damn, once again she was torn between two options—neither of them good.
Not that telling or not telling on Alex was in the same category as her other dilemma—it was like comparing shoplifting to armed robbery. Because craving the man who had ordered her nephew’s murder was worse than any alleged smuggling. It was disgraceful, even revolting, but on the other hand, keeping away from him was hell.
* * *
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My Dark Amazon
Book 6.5 A Kri & Michael Novella
When Michael and Kri fight off a gang of humans, Michael gets stabbed. The injury to his immortal body recovers fast, but the one to his ego takes longer, putting a strain on his relationship with Kri.
Dark Warrior Mine
Book 1 in Nathalie & Andrew’s Story
When Andrew is forced to retire from active duty, he believes that all he has to look forward to is a boring desk job. His glory days in special ops are over. But as it turns out, his thrill ride has just begun. Andrew discovers not only that immortals exist and have been manipulating global affairs since antiquity, but that he and his sister are rare possessors of the immortal genes.
Problem is, Andrew might be too old to attempt the activation process. His sister, who is fourteen years his junior, barely makes it through the transition, so the odds of him coming out of it alive, let alone immortal, are slim.
But fate may force his hand.
Helping a friend find his long-lost daughter, Andrew finds a woman who's worth taking the risk for. Nathalie might be a Dormant, but the only way to find out for sure requires fangs and venom.
Dark Warrior’s Promise
Book 2 in Nathalie & Andrew’s Story
Andrew and Nathalie's love flourishes, but the secrets they keep from each other taint their relationship with doubts and suspicions. In the meantime, Sebastian and his men are getting bolder, and the storm that's brewing will shift the balance of power in the millennia-old conflict between Annani's clan and its enemies.
Dark Stranger The Dream
Book 1 In Syssi & Kian’s Story
Syssi's paranormal foresight lands her a job at Dr. Amanda Dokani's neuroscience lab, but it fails to predict the thrilling yet terrifying turn her life will take. Syssi has no clue that her boss is an immortal who'll drag her into a secret, millennia-old battle over humanity's future. Nor does she realize that the professor's imposing brother is the mysterious stranger who's been starring in her dreams.
Since the dawn of human civilization, two warring factions of near-immortals - the descendants of the gods of old - have been secretly shaping its destiny. Leading the clandestine battle from his luxurious L.A. high-rise, Kian is surrounded by his clan, yet alone. Descending from a single goddess, clan members are forbidden to each other. And as the only other immortals are their hated enemies, Kian and his kin have been long resigned to a lonely existence of fleeting trysts with human partners. That is, until his sister makes a game-changing discovery - a mortal seeress who she believes is a dormant carrier of their genes. Ever the realist, Kian is skeptical and refuses Amanda's plea to attempt Syssi's activation. But when his enemies learn of the Dormant's existence, he's fo
rced to rush her to the safety of his keep. Inexorably drawn to Syssi, Kian wrestles with his conscience as he is tempted to explore her budding interest in the darker shades of sensuality.
Dark Stranger Revealed
Dark Stranger Revealed
While sheltered in the clan's stronghold, Syssi is unaware that Kian and Amanda are not human, and neither are the supposedly religious fanatics that are after her. She feels a powerful connection to Kian, and as he introduces her to a world of pleasure she never dared imagine, his dominant sexuality is a revelation. Considering that she's completely out of her element, Syssi feels comfortable and safe letting go with him. That is, until she begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. Piecing the puzzle together, she draws a scary, yet wrong conclusion...
Dark Stranger Immortal
Book 3 In Syssi & Kian’s Story
When Kian confesses his true nature, Syssi is not as much shocked by the revelation as she is wounded by what she perceives as his callous plans for her.
If she doesn't turn, he'd be forced to erase her memories and let her go. His family's safety demands secrecy – no one in the mortal world is allowed to know that immortals exist.
Resigned to the cruel reality that even is she stays on to never again leave the keep, she'll get old while Kian wouldn't, Syssi is determined to enjoy what little time she has with him, one day at a time.
Could Kian let go of the mortal woman he loves? Would Syssi turn? And if she does, would she survive the dangerous transition?
