“It smells delicious in . . . here,” Vlad says with a surprised look on his face when he realizes what we were doing. I glare at him, making him grin in amusement.
“Umm, dinner is nearly ready,” Jade says as she turns towards the salad bowl. “You can both go sit at the table.” She doesn’t look at us as we leave.
“Did I interrupt anything?” Vlad teases in Russian.
“If you weren’t my brat, I would kill you,” I grunt as I adjust myself. We are about to sit when Jade walks out of the kitchen with the salad. I notice that she doesn’t look at us but keeps her eyes down. Once all the food is on the table and I’ve dished for her and myself, I place my hand over hers on the table. Her eyes snap up to mine, and she blushes. “Thank you for dinner. It looks great.” I squeeze her hand lightly. She smiles as I let go of her hand and cut into the roast.
“I’m so glad we found you,” Vlad comments as he eats. “You need to tell me where your mother is so I can go thank her personally for teaching you how to cook,” he says as he continues to shovel food into his mouth. Because he wasn’t looking at Jade when he spoke, he didn’t see her flinch, but I noticed.
“Tell us about your parents, Jade. Where do they stay?” I ask, and see her tense. Yep, there is definitely something there.
“They . . . umm, live on a farm,” she answers as she moves her peas around her plate. I need to find out what she’s trying to hide.
“Have you got any sisters?” Vlad asks teasingly, making her smile, but I can see that the smile doesn’t touch her eyes.
“Nope, just me,” she says. “I made dessert. Hope you guys like it.” I know she’s trying to change the subject, and that only makes me more curious.
“Sure, dessert will be great,” Vlad says with a wink. She stands and moves towards the kitchen. “Is it my imagination or is she uncomfortable with talking about her family?” he asks me in Russian as he looks towards the kitchen.
“I want that file on her today,” I grunt. I will not wait another day. She’s hiding something, and I will know what it is. Vlad lifts his phone from where he placed it next to his plate and sends a text; I know he’s asking about the info on Jade. She walks out of the kitchen carrying a dish, and the smell of honey follows her.
“I’m going to have to start hitting the gym twice a day now instead of only once,” Vlad states as he eyes the dish she places on the table.
“Oh, I can always start making you a salad in the evenings if you prefer,” she teases tongue in cheek. Vlad raises his eyes to hers, and he scowls playfully.
“Don’t even joke; I’d rather put on a few pounds than eat like a rabbit,” he grumbles. I sit back and see my brat teasing Jade, and I realise that I haven’t felt this at peace in a long time. Whatever her past reveals doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s with me now.
Vlad’s phone beeps an incoming message. He looks down at it. “It’s been sent to you,” he states in Russian.
Now that I know the information has been sent to me, I can’t wait for dinner to be over. We sit at the table for another twenty minutes before I make my way to my office while Vlad helps Jade pack everything away. Opening the e-mail, I click on the file to download onto my laptop. I start to read all the info retrieved about her.
It starts with what school she attended, where she lived, who her friends were, and I see that Lara was one of her friends from when she was still in school. Then it starts to talk about her parents, and that’s when I start to tense. Her father apparently has anger issues and, when drunk, has a tendency to lash out. Looking further down, I see that Jade was admitted into the hospital a few times with various wounds and contusions, but the last one is what makes my anger rise.
It states that she went in for broken ribs, but the doctor noted that there was a wound on her back that looked as if it was from a belt buckle. It looks as if her father used to beat her. If that is true, I will kill him. How can a man hurt his own daughter like that? As I continue to read, I notice that her mom is in the hospital at the moment and is to be discharged in another few days.
I lean back in my chair and rub the tense muscles on my neck. She must be weary of violence and that was why she was so shaken when that fucker thought it was fine to touch her. With Nik as her bodyguard, she shouldn’t have to see any violence. I will make sure to let him know that I don’t want her to witness any violence that might bring back memories.
Looking at my laptop, I open another report that I haven’t looked at yet. Jade’s phone is being monitored, without her knowing of course. I see that she has spoken to Lara a few times. There is a call to her university, and then there are two calls to her mom. I scroll down to see what the conversation was about, and see that Jade is trying to get her mom out of town once she recovers.
On the last call, she explained to her mom that she didn’t know if she would be able to get the money for her transport, and explained that she wasn’t getting tips at the moment because something happened at the coffee shop and they closed. I close my eyes when I realize why she was so adamant about having to go to work.
She’s in this predicament because of me, but I know if I offer her the money, she’ll probably say no. Therefore, I will just have to find another way.
JADE 8
I didn’t see Alexey again for the rest of the night, and when I came out to breakfast this morning, he was already gone. Silvia mentioned that Nik would be picking me up at eleven this morning, and I was to dress warm. My stomach is tense as I dress for this outing, and when I think about my bodyguard Nik. When he was introduced to me, it seemed as if he was looking right through me. There was an emptiness in his eyes that touched me. Instead of scaring me, it made me sad for him. His moodiness was a cover for the pain buried deep in his soul.
When I walk out into the lounge, I see Nik is already there waiting just inside the door. “Morning,” I call, and get a grunt from him as he opens the door, waiting for me to walk past. We go down to the car, and he opens the back door for me, but I shake my head and open the passenger door and slide in. I hear him grunt as he slams the door and goes around to the driver’s side.
“Buckle up,” he orders as he starts the car. I nearly smile at his words. I purposely didn’t buckle up, waiting to see if he would tell me to. We are out of the basement and driving through the city in the next few minutes. I look out at the passing cars and smile. I love looking at other people and trying to guess what they are up to. We are on the road for about ten minutes when Nik turns into a small airport.
“Why are we here?” I ask curiously as I see a few private jets and helicopters in the hangers. And then I see Alexey standing by a black helicopter. He takes my breath away. His muscular legs are encased in dark pants, his suit jacket showing off the width of his shoulders, the white shirt contrasting with his dark hair. When he sees our car, he starts to walk towards us. Nik parks and then walks around to open my door. By the time I’m out of the car, Alexey is standing before me.
He takes my hand and pulls me towards him. “Good morning, Jade,” he murmurs just as his lips swipe down onto mine and kisses me possessively. When he finally lifts his head, his eyes are bright green with lust. “Let’s go.” He starts to guide me towards the helicopter, but I stop in my tracks. I’ve never been on a helicopter and don’t know if I want to.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask breathlessly when he looks around at me.
“You will see. Now come.” He helps me into the chopper, and I notice that Nik and Andrei are already sitting in the front with their headphones on. Nik is in the pilot seat. Alexey stretches over to help me with my seatbelt. The fragrance from his body envelopes me, and I can feel moisture pool between my legs at his closeness. Yesterday, I was so ready to let him do what he wanted with me, but then Vlad interrupted us, and I was relieved, but I know that I won’t be able to resist him for much longer. As soon as he touches me, I forget everything.
“Is Nik going to pilot this thing?” I murmur as I look a
t all the gadgets.
“Don’t worry, malysh, you will be safe.” He winks as he sits back and places his own seatbelt on. In no time at all, we are in the air and I’m grabbing on to my seat in fright. Alexey takes my hand in his, his thumb stroking gently. “Relax, we will land in another forty-five minutes,” I hear him say in my headphones, and I nod. I look around at the city as it starts to disappear behind us, and then there are fields of corn and animals grazing below us.
After a few minutes, I start to relax as the view distracts me. I hear Alexey say something in Russian, and then Andrei answers. The view from up here is breathtaking, and I don’t even notice the time pass before Nik is lowering the chopper.
“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” he teases as he stretches over me and starts to undo my seatbelt. His finger grazes my breast, and I gasp at the contact. I can feel my nipples harden in reaction. Looking up from where his hands are to his face, I see a smile on his lips, as he knows the effect he’s having on me. “Soon.” He kisses my lips gently and then steps out of the chopper and opens my door to help me out.
As we walk towards a waiting car, I look around to try to see where we are, and then my breath catches and I stop. “Why are we here?” I can feel my heart racing at the thought of seeing my father. Alexey turns me towards him, and I’m sure he can see how shaky I am.
“We’re here to see your mother. You do want to take her home, don’t you?” At his words, I can feel tears fill my eyes. This is what I wanted, what my mother needs.
“How did you know?” I whisper as a tear slips down my cheek.
He pulls me against his chest and whispers in my ear, “I’m here to help you and keep you safe. You’re mine, and I take care of what’s mine.” He strokes my hair.
Pulling back, I look up at his beautiful green eyes, and then I lift on my toes and kiss him on the lips. “Thank you.” He nods and then guides me into the back of the car as Nik and Andrei sit in the front. He’s still holding my hand as we drive out of the airport; I look around seeing the little town where I grew up and where all my painful memories are. Now that I know we are here to see my mother, a weight has lifted from my shoulders. We park outside the hospital, and then I’m being guided inside. They seem to know where they are going, because they don’t ask; they simply walk until we are standing outside a room and Nik is opening the door for us.
I notice that Nik and Andrei stay outside as we walk in. There are four beds in this ward, but only two of them are occupied. There is a young woman close to the door whose leg is broken, and she has it up in a sling, and then there’s my mother, who is occupying the bed by the window. Her head is turned away, and she seems to be sleeping.
I approach until I can touch her hand. As soon as my hand touches hers, her head turns. “Jade?” she says in surprise, tears filling her eyes as she looks at me. Her face is bruised, and her other arm is in a cast.
“Mom, how are you feeling?” I ask as I lower my head and kiss her forehead. I stroke her hair back from her face tenderly. She’s looking so fragile lying here that my heart twists in pain. I see her eyes go behind me and then return.
“I’m fine, my angel. Who’s this?” she asks, looking behind me again and smiling.
“This is Alexey. He’s helping me take you out of here,” I say as I look behind me and see him smiling at my mom. There is a softness in his eyes as he looks at her.
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Gravin,” he murmurs as he stands behind me, his hand holding my waist.
“Please, call me Sofia,” my mom says, her eyes taking in his possessiveness.
“Sofia, are you ready to come with us?” Alexey asks.
“The doctor might only let me leave tomorrow,” she grumbles as she looks up at me. “I’m worried about staying here too long.” I understand that she’s worried that my father might decide to come find her here. From what she has said, the police haven’t found him yet.
“Don’t worry about anything, Sofia. Everything has been arranged. You will be leaving with us today,” Alexey says. “I’m going to go arrange your discharge. Malysh, will you help your mother get ready?” I nod and feel him kiss the top of my head as he retreats.
“You didn’t tell me you had such a distinguished young man,” Mom says with a twinkle in her eye. “And he seems very intense.” She’s regarding me with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s new, and I haven’t really had time to tell you anything. Now come on, let’s get you ready so we can leave here and get you settled,” I say as I help her sit up. I see her grimace in pain, but she doesn’t complain. “Where are your clothes?” I ask, and she points to the cabinet next to the bed.
“But those are the clothes I came in with. I didn’t want to phone anyone to bring me clean clothes,” she murmurs. I see tears in her eyes as she thinks about her predicament.
“Mom, I’m getting you out of this. It’s enough of having that man hurt you. You’re worth so much more than this,” I mutter as I close the curtains around the bed and help her out of her hospital gown. My mom is still a young woman. She’s only forty-six, and the thought of her submitting to Dad’s continuous abuse makes me sick. “Don’t make excuses for him, Mom. You know he won’t change.”
“I know,” she whispers as a tear trickles down her cheek. I don’t know how a woman can love a man even when he hurts her, but that’s my mother. I’m hoping she finally realizes that he’s not the man she married and lets me help her start over. When I lift her clothes, my anger rises. Her shirt has blood all the way down one side, and the sleeve is torn. Lifting her jeans, I notice a few splatters of blood, but not as bad as the shirt.
“You can’t wear this shirt.” I pull off the jersey I have on and help her put it on. I have a strappy black T-shirt underneath that will just have to do. As soon as she’s dressed, I help her with her shoes and then wait for Alexey to come back.
Ten minutes later, a doctor walks in with Alexey following him, a set look to his face. “Mrs. Gravin, I believe you are ready to leave us?” the doctor says with a frown. He must be in his late thirties, with a friendly face. When he sees me, he looks me up and down and smiles. “You must be the daughter?” He stretches out his hand.
“Yes, I am,” I answer as I take his hand. I see Alexey scowl as he comes to stand behind me. The doctor lets go of my hand and looks at my Mom. I feel something across my shoulders and only then realize that Alexey has taken off his jacket and has placed it over my shoulders. I look over my shoulder and see him still scowling at the doctor. I would have smiled, but I don’t want him to get upset. I guess he didn’t like the way the good doctor was looking at me.
Looking down, I see that my T-shirt moulds to my breasts and body. The shirt shows a lot of cleavage, and I’m guessing that’s the reason for his jacket. I pull my arms through the jacket and close it in front with my hands. I can feel him relax behind me, and then I smile. The doctor has been talking to Mom, but I must be honest; with Alexey standing so close behind me, I’ve been distracted and missed everything he’s been saying.
I only hear when he tells her she’s discharged and leaves. “I’ll go get a wheelchair,” I say, but Alexey stops me and steps to the door himself. He must have asked one of the guys, because there’s a wheelchair waiting just outside the door. He places his hands on my shoulders and moves me out of the way, and then he picks up my mom against his chest and places her on the wheelchair.
I see her beam up at his care. “Thank you,” she murmurs, making him smile at her. I haven’t seen this side to Alexey yet. If anyone ever told me that he could be so caring to someone he’d never met, I would have thought they were lying, but here he is. As we step outside the room, Andrei walks before us, and I see Nik take the back. My mom looks back at me in surprise when she sees the two bodyguards, but doesn’t say anything. She must be wondering who Alexey is to have bodyguards. When we arrive by the car, Andrei opens the passenger door and then proceeds to help my mom in. Nik opens the back door for me to enter and then
takes the seat next to me while Alexey enters from the other side.
“We should go get her clothes,” I whisper to Alexey, but he shakes his head.
“I will get her anything she needs,” he answers as he takes hold of my hand and brings it to his lips. I want to complain about his bossiness and how presumptuous he is, but how can I when he is being so kind?
“Thank you,” I whisper, and he squeezes my hand gently. We drive back to the airport, and an hour and a half later, we are walking into an apartment on the floor below ours. I look at him in surprise as Andrei carries my mom through the apartment and into a lovely room. “What’s going on?” I ask, but before he can answer, Silvia arrives with a lady of about the same age following her.
“Hello,” she greets my mother. “You must be Jade’s mother. I’ve been so excited to meet you. I’m Silvia, and this here is Betty.”
I can see my mother is feeling overwhelmed, but I don’t know what’s happening, either. “Hi, I’m Sofia,” she greets.
“Betty here is a registered nurse, and she will be helping you with your recovery,” Silvia informs us as she walks around the bed and starts to fluff the pillows. “She lives just down the hall with her husband, and I live right next door.”
“I think for now, I will get you comfortable, and then you can rest. How about a nice chicken and corn soup for when you wake up?” Betty asks.
“That will be lovely, thank you.” I feel Alexey pull at my arm, and I follow him out to the corridor.
“Do you want to stay here with your mom until she falls asleep?” he asks, and I nod. “Okay, then. When you’re ready, Nik will be waiting to take you upstairs.” He kisses my forehead and turns, but before he can leave, I take hold of his hand to stop him.
“Thank you. I know you didn’t have to do this and arrange for someone to care for her. Also, a place for her to stay is more than anyone would ever expect. Thank you.” I feel like words aren’t enough, but I have to let him know that I appreciate everything he’s doing.
TORMENTED: Bratva Fury (book 1) Page 6
