“Actually, I’ve already showed Silvia, and talking about that, I need to go to my doctor to get another injector,” I murmur as I continue eating. His fork drops to the table as he looks at me with a frown.
“You’re telling me it’s finished? You have no more?” he rasps.
“Yeah, when I get a consultation, he will give me more. It’s fine, don’t worry,” I say.
“Fine . . . no, it’s not fine. What if it happened now? I will not have you run out of your medicine,” he orders as he picks up his phone and dials a number angrily.
“What are you doing? I’ll book an appointment. By next week, I’ll have another injector,” I promise, but he ignores my words as he talks into the phone.
When he disconnects, he looks at me. “The doctor will be here in the next half hour.”
“What? But a new doctor won’t know my history. I’ll have to do tests again, and you know what a pain those are?” I argue.
“Not another doctor, your doctor,” he says as he continues to eat.
“You got my doctor to come here?” To say I’m stunned is an understatement. “How do you even know who my doctor is?”
“I know everything about you. Like that your father phoned your mother earlier on and you spoke to him. He threatened you, and you still haven’t said anything to me,” he says angrily as he looks directly at me.
“What? Do you have my mother’s phone tapped?” I ask as I stand up. “Of course you do. How stupid of me.” I say angrily, and then realization dawns. “Is my phone tapped?” I see the truth in his face before he can answer me.
“It’s for your own protection. If this wasn’t the case, I would never know that he contacted and threatened you.”
“That’s not the point; you had my phone tapped without letting me know. What did you think, that I would contact your enemies or, God forbid, the cops?” I yell. “You don’t trust me. What kind of relationship do we have if you don’t trust me.” My voice breaks at the end, but I don’t care.
I thought we were getting closer. I thought Alexey realized that I wouldn’t betray him, but all this time, he’s been suspicious of me. “Sit down, malysh,” he says quietly, but I can see his jaw ticking. Well, to hell with him and his suspicions. Turning, I start to make my way to our room, but suddenly, there’s a crash from behind me. Turning, I see him bearing down on me in a fury, his chair lying on the floor.
When he reaches me, he takes my arm in an unbreakable grip. “I told you to sit down, and we will discuss this,” he orders, his voice soft with anger. I can tell that he’s at his limit, but him not trusting me hurt me. I can feel tears fill my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. He guides me back to my chair and helps me into it as he picks up his chair and returns to it.
“Now,” he starts, “yes, your mother and your phone are tapped, but only because I need to know of any threat or to keep track of where you are at all times if anything happens. In regard to trusting you, you know I trust you, or you wouldn’t be living with me. Trust is not something I do with a lot of people, but you are one of them.” He places his hand over mine. “Look at me.” I slowly raise my eyes to his.
“I’m not used to relationships. I should have told you about your phone, but it will carry on being tapped for your own protection.” I know Alexey doesn’t apologise often, so this is an apology in his books. I nod, and he lets go of my hand. “Now finish eating. The doctor will be here soon.”
I pick up a piece of lamb and chew slowly, thinking about all the conversations I’ve had before on my phone, and then I realize how Nik has always been missing when Lara comes to visit. Oh, the bugger. Whoever is listening to the phone calls must have told him. There’s a knock on the door just as I take my last bite.
“Da,” Alexey calls out.
“Boss, Doctor Makenzie is here,” Andrei says from the doorway.
“Send him in,” Alexey says as he stands from the table. “Come, malysh,” he says as he pulls back my chair. We walk into the sitting room just as the doctor walks in. Looking at him, I can see that Doctor Makenzie isn’t looking too happy to be here. I wonder what Alexey did to get him here at this time.
“Doctor Makenzie,” Alexey greets as he stretches out his hand, “thank you for coming at such short notice. I promise you will be well compensated.”
“I don’t usually do house calls,” the doctor mutters. “How may I be of assistance?”
“I believe you’re Jade’s doctor. She had an allergic reaction this afternoon to some nuts that were in one of the dishes, and we used up her last injector,” Alexey states as he places his hand behind my back. “I would like you to check that she’s fine and prescribe more. I would like her to have three injectors at all times.” I look up at Alexey at his last comment.
“Three aren’t necessary. They are very expensive, and I don’t usually need them. It’s very rare, and when it expires, I will just have to get new ones,” I persuade, but before I finish, Alexey is already shaking his head.
“I want you to have three at all times, and if they expire without you using them, the better,” he orders.
“Well, then, young lady, let’s see how your throat is looking after your bout.” The doctor places his bag on the couch and pulls out the items he will need to give me a check-up. The whole time the doctor is taking my blood pressure and checking my throat, Alexey stands beside me like a guardian angel.
“Everything is looking fine. Still slightly swollen, but that’s normal.” He pulls out his notepad and starts to write. “Here you go, the prescription for the injectors. Try to keep away from those nuts. You know they’re deadly,” he jokes, but Alexey doesn’t think it’s funny as he scowls at the doctor. Taking the prescription from the doctor’s hand, he inclines his head to Nik, who’s standing by the doctor.
“Thank you. You may go,” he says to the doctor as he hands Nik the prescription and nods towards the door. As soon as the doctor is out the door, I look over at him.
“I really didn’t need three. Two is more than enough,” I grumble.
“I want one with me at all times, and you will keep the other two as you see fit.” At his words, I freeze and look up at him. Placing my hand on his chest, I can feel his tense muscles. This man is hard and violent, but when it comes to me, I see a side to him that I don’t think many have seen.
“Thank you,” I whisper as I rise on my toes and kiss him gently on the lips. “I love you.” At my words, I see his eyes fill with an intensity that leaves me breathless. He lowers his head and takes my lips in a savage kiss that talks about the passion that runs deep through this man. He continues to kiss me as he picks me up so I can fold my legs around him as he carries me towards our room. It’s a long time before I can think about anything else.
ALEXEY 17
The Elementals will be here soon. Last night, they stayed at the hotel, and while they were being followed and watched by Salazar’s men, my men were setting the smoke bombs and the devices to start the fires.
The door to the office is open, and the sound from the club is wafting in as I finish signing the documents required for the renovations to Phoenix. I might lose a substantial amount of money because of having the club closed for the weeks required to renovate, but what Salazar doesn’t know is that it came at a good time, as I was looking at adding a basement and certain partitioning to be able to hide certain contraband that we don’t move immediately.
If I had to close the bar and renovate, I would have the feds looking into what I was doing. Like this, they will assume that it’s something that I must do because of the attack. My phone beeps, letting me know that Draco and his men are here.
Standing, I make my way out and close my office door behind me. Andrei and Ivan follow me down the corridor to the main area of the club. Stepping into the club, I see that it’s full like every night. The dance floor on the ground floor is packed to capacity. Looking over at the bar, I see that everything is running smoothly like expected. Making my way through
the masses, I see the guys sitting at the closed-off area that we usually keep for VIP guests.
“Draco,” I greet as I approach. Draco and his men think that they will be collecting the weapons tomorrow, but they will be collecting later today. I didn’t tell anyone, as I didn’t want anything to go wrong with this shipment. Only myself and Vlad know about the arrangement. A few months ago, we found out that our phones were being tapped. Since then, I keep burner phones for all sensitive business.
“Alexey,” Draco nods in greeting.
“Are you ready?” I ask.
“We’re always ready,” he answers with a raise to his lips.
“Good, that means you can go collect tonight.” Draco looks at me carefully, a brow raised, but then he nods.
“Just give me the details. Is Vlad accompanying us?” he asks. Vlad insists on being present, and even though we are sure that the MC can handle this, he likes to be where the action is. Brandr, one of their members, is also one of Vlad’s closest friends, and usually when in the city, the two of them are inseparable.
“You know him; when your man’s around, you will find them together. He’s even thinking of buying himself a bike.” Draco smiles as he looks over at Vlad, who is sitting at the table with Brandr and another one of the MC members.
“Careful, Alexey, one of these days, instead of your Mustangs, you will all be riding motorbikes,” he says with an amused look to his face.
“It’s all the stunts Vlad sees you guys doing on those bikes that has him fascinated. My brat has one weakness; he loves danger,” I say as I shake my head in amusement at Vlad’s animated conversation with the guys. From the corner of my eye, I see Andrei approaching. Excusing myself, I turn towards him. When he’s close, he lowers his head until he’s close to my ear. Even though the music is loud in the club, we don’t take any chances that anyone might hear certain conversations.
“Boss, it’s done.” I asked to be informed as soon as the hotel was up in flames. That is also why Vlad and I are at the club in front of so many eye witnesses.
“Any complications?” I ask.
“Net.”
“Good, I will be leaving soon.” He nods and leaves.
“Draco, as always, it’s good to see you. Vlad will give you all the details. I’m afraid I need to leave, but I’ll be in touch regarding our other matter.” I’m nearly at the car when my phone rings.
“Da.”
“Boss, there was a sighting of your woman’s father outside the building today.” At Nik’s words, I tense. That son of a bitch. If he thinks he’s going to get anywhere near Jade or her mother, he must be hallucinating.
“Did you get him?”
“Net, when I was informed, he was gone. They caught him on camera,” he states. “I have a feeling we’ll see more of him.”
“I don’t want Jade or her mother to know about this. We’ll sort him out,” I state. After disconnecting the call, I text Dimitry to let him know that I want to see him early the next morning. I left the apartment early this morning before Jade awoke. I know today she was going to write the exam that she missed the day Ivan and she were followed.
Nik texted me, telling me that she was unwell. Apparently nerves because of the exam. I arranged for her to have the exam done at home, after many protests from her. I shake my head and smile when I remember our argument. It still amazes me how she has no sense of preservation. No one argues with me. Even Vlad knows when to stop. But that tiny little woman just keeps on pushing.
Driving into the basement, I park the car. Looking at my watch, I see it’s going on to two in the morning. After burning Salazar’s hotel to the ground, I need to up the security at the clubs. I’m sure Salazar is going to try to hit me there. Walking into the apartment a few minutes later, I see Nik standing by the window, sipping a mug of coffee.
“How has everything been here?” I ask as I approach.
“I think she was having one of her nightmares again,” Nik reveals as I move to sit on one of the couches. Ever since the incident where the guys tried to grab her, she’s been having nightmares. I should have punished Ivan for letting her go out that day, but she pleaded with me not to, as it was her fault and she wouldn’t be able to look at him again if she was the reason for him being punished when he didn’t want to let her go in the first place. He should have known better.
“How did her exam go?”
“She seemed to be happy afterwards, and she looked like she was feeling better,” he says.
“Thank you. I will be working from here in the morning,” I update as I stand. He inclines his head in farewell and leaves. Making my way to our room, I find Jade sprawled across our bed. I smile as I undress. My T-shirt that she’s sleeping in has risen and is showing her thong underneath. I proposed buying her a night shift, but she confessed that she slept in my T-shirts because she felt closer to me when I wasn’t around.
She looks sexy as hell in my clothes, and even though I prefer her with nothing on, it pleases me to know that she finds comfort when wrapped in my T-shirts. Slipping into bed, I pull her back against my front and lower my head to kiss the back of her head. “Alexey?” she calls out groggily.
“Shh, malysh, go back to sleep,” I murmur, and then groan as she rubs her ass against my naked crotch. My already-hard cock hardens even more, making me uncomfortable, but I ignore it as I close my eyes and breathe in my woman’s essence. I can feel the stress of the day start to dissipate, the worries that Salazar will attack falling away as I drift off to sleep.
I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing. Stretching out my arm, I pick it up from the bedside table and see that it’s the number from downstairs in the basement. Whoever this is better have a good reason for waking me up. Jade moves against me but doesn’t waken.
“Da.”
“Boss, we have two detectives down here who want to come up to see you.” What the fuck do the cops want?
“Get Andrei to bring them up,” I grunt as I slide my arm from under Jade and get up to dress. When I walk out into the lounge area, the two detectives and Andrei are already waiting there for me.
“Mr. Vasiliev, we’re sorry to disturb you. I’m Detective Thompson, and this is Detective Jordaan.” I incline my head in greeting but don’t say anything in response as I wait for them to reveal the reason for their visit.
“We have had a disturbing phone call stating that you are keeping two women here under duress.” At the detective’s revelation, I tense. What the hell are they talking about?
“I’m guessing you have these women’s identities, as it will be difficult for me to respond without knowing who you are talking about.”
“Yes, of course,” Detective Jordaan says for the first time as he opens his notebook. “A Sofia Gravin and Jade Gravin.” At Jade and her mother’s names, my anger rises. Who the hell is playing games?
“I can assure you that Jade and her mother are not here under duress,” I state.
“I’m afraid, Mr. Vasiliev, that we will have to see them and ask them ourselves,” Detective Thompson says.
“Of course. Please take a seat. We will get them for you.” Looking over at the door where Andrei is standing, I ask him in Russian to get someone to bring Jade’s mom up. Excusing myself, I make my way to awaken Jade, but to my surprise, she’s no longer in bed, but then I hear noise in the bathroom. I’m about to call out to her when I hear retching. I cross the room in the blink of an eye. Opening the door, I see Jade leaning over the toilet, her face pale. At my entrance, she glances over at me but then groans.
“Malysh, what’s wrong?” I ask as I squat down next to her.
“Alexey,” she murmurs. “I thought you had left for work already.”
“Net,” I grunt as I stroke her cheek and pull her hair away from her face. “You’re still not feeling well?”
“I’m fine,” she grunts as she starts to stand, but then sways in dizziness.
“I can see how fine you are,” I mutter as I pick her up agains
t my chest. Walking into the room, I lay her down on the sheets and then sit next to her. “I’m going to call your doctor to come see you.” I pull out my phone and start scrawling through the numbers, looking for the right number.
“No, Alexey, please. I will be fine in no time,” she murmurs as she places her hand over mine. “Besides, I have an appointment to see the doctor later today.”
“Why don’t I know anything about this?” I ask. She must be feeling worse than she lets show. One thing I’ve noticed about Jade is that she dislikes doctors. Her having booked an appointment must mean that she hasn’t been feeling well.
“It’s just a check-up, nothing to bug you about,” she says with a tiny smile. “Besides, I’m already feeling better.” Looking at her, I don’t think she’s feeling better at all, as she’s looking way too pale, but we’ll discuss this after the detectives leave.
“Seeing as you are feeling better, I need you to accompany me to the lounge, as there are two detectives there who insist on seeing you and your mother. Apparently, someone contacted them and said that you are here under duress.” At my comment, she sits up in bed with a surprised look on her face.
“Who would have done something like that?”
I shrug as I stand. “Whomever it was doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that you see the detectives so they can calm their minds that you are not here under threat.” She hurriedly gets up but then sways. If it wasn’t for my quick reflexes, she would have fallen to the floor.
“Jade!” I say angrily, but she shakes her head as she moves away from my arms.
“Just got up too soon.” She throws on a pair of jeans. “Shall we go?” she asks, and I raise my eyebrows at her.
“You’re not going out there without a bra on. If those fuckers look at your breasts, I will have to kill two cops, and I don’t think you want that,” I state. She starts to laugh until she realises that I’m dead serious. Sighing, she pulls off my T-shirt and pulls on her bra and one of her T-shirts.
TORMENTED: Bratva Fury (book 1) Page 14
