“We have to do something about the Romanovskys,” Victor said when they were alone once more. “Tony pulled me aside again at the rally last night. He’s getting anxious, and his sons are getting sloppy.” Victor threw down his napkin with a disgusted look. “All they had to do was keep their mouths closed.”
“Maybe that won’t be necessary,” Reggie said. The words “we have to do something” didn’t mean the same thing to his father as they did to other people, and Reggie knew his father had no qualms about “doing something” about the Romanovskys, just like he’d “done something” about Knox Jefferson. His stomach turned at the thought. “I’m going to get Novsky, Dad.”
Victor laughed.
The sound reached across the table and hit Reggie like a knife to the appendix. “Once we have Novsky, it will cripple the family. They will never be powerful enough to touch us.” Reggie felt his cheeks heat up when Victor’s laughter rose. “Val will sell Novsky to me, because I’m going to threaten to tell Zoey everything about the Blacks.”
Victor’s chortles floated away, but a condescending smile remained.
Reggie sat taller.
Victor set down his fork and cradled his elbows on the table, meeting Reggie’s eyes as he pressed his fists to his lips.
“That’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever said to me, and that’s really saying something, Reginald.”
“It’s not stupid.”
“Threatening Val will never work.”
Reggie abandoned his utensils, as well, lamb chop forgotten. “It will work. Not only will it force Val to sell Novsky to me, it will force him to do it immediately.”
“What happened to sneaking up underneath him? A slow acquisition? Taking controlling interest by buying up his market shares?”
“Novsky is growing too fast. A creeping acquisition would take too much time.”
“And you’re just realizing this now.” Victor cackled. “How the hell are you mine?”
“Dad, listen to me. If I threaten to tell Zoey who killed the Blacks, Val will sell Novsky to me without another word. He will.”
“How quickly you forget who else was in the car that night.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Reggie said. How could he? He still had nightmares about the Blacks. He could still see their skulls smashing into the windshield, their bodies flying. Some nights, when he was fourteen, he would wake up screaming, the visions still so vivid in his mind, it was as if the crash had happened all over again. Some nights, his wails only calmed when his father burst into his bedroom and found his wet jaw with the back of his hand. His tears would dry in an instant then, for fear of getting more. As the years passed, Reggie’d learned to control the tears, but not the nightmares. He wondered if he ever would. His eyes became vacant. “I haven’t forgotten. I never will.”
“If you threaten Val, he will threaten you just the same. What’s to stop him from telling the world that you were in that car too? That you saw the whole thing happen?” King’s voice rose. “What’s to stop the world from asking who protected you both that night? Who made it all go away? What’s to stop your insipid threat from spiraling into something that will destroy not just you, but me, as well? My entire campaign.”
“I’m not an idiot!” Reggie lowered his voice, eyes wide. “I’m not an idiot. Of course I would never actually tell Zoey.”
“He’ll call your bluff.”
“He won’t.”
Victor shifted. “He’ll tell Zoey you were in the car too.”
“He won’t let it get that far. There is nothing he won’t sign, nothing he won’t do, to keep Zoey in the dark. He would die to protect his family. If anyone knows that, it’s you.”
Victor considered Reggie from the corner of his eye.
Reggie knew he had him. If they’d learned anything about Val Romanovsky it was that the love he had for his blood made him viciously loyal. His claws came out in an instant, not to maim, but to shield, shelter, and safeguard. He would put his own skin on the line, every time, to shield his family.
Victor knew that.
He always had.
Reggie saw his father’s mind working, saw him wavering. “Protecting Zoey means keeping the truth from her forever. He will do anything, Dad. Even if it means losing Novsky. Trust me.” Reggie’s eyes widened. “He will sell. And once he sells, the Romanovskys will lose every inch of power they have.” Reggie waited for more fight from his father. It didn’t come. “I would do it the night of the gala. I’m sure Val is going to make another sizable contribution to keep you out of his hair. I’ll wait for him to hand over the check, and then I’ll strike.”
Victor took a deep breath, hands back in fists at his mouth. A heavy weight floated between them. “Let me think about it.”
Reggie straightened in his dining chair, fighting a smile. He knew that let me think about it, was the closest thing to a yes Victor King ever gave.
Even if he didn’t say it, Reggie could feel his father’s approval from across the table.
He breathed it in like oxygen, already yearning for more.
***
When Zoey stepped into her apartment later that week and saw it teeming with dozens of men, all in black wearing latex gloves, she froze in the doorway.
“The hell?” she whispered, slamming the door as she stepped inside, eyes scanning the penthouse.
From the kitchen, Val caught sight of her and zoomed to the foyer, eyes wide. “Zo. You weren’t supposed to be back until later tonight.”
“Angie wasn’t in the mood for company. And should I be apologizing for showing up early to my own home?” Zoey motioned around her. “Who in God’s name are all these people?”
Val ran a hand down his face.
Zoey recognized the move. She wondered if he knew how much he did it. “And don’t you dare lie to me, Val.”
One of the men approached Val from the side, but he was so entrenched in his discussion with Zoey that he didn’t even see him. It wasn’t until Zoey snapped her head to him that Val did as well.
Zoey read the logo on his shirt: Sterling Security.
The older, graying worker with a thick beard pressed his lips together. “No wire taps, Mr. Romanovsky, but we did find this.” He held up a tiny black device in one hand, and a pen in the other. “And this.”
Val frowned, shaking his head.
“This is a camera,” the man answered, shaking the black device. “It was planted behind an outlet in your kitchen. And this pen…” He held up the pen. “Is implanted with an RF bug. Picks up any audio in a ten-foot range. Quite simple to detect, impossible to trace.”
Zoey’s eyes widened.
Val turned away, shoving his hands into his hair. “Fuck.”
His scream hit every wall and seemed to reverberate around the room, dying a slow death that left every person in it lingering in the stilled silence.
“A camera? A bug?” Zoey asked, snatching the pen from the man’s hand. She only had a moment to take in his dumbfounded expression before looking to Val. “This is a security sweep?”
Val turned to her, running his hand down his face. He was clearly still processing the fact that a camera had been planted in his apartment.
“Answer me,” she screamed. “I’m sick of this, Val. Why the hell are you having our home swept for bugs?”
Snapping out of it, Val crossed the room and took Zoey’s hand, pulling her out into the hallway where they could have some privacy.
Once in the hallway, Zoey turned to the door, arms crossed tight, waiting for Val to close it behind him.
“You had better talk to me,” she said, meeting his eyes. Her engagement ring gleamed as she held up the pen. “Right now, Val. I’m serious. I want the truth right now.”
Val swallowed. “My black card is missing…”
“So what? Credit cards go missing sometimes.”
“Not mine,” Val said. “I thought it was nothing at first, but…”
“But what?”
&
nbsp; Val paused, eyes dancing back and forth.
“Stop thinking,” she cried. “Stop thinking of the right thing to say, or a fucking lie, and just answer my questions, Val. Knew what?”
“That someone is watching us,” he exploded. “Listening to us.”
“But why?” Zoey shook her head. “Why would anyone want to do that to us? Is it Novsky?” she asked. “Reggie King?”
Val pressed his hands to his hips, eyes going wide.
“This is scaring me, Val.”
Val crossed the hallway and took her arms. “You have nothing to be scared of.”
“A man just pulled a camera out of our power outlet, and you’re telling me I have nothing to be scared of?”
“Zo, please calm down, all right? The baby…”
“Maybe I should just go stay with Leo for a while.”
Val pulled back and met her eyes. “What?”
“I’m scared,” she said again. “I’m scared, and I’m pregnant, and even though you’re talking to me, I feel like you’re not telling me anything. I feel like I’m being lied to, Val, and not just by you, but by this entire fucking family. By Angie. It’s stressing me the fuck out. Just tell me the truth.” She laughed, holding her hands out. “I don’t even know what truth I’m looking for. All I know is that you haven’t given it to me.”
Val’s eyes shuttered.
“Why won’t you, Val?”
His eyes filled, and he held his head high, trying to appear strong. “I don’t want you to go, Zo. I don’t want you to go stay with Leo.”
“Then tell me the truth. We are getting married in less than four days, Val, tell me the truth!”
“Maybe if I tell you the truth… you’ll have a real reason to be afraid.”
Zoey stepped back, pushing against the wall. “That’s not making me feel better.”
Val tried to keep his voice calm. “Sometimes not knowing the truth is the one thing that will protect you the most.”
Zoey shook her head. “Protect me from what?”
They stood facing each other in the hallway, and the silence stretched on.
To Zoey, it seemed unbreakable. The silence. Like it would never stop stretching, only growing longer and more resilient.
It felt like it could easily go on forever.
24
“You’re so warm… so soft, baby,” Her pussy made music as Leo plunged in deep, over and over, his loving whispers hitting the edge of her ear in hot pants. “You’re beautiful.”
“God, you can fuck,” Jessica gasped, moaning into his mouth as he seared his lips to hers from behind. “So deep, Leo, oh my God…” His hot column slipped from her pussy and bobbed in the air as he fell into their kiss, spreading his mouth wide over hers and lapping at her tongue with his. She matched his hard kiss while clawing behind her, getting his slick hardness in her hand and crying out into his mouth, his kiss, as she guided the tip back to her entry. He finished the job, slamming his hips forward, catching her around the waist just in time to stop the force from throwing her off the dining table.
He pulled her back into his dick while propelling forward, screaming as he filled her, clawing at the wood table with his free hand. He paused and readjusted his knees on either side of her, pressing his stomach to her back before picking up his pace, staying deep and hitting hard. “I love you so much,” he gasped into her ear, his hips driving blindly. “Tell me you love me, baby. Please…”
Jessica’s lips fell open as his thrusts grew intense, the table creaking under the force of their love as it grew in fervor. “I… I…”
“Say it,” he begged.
She couldn’t speak. The pleasure had come to fruition in her stomach and slowly clawed its way through her body, rendering every inch of her paralyzed. “Jus—” Her voice broke. “Just cum for me, Leo.”
“I love you.”
“I want you to cum.”
His hips picked up speed and he growled uncontrollably, nearly sending the table to the ground. “Fuck, here I come.”
“Yeah…” She cried out when she felt his warm seed filling her, and they screamed into another kiss as he flinched against one shot after the next. She pushed her ass against him and ground her hips in return. They rocked together until she was on her stomach on the table with him on her back, planted deep, heaving out the last of their pleasure.
“Jesus,” he breathed into her hair, jamming his eyes shut.
“That was good,” she laughed, her words jumbled from where her swollen lips were pressed into the wood. “So good, Leo.”
He turned his head in her hair, catching sight of the ironing board in the living area. She’d unfolded it a few minutes earlier and had only managed to plug it in and drape her green evening gown across it before Leo was pressing his dick into her from behind. A few blinding moments of passion later, and they’d found themselves on top of the dining table.
Only when they were in danger of falling asleep on that very table did they peel themselves away from each other. And only after a quick shower, where they’d satiated their constant need a second time, was Jessica able to get lotioned up and dressed for the night.
Leo was dressed, too, looking sharp in a tuxedo, when she emerged from his bedroom, coming to a stop in front of the recliner he was sitting in. Looking up from under his eyelids in the midst of tying his black dress shoes, he froze.
The hem of the emerald green satin gown swept the living room floor as she moved, heels clicking along the way. Leo sat tall, shoe half-tied. His whistle bounced off the walls, causing Jessica to roll her eyes, all while fighting a smile as his gaze took a predictable voyage of her body.
The beaded halter neckline was already scratching her and, much to Chet’s undeniable annoyance, a wire was not going to happen due to the tightness of the dress, but Jessica didn’t care. Not about any of it. She couldn’t deny that the brightness shining in Leo’s eyes was all that mattered to her, making all the bullshit float away.
“Wow,” he breathed, standing and moving to her, pushing his hands into his pockets.
Jessica did a spin, showing him the plunging back.
“Wow.” His voice roared his approval. “Yes.”
Jessica looked over her shoulder, catching his eyes.
They seared into hers as he ran his knuckle along the deep line in the middle of her back, stopping just before the swell of her ass. He tucked his finger into the fabric and tugged, biting his bottom lip.
“We just made love on the table, and in the shower,” she said, responding to that tug. “How can you possibly be asking for more?” Jessica was hardly able to speak as he pulled her back against him where, sure enough, an erection had set up camp in his pants as he set fire to every part of her he touched. Her eyes fell to his lips, and he heeded her silent invite, claiming hers in a kiss.
“You’re making me blush.” A deep crimson hit her cheeks, joining her whispered words.
“How can you possibly blush after everything we’ve done?”
“After everything we’ve done, even Raul would be blushing at this point,” she said, unable to stop her smile from widening as she thought back to the man who’d chosen this dress for her. Their trip to Dior had only been four weeks ago, but it felt so much longer.
After taking a moment to collect himself, he stepped away from her. She faced him, and he took her hands in his, holding them out, examining the tight dress more closely.
His eyes rose to hers. “No way you’ll be able to pull off the stanky leg in this tight-ass dress.”
“Will ‘Stanky Legg’ be on the playlist at the Governor’s fundraising gala tonight?”
“Victor King is a Jersey boy too, girl. You better be ready for any and everything.”
Jessica’s head fell, and she looked at him from under her eyelids before breaking into the stanky leg. The dress swooshed around her legs as she hit every move, throwing in a few hair swipes just to let this fool know who he was dealing with.
Leo watched h
er move in the dress, eyes roaming her body until she stopped dancing, chest heaving when she bumped hers against his. He took the bump, eyes aglow.
“There isn’t a dress on earth that I can’t stanky leg in, or dougie in, or nae-nae in,” she panted. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with, my friend.”
He couldn’t even smile. “Marry me.”
Jessica burst into laughter, and it was terrifying how real it was.
***
Tonight was the night.
It had been a month with no leads on the Romanovsky case. Tony and Val’s credit cards had come up dry, as well as all of the bugs and cameras she’d planted. It was beginning to occur to Jessica that she’d gotten to the family too late. They’d closed up shop. They were careful about what they said, and when they said it.
Even her strategy of breaking the family down with fear, purposely planting the bugs and cameras in places they could easily be found in an attempt to drive them all to the brink of insanity, breaking them down until a confession was inevitable, wasn’t working. How could it work on a family that had already been on the brink of insanity for ten long years?
A month. The longest it had ever taken Jessica to close a case. Harp was beginning to get antsy, and so were the higher-ups who could pull rank at their leisure and shut the case down altogether.
Jessica knew tonight was the night, because it had to be the night.
With the Romanovskys and the Kings all under the same roof, it was now or never.
The ballroom in The Hotel Venezia was one of the largest and most glamorous in New York City, making it the perfect venue to host a gala where copious amounts of money would be thrown around—and money had certainly been thrown. At a fundraising event teeming with politicians, celebrities, and Manhattan’s elite, it was inevitable.
Governor King had already given a speech that had inspired deafening applause, much to her annoyance. After his speech, Val had pulled King aside and handed him a check that Jessica knew was more than generous.
Poor Val. God bless him. He still believed money was going to save the necks of his family.
Loving Leo (The Romanovsky Brothers Book 3) Page 26
