Crash into Me: A BWWM Russian Billionaire Romance

by Cristina Grenier

  “It won’t happen again.” He brought a hand up and stroked it through her hair. “I’m trying, you know. To do this right.”

  “I know,” she said. “I know.”

  The two of them were so wrapped up in each other that it took Vera clearing her throat awkwardly to remind Alexei that she was there and to have them springing apart. Emma’s eyes were wide as she took in the other woman, glancing between them.

  For a second he was worried that she was going to come to the wrong conclusion about why Vera was with him, but the family resemblance between the two of them was too strong for that, clearly, and the suspicion never formed in her eyes. There was plenty of confusion, though, so Alexei hurried to explain.

  “Emma Jackson, this is my sister, Vera. Vera, this is Emma.”

  “Your friend?” Vera asked. Her face gave nothing away, but Alexei could hear the suggestion in her voice clear as day.

  “Yes,” he replied stubbornly, glancing at Emma. “A very good friend.”

  Emma ducked her head and smiled before shaking her head. “You two should come in. Even if the weird people with guns didn’t follow you this far, the neighbors are probably getting too curious as it is.”

  Vera was quiet as they filed into Emma’s house, and Alexei watched Emma shut the door firmly and lock it. He felt immediately at ease in the familiar home, but he knew that Vera wouldn’t feel the same.

  “Can I get either of you anything?” Emma asked, seeming a bit nervous. “Uh...tea? Water? I guess maybe it’s too late for coffee, but I don’t know how much sleep we’re going to get tonight.”

  “You’re going to sleep,” Alexei said. “You have to work tomorrow.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “It’s not the end of the world if I miss one day, Alexei. There’s kind of an emergency going on here.”

  “Yes, our emergency. I shouldn’t have... I don’t want this to ruin your life, Em, alright? I came here because...well, because I feel safe here. Not because I expect you to turn your routines upside down for me.”

  He half expected her to rage at him for assuming that she could just go about her routines while this was going on or some such thing, but to his surprise, she was smiling at him.

  “Fine. Make your own coffee then. I’m going to bed. Uh...it was nice to meet you, Vera,” Emma said. “Alexei knows where everything is, so just. If you need anything ask him. Um. Goodnight.”

  Alexei made a decision as she turned to head back up the stairs, stepping closer and putting a hand on her shoulder to hold her in place as he leaned down and kissed her lightly. It was one of the chastest kisses they had ever shared, but he knew that the significance of it wouldn’t be lost on her. He wasn’t hiding her from his family, and he just wanted to kiss her. Honestly, if Vera hadn’t been there, he would have been going up with Emma to try and sleep curled up with her.

  “Goodnight,” he murmured against her lips as he pulled back.

  The pleased smile on Emma’s face was like a balm to his shattered nerves, and he touched her face lightly before stepping back so she could continue up the stairs to her room.

  He watched her go, giving her a little wave before she shut her door, and when he turned around, Vera was staring at him like she’d never seen him before.

  “What?” he asked just a tad defensively, walking past her and into the kitchen where he flipped the light on and hunted for Emma’s coffee stash.

  “I’ve never seen you like that before,” Vera replied, following him. “You care for her.”

  “Of course I do. She’s my…” He made a vague hand motion. “Friend.”

  “She is not just your friend,” Vera said, lips curled in a small smile. “People don’t look at their friends like that. I’m willing to bet that if I weren’t here, you would be up there with her. Letting her comfort you.”

  Alexei sighed and closed his fingers around the bag of coffee grounds. “What do you want me to say, Vera? Yes, we’re more than friends. I don’t see why it matters.”

  “How can it not matter?”

  He ignored the question while he got the coffee brewing, closing the door between the kitchen and the rest of the house so they wouldn’t disturb Emma. “Because,” he said finally. “I don’t want to drag her into all this. It’s bad enough that she could have gotten hurt tonight. What happens when these people find out she means something to me? What happens when Mother finds out she means something to me? I’m sure Emma isn’t what she meant when she said she wanted me to find a wife.”

  Vera hummed thoughtfully, leaning against the counter. “I suppose you have a point, but I’ve never known you to back down from something you want. And you know, I think she could probably handle Mother.”

  Alexei couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You know, I almost want to introduce them just to see that. It just doesn’t seem fair to her to get her involved in all of this.”

  “Maybe you should let her make that decision herself.”

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a heart to heart with his sister, definitely not about something like this, but it felt good. There’d always been that tension between them, but it felt like maybe some of it was dissolving now.

  For the rest of the night, they talked. They sat in the kitchen and drank coffee and then tea and talked about their father and their mother and the way they wished their lives had gone. They made plans for the future that they both knew were risky and might not work, but the planning helped bridge that gap even more.

  As the sun came up, Vera started to droop, and Alexei made her a bed on the couch and told her to go to sleep. He was still waiting to hear from the police or his building manager or someone who could tell him what was happening.

  Honestly, he was considering moving if it was going to be like this all the time. To keep himself busy he made coffee and breakfast for when Emma got up and kept an eye on his phone, willing it to ring for probably the first time in his life.

  At seven in the morning, Emma came down the stairs, rumpled and bleary eyed, and Alexei smiled automatically. “Morning.”

  “Hey,” she said, and then brightened when she saw there was food and coffee. “Did you sleep at all?”

  He shook his head. “No. I thought about it, but I just… I need to know what’s going on. I don’t know why no one has called yet.”

  “I’m sure there’s a million questions they need to ask them. If they even caught the people responsible,” Emma replied. “I hope they did.”

  “Me, too.” Alexei sighed and looked down at his cup of coffee now gone cold.

  “I really can miss work today if you need me to,” Emma said softly, coming over and stroking fingers through his hair. “I don’t want you to deal with this on your own.”

  And it was funny how her words affected him. Alexei was used to dealing with things on his own. His parents had always advocated being strong and sucking things up, keeping his feelings quiet and putting on a brave face for the world. “Never let them see you suffer,” his father had always said.

  His sister had taken that to heart, and was one of the most stoic people Alexei had ever met, so it had always been just him. It was one of the reasons why he acted out when he had the chance. Because he’d never been able to when he was a child. Because no one had been there for him.

  But there was Emma, petting his head and offering to disrupt her day for him. Because she cared.

  Before she could say anything else, he wrapped his arms around her middle and pressed his face to her stomach, feeling her still sleep warmed skin through the thin shirt she wore. Her fingers stilled in his hair for a moment and then she dipped her head and kissed the top of his.

  If this was what a relationship was supposed to be, Alexei wanted it. He didn’t want to give this up because it felt good and right. He’d stumbled on it all on his own, and it was his.

  “We’re doing this,” he murmured. “Okay? You and me.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Being together. Dating
. Whatever you want to call it.”

  She sucked in a startled breath. “Really?”

  “Yes. I had thought to keep you from getting too involved in this, and maybe it’s selfish of me because this isn’t going to be easy at all, but I just… This is so good.” He looked up at her. “Alright?”

  Emma laughed softly and leaned down to kiss him on the mouth. “Of course it’s alright, idiot. It’s perfect. I want to be with you.”

  “Good. Now that we’ve sorted that out, go to work. I’m going to go to the police station and see what I can find out. I’m tired of sitting around doing nothing about this.”

  She looked at him for a moment, and Alexei thought she was going to argue, but she just nodded, kissing him once more before she took her coffee and breakfast back upstairs to get ready. “I’ll see you later, right?” she called. “Because you’re going to be careful and not do anything reckless, right?”

  “You know me,” he called back.

  “Alexei.”

  “Yes, Emma. You’ll see me later. I’ll call you as soon as I know something. I promise.” He was making a lot of promises these days, and he was determined to keep all of them. For the first time, he had a plan ahead of him, and he was going to put his mind toward making sure that it got fulfilled.

  He saw Emma off to work and waited for Vera to wake up and then the two of them headed out. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Vera asked, looking apprehensive.

  “It’s better than sitting around waiting,” Alexei replied. “Don’t you want answers? I want answers, Vera. I’m not just going to play sitting duck while they plot to kill me and the police don’t tell us what’s going on. We have a right to know what happened.”

  “You’re right. Okay.” She still seemed nervous, but by the time they made it to the police station closest to Alexei’s apartment, she had her head held high and her stoic expression in place.

  Together, they would get what they wanted.

  “Can I help you?” asked the pretty woman sitting in the lobby, and Alexei remembered a time when he would have flirted with her mercilessly to get what he wanted.

  “Yes,” he said. “I think you can. Last night there was a disturbance at 2562 Cartwell Ave. I happen to be one of the people who live there, and since it was my apartment being fired on, I left for my own safety. It’s been hours since then, and no one has attempted to contact me regarding the incident. I’m just wondering how long I have to wait until I find out what’s going on here.”

  His voice was pleasant but firm, making it clear that he wanted answers and he wanted them as soon as possible. He was proud that in that moment he didn’t sound like either of his parents. His father would have just glared and given orders and his mother would have gotten hysterical and made a scene. Alexei was calm and commanding, and Vera was a silent threat beside him.

  The woman looked flustered as she glanced between them. “I’m, um… not allowed to give out information regarding these matters,” she said, voice shaking a bit.

  “I understand that,” Alexei said. “But surely you can understand how it must feel for me to have to flee my home and then end up with no answers as to what’s being done about the people who shot a hole through my window. Is there someone else I can speak to?”

  “One of your superiors, perhaps?” Vera chimed in.

  Just then, a door opened and two men in uniform stepped into the lobby. The woman behind the desk looked like she was going to melt with relief. “Captain Marlowe,” she said. “There’s a gentleman here who needs to speak with you.”

  The shorter of the two men turned his head at her words and looked Alexei up and down. “I don’t even have to ask who you are,” he said, shaking his head. “Come with me.”

  Alexei bristled at being ordered around, but he knew this was the way to get the information he wanted, so he shoved the irritation aside and moved to follow the man, Vera behind him.

  “Who’s that?” Captain Marlowe asked, nodding at her.

  “This is my sister,” Alexei said, and if he played the accent up just a bit, then he didn’t think he could be blamed for doing what he had to do. “She will, of course, be accompanying us.”

  “She will, will she?”

  “Yes. Let me be very clear, Captain. We have reason to believe that these people are responsible for the death of our father. We’re not going to rest until we have justice.”

  The captain eyed him for a moment and then sighed, nodding his head. “I understand.” He gestured to the man who was with him. “This is Sergeant Pope. He was one of the officers who arrived on the scene last night.”

  “Mr. Alexandrov,” the sergeant said, inclining his head.

  Alexei nodded back and then looked at the captain. “Was anyone captured last night? Was anyone hurt?”

  “No one was hurt, thank goodness, and we managed to get one of them into custody. He’s not talking right now, and we’re technically not allowed to keep questioning him until his lawyer gets here, but you aren’t held to the same set of rules.”

  “Oh, good,” Alexei said, grinning. “I have so many questions for him.”

  They were shown to the interrogation room and let in to see a scruffy man sitting in a metal chair, handcuffed to the table. There was a large window taking up one wall, and Alexei knew that it worked as a two way mirror. The people outside could see in, but the people inside couldn’t see out. That was fine with Alexei. He didn’t intend to do more than talk.

  He sat down in a chair on the other side of the table and waited until Vera was seated in the other chair before he spoke. “Well. You’re not what I was expecting.”

  The man snorted. “What were you expecting then?”

  “Someone with more brains, perhaps. More talent. Less facial hair.”

  The man scowled and started to reach up to touch his beard, but the chain connecting the handcuffs caught and held him fast. He looked dirty, and his eyes were bloodshot, and Alexei had to wonder just who they were dealing with.

  “You know who we are, of course,” Alexei continued. “Don’t you?”

  “Oskar’s kids, I’m guessing. You’ve got the look.”

  Neither sibling gave anything away, but Alexei was surprised to hear his father’s name come out of this man’s mouth, even though he supposed he shouldn’t have been. “You knew my father, then?”

  “Pft, everyone knew the old bear,” the man said. “He didn’t exactly keep a low profile, now did he? Had his nose and fingers in everything.”

  Alexei was beginning to see that from his perusal of the accounts and business records. “Everyone knew him, but not everyone wished him well.”

  The man threw back his head and laughed, shaking with genuine mirth. “You kidding me? No one wished him well. Everyone either wanted him dead or out of the way. You don’t get to be on top without stepping on some people, and those people don’t take well to being squished. Do you know how many people he put out of work? How many people had to relocate or ended up ‘missing’ because of your father? You’re a child, boy, if you think anyone wanted to hold hands and have a drink with your father.”

  Beside him, he could feel Vera stiffen, and he didn’t know if it was in anger or surprise. Honestly, Alexei wasn’t that surprised himself. Things in Russia were different than things here, and his father had been a very powerful man. Now that he knew that someone had wanted him dead, it wasn’t hard to see why.

  “Alright,” he said slowly, keeping his face impassive. “So he was a bastard.”

  “What?” the man looked shocked that his words hadn’t had more of an impact.

  “That’s what you’re saying, yes? That my father was a bad man? That people were lining up to kill him? Fine. Accepted. Now tell me who did it and why they’re after me now.”

  “I’m not naming names,” the man replied, leaning back as much as he could. “All I’m gonna say is that people don’t like history repeating itself. One family stays in power for too long and they tend to want
to see that family fall, you get me? Here, Russia, it doesn’t matter. Same people are all involved. You can blame your father and his father before him for the way things are.”

  The tension in the room was thick, and didn't seem like it was going to abate any time soon. Vera had yet to say a word, but Alexei could feel the way her body was stiff and knew she was biting her tongue and letting him handle this. He was grateful for that, although he now felt very much out of his depth. If what this man was saying was true, and there was very little doubt in his mind that it was, then there were so many years of this to undo. It was a daunting prospect, but he was an Alexandrov, and the last thing they ever did was give up.

  "Fine," Alexei said, and he got to his feet. "You can consider me informed."

  The man arched his eyebrows, clearly surprised. "That's it? You're not going to demand I tell you who's behind all this?"

  Alexei shrugged. "What would be the point? If it's not you and whoever you're working for, it would just be someone else. Clearly I'm going to have to deal with this at the root of the problem. Thank you for your time."

  He turned to head for the door, Vera following him with a bemused smile on her face. Just as he was reaching for the door handle, the man spoke again.

  "There's more than one way to topple an empire, you know," he said casually. "Everybody thinks you have to go for the person on top, get him out of the way. But sometimes the easier way to do that is to snatch up something he cares about."

  Alexei froze, but didn't turn around. "Excuse me?"

  "I'm just saying. I wonder if that girl you hang around with knows just how dangerous being close to you is."

  Rage and fury battled inside of him in that split second, and Alexei wanted to turn around and make it very clear what would happen if someone dared to hurt someone he was close to. But he wasn't going to allow this man to see him rattled. He grasped the door handle and pulled the door open, stepping out into the outer room.