by Ivy Iverson
The Russian’s Resistant Lover
By Ivy Iverson
The Tonov Triplets Series
Book 1
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and situations either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used factiously.
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written consent from the author.
Table of Contents
The Russian’s Resistant Lover
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter One
“Go fuck yourself,” Valov Tonov shouted over his shoulder.
“Excuse me!” She said, matching pace with him. “All I want to do is ask you a few questions.”
He sighed. He already knew what would happen. As the big, bad mafia boss, anything he said would immediately be used to turn him into a villain and defame him in the press. It didn't matter that he was most likely more honest than most politicians were.
“I do not talk to the media,” he said. Not even ones as sexy as you. The reporter following him was sexy; there was no doubt about that. Her coffee-colored skin looked as smooth as silk and her big, brown eyes and full lips were just as alluring as her generous breasts and hips, which seemed to be bursting out of her expensive designer clothes. She was definitely a vision, even though she was two heads shorter than he was and carried around the biggest purse that he had ever seen. He had to admit she was damn fast, even under the weight of that bag.
“Look,” she said breathlessly as she struggled to keep up with him. “This is Bangor, Maine. No foreigners go unnoticed here, especially the rich ones with thick, Russian accents. There are already rumors and reports about you being part of the Russian mafia.”
He raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly held up her hands in defense. “I'm not saying you're evil,” she quickly said, as if being part of the mafia and being evil was the same thing. “But your silence, refusal to cooperate with the press and the authorities, and the coincidental drop in crime since your arrival here has rumors flying.”
“What’s your name, again?”
“Rae St. Germaine. Listen, I’m giving you a chance to tell your side of the story, give yourself a human aspect for the people. This will help end the discrimination against you and your family, and it will help everyone in Maine better understand your culture.”
“It will also help sell newspapers,” Valov said. “Last time I checked, the Bangor Daily News was in trouble. If it doesn't get a lot of sales fast, then there will be a huge drop in sponsorship deals and there will be no funding to keep your office in repair, let alone your salary paid.”
“You're right,” the woman said, suddenly moving in front of him and blocking his path. “And that's the exact argument I used to convince my boss to let me pursue this story. You honestly think I wouldn't want to clear your name?”
He smirked at her, looking her up and down. “How do you know you have the correct person?” he asked. “Maybe you've confused me with one of my brothers. In case you haven't heard, we look a lot alike.” They were identical, actually but neither of his brothers would talk to the press either. They knew better than that if they wanted to stay alive.
“Everyone knows who you are, Valov,” she said. “You're the one who has a constant scowl and wears the designer suits. Also, you're the one with tattoos on your wrists,” she said, looking pointedly at the edges of his shirt cuffs where the tattoos were plainly visible.
Valov nodded. She’s done her homework.
“Although all three of you are never seen in anything other than suits. Even in summer, you wear long-sleeved shirts. Why is that?”
Too many questions. That was something he would never tell her, let alone let her print. Not if he had something to say about it. But he was careful to keep his anger in check. With seventy-degree weather in October, there were more people than usual on the sidewalks of downtown Bangor and the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself. Negative attention especially.
“I still haven't agreed to an interview,” he said after taking a couple deep breaths. “But if it will get you to leave me alone, then I will answer questions for thirty minutes and thirty minutes only. Meet me at The Hyde. Eleven PM. Tonight. I'll have a limo pick you up at the Bangor Daily News office.”
She raised an eyebrow, her face so indignant it was almost cute. “A nightclub?” she asked. “I'm not one of your girls and I'm not conducting this interview at night in a club in the sketchy part of town.” That wasn't why she was objecting though, and Valov knew it. She was objecting because the interview would be in his territory, not hers. He would have the power, and if he were going to talk to the press at all, then he would need that power.
“Take it or leave it,” he said.
She glared at him. “I'll take it.”
Chapter Two
Rae St. Germaine stared at her computer screen, wondering what she was going to do about the meeting at The Hyde. Every day, there were reports about domestic violence, assault, and other violent activities but she was sure that Valov wouldn't let anything happen to her. Not because he was a fine, upstanding citizen, but because all of the Tonov brothers were careful with the press. If something happened to her and his name was linked, what was left of his decent reputation would be gone. But she couldn't help but feel uneasy about it.
“You know, I don't think those filler blurbs are going to write themselves, even if you do manage to use the Force on your computer,” a voice said behind her.
Rae jumped. “Sorry, Gary,” she said, turning to face her editor. “They'll be done in an hour.”
“I don't doubt it,” the middle-aged man said, smiling kindly at Rae. “You're not known for slacking off. However if this Tonov story is stressing you out--”
“It's not,” she said quickly. “I can handle it.” The last thing she wanted was for it to be passed off to a more politically correct journalist. She’d been waiting months for a story like this. Valov had been right, Bangor Daily News was in financial trouble and with few options in the area for journalists, she didn’t relish the idea of getting fired.
Gary looked at her skeptically. “I believe you,” he said. “For now. Any slip in your other articles, though, and I'm pulling the Tonov story.”
“Understood,” she said, nodding. “These filler blurbs will be in your inbox in an hour.”
“I know they will be,” he said. “I'll check them at home. Have a good night, Rae.”
“You too, Gary,” she said as he walked away. She watched him leave before pulling up her internet browser and navigating to eBay.com. She had a thing for beauty products. Maybe that was an understatement – she had an addiction for them. Even though she had more than enough at home, she couldn't resist buying more. It also helped her relax, which was something she needed quite a bit.
As eBay loaded, she dialed her friend Chloe, who was probably out of work by now like the rest of the world. The only reason she was still at work at six in the evening was because she was waiting for Valov’s limo to arri
ve.
Chloe picked up on the first ring. “Hey, Rae,” she said. “What's up?”
“I got an interview with Valov tonight,” Rae said.
“No way,” Chloe said. “He's the hot one, right?”
Rae remembered Valov's smoldering brown eyes and smiled despite herself, heat running through her at the very thought of them. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “They're all very attractive,” she said. “They're triplets, remember?”
“Yes, but he's so driven and ambitious.” Chloe giggled. “It's like he's waiting for a woman to sweep him off his feet and pull him away from a life of crime. You can tell by his tortured eyes. And you can be that woman, Rae. You haven't had a date since Greg, which was, what, ten months ago? It's time to get out and get yourself some of that tortured ass.”
“Tortured, huh?” Rae smirked. “I think those airport novels are getting to your head, Chloe. If there is anything remarkable about his eyes, it's their lack of empathy and humanity.” But damn, his eyes are sexy, as is the rest of him. She shook her head and looked at her screen, opening up the categories and going straight to the beauty product section.
“What's wrong with trying to see the good in people?” Chloe asked. “Hell, if I was able to see the good in Nokomis students, then I can see the good in the Russian Mob leader.”
“Alleged leader,” Rae said. “And you know I never did see the good in our classmates.” Both of them had grown up in Nokomis, one of the whitest places in Maine, and north of civilization. As the only two mixed-race kids within a fifty-mile radius, Rae and Chloe were fast friends and together they managed to deal with the unintentional and intentional racism that seemed to plague the school, counting the seconds until they could get out of there.
“Rae, you had like ten friends. Granted, they were the better of the crop, but you found friends in Nokomis. And you know he won't be the alleged leader by the time you're done with him.”
“Of course not,” Rae said. “He's what makes it difficult for the rest of us. Jackasses like him only reinforce racism and prejudice because people can justify it. Is Rae in a gang? Of course she is, just look at Valov the mob boss. Ethnicity does mean everything.”
Chloe laughed. “You really need to let that gang rumor go, that was freshman year of high school!”
“You're not the one who got picked up by the cops when you went to get milk from the store.”
“All right, you need to chill out. Valov will have your ass if he suspects that you're going to slaughter him in the media. You looking at beauty products?”
“Of course I am,” Rae said. She clicked on a picture of a hair lotion set. “And just so you know, it's not really about race. He's a murderer and he's getting away with it. I want to make sure he doesn't.”
“I know. You're not that petty,” Chloe said. “But please be careful, okay, Rae? He's not the local stoner. You need to keep a clear head about this.”
“I know, okay?” Rae said. “You don't have to worry.”
“I always do,” she said. “See you soon, Rae.”
“Have a good evening.”
“Get some Russian ass for me,” she said.
Rae grinned and hung up before bidding on the lotion set. Then she went back and found a facial mask that had a retail price of fifty dollars. She grinned. There wasn't anything better than getting a good deal on a nice beauty product. Except maybe her purse that was big enough to hold everything.
After bidding on a few more products, Rae went to the Tonov Wikipedia page to remind herself why she was staying at the office for a limo. She scrolled down to read through the murders and the robberies that the triplets were connected to. Even though they had never been convicted of any crime, the Tonov triplets had been accused of fifteen murders, twenty-three assault cases, and hundreds of robberies, as well as other petty crimes.
They had always let their lackeys take the fall for the crimes, making sure their own hands were spotless. But they had given out the orders of every one of these crimes and Valov was the leader. Without him, his other brothers would fall apart. She took a deep breath and smiled at the picture of a grinning Valov. “I'm going to take you down.”
Chapter Three
It was pitch black by the time the limo came to pick her up. Rae shivered and pulled her leather jacket tighter around her as she slid into the empty back seat.
Even though she was going to the club in a limo, she had taken care when changing into clothes that were more comfortable so she wouldn't stand out. The last thing she wanted was for everyone there to know that she was a reporter, so she had changed into black jeans, strappy high heels, and a dark blue t-shirt that hugged her body like a glove and was covered in silver beading. It was still conservative and professional, but not exactly office dress. It was a good thing she had a couple of different outfits stored under her desk for all occasions.
The limo driver never talked to her, and aside from glancing up to identify her, he never looked at her. He was a middle-aged, unsmiling man who gave the impression that he had seen it all. She would love to sit down and have a conversation with him. As the Tonovs' personal driver, he probably knew enough to send all of the brothers to prison for life.
But she could already tell that even if she were able to interview him, he wouldn't tell her anything more than what he was allowed to tell her. His loyalty was apparent in the way he looked at her and his closed body language. She had taken a course in reading people's tells back in college and it had served her well over the years. And right now the driver's tells was saying to her that he wouldn't betray his boss on pain of death.
The limo slowed to a stop. “The Hyde is a block away,” the driver said gruffly. “The boss didn't want your arrival to be too... conspicuous.”
She nodded. Great, I have to walk. “Thank you,” she said, and got out into the rain.
The night had gotten colder, and she wished she had remembered her scarf and gloves. She stifled a yawn and checked her watch as she started moving to The Hyde. It was a block away. She was sure she would be able to find it easily, even though all of downtown Bangor looked alike.
Despite drinking as much coffee as she could before leaving, it was hard to stay alert, even with the cold air and rain. Rae was usually in bed by eight, thanks to her busy workdays.
The fact that she was up this close to midnight was practically unfathomable to her, and she walked in a daze around the corner to where The Hyde was... or was supposed to be. Her brow furrowed as she looked at the dark windows of a wedding boutique and turned around. Maybe The Hyde had been in the other direction, or she had missed it somehow when she had been walking.
Rae turned around and started to head back in the direction she had come. As she walked, she heard footsteps behind her and looked back to see a man following her, a sharp glint in his eye. She tried to walk faster, but he kept pace, and suddenly another man stepped out in front of her, grinning. “A little lost, dear?” he asked, his voice heavy with a thick Maine accent. “It's a bad night to be out and about alone.”
“I'm just meeting my boyfriend over there,” she said, pointing vaguely across the street. “Please excuse me.”
But the man behind her had caught up and grabbed her arm. “No rush, dear. You think you a'e too good fo' us, now?”
“Not at all, sir, I'm just really late,” she said, heart pounding in her chest. “Please let me go.”
“She came up in a limo, I saw her,” the other man said. “She can afford to spend a little time with the likes of us.”
“That right?” the other man said, looking her up and down. “Give us your wallet, then. You can afford to buy us some drinks.”
“I don't have any money,” she said, trying to pull her arm away. “Let me go you sick son of a--”
The hand came so fast that she didn't see it coming until it was too late. One of the men smacked her face so hard that the force whipped it to the side, and pain shot through her. Oh, hell no. Rae clawed her nails into
one of the attacker’s faces and landed a hefty blow to the groin of the other before they restrained her.
“Damn, she’s a fighter!”
They slammed her up against the side of a brick building, knocking the wind out of her. She tried to catch her breath as hands grabbed at her purse, trying to wrestle it off her shoulder as Rae barely managed to hold onto it.
Next thing she knew, the men were ripped away from her. Rae focused, then, and saw Valov, of all people, punching one of the men. She heard the sickening crack of bones breaking and the man crumpled to the ground, his face covered in blood. Valov glared at the other man. “Go. Away,” he growled, his voice menacing.
The other man turned and ran. Valov turned toward Rae, fury still in his face and despite herself; Rae shrank back against the wall and covered her sore cheek with her hand.
Warm, strong hands gripped her shoulders and Rae felt a thrill at their touch. “Are you okay?” Valov asked. His voice was still deep and slightly menacing but she didn't feel afraid of him. His hands were gentle as they stroked her shoulders and sent tingles of pleasure and heat down to her core. “Rae,” he said, sounding slightly worried. “Are you okay?”
“I'm fine,” she said, lowering her hands. Luckily her voice sounded more confident than she felt. “Thank you.” She looked at Valov's eyes and saw that he was just as affected as she felt. He dropped his hands and looked away, muttering something in Russian.
“Good,” he said. “I must apologize. I thought you would be safe where I had Tony drop you off. I was mistaken.”
She swallowed, not sure what to do with his apology. “I should have been more careful,” she said. “I've taken self-defense since I was nine. I should have been able to handle the situation myself.”
He looked at the ground, showing no sign that he had heard her. “Let's go,” he said. “The Hyde is just around the corner.”
