Spying on the Billionaire

by Ginny Sterling

  “Use another computer and I will get I.T. on this- if someone’s playing a joke, I’ll take care of it- but if it’s Petrov? We have a different situation all together.”

  “I haven’t heard from him since I left Russia.”

  “Against your will,” Dima reminded her.

  “Very much so,” she confirmed stubbornly. “And I might add that it was low of you to have my passport revoked.”

  “I didn’t – Petrov requested it when he contacted me.”

  “He what? You never said that before?”

  “There’s lots of things I don’t share with my staff, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

  “How did he contact you? Can I read it?”

  “Email and no.” Dima waved over the I.T. tech as he walked in the offices and instructed him to wear gloves working on it. “If it’s an inside prank, I want prints on the keyboard but right now I have a bigger suspicion we were hacked again by Galina’s boyfriend.”

  Galina took a seat at Carol’s computer and wished she had a can of Lysol. The woman had called in with the flu a few days ago and it bothered Galina to touch anything in the cubicle. Logging in, she saw the screen unlock as she thought about what Dima had revealed.

  He suspected they were hacked by Nik, which meant she could leave him a note potentially and he might see it? How often could he get in the computers and where was he?

  She wondered if he missed her as much as she missed him. She only now stopped crying herself to sleep every night as she thought of him there on his knees, his face covered by his hands in regret. That image would haunt her forever as she knew she’d do anything for him.

  Her cell phone rang and she immediately clicked the side button to stop her ringtone, Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker played loudly causing several curious looks and a few glares. They all knew of her failure to apprehend the needed information and then falling in love with the hacker she’d been ordered to investigate.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes, is this Miss Galina Dombrosky?”

  “Look, if you are selling something- I’m at work and seriously not interested,” she said exasperated into the receiver, getting ready to hang up when she was interrupted.

  “Miss Dombrosky, we are calling from the bank- there is an issue with your account.”

  “I can’t be overdrawn,” she whispered, mortified, and turned away from the others watching her. “Seriously, I just got paid yesterday and it’s supposed to draw from my savings account if it gets low. You people actually call about this?”

  “Miss Dombrosky, you misunderstand. We need you to open another account as soon as possible. Could you come by today?”

  “What? Why?”

  “You are only insured under FDIC up to $250,000 dollars.”

  “Well there is absolutely no problem then,” Galina snorted. “Lady, you called the wrong woman. Give it two days- I’ll be flat broke once my bills clear.”

  “Miss Dombrosky,” the woman’s voice on the phone took a firm note as the volume dropped. “Are you not aware of the influx of deposits into your account as of late? Your balance is over three billion dollars. We need you to come in immediately.”

  “THREE BILLI- ARE YOU SMOKING SOMETHING?” Galina yelped into the phone and quickly calmed her voice as her heart raced. Nik! “Miss… ma’am? I assure you that…” Galina’s voice abruptly faded away as the I.T. guy in front of her gave a frown to Dima, making him turn and look at Galina strangely.

  “I will be down on my lunch,” Galina said softly into the phone and hung up distractedly over the woman talking. She set the phone down like it was threatening. Galina stared at Adrian and then looked back at her phone and the other computer.

  “It was him, wasn’t it?” she whispered hopefully.

  “It was. They’ve narrowed it down to somewhere in Siberia from an untraceable computer line. They lost the path, only the last point of internet access. Who was that?” Adrian asked softly, pulling up a chair next to where Galina sat.

  “That was the bank,” she admitted softly. “Nik transferred all his money to my account.”

  “Do you think he is dead?”

  “What? No…NO, he can’t be,” Galina said horrified, and felt the room spin around her as she felt faint. “How can you even say such a thing?”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He’s probably holed away somewhere by the government and trying to keep it all away from them, just like Soyuz,” she told him adamantly. “He wouldn’t give it to them. Nik should be here, he should be helping us.”

  “How?”

  “He could work with us, not against us. If our security is that lax, maybe we should put him in I.T. immediately or see what he could do to enable us to do more. He’s brilliant and capable of so much,” Galina told Adrian, still distracted by the thought of what Nik had done. “He told me that he would do everything he could to make sure I was safe and taken care of- that is why he gave himself up,” she told Adrian.

  “He put his money in my account so he could take care of me, not because he is…” her words died off as she refused to utter them. Nik was incarcerated somewhere, waiting, and she wouldn’t sit by any longer.

  “We have to help Nik,” Galina said strongly. “We have to get him here.”

  16

  Galina was glad she wasn’t alone on this trip to St. Petersburg. Adrian Dima had accompanied her and she considered him more of a mentor and friend now that they were working together for one end goal: bringing Nik to the United States. Their arrival was under completely different circumstances than her first trip there and the greeting was less than friendly. As they touched down at the airport, once they’d disembarked-they were shuttled immediately to the U.S. Consulate to discuss their complaint.

  They were vehemently claiming that Nik was a citizen and demanding his release. Things got very tense for quite a while as the words ‘hostage situation’ came flying out of Dima’s mouth repeatedly. The impact of threatening a world giant did not go unheeded by either of them, but they were on a mission and would not be leaving Nik behind. Galina already had it set in her mind that if this failed, she wasn’t returning home.

  It had taken so long to get the legal documents, passports and papers he would need to enter the country- resulting in many sleepless nights for Galina. She often stayed late at the office waiting and staring at her terminal in hopes of catching him hacking into the system.

  Each night, before she left, Galina would write a letter to Nik and leave it open on her monitor. She’d tape a piece of paper to the front of her screen to make sure the cleaning crew didn’t turn it off. She would tell him of her day, things that were on her mind, and she would finish each letter with ‘I will see you soon’ – so he had some inkling or hope that she was coming to him. She wanted to tell Nik what the plan was but couldn’t take a chance in revealing what they were doing.

  Today was finally the day she would see her beloved Nik. They’d been in St. Petersburg for weeks, arguing back and forth, before negotiating finally to have Nik released. She wasn’t sure what was on the thumb-drive Dima tempted them with, but at this point-Galina didn’t care. She wanted to wrap her arms around Nik and see his smile. She took her time getting ready this morning, making sure her makeup was perfect, and thought of that day in the park so long ago when she’d done the exact thing in order to attract him.

  Hearing a knock at the hotel room door, Galina jumped nervously and peered out of the peephole. Seeing Adrian, she opened the door and joined him for the brief car ride to the consulate. She would be seeing her Nik soon, her heart beat out rhythmically as she clenched her hands nervously.

  This was the right thing, she knew it deep in her heart – but she was filled with doubt. What if she had imagined the depth of how she felt? What if he didn’t feel the same way or didn’t want to come with them to the United States? She’d already been through this gauntlet once before and wasn’t ready to do it again- y
et failure wasn’t an option. She was fighting for her very happiness, her future- her hopes and dreams.

  As they walked in, she saw the large office was very nearly empty even though it was ornately decorated. A large American flag hung over the fireplace, as well as several historical tomes of books lining a single book shelf. It was as if they were trying to decorate it but weren’t quite sure what to fill the room with. Not one painting hung on the walls that were decorated with ornate wallpaper. The only thing that stood out in the room was the massive cherry conference table that had papers laid out neatly in preparation.

  Hearing a door open from nearby, Galina felt her heart skip a beat as she met Nik’s vivid blue eyes and saw the surprise on his face. He was handcuffed and had lost weight. His skin was pale but he looked reasonably healthy- nothing that some sun and a few home-cooked meals couldn’t fix.

  “Nik,” Galina said softly, stepping forward and seeing the confusion on his face. He glanced at the officer beside him and didn’t move. This spurred her into action, afraid that maybe he’d been hurt and she couldn’t see the marks. “Nik, are you ready to come home? Officer, could you please remove those and give us a moment of privacy?”

  “No, you can speak here. We don’t leave until the papers are signed,” he said obstinately, crossing his arms and remaining beside Nik in a threatening manner. That just irked Galina and she wanted to kick the man in the shin. Instead, she stepped to the side and took Nik’s hand to have him move with her. The feel of his skin meeting hers set her soul on fire and as she met his eyes once again- she knew it was the same.

  “Nikky,” she breathed his name almost as an endearment, staring up at him. “They know you’re American, it’s okay to tell them now. I brought your passport and proof of your citizenship from where you took the test. This is all just a huge mistake.”

  Nik’s face was impassive as he watched her and looked back to the officer. For a moment, Galina felt real fear as she was terrified that he would stay there in Russia. He’d been so proud of his heritage and she was asking him to renounce that for a chance at freedom and a future together. He looked back at Galina and softly said they words she’d been craving- his acceptance of their ruse.

  “Thank you, I’m glad they understand the error,” his voice acknowledged aloud, but his eyes were filled with questions.

  “Yes, and we’ve got everything for you so there won’t be any problems ever again. I am so sorry it took so long,” she whispered, feeling her eyes burn with unshed tears. Adrian took over almost immediately and whisked Nik over to the table after shaking his hand. Galina saw him hesitate as he signed the paperwork.

  The officer who had escorted him in, abruptly turned and left the room. Only Nik, Galina, Adrian and the attorney remained.

  No one said a word as the papers were put in order, signatures were checked, and finally everything was paper-clipped together. Adrian handed Nik his new passport and documents with a determined look.

  “Not now,” Adrian mouthed silently and Nik gave a slight nod. Galina bid the attorney farewell as they headed out of the door; she half expected to have the military or police waiting for them…instead there was a single vehicle. Adrian took the driver’s seat as Galina and Nik slid into the back seat. Once the doors were shut, the relief was palpable as the car started down the road.

  “I’ve got your mother, she’s safe and coming with us,” Galina began but was immediately interrupted as Nik launched himself at her with a desperate kiss. His lips crushed against hers, his hands cupping her face tenderly, and she burst out crying. She’d been wanting to see him for months on end and now he was here! She couldn’t get enough of Nik’s kiss, running her fingers through his hair and savoring the soft, firm lips she’d missed so much. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers, his breath ragged.

  “You need to buckle up, sweetheart,” Nik said gently with a tender smile.

  “You aren’t mad at me?” she breathed.

  “Why would I be? You got me out of prison, got the charges dropped and I am free to be with the woman I love.”

  “But your citizenship?”

  “I can still visit if we go on vacation,” he hedged. “Right?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Can we go by my apartment? I have a few things that I need to get,” Nik explained.

  “Actually, I tried,” Galina said sadly. “Adrian and I went by there while we were waiting for everything to settle down, wanting to get it all in order for a fast departure if needed. Dmitri was long gone and it was empty. Your apartment had been ransacked and what little was there, I boxed up and took with me. It’s been shipped to my home.”

  “They tried to take everything from me,” Nik said softly, resting his head back on the car seat and staring blankly ahead. “They were trying to break me mentally – telling me that you’d married, claiming you were here with your husband and so on. It’s been a hard few weeks of lies and mental games. I’m so ready to put it all behind me,” he admitted, lacing his fingers with hers. “With you.”

  Epilogue

  Puerto Vallarta

  Mexico

  6 months later

  “Mrs. Petrov are you ready for another round of sunblock? I don’t want all that beautiful creamy skin to burn on our honeymoon,” Nik said with a lecherous smile as he walked out onto the large patio of the penthouse they were renting for the month. He had always wanted to travel and it seemed they were going to do so as much as possible, deciding to elope so they could be alone together and make up for lost time.

  “I am pretty sure you put that on me not ten minutes ago,” Galina retorted, laughing as Nik wagged his eyebrows at her on the ledge of the infinity pool that gazed out on the Pacific Ocean. He must have been teasing, because instead of the sunblock- he had brought out two large margaritas.

  Being in the sun agreed with Nik; the pallor and the thin look were gone from his time in captivity, replaced with golden tanned skin that accentuated the lines of his chest and muscled arms. For a computer guru, the man was extremely toned and looked darn good in his swimming suit.

  “Do you ever miss St Petersburg?” she’d asked one evening as they strolled the Malecon, visiting the shops and stopping for birria from a street vendor as they strolled down Calle Olas Atlas towards the pier that had been illuminated for the evening. The smell of spices in the air, the music from performers on the beach, and the warm apricot rays of the dying sun made this place feel like paradise to them.

  Nik had bought her a massive opal ring from a store on the Malecon and the bright fiery hues of her ring very nearly matched the sunset. He’d spoiled her rotten since they’d said their vows, once at the justice of the peace in Maryland and then to each other again in the beautiful ornate church in town, Templo de Guadalupe.

  They’d done several excursions and boat tours simply because she’d shown interest, Nik giving in to her every whim and asking for nothing in return but her smile. That had been so easy, she loved Nik more and more every day.

  “I don’t miss worrying about getting mugged, harassed, followed, or arrested- if that is what you mean?”

  “I meant, do you miss home?” she asked softly, knowing it had to be eating at him somewhere deep down inside. “So much is different now. You are an American now, married, speaking English constantly and working for the government – all things you never imagined before now. I remember a gorgeous Russian man who kept encouraging me to celebrate my heritage.”

  “Sweetheart,” Nik said tenderly, lifting her hand to his mouth and kissing her knuckles. “My heritage doesn’t disappear the moment I sign paperwork. It’s with me every moment and something I want to pass on to our children. I want to do like your parents, speak Russian at home and teach them of our country…” he stopped for a moment and slid her a soft smile that made her heart flutter.

  “But home? My home is where ever you are at sweet wife. Whether we are on vacation, traveling with our families, or on a honeymoon in
paradise –I love you more than life itself and if you are with me, Galina? You are my home.”

  Afterword

  Thank you for taking the time to read Spying on the Billionaire. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Doesn’t have to be much, just a simple rating and a few kind words work wonders. Your thoughts, opinions and feedback are much appreciated.

  Sincerely,

  Ginny

  About the Author

  Ginny Sterling is an avid romance writer. She lives to tell sweet, inspirational, tender tales that tug at the heart-strings. She enjoys reading and creating stories that leave the reader smiling, laughing or crying. She favors writing western or contemporary books - several of which are included in The Lawkeepers Series. Ginny is a co-creator of A Match Made in Heaven Romance Series with Jenna Brandt and Marie Higgins. She is also proud to announce that she will be participating in the Silver Pines Series in 2019.

  Growing up, Ginny traveled extensively visiting family, seeing the sights, and learning that everything in life worth having revolves around love, faith and home. Having lived in several different parts of the United States, she and her family have settled in Kentucky. When not at work, she spends all of her free time writing, quilting, or shopping for coffee mugs to add to her collection.

  Writing under an alternate pen name, Gina Cole- She dabbles in a fantasy world that whisks you away from the daily doldrums of reality with steamy contemporary and time travel romances. Her Bride series throws fate to the wind, bringing together two hearts...whereas her Timeless Brides series is more like a crash course in life, somewhere in the past, with a Hunka-hunka burning love.

  Each book written is sure to be an adventure designed to bring laughter and love to your heart!