The Exit Strategy Bundle

by Jocelynn Drake

  “Jesus fuck,” Justin panted. “The bed, G Love. The fucking bed.”

  “You’re not making any sense, darling,” Gabriel drawled.

  “I’m lying against the bed. Not in it. Against it, on the floor.”

  “I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t wait to have you.”

  To his secret delight, Justin made this odd growling-purring sound as he pressed his face into Gabriel’s neck. Whiskers tickled, but it was that perfectly pleased sound that reached deep inside of him while Justin tightened his arms around him. “Damn straight,” he murmured.

  Justin released him and carefully withdrew. He got to his feet with a groan, then patted Gabriel on the hip. “Why don’t you try out the bed? I’ll get a towel.”

  Gabriel climbed to his feet with some wincing and cursing of his own. His damn body wasn’t as young as it used to be. Maybe he did need a little time off after this adventure to recover.

  He had just finished pulling down the blankets when Justin returned with a towel that had been dampened on one corner. He cleaned off the cum before it could finish drying on his stomach, hands, and dick, and climbed into the bed.

  With the lights out and the world seeming to be far away, Gabriel relaxed against Justin who had curled his body around his like a damn anaconda. And then Justin groaned.

  “We forgot to eat dinner. You distracted me with sex, and I forgot that we needed to get food,” he grumbled. “You’re evil.”

  “I thought you had enough baklava to hold you through the night.”

  “Just two little pieces.”

  Gabriel snorted. Those hadn’t been little pieces, and Nadia had been happy to keep feeding him and filling his coffee. Likely because it meant that they stayed there talking to Alexei.

  And now they were both back in his brain. The anger didn’t come rising up like before. Just worry. Confusion.

  “Was what we saw today real?” Gabriel asked quietly. “We’re all good at acting and pretending to be something we’re not. Was it real?”

  Justin brushed his mouth across Gabriel’s shoulder, kissing his smooth, tattooed skin. “Could she have been lying? I guess it’s a possibility. I don’t know her like you do. But Alexei? No, I don’t think he was lying. We spent close to two hours talking to that kid. Well…he did most of the talking. But an eleven-year-old kid perfectly working a line that well for that long? I don’t buy it. He’s the real deal.”

  “I don’t trust her. But it’s also clear that I don’t know her. Not anymore. She…was pure evil when we were growing up. I didn’t see her often because we were usually away at boarding school, but when we were home, she made my life hell. She hated any time that Father praised me, no matter what it was. She would destroy things of mine or mess up my room just before inspections. And then when that wasn’t enough, she’d frame me for things. Make up crazy stories so I would be punished. Leaving home for the military was the happiest day of my life because it meant that I wouldn’t have to see her again for a long time.”

  “It seems like she’s matured as she’s gotten older. Alexei has helped her learn to put someone else’s wants and needs before her own.”

  Gabriel took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “She’s not the same person I knew. That person is dead and gone. I guess I can thank Alexei for that.”

  “But it doesn’t make you feel better, does it?”

  “No.”

  “You still want to choke her with your bare hands. Get revenge for the pain you suffered because of her.”

  “Yes. And it makes me a bad person. I wonder how it is that you’re even still here with me. I’m on a murderous rampage of my own family, and you’re still here with me.”

  Justin’s wonderful arms tightened around Gabriel and he closed his eyes against the burn of unshed tears. In that moment, he hated himself almost as much as he hated the sister he once knew.

  “The people you’re hunting have hurt you and tortured you,” Justin whispered in his ear. “They saw to the torture and death of someone you loved. These are the same people that are going to continue to hunt you, hunt us, because of what you know and who you are. The quick death you’re delivering to protect us is too damn good for them. I’d love to string them all up in a dungeon and slowly work them over for several months, but we just don’t have time for that. We’ve got a life to start and a dog to adopt.”

  Gabriel swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat. “Just one dog?” he asked in a rough voice.

  “Gotta start slow. Get you trained first. Then we can add more.”

  Closing his eyes, Gabriel let the silence settle around them and ease the anxiety that had tried to dig its claws into him. “I’ve got to let this go with her, don’t I?”

  “I’m afraid so. We can be happy that the woman who wanted you dead is now gone. She’s not tormenting anyone any longer.”

  “I’m not sure I can trust her.”

  “That’s understandable. But keep in mind that she’s in a precarious position as well with Alexei. It sounds like she would benefit just as much from Nicolai’s death as we would. Considering that she’s kept in contact with him far longer than you have, she might have some very useful intel that we could use. Something that could keep us alive.”

  “True. We’ll talk to her again tomorrow.”

  Gabriel was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. He’d talk to her. See what information she could provide. But he knew that if she did anything that put Justin’s life in danger, he didn’t care if she had changed. He’d kill her.

  Chapter 14

  When they returned to Nadia’s rental house on the other side of the island the next morning, Gabriel found himself faced with the same nagging nerves. The protective part of his brain was still screaming that she was the old Nadia, and it was all a trick to kill him and Justin. But the voice quieted when Alexei was shoving aside the bodyguard who answered the door with a flash of bossiness that reminded him of a young Nadia.

  The boy flashed them a huge smile as he waved them into the house. The colorful clothes and makeup were back in place, and Gabriel was sure they were going to get even more of his true personality today.

  “Where’s Nadia?” Gabriel asked while Justin shut the door behind them.

  “She had to take a shower.” He giggled. “We were trying to bake a cake, and the mixer got away from us. Splashed all down the front of Mom.”

  Justin chuckled behind him, but Gabriel’s eyes were locked on the bodyguard who was standing in the living room with them. The second just passed by the door that led to a back patio off the living room.

  “It’s okay. They won’t tell. They don’t like Grandfather either,” Alexei said, stepping into Gabriel’s line of sight so that his slim body was between the bodyguard and Gabriel. There was worry in his eyes as if he was afraid that he and Justin would turn around and leave again. “Do you want some coffee or water? Hot tea?”

  “No, thank you,” Justin said. He stepped up behind Gabriel and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We just came from breakfast.”

  Alexei seemed to relax a little and flopped down in one of the chairs, leaving Gabriel and Justin to sit on the sofa. Gabriel nearly smiled when Justin seemed to sit a little closer than he normally would, but there was self-confidence around Justin that Alexei needed to see.

  “You said that you’re boyfriends. How long have you been dating?” Alexei asked, sitting on the edge of his seat. He looked like he was barely perched on the cushion but poised to take flight with the amount of energy buzzing through his slender frame.

  “I don’t know,” Justin started. He scratched his chin, looking over at Gabriel. “About six, seven months.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Not that we’ve seen much of each other,” Justin said, throwing out one little dig. He’d earned it.

  “That’s nearly over.”

  “True. When you move in with me, we’ll see each other all the time.”

  Gabriel cou
ldn’t help the smile that grew on his lips. He’d known the plan was for him to move to the United States, preferably Justin’s Cincinnati, so that they could try dating like normal people. He figured living together with the dogs and the cats would happen eventually. But there was something in Justin’s tone that seemed to imply that it was happening sooner rather than later.

  And Gabriel had to admit—the thought made him incredibly happy. Sure, it was stupidly fast and they’d probably drive each other insane. But they’d lived together for two weeks on their first job together and didn’t kill each other. Plus, Gabriel wanted to go to bed each night with his limbs twined with Justin’s. He looked forward to arguing over cooking duties and who was going to feed the dog.

  “Are you going to get married?” Alexei asked, ripping Gabriel from his wandering thoughts.

  Gabriel looked over his shoulder at Justin, who seemed to be rendered speechless and maybe a little panicked.

  “I think it’s a little early to start talking about that. Justin and I are still getting to know each other,” Gabriel carefully hedged. Marriage had never once entered his thoughts as a possibility for his life. But everything in his life was rearranging itself. Marriage was now a very real possibility. Did he want that? Did Justin? He didn’t have an answer to those questions, and now wasn’t the time to figure it out.

  “But that’s something you can do in America. That’s where you’re living, right? You can get married there.”

  Justin shifted on the sofa so that he was sitting closer to the edge of his cushion and placed a hand on Gabriel’s knee. “Yes. We could get married if we wanted. It’s not something we’ve discussed. But I have been to a couple of weddings for friends who are gay couples. They were pretty amazing.”

  Alexei released a dreamy sigh and sank back into the chair, draping his long limbs over both arms. “That sounds so cool. I wish we could move to America.”

  “Do you think you and Nadia are going to try?” Gabriel asked cautiously.

  Alexei remained perfectly still for a moment before sighing, a soft forlorn sound. “We want to. For me. She thinks it would be easier for me there. But we can’t. Because of Grandfather.” He suddenly sat up and narrowed his eyes on Gabriel. “If she asks you to take me, you can’t agree to it. I’m not leaving her. She needs me too.”

  Gabriel frowned. The effervescent child was gone in a heartbeat, and he was staring into the dark eyes of someone who knew exactly what kind of danger he was in. He understood at least on some level the kind of deadly game the Krestyanov family liked to play. There was a deep current of strength to him that was too easy to overlook with his soft voice and playful words. No, Alexei was not to be underestimated. And right now, his one and only goal was to protect his mother.

  “She hasn’t mentioned such a thing to us. But if she did, I know she’d only ask in hopes of protecting you,” Gabriel said.

  “Yes, but who is going to protect her?”

  The obvious answer was the bodyguards that prowled the vacation home and likely their home in Russia, but Gabriel knew it wasn’t the same.

  Before Gabriel could answer, the sound of heeled shoes clicking down the tile stairs had Alexei wiping the serious expression from his face. He looked over and smiled broadly at his mother. She was dressed in jeans and a white blouse. Her long dark hair was loose and looked a little damp from the shower.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, blinking in surprise at Justin and Gabriel. “Have you been waiting long?”

  “Not long,” Gabriel murmured.

  “We were just talking dating and marriage with Alexei,” Justin said.

  “Justin said that he’s been to weddings for gay couples,” Alexei gushed. “Wouldn’t that be so cool to see?”

  “Yes, it would,” she said, smiling at her son. “Now, I’m sure that your uncle came to discuss some important matters with me. Why don’t you and Oleg take a walk out in the sunshine?” She tilted her head toward the bodyguard still lingering in the background. “You need to get some exercise and not spend your day watching videos.”

  Alexei narrowed his gaze on Gabriel. “You won’t leave before I get back, right?”

  “How about we all grab lunch at one of the cafes in town? If it’s all right with your mother,” Justin suggested.

  Alexei pounced on Nadia with wide, pleading eyes.

  “Yes. Yes. Just go and walk. Give me at least twenty minutes alone with your uncle,” she said in a rush, waving her hands as if to fend off his pleading looks.

  With a crow of happiness, Alexei grabbed Oleg and was out the door.

  All the joy and lightness went with him. Nadia crossed her arms over her chest and slowly sank into the chair her son had just vacated moments earlier. The loss of her smile seemed to put the years back on her face. The stress and worry of the past few years had not been kind to her, adding lines to her handsome features. But there was something still very regal and authoritative to her bearing.

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, and we both truly appreciate it.”

  “There is a good chance this will be the last time we see each other,” Gabriel said.

  “You mean to go after him, then. Kill Nicolai,” she whispered. Her dark eyes were wide with worry and fear.

  “Would you have a problem with that?”

  “Years ago, maybe. But now? With Alexei? No, of course not.” She dropped her hands into her lap, tightening them into shaking fists. “If Nicolai knew the full extent of how far his grandson was from his ideal of what a true man was supposed to be, he’d order Alexei killed. I won’t allow it. That boy is absolutely perfect and sweet just the way he is.”

  “We think so too,” Justin said. The hand he’d left on Gabriel’s knee squeezed, and Gabriel felt a little shaft of warmth wrap around his heart.

  “I only wish that I could at least be there when you pull the trigger,” Nadia grumbled.

  Nicolai’s death was quickly becoming about more than just protecting their own asses. Gabriel wanted to make sure that Alexei remained safe as well.

  “I have my own bone to pick with our father,” Gabriel said, his voice nearly a growl. “Starting with the murder of Ivan Teslenko and the continued string of assassins that he’s put on my trail over the past several years. Most recently, Dimitri came after me when I was in London this past autumn.”

  Nadia didn’t seem surprised as she nodded. “I saw him at Christmas, and he was upset.”

  “About Dimitri’s death?”

  Nadia flashed him a look that said he should know better. “Dimitri’s failure. He didn’t mention why Dimitri had been tasked to London, but I had a guess. Lately, he’s become convinced he has the key to dethroning Putin and putting himself in his place. But Putin is all about his image. That kind of thinking matches our father’s.”

  “So…he thinks that to clean up his image, he has to get rid of a dead son?” Justin asked.

  “His gay son who could suddenly pop up and make life very uncomfortable for him,” Gabriel corrected with a wide smile. “It’s almost tempting to leave him alive so I could do just that. Let him squirm.” He paused and looked over at Justin, who also had a wicked smile on his face. God, this man was going to be the worst enabler for his baser impulses. “But I don’t want to risk your life just to make my father suffer.”

  “And what about Alexei? He’s eleven now, but in a few years, he’s going to want to be more visible and do things like date and fall in love. He can’t go on pretending and hiding from his grandfather. It’s not fair to him. Escaping to the United States or some other country isn’t going to be enough. People will know he’s a Krestyanov. Nicolai will send assassins. He’s not like you, Vik-Gabriel.”

  Gabriel shifted, sitting forward on the sofa. He folded his hands together and narrowed his eyes on his sister. “Since I’m now doing this as much for your son as I am for myself, what can you do to help me? I heard that he’s upgraded his home security system.”

  To her credit, Nad
ia didn’t flinch. She nodded as if she’d expected the question from him. “I have notes.” She rose and walked to the kitchen. From one of the drawers, she pulled out a small, leather-bound book that looked like a journal. When she returned to the living room, she handed it over to Gabriel before sitting in the chair again.

  Gabriel flipped the book open and his mouth dropped. Pages and pages of tightly written notes and diagrams. There was Nicolai’s average daily schedule based on the month, names of security guards that he favored and where they were likely to be stationed. Notes on his favorite restaurants and meals.

  He looked up at his sister as he handed the book over to a shocked Justin. “When?”

  “I had a rather violent disagreement with Nicolai about a year ago,” she paused and looked down at her hands. “My final wake-up call that he would never change. I started making notes, writing down everything I knew about him. I figured I should have a plan if there ever came a time I would have no choice but to act.” She gazed up at him, and a weak smile crossed her lips. “I never thought I’d be handing it over to you. Always guessed that you’d kill me first.”

  “You have Justin to thank for that,” Gabriel muttered, looking down at the journal.

  “Thank you. Truly.”

  Justin looked up at her and grinned. He waved the journal a little. “With this, I’d say we are about square.”

  “There’s a lot here. It’ll take some time to go through, work out our options,” Gabriel said. His mind was a whirl with potential plans and scenarios. He had more information at his fingertips than he could have dreamed of.

  “I think your best option is still the country house,” Nadia said. “Security is too tight at work. He keeps an apartment in the city. His mistress lived there for a bit. He still stays at the apartment every Wednesday and Friday night before either returning home or to the office the next morning.”