I should have expected this.
“Where are you going?” Nikolai demands, climbing out of bed in his boxers. His eyes are cold and calculated as he assesses me with suspicion, and I can feel my heart rate spike.
He saw Aleksei’s notes. That has to be it.
Looking over my shoulder, I narrow my eyes, rolling them at him. “I just have a few errands to run and I’ll be back.”
Nikolai glares at me as I offer him a warm smile before opening the door. The last thing I need is for him to be suspicious.
“Don’t go too far,” he warns as I silently slip out of the room and into the hall, running directly into Aleksei’s firm body.
Fuck.
Chapter Eleven
Aleksei
Rolling over, I feel along the other side of the bed expecting to find her, but only find a cold, empty space. Sitting up, I look to my side before surveying the room, looking for any sign of her. Other than the rumpled sheets, you would never know she was ever in here.
Lyra must have left not long after I fell asleep since her spot in the bed is so cold. I let my guard down and let her in, which is something I never do, something I never thought I was capable of doing. I fell asleep before she did, comforted by her presence and left her free to roam about my room without a second thought. Then again, I have nothing to hide, nothing that she has access to or would be of any value to her.
I think.
Fuck, my mind is a clouded mess because of her.
Shaking off thoughts of her and my doubts, I head into the bathroom to shower and wash away my feelings of unease. Today is far too important to be feeling unsettled.
I have a job to do and I can’t fuck this up.
There’s no room for error.
My phone chimes as I exit the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my waist.
Nikolai: Meet me at the bar in 30 minutes, we need to talk.
Fuck. This has to be about Lyra and last night.
Aleksei: What’s this about? It can’t wait until later?
Nikolai: It’s extremely important information and something you need to know immediately.
Scratching my head, I stare down at my phone trying to come up with any idea of what this might be about, but I come up with nothing. Nikolai is a cocky, arrogant asshole, but he wouldn’t request we meet over something trivial.
Aleksei: See you then.
Setting my phone back down, I quickly slip into a pair of boxers and black dress pants and throw on a white button up shirt. After securing each button and tucking my shirt in, I pull on my jacket and adjust my collar before tucking my gun into the waistband of my pants and head out of the room.
Slipping out of the door and into the hallway, I collide with a petite framed woman. Reaching out, I grab her arms as she falls with a flash of black hair, steadying her on her feet. I cock my head to the side as my eyes meet hers.
“Hey,” Lyra says breathlessly, brushing off her coat.
“Hey,” I reply, hesitantly. “Where are you going?”
She quickly glances around nervously before giving me a bright smile. “I just had some errands I needed to run.”
“Okay,” I say, watching her carefully, not fully trusting her. “You’re not supposed to be leaving here without Nikolai or myself.”
“I know,” she admits quietly, looking down at her feet. “It’s kind of embarrassing, but I need to get some feminine products.”
“Of course,” I admit, acknowledging her discomfort and quickly dismissing the topic. “Go handle what you need to but be careful and don’t be gone too long.”
She looks up at me shyly with a small smile forming on her lips. Taking me by surprise, she steps closer to me, wrapping her arms around my midsection and presses her face against my chest. Putting my arms around her shoulders, I hold her close against me and bury my nose in her ebony hair. “I have some things I need to take care of, but we need to talk about last night.”
“You’ll see me sooner than you think,” she murmurs, nodding against my shirt.
Pressing my lips against the top of her head, I release her, taking a step away. “Be careful and I’ll see you later tonight.”
“It’s a date,” she smiles before turning to walk toward the elevator. I let her go ahead of me, not wanting to arrive in the lobby with her. She steps on and turns around, blowing me a kiss before the doors slide shut.
I wait a few minutes before pressing the down button for the elevator. Checking my watch, I still have about fifteen minutes until I need to meet Nikolai at the bar but knowing him, he’ll be fashionably late per usual.
Taking the elevator down, I step out into the lobby and walk across to the hotel bar. The lights are dim even though it’s still early in the morning, but I can see his form sitting at the bar.
He’s never early unless it’s important.
Fuck.
I stride across the room and slip onto the bar stool next to him. He doesn’t look over at me as he slides a glass of clear liquid in my direction. Lifting his own glass to his lips, he takes a long sip from his own glass.
“Nikolai, it’s the middle of the morning,” I say, sliding the glass back toward him, but he holds out his hand, stopping me.
“Trust me,” he replies, pulling a cigarette out of the pack beside him. “You’re gonna need it.”
Letting out a deep sigh, I grab the drink, holding it with both hands as he lights his cigarette.
“Lyra isn’t who we think she is,” he exhales, the smoke lacing with his words. “Something is off about her and I don’t trust her at all.”
“Tell me exactly what it is that you’re talking about and what you mean by this,” I reply angrily at his cryptic speaking, deciding to take a long sip of the vodka after all.
Nikolai turns his head and looks at me. “I don’t think she’s here for either of us, at least not in the way she’s been leading us to believe.”
So, this isn’t about what has happened between her and I.
“I found her looking at pieces of paper this morning that was all in your handwriting. They were directions you had written down for our plans for today. Did you tell her or give them to her?” He probes with his intense stare boring holes into me.
“Of course not,” I scoff. “That is information I would not share with her, but there has to be a reason for why she has them. Perhaps Arnold asked her to keep close tabs on us, just in case.”
Nikolai laughs loudly. “Jesus, that pussy is turning you into a dumb-fuck.”
“Watch it,” I growl, cutting my eyes at him, gripping my glass tightly in my hand.
He raises his eyebrows before rolling his eyes. “I know you two are fucking, I’m not that stupid. You need to get your shit together though, Aleksei. What the fuck is going on here? What the fuck happened to you?”
“I’ll talk to her,” I concur, ignoring his questions, taking another sip of my drink. “Surely if something is going on, I’ll be able to tell from talking to her and if needed, I’ll press her.”
Nikolai lets out a low chuckle. “You’re as blind as a fucking bat when it comes to her. You’ve grown soft, at least toward her, so you really expect me to believe that you’ll interrogate her if necessary?”
“Yes,” I confirm without hesitation. “I am your brother and the last thing I will do is allow someone to come between us or fuck up a job as important as this one.”
He stares at me with his cold, hard eyes that are laced with doubt. A war rages inside him, a fight between whether he believes me or not and his ability to lay all of his trust with me.
“Call me when you’re leaving to go visit our father and I’ll meet you there,” he says in a hushed voice as he rises to his feet. He finishes off his drink, lightly setting the empty glass back on the bar before walking away, leaving me alone with my own thoughts as his words linger in the air, plaguing my mind.
He’s been wrong before.
What if he isn’t this time?
Chapter T
welve
Lyra
Wrapping my coat tightly around my body, I stride out of the hotel and into the parking garage, occasionally glancing over my shoulder. My heels click against the concrete as I hurry down the different rows of cars.
No one can notice you; look natural or you’ll fuck this all up.
When I finally reach the car that was left for Aleksei, I slide along the passenger side, looking around the garage and crouch down. Reaching into my coat pocket, I pull out a small magnet GPS sensor and slide it underneath the car until it’s in the proper place. Pushing the small button to turn it on, I quickly stand up, surveying the garage once more before hurrying outside into the cold.
After hailing a cab, I take the short trip to the rental car place a few blocks away and tip the driver generously as I hop out of the taxi. The process is mindless and goes seamlessly with my fake ID, and soon after, I’m given the keys to the small sedan I’ll have for the next few days. The salesman doesn’t question my intentions or anything that has to do with me renting the car. Just as long as I don’t fuck it up and bring it back when I’m supposed to, then everything’s good.
I leave with a friendly wave and ‘thank you’ before walking out to my new car parked out front. It’s exactly what I need. Something that blends in with the rest of the vehicles on the road, isn’t too flashy, and isn’t too big. It should work perfectly for me to be able to finish my work here.
Weaving in and out of traffic, I get back to the hotel as fast as I can, making sure I won’t miss Aleksei’s departure. Pulling over onto the side of the street, I park a little bit away from the hotel’s garage and grab my phone, checking the GPS app. The small red dot on the screen is slowly circling around the location of where Aleksei’s car was parked. Waiting a few moments, I finally see the car pulling out onto the street and catch a glimpse of Aleksei’s face.
Letting him pull out first, I hang back and let a few cars drive ahead of me, hopefully creating enough distance between us that he won’t notice I’m following him. Looking down at my phone, I watch the red dot continue to blink as it slowly moves down the street. As long as the GPS is working, I don’t need to stay too close to him.
Leaving the city, I follow him into the countryside and let him lead me to our final destination.
Chapter Thirteen
Aleksei
“Goddammit, Nik,” I grumble, shoving my phone back into my pocket as I walk briskly to the car. I know that Arnold’s reasoning for Nikolai being involved wasn’t out of the kindness of his black heart. It was to make sure I did what I was supposed to do and get the job done. It was all bullshit, though. There were no ties between my father that would stop me from carrying out one of Arnold’s orders.
I work for him, not my father.
After I met with Nikolai earlier this morning, he disappeared. I haven’t heard from him since then and he isn’t answering my phone calls. He was supposed to go along with me to do this, but I guess it will just be me now. He ought to know that this won’t go unnoticed, especially after the bullshit he tried to feed me earlier about Lyra.
His negligence for being here right now proves how little his word is worth.
His word has no worth, right?
Following the mapped-out directions, I drive not too far outside of the city and onto an old dirt road leading to a small house off on the side of the road. There are no cars, the windows are boarded shut, but a small sliver of light shines through one of the cracks.
Daddy’s home.
Pulling into the stone driveway, I put the car in park and kill the engine, staring at the small house in front of me. Letting out a deep sigh, I climb out of the car, carefully shutting the door behind me and make my way to the front door. He’s waiting for me as I approach.
“Aleksei,” Viktor greets me as he opens the door. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Hello, father,” I reply coolly, entering his home with my pistol in hand. He closes the door behind us and motions to the small living room as he walks inside. Following him, he takes a seat in a leather armchair situated in the middle of the room.
“Please, take a seat,” he states with his thick Russian accent as he gestures to the chair across from him.
Shaking my head, I walk across the room, standing not far from him. “That won’t be necessary. I won’t be staying long.”
“Very well then,” he submits as he folds his hands across his lap. “Arnold sent you, I presume?”
“He did,” I concur. The details are insignificant as to why I am here, but he already knows.
He was expecting this.
He was expecting me.
“How did you know Arnold would send me?” I question him out of sheer curiosity.
He smiles and chuckles lightly. “I’ve known him for enough years to know how he operates. Surely he would only send you as a true test of your loyalty when I took out someone valuable to his organization.”
I nod slowly, assessing his position of submission. “You know why I’m here then?”
“Aleksei, please,” he rolls his eyes. “I know what I’ve done wrong and the consequences that come with my actions.”
“Very well,” I concur, giving him a small smile. He knew even before he killed Rossi that this was how things would end. A sudden rush of cold air fills the room as the front door is shoved open. Looking toward the open door, a barely audible gasp escapes my lips as I stand face to face with our new visitor. The door closes softly, shutting out the cold and trapping the warm air inside.
“What are you doing here, Lyra?”
Chapter Fourteen
Lyra
“You mean Nikolai didn’t tell you that I was coming too?” I ask Aleksei with a confused expression. Of course, he never told him; I was never supposed to be here.
Aleksei’s brow furrows as he watches me in confusion. “Why would you be coming here with him?”
Fucking question after question.
“I’m supposed to make sure that you two get the job done. I waited for Nikolai, but he told me to go ahead and he would meet me over here,” I shrug, giving him a small smile.
Viktor looks up at me with careful eyes as a flash of recognition passes through his expression. I smile brighter at him as he slowly realizes who he’s looking at.
That’s right, motherfucker.
“Well, hello there,” I say to him, looking past Aleksei. “Surprised to see me here?”
Aleksei glances between the two of us, still visibly confused and his gaze stops on me. “You two know each other?” he demands as he looks back at his father.
His father quickly shakes his head. “I don’t know her,” his voice is gruff. “Not personally, at least.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Aleksei probes, stepping closer to him.
“Yeah, Viktor. Why don’t you go ahead and tell your son here what that means,” I press him, urging him to speak up. Either he tells him, or I do. I could care less.
“Rossi,” he says, hanging his head slightly. “This is Lyra, his daughter.”
Aleksei glares at him. “I was sent here to kill you because you killed HER father?”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” he mutters, running his hands through his hair. “As if this situation can’t get any more fucked up.”
They both start talking at once, arguing with one another with the occasional Russian word thrown in there. It’s hard to follow everything they’re saying, especially with Viktor’s thick accent. Standing there, watching the two of them go on as if I’m not there, I eventually block out every word they say as I reach into the deep pocket of my winter coat. I quickly pull my hand back out, bringing with it my small handgun and point it at Viktor without either of them paying any attention to me.
Pointing the pistol at his stomach, I pull the trigger once.
He grunts loudly and lets out a low groan as he folds in two. Aleksei’s eyes jump to me.
Now that I finally have his attention, we can actually
get started here.
Chapter Fifteen
Aleksei
“Don’t fucking move,” she screams pointing her gun at me. “I know you have a gun on you, put it on the ground.”
Nodding, I slowly reach behind my back. Grabbing the pistol, I crouch down, laying it on the floor. Extending my leg, I nudge it with my foot and push it farther away from me.
“Fucking idiot,” Lyra cackles. “It’s funny what a few words and a good fuck will do to a man’s head.” She drops her hands ever so slightly, pointing her pistol at my thigh and pulls the trigger. Letting out a loud groan, I feel the bullet lodge itself in my muscle, the fibers tearing around the cool metal. Grabbing my leg, I drop down to the ground, falling onto my opposite hip.
I move, trying to find some comfort, some relief as my leg throbs from where Lyra shot me. Slowly, she saunters toward me with a smile of satisfaction playing on her lips. She stops in front of me and squats down with her face in mine, resting her gun on her knee.
“Oh, my sweet Aleksei,” she coos, cocking her head to the side as I look up at her with blank eyes. “You really thought I was falling for you, didn’t you?”
She’s a fucking fraud.
Where the fuck is Nik?
“I didn’t expect things to be so easy with you, getting inside your head and all. I was expecting more of a challenge and definitely more reluctance from you, but you made it nice and easy. It all worked out perfectly and the timing was impeccable with coming to see your father,” she laughs lightly.
“And what are your plans, exactly?” I question through clenched teeth, slowly running my eyes over her.
Forbidden: A Romance Anthology Page 20
