“I mean that both you and I feel something for each other. Something we weren’t prepared for. This was all supposed to be about sex, but it’s more serious than that.”
“I understand why you’ve been avoiding me these days. It’s because you’re afraid of your feelings, right?”
I stopped, and she stopped as well, turning to face me. I took her hands into mine; frowning when I felt how cold they were despite the extremely warm day.
“You don’t have to be afraid or ashamed of what you feel, Saylor. It’s understandable that you feel overwhelmed, but we can work it out together. I feel the same about you. I like you so much, and I’ll do my best to work things out between us—”
Suddenly, she threw herself into my arms, sobbing. “Saylor?” I wrapped my arms around her, hurt by her pain. I hated seeing her like this. “Saylor, baby. What’s wrong?”
“I can’t do it,” she muttered, shaking her head against my chest. “I can’t do it, but what can I do about Kaelyn?”
“Do what, baby?” I asked, cupping her face. She winced, as if the contact of my fingers on her skin brought her pain, and I narrowed my eyes at the spot on her cheek.
I wiped off the makeup from that spot to see a red mark beneath. Instantly, I was livid, fisting my hands in a sudden need to beat someone to a pulp.
“What is this? Did Seth do it? Did that bastard hit you?”
“No, no, no. It’s not Seth. Seth and I aren’t even in contact. It’s…” She took a deep breath, turning away from me.
I stepped closer to her and placed my hands on her shoulders. “Please, tell me who did this.”
She was trembling and I planted a kiss on her forehead, letting her know I was going to support her through everything.
“A few days ago, someone claiming he was an FBI agent approached me in the elevator at work. Edvard Snell. That’s his name. He told me he was after you, and that they needed my help to bring you to justice.”
What the fuck?
“What? Why?”
She spun around facing me with tears sliding down her cheeks. “He said you’re a part of the bratva. He showed me various photos that are supposedly a proof of your crimes. I refused to help him and ran away from him, but then I started doubting you, which was why I have actually been avoiding you the past few days.”
I couldn’t believe this. I was speechless, trying to figure out what the hell was going on here. I wasn’t a part of the goddamn bratva! This was something I’d been fighting to avoid my whole life when my brother and I went to live with my uncle after my mother’s death, so why would someone fabricate this lie?
“That’s not all. My sister and I have been followed by two men, and I think they are connected to Edvard. He told me those guys were your men, who you hired to follow me and my sister and take photos of us.”
“The fuck?! I never did such a thing!” This was getting more and more fucked up. “I never had my people follow you or your sister. I would never do something like that to you.”
She bit into her lip and wiped away her tears. “Edvard said you were doing that because you want to make sure I would stay with you.”
“That guy is a damn liar! There is no way I would go to such lengths to keep someone by my side. I’m not a monster.”
“Yeah. I know that now, because this morning I finally realized he isn’t who he’s pretending to be. I realized he and his ‘colleague’ are not actually FBI agents.”
Fear gripped me, and I had to fight hard to maintain control over myself.
“What happened this morning?”
“He broke into my apartment and once more, he tried to convince me to help them. He claimed people were in danger, and if I didn’t help… I felt horrible. I was torn because I didn’t want to go against you, but then I didn’t want those people to suffer.”
I took her hand and tipped her chin up so that she would look at me. “It’s okay, Saylor. I understand, but what happened then?”
“Then he started making lewd comments about my breasts and touched me, and I tried to defend myself, but he hit me and…”
I was seeing red. I was completely furious, wanting to kill that man for doing this to Saylor. To think that she went through all of that, and I didn’t even know…
I grabbed her shoulders. “Where is that man? Tell me because I swear to God, I’m going to kill that bastard.”
“Wait, Stone,” she said and placed her hands over mine. “I’m not finished. After I figured out he was stringing me along all this time, I refused to help him capture you, but then he threatened my family. He threatened that he was going to kill Kaelyn and my niece, Amelia, if I don’t obey him.” She closed her eyes, new tears spilling out.
“What did he make you do, Saylor?” I leveled my face with hers. She looked so fragile. “Please tell me.”
“He put a wire on me and told me to call you and tell you to come alone. They are listening to this conversation. They want to lure you out—”
Fuck! This meant they heard everything she told me just now and were on the move. “Fuck! Why didn’t you tell me that right away? Shit.” I looked around us, but I didn’t spot anything or anyone suspicious.
“We’ve been standing here long enough. Your sister is in danger, so we need to make sure she and your niece are safe first.”
With no second thoughts, I immediately pulled out my phone to call the person I hadn’t talked with in quite a long time.
Alexei Testova. My brother.
Unlike me, Alexei was young enough when we ended things with our uncle and the bratva pakhan, Senya Ruskov, to be impressed with the bratva lifestyle. He started petty crimes at fourteen and was running bratva’s guns by nineteen. He was slated to take over for our uncle when Senya died, which was one of the major reasons why I distanced myself from him.
But after hearing Saylor’s story, all pieces of the puzzle came to their place. Edvard wasn’t after me. He lied to Saylor to manipulate her into helping him. He was actually after Alexei. They wanted to catch him through me, and they approached Saylor because she was the closest to me. I didn’t even want to think about these assholes following her and taking photos of her. I wanted to kill all of them.
“Hello, brother,” Alexei answered the call, his cold voice a testimony of his ruthlessness. “I have to say I’m surprised you’re calling me out of the blue.”
“Look, Alexei, I don’t have time for chit-chat. I need your help.”
I explained the whole mess to him as quickly as possible, pointing out that these people were after him. I had him promise to retrieve Kaelyn and Amelia because if anyone could save them, that was him. He had good connections and safe houses all over the state.
Besides, this was all happening because of him. He had to help.
“I see,” he said in the end. “Fine. I’ll look for them and bring them to a safe place.”
“Good.” I gave him Kaelyn’s address. “We will talk later.”
“Stay safe, brother.”
“As always,” I said and hung up. Saylor and I were out in the open for far too long.
“I called my brother and he’ll take care of your sister and niece. Come on.” I took her hand. “We’re exposed like this, so we have to get to cover. I’m sure Edvard’s men are around here somewhere. Let’s go.”
We started running. My body buzzed with adrenaline, my brain working a mile a minute to come up with a solution for this. But our first stop was my car and then…
And then something hit my shoulder, filling me with blinding pain, and I was knocked down to the ground.
Chapter 16
I felt like a myriad of emotions barreled through me upon seeing Stone shot. Everything unfolded in slow motion. One moment we were heading toward his car, the next a shot rang through the air and Stone fell to the ground, blood soaking his shoulder disturbingly fast. And in that moment everything became clear to me. I loved him, and I would never betray him.
“Stone!” I screamed and kne
lt beside him, overcome with terror. I couldn’t see the shooter, which could mean that the next shot could come from literally anywhere. A vast amount of blood drenched his white shirt, and a icy fear like never before claimed me. I didn’t want him to die. No. He couldn’t die!
“No, Saylor! Go away! Run!”
“No,” I refused to listen, having no intention of leaving him here alone. “I won’t leave you alone.”
I draped my body across his to protect him—though I was sure Edvard, or whoever that shooter was, would shoot me to get to Stone.
“You’re crazy! I don’t want you hurt, so run to my car where the guards are waiting.”
“I don’t care, Stone. I’m not leaving you.” I wrapped my arms around him more firmly, shaking like a leaf. There was no way I could leave him. I would rather die than that.
He tried to get me off him, but I didn’t budge. “If you don’t comply, I will spank you.”
I buried my head into his neck, my tears soaking his skin. “Do I have to remind you that spanking isn’t a deterrent?”
He started to argue, but a tall man in his forties with grayish hair and others crowded around us. “You can let go of him, Miss Owens,” he told me. “We can take it from here.”
“No, he’s in danger,” I refused, holding him as tight as I could without hurting him.
“Listen to Aaron,” Stone said. “My security team is here now.”
Aaron placed his hand on my shoulder. “The danger has passed for now.” He looked at Stone, frowning. “My people are looking for the sniper, but it seems he has fled.”
I loosened my hold on him, and Stone turned around to reach out for me. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” He wiped my tears away using his uninjured arm, his gaze soft and full of love. “You protected me.”
More people gathered around us, and I could hear the police and the ambulance sirens in the distance. Aaron and one of Stone’s bodyguards helped Stone stand up.
I sniffed. “I did nothing. In fact, this happened because of me.”
“No, it’s not because of you. You just wanted to protect your family.”
“Oh God, Stone.” I gripped his hand. “I’m worried for Kaelyn and my niece! What if Edvard got them?”
“Relax, baby. I’m sure my brother has reached them by now. He will keep them safe.”
I truly hoped so. I didn’t even want to imagine any other alternative. “How is your shoulder? Does it hurt?”
“So-so.”
The ambulance arrived shortly after, and I went inside to ride with him to the hospital. He looked so pallid and tired, and I wondered if his injury hurt a lot more than he showed. I caught his hand and kissed his cheek, so scared for him.
“I’m so sorry for everything, Stone.”
He cast me a tender smile. “You don’t have to be. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. I was so stupid for calling you to talk and exposing you to this danger. I was supposed to do anything else to make sure you’re not hurt… I don’t even want to think how I would feel if you died…”
“Hey, sweetheart.” He cupped my cheek and made me look at him. “I’m okay, so don’t worry about it. This injury is nothing. It will pass.”
“I know, but I hate seeing you hurt.” I took a deep breath, my chest tight with emotions. “I love you, Stone. I realized in that resort that I started falling for you since the beginning, and I don’t care if you’re a part of the bratva or not. I love you.”
His smile transformed into a beam. “I love you too, and I’m not letting you go. Not a chance.”
I returned his smile. “I’m totally fine with that.”
“You know, at first, I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but then these days I missed you so much, and I realized that I couldn’t be without you. I care about you a lot.” He looked at the red mark on my face, his eyes filling with anger and sadness. “I hate seeing you hurt too. I wish I could kill that bastard for putting his hands on you.”
He pulled me in for a kiss, and it was all I needed to breathe more easily. I felt safe next to him and overjoyed because he felt the same. He loved me.
“But I have to tell you something important.” He leaned away, his face turning serious.
“I’m not a part of the bratva. Edvard lied to you. It’s my brother who is in the bratva, not me. After we went to live with our uncle, Alexei was fascinated by that life and started doing crimes from an early age. I, on the other hand, steered clear of it all my life. I worked hard to be where I am today mostly because I didn’t want to have anything to do with the bratva or my uncle, Senya.”
“Thank God,” I said, completely relieved to hear this. “You have no idea how troubled I was when Edvard told me you were a criminal and showed me all those photos…”
“I don’t know what the deal is with those photos, and if they are real or fake, but I assure you I have nothing to do with them.”
“I understand now. But tell me, why do you have your security with you all the time? Is it because of the bratva?”
“No. Several years ago, I was almost kidnapped, and it was all orchestrated by my business rivals. Luckily, I managed to avoid it, but I decided to have security with me at all times.”
Now that everything made more sense, I felt even guiltier for falling for Edvard’s lies. “I’m sorry for doubting you,” I told him, feeling like I could start crying again. What was it with me and all the tears these days?
“As I told you, you don’t have to be sorry for anything. Your reaction was completely normal since you weren’t sure if I was a bad guy or not. Anyone would react the same way in your situation.”
“There is one thing I don’t understand. Why did they target you?”
“I have a speculation. I think that Edvard planned to use me to draw out Alexei. This would explain why I was shot only in the shoulder and nowhere lethal, and why Edvard wanted you to draw me somewhere private without my guards. However, his plan only backfired because I won’t stop until I find him and have him arrested. That guy, Gordon, who you met in that van, was probably his paid minion.”
He planted a kiss on my cheek, never letting go of my hand. “You think you’ll be able to find him?” I asked him; afraid that such a man and his goons were on the loose.
“Absolutely. Don’t worry about it. If needed, I’ll hire the best investigators in the state to find that son of a bitch. He’s messing with the wrong guy.”
The rest of the day passed in the blur of activities as doctors patched Stone up while he talked with the police detectives. He talked with his brother, and Alexei told him he got a hold of Kaelyn and Amelia and had them in a safe location, but I still felt guilty for putting my sister and niece in danger. It was ironic. All my life I wanted them safe and sound, but all of this was happening because I got close to Stone.
“Hey,” Stone said at one point and placed his hand on my cheek. “I know what you’re thinking. Don’t do that to yourself. Don’t regret that you’ve got involved with me.”
“I don’t regret it, but I hate that she has to go through this, as if her life wasn’t hard enough.”
“She’ll be alright.”
“But are you sure we can trust your brother? I mean, he is part of the bratva.”
“Don’t worry about him. He may be ruthless, but he won’t do anything to hurt your sister and niece. They are safe with him.”
Later, Stone was released from the hospital, and I went back with him to his apartment. As soon as he closed the front door, he began kissing me, pushing me to the wall. I grew warm, seeing only now how much I had missed his kisses and touches. How could I have ever thought I could live without them?
“If you only knew how much I missed you,” he breathed into my mouth, resting his forehead against mine. “I was going crazy that I couldn’t be next to you.”
“I’m here now. Nothing will separate us now.”
“What you did for me in Central Park… You jumped to cover me with no care of what could ha
ppen to you.”
“I couldn’t let you get hurt, Stone. I just couldn’t.”
He wrapped his uninjured arm around my waist and pressed me against him. “I can’t ever thank you enough for that. I love you.”
His warm lips played with mine slowly, bringing heat to my insides. His hand traveled across my back and ass, awakening desire in me. But we couldn’t do this now.
“We can’t do this now,” I told him, gently pushing him away.
“Why not? I want to make love to you. I’m dying to make love to you.”
He brought his lips to my neck and nibbled the sensitive spot below my ear, but as much as I wanted more, my worry for him was stronger. He needed rest.
“I won’t let you in your current state. You have to get some rest. After that, we’ll play as much as you want.” I winked at him.
“It’s not fair. I would feel way better if I made love with you.”
“I know, but you really need to get some rest first. You’ve been shot, so don’t push it. Come on. Let me take care of you.”
I took him by his hand and led him to his bedroom.
“Fine. But promise me you’ll be here when I wake up.”
“I promise.”
He took the pain meds and went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth before he dressed into pajamas. He looked delectable in his sleeping shorts and t-shirt, and I wished I could take them off him and kiss every inch of his ripped body. Tomorrow, I promised myself.
“Are you sure your shoulder doesn’t hurt?” I asked him when he lay down and I sat right next to him.
“Yeah. My pain meds are doing their job.” He smirked at me. “I owe you a spanking.”
I squirmed, my pussy throbbing at his words. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“And since you refused me this evening, I’ll make sure to rip your pussy apart tomorrow.”
Damn. He was good. “I don’t doubt it for a second.” I kissed his forehead, stroking his hair, and his eyes fluttered closed. His medication was kicking in.
Love Affair with the Billionaire Page 9
