Preston sighed deeply. I could tell that it all weighed heavy on him still.
“What did your mom say? I’m surprised you even talk to those knuckleheads after what they did to you.”
His brows furrow. “They didn’t know, Skye. We were all deceived. I forgave them a long time ago for that dark time. Vasily went crazy when he found out his boys had been torturing someone who was carrying family diamonds. While I was unconscious, he whooped their asses pretty bad. After I woke up I realized the brothers had been taught a valuable lesson. I’ve never seen that sick side in them again. I think Vasily beat it out of them.
They took care of me, Skye. We bonded. I stayed in Russia until I was fully healed. I didn’t want to return broken and cause even more worry. I spent some time with my family, learned about their business and came home a very different man.”
“When I came back, I decided not to tell my mom about the trouble I’d had in Russia. I just made out that the job dragged on longer than it was supposed to. Besides, by then you were gone and I had bigger concerns. I did ask her about her family though and she freaked out, ended up in the hospital again. After speaking with my uncle, we decided the best course was to keep our relationship on the down low.”
“Didn’t your uncle want to see her?”
He sadly shakes his head. “Her health was more important to him. He just wanted to know that she was safe and happy, after years of not knowing, that was enough for him.”
“How sad for them.”
Preston nods. “They gave me her inheritance so that I could look after her the way she deserved, and they taught me how to capitalize on who we are and what we do. That’s how I got into the gem business here in the US.” I see his jaw clench.
“What aren’t you telling me?” He has an odd look about him, which he quickly shakes off.
“Nothing. I was just brought back to that time and what I was feeling then that’s all. Sometimes it just overwhelms me to think about it while other times I am okay with it. Does that make sense?”
“It makes perfect sense, post-traumatic stress syndrome. Have you ever talked with Shaina about it?” I want to help him the way he doesn’t realize he’s helping me.
“You’re right, it probably is. I always just think of it as one of my demons. Maybe I do need to talk it out.”
“It might help,” I tell him, knowing I’ll need to follow my own advice eventually too.
“Skye look at me,” he says softly.
I bring my gaze back to him. He has a soft look on his face, a look that reminds me of that boy I fell in love with so long ago. I place my hand into his, his touch awakens all those feelings I’ve had locked away for five years. My eyes are wide as I look at him.
“I need you,” he whispers.
“I’m right here,” I reply.
He presses his forehead to mine and exhales deeply. “I’ve made so many mistakes. I’ll never forgive myself. I had no clue your home life was that horrific. I could have—” I pause and look at her and sigh. “I should have stopped him.”
“What were you going to do? Go up against the great Bob Divine? We were kids, Preston.”
“I could have tried,” he says, sounding defeated.
A bitter laugh escapes me. “But instead you left.”
He nods somberly. “Will you ever forgive me?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” I tell him. “Sometimes you have to listen to your heart, even when it’s stupid as shit.” I offer a crooked smile.
Preston smiles softly back, then looks around us. “Come on,” he says suddenly. “We need to get home before we fry in the sun.”
It’s a silent walk back to the car, but we hold hands all the way. It feels good to have told each other some of the things that have burdened us. Sharing has made our bond closer. Maybe now we can finally start to heal.
Twenty-One
The last few days with Skye have been amazing. Since opening up about most of our secrets, she’s more carefree, as if the burden has finally lifted. I feel guilty about not telling her the contracted job was for her father. But after she confided all the secrets of her past to me, I thought it would destroy her to know it was him I sacrificed us for.
I run my hands through my hair and rub my temples. I had a plan…all these goals that were made before she came back. I was always going to take down Bob for what he did to me. But now? Now I’m going to ruin him. Strip everything he holds dear from his grasp. When I’m finished with him, he’ll have nothing…be nothing. Words can’t even express what I am going to do to him.
As if on cue, my work phone rings and I look at the caller ID, perfect timing. I’ve been waiting for this call all week. “Harrison?” I bark, not sparing any pleasantries. “Give me good news!”
I can hear him pacing the floor, he has a heavy stomp. “I’m trying, Preston,” he says without confidence.
“What’s the hold up?”
“We have to be delicate, Preston, you know that. If we arouse his suspicion the game is up.”
“Just tell me things are progressing at least. I want him finished.”
“I thought you just wanted to dry up his supply?”
“Things have changed. By the time I’m finished with him, he will be grateful to even have an air supply.” Even I can hear the malice in my tone, so Harrison’s intake of breath doesn’t surprise me.
“I’ll see what I can do to get things moving faster. I have a meeting with…” As Harrison carries on, I see Skye peek her head around the door. The moment she sees I’m on the phone she starts to back out of the room. I wave my hand, motioning for her to come in.
She slowly walks toward me and I crook my finger, urging her closer. I give her my dazzling grin and hit mute on the phone. “Come here,” I demand, smiling in the way she brings out of me.
She giggles. I can’t remember the last time I heard that naughty giggle she has. She takes slow, calculated strides, accentuating each move with her hips. I’m so busy watching her that I don’t hear what Harrison is saying. Once she’s within reach, I move forward and snake my hand around her waist, pulling her toward me. She lands with a giggle on my lap. Harrison is still stammering, making excuses in my ear.
“Are you there, Preston?”
I take the phone off mute. “Harrison, just get it done and call me when you have news.” Not waiting for a reply I hang up the phone and meet Skye’s curious, wide eyes.
“Everything all right?”
“Everything is perfect with you here.” I adjust her slightly so she’s not so tempting sitting there. I have been finding her temptation harder and harder to resist. I need to let things heal between us some more before we take the next step. I don’t want to push her.
“It sounded pretty serious.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Maybe you need an assistant to field your calls,” she suggests playfully.
I raise my eyebrows, imagining Skye as my assistant. “Are you applying for the job?”
She shrugs. “I might. Depends on the benefits.”
“I can think of a number of benefits.”
She giggles and squirms in my lap and I wince.
“Careful, Detka,” I warn, squeezing her tighter. She makes me want to swipe my hand across the desk, clearing it of its contents and take her on it.
“Why?” She has a voice of sin and the look of the devil.
“Because I’m finding it more and more difficult to control myself around you.”
She smirks. “Oh?”
I tip the chair back so it tilts all the way. She yelps, turning to grab onto my shoulders. We are chest to chest with each other, I smirk and push her hair out of her face. Fuck. Her smile is so damn beautiful. “Damn, Detka…”
Her brows furrow. “What’s the matter, Preston?”
“Nothing.” I stare into her eyes, swimming within the deep pools of green.
“You sure? You have a funny look on your face, are you going to be sick?”
I chuckle and then cup her face, momentarily at a loss for words as I soak in her beauty. “Are we gonna have a go at this?” I finally blurt.
“At what?” She smirks. “Me working for you?”
“No, I mean us.”
“Us? What about us?” She furrows her brows with a perplexed look.
“You’re making me feel like a teenager again asking you to go out with me. I’ve grown up too much to start acting like a boy now.”
“I don’t know, I kinda liked that boy a lot.” Her eyes sparkle with mischief.
“Oh, Detka, you know what I mean, are you mine?”
“Ohhh, possessive...” She wiggles.
I playfully tap her nose. “You have no idea. Now what do you say?”
She puts her elbows on my chest and rests her chin in her hands. “Preston, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” She breaks out with a sweet smile.
I know better than to think her smile is innocent, she is being devious. “Girlfriend is so high school, but yes, Detka, I am. That and so much more.”
“More?” she asks so softly I almost miss it.
“Yes, Detka, more. I want you to be my partner, my lover, my best friend. My everything.”
She doesn’t have time to reply. I bring her down on top of me and pull her face to mine, kissing her tenderly on her soft lips and holding her tight.
“I’ve missed you too, Preston.” She chuckles. “Now, let me go. I can’t breathe.” She starts to wiggle out of my arms.
“Okay, smarty pants.” I let up on my squeeze a little. “It’s just good to see you smile.”
“It’s easy when you’re the one making me smile. I’m going to go for a swim, you finish up your work.” She slides off my lap and blows me an air kiss as she walks out the door.
I watch her leave and thank whatever force is up there helping me make this happen. I can’t quite believe it’s real. She is mine, perhaps not fully yet, but it’s coming. She’s going to be mine from here on. Her birthday’s coming up and the little witch hasn’t said one word. I bet she hopes I forget. Not a chance. I can’t help but smile thinking about how pissed she will be when I surprise her.
My office phone rings and I glance down at the ID. “Have something new for me, Harrison?”
"I have an update on the overseas operation.”
Before I reply, I get up and look out my office door. I can see Skye’s already in the pool swimming. I close the door so I’m not tempted to say fuck work and join her. “Tell me.”
“We’ve had a result on his next shipment,” Harrison informs me.
“Oh?”
“Let’s just say, the goods missed their flight.” I can hear the satisfaction in his tone and I smile.
“Well that’s a shame,” I declare with a heap of sarcasm. “Let’s hope they make the next one or Bob is going to have some unhappy investors.”
“That’s just it though, they seem to have disappeared. It’s the damnedest thing. No one knows anything. They’re just…gone!”
I try not to laugh. “Hmm, weird. I hope Bob doesn’t value his kneecaps. The Volkov brothers have put a lot of trust in him. They won’t be happy if he doesn’t deliver. How long before he knows he’s screwed?”
“Couple of days, I’d say.” Harrison chuckles.
“How are we coming along with the plans stateside?” Harrison is used to me firing off a round of questions. I pay him well, very well. He’s been with me since I came back and started up on my own, so he’s just as invested as I am.
“Baby steps, Preston, the plan is coming together. Have some patience.”
“I don’t have any more patience for this sick bastard. I want him ruined,” I growl in a rare show of my temper. It doesn’t faze Harrison, that’s one of the reasons we get along so well.
“We’ll get there, have you been able to talk to Skye about it?”
“No, we won’t be bringing her into this mess,” I growl. “No matter what happens she’s off limits and not part of the plan. Understood?”
“Woah, Preston, I was just asking. I know what that bastard did to you personally. We’ll get him.”
The doorbell chimes in my office. I flip on my computer and view the surveillance cameras. I smile as I see Skye is now on a raft in the pool soaking up some sun. I’ll join her in a minute and bring out some sunblock. She has a bad habit of not wearing any. The second camera has my blood boiling. “Speak of the devil. Bob is at my front door. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Pres…”
I end the call as he says my name. The last thing I want to hear is him trying to talk some sort of sense into me. I take one last glance at the monitor and see Skye hasn’t moved. Let’s see what Bob has to say. It’s too soon for him to notice he’s missing a shipment and it will take him weeks to realize that all his suppliers in Russia have stopped doing business with him.
I wouldn’t answer the door, but I don’t want him to raise a racket and alert Skye that he’s here. With quick strides I make it to the front door and swing it open just as he goes to press the doorbell again.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Bob?” I say with a sneer.
“Oh, you’re home…” his voice trails off.
“Don’t sound so surprised, Bob, you’re at my house.” I don’t invite him in, he isn’t welcome here. The sight of him makes my blood boil, he sickens me.
“Can I talk with my daughter, she’s here, isn’t she?” He tries to look past me into the house.
“No, Bob, you can’t. You aren’t welcome here.” I move slightly to block his view into the house.
“Listen here, boy, you will get my daughter. We have some things to discuss,” he demands foolishly.
He puts a hand on my chest in an effort to try and move me out of his way. The old man doesn’t realize how strong I’ve become in the last few years. You would think that once he realized I survived Russia, he would’ve had an epiphany or something.
“You want to take your hand off me before I do it for you?” I raise a brow at him, not giving away how much I want him to push me, so I can take my anger out on him with my fists.
“You better watch it, boy,” he snarls.
I bark out a laugh. “Or what, Bob? You already tried to get rid of me, yet here I am. Take a look around you. I’m not the kid you thought you could just erase anymore. It’s you who’d better watch it, Bob, not me.”
He removes his hand without any further prompting. “I just need to speak with Skye,” he says with urgency.
“No.” I cross my arms over my chest.
“No? Who the hell do you think you are?” his says with a raised voice.
My hand strikes out quickly and fists in his shirt. I stand taller than him, so I pull him toward me as I lean in. “I get that I’m nothing to you, Bob, but Skye’s everything to me. You won’t be getting near her again. Ever.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“I know what you did to her.” I lean even closer and can smell the coffee on his breath.
His face turns a shade lighter. “What do you mean?” he asks nervously.
“I know about it all, Bob… the drugging, the beatings, the abuse, all of it. You disgust me.” With this I fling him back and watch him stumble then catch his balance. I inhale a calming breath. I have to hold it together, he will get what is coming to him, it’s all in place. If I go off now, I’ll blow it all. “I’d advise you never to come back here. You have no idea of what I want to do to you right now.”
“That little whore is a liar!” He comes rushing at me, and I let him push me first.
He’s effectively cut off as my fist meets his face. From the distinct crack of bone and spurt of blood, never mind his howl of pain, I’m quite certain that I broke his nose. What I really can’t wait for is to break him. “I suggest you run along, Bob, and don’t come back on my property. A restraining order will be delivered to you shortly.” The look I give him is menacing.
“Son of a bitch. You�
�ll pay for that!” he mumbles under his breath as he backs away.
I lean against the doorjamb, folding my arms across my chest and call out to his retreating form, “Talk about my mother again and you’ll be swallowing your front teeth next.”
He cups his hand over his nose as he climbs into his car, attempting not to bleed all over the expensive interior. It’s entertaining to watch as he struggles. He rummages around for something to wipe his face clean. When his eyes meet mine and I hold their gaze, there is no mistaking his malicious expression. I smile proudly as he pulls away.
“Was…was that my father?” her voice comes very quietly from behind me.
“Yes.” I wait until the car is out of the driveway before I shut the door and turn around to see Skye wrapped snuggly in a towel, her cheeks have a tinge of pink to them.
“What did he want?”
“Hmmm, I didn’t ask specifically. He wanted to talk to you and I told him no.”
“Just like that huh?” She raises a brow.
“Just like that.” I smile.
Twenty-Two
Today is my birthday, and my father’s attempted visit with me the other day has me shaken up some. I’m afraid of what he’s going to try; everything with him has always been about the money. His venture to obtain Power of Attorney over my Grandmother’s estate has continually failed. I’ve told Preston everything and it hasn’t changed us at all. I see the way he watches me, and I think he can tell I’m on edge. How do I explain I’m afraid my father might come and hurt me?
Trying to relax, I’m partaking in my favorite pastime of lying on a raft in the pool, the music is softly pumping through the exterior speakers. The water ripples and sways, but it’s too fast to be caused by the breeze. I lean over to see what caused it and suddenly the raft is turned over, flipping me headfirst into the pool. I emerge spitting water and brushing my hair out of my face.
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