Alexandr's Cherished Submissive (4 page)

Alex sighed and tried to get his friend off the subject of Alex’s rather robust sex life. “You said you wanted to talk some business?”

“I do.” The laughter dropped from his face, and Peter sat forward then placed his empty glass on the desk with a resounding thud, his work-reddened hands curving around the smooth surface. “It’s an election year.”

“And?”

He moved out of his chair and grabbed a blue button down shirt hanging off a brass hook on the wall. Shrugging it on, he studied Alex before once again taking his seat. “Any election is full of bullshit and backstabbin’, but things have stepped up a notch. One of my informants has told me there are some new players, backed by a powerful organization, that want me out of power. They have no chance of gettin’ rid of me, so they must try to weaken my hold in other ways.”

“Does that not happen every election? Politics are nothing if not full of bullshit and backstabbing. Is way of world.”

“This is different.”

“How?”

Peter leaned back in his chair, his thick fingers tapping on the desk as he looked out the window. “The
Sinn Féin
are gaining strength, and their leader, Martin Keeler, has been a thorn in my side over the last few years, but he’s an honest man and fair. Or at least he was until he was killed in a car bombing six months ago.”

“Do you know who did it?”

“No, I have my suspicions, but that’s all they are right now. There are three men who are running for his spot as leader of the
Sinn Féin,
and all three of them are as dirty as the bottom of a coal mine.”

“You think they are responsible for his death?”

“One of them is.” Peter sighed heavily. “Nathan Clarke, not the nicest of men, but a strong leader, would be my choice of the three to head the party. He drives me
gobshite
, but he knows how to keep his nose clean and avoid drawing attention. While I haven’t publicly given him my support, he knows he has it, as do his opponents.”

“Who are they?”

“Ryan White and Liam Sweeny.”

Alex frowned, something tickling his memory about those names. “They are familiar to me, why?”

“Both have ties to different
Bratvas
. Ryan is the grandson of Nicolai Gilyov.”

That made Alex go on alert. “And Liam?”

“Is married to the daughter of Gleb Tepov.”

Alex let out a long string of swear words. The Tepov and Gilyov
Bratvas
were both rivals of the Novikovs. If either Liam or Ryan became the heads of one of Ireland’s largest political parties, it would not be good for the Clearys and their allies, like the Novikov
Bratva
. It would also give the rival
Bratvas
more power back in Russia, maybe enough to weaken the Novikov
Bratva
and take away some territory. The Novikov
Bratva
needed Peter and his political connections not only to secure their interests in Ireland, but because Ireland was part of one of the main European smuggling routes.

If Peter’s power base was eroded away, that would mean the Novikovs would either have to form new alliances with the Gilyov and Tepov
Bratvas
, which would never happen, or they would suffer major losses in both profit and mobility. Ireland was a secure, protected country where they could store merchandise that wouldn’t be safe anywhere in Russia. Plus, Peter was the absolute best in the world at forging documents, a skill worth more than gold and was more sought after than diamonds. One of the reasons Alex saw Peter so much was that he was always seeking Peter out for one set of papers or another.

Peter must have seen the realization on Alex’s face because he nodded. “It’s a tight race, but as long as Nathan has my support, he should be able to beat Liam and Ryan.”

Things began to fall into place for Alex. “So they will target you, distract you, hope you will withdraw your support.”

“They already have. An anonymous tip almost had a business of mine raided last week. Thankfully, one of my men inside the police department found out and alerted me in time to move the drugs out and legal stock in. Later, I received a message that if I don’t withdraw my support from Nathan there will be
dire
consequences for those I love. I’m not worried about Mary. She can handle herself and was raised by a man meaner than anyone I’ve ever met. Her security detail has been with her for twenty years, and they do their job well. No, my enemies have a much easier target to go after.”

Peter’s last few words were filled with a rage that Alex easily understood. “Jessica.”

“Yes, Jessica.”

The thought of anyone harming her made his muscles tighten as an unusually strong protective feeling settled into his bones with an angry burn. “Does she know?”

“That I’m one of the biggest criminal lords in Ireland? No.” He stared at a framed photo on the wall that Alex knew was a picture of Peter and Katie together when they were kids. Her face was narrower than Peter’s, like Jessica’s, but she didn’t have her daughter’s almond-shaped eyes. “I wanted to protect Jessica, to get to know her without the shadow of my life tainting our relationship. Now, I’m even more hesitant to tell her. She loves me, Alex, me and Mary both. Hell, Mary looks at her like the daughter we never had, and it would break her heart to have Jessica turn her back on us out of fear or disgust.”

“You cannot keep it from her forever. Especially if she is in danger. How long will she be here?”

“She’s thinkin’ about movin’ here permanently, but will be livin’ here in Ireland for the next year, studyin’ abroad and attendin’ school. Smart lass, top of her class. While she’s in Ireland, I can protect her. Over in America, she’d be an easy target.” He met Alex’s gaze. “This is where you come in.”

“What do you mean?”

Peter hesitated then said in a low voice, “Your father and I have made a deal. He has agreed to have you, Oleg, Maks, and Luka stay in Ireland until the election is over and guard Jessica.”

“He what?” Alex grit his teeth. He had plans, meetings he had to attend and territories to defend. His father knew this, yet he expected Alex to drop everything to attend to his whims. Typical. If he didn’t love the old man so much, he might end his life with a bullet to the head someday. “Jorg did not consult me on this.”

Peter nodded. “I figured as much. But before you lose yer head, you need to listen to what I’m offering in return. I think you’ll see why ’ol Jorg would be willing to lose his
Sovietnik
fer so long.”

Taking a deep breath then letting it out, Alex nodded. “What is it?”

“I’m gonna teach you all I know about forgery and introduce you to my connections in exchange for you and your men keeping Jessica alive and happy.”

Alex stared at Peter, totally knocked out of his anger. What Peter was offering him was unheard of. No one knew all of Peter’s secrets, and the other man liked to keep it that way. Being one of a kind kept him alive. For him to offer to teach Alex his tricks was priceless. Certainly more than worth the headache that would come from rearranging his schedule to stay in Ireland until the election was over. It was almost too good to be true, so Alex tried to look for a hidden trap. He trusted no one completely, except for his brother Dimitri.

“This is beyond generous. Why?”

“I’m gonna assume you mean why would I teach you in exchange for you protecting Jessica. First, you are one of the best assassins in the world, Alex. I don’t say that as flattery, but because you know the tricks for taking someone out. You have the instincts to spot trouble before it happens. Second, with the Novikov
Bratva
givin’ their obvious support, my enemies will think twice before they touch Jessica. Third, I know you will not hesitate to eliminate a threat, and you won’t be stupid about it. When you want someone to disappear, they disappear. And everyone knows what happens if they go after someone under your protection. The last example you made of a would-be assassin still makes people think twice.”

He shrugged, unable to argue with the fact he’d done something brutal to make sure his enemies knew he would not hesitate to eliminate any threat to his client. “Makes sense, but is unbalanced trade. What more do you want that you not telling me?”

“All I want is for you to keep my niece alive, to protect her, and let the sweet lass lead a life oblivious to the danger that surrounds her. She should not have to pay for my sins. My men understand and would give their lives for her, but they are limited in where they can go. You are more of a neutral third party than they are, able to enter territories in Dublin that would cause a war if one of my men trespassed.” He looked at the picture of his sister again, and pain swam in the depths of his distant gaze. “Yer father gets it.”

“What?”

“He knows this trade isn’t unbalanced. He knows what Jessica’s death would do to me, to my strong Mary. I know you don’t understand, but someday, when you fall in love and have a family of your own, you will know that you’ll do anything,
anything
to keep them alive because they are your heart and soul. Jessica, she’s my kin. Only descendent I’ve got. My bloodline ends with her. You know Mary and I can’t have children, and even though we’re trying to adopt and we will love that child like our own. I owe Jessica a good life because my sister isn’t here to give it to her. I owe Katie that, and I will do everything I can to keep Jessica happy because she’s a good girl and I love her.”

Alex’s thoughts turned to his own mother, his stepmother, and his beautiful half-sister and how their deaths had indeed killed his father’s heart and soul, leaving a void in him that he filled with death and violence. Oh, his father loved Dimitri and Alex, but it was a cold, hard love, now without mercy, without joy. When he was younger, Alex had often thought of how different his life would have been if those women had lived, what kind of man his father could have been instead of the ruthless monster he’d become. Unfortunately, he was still Alex’s father, and no matter how much he tried to harden his heart against the old man, he couldn’t make himself stop loving him. At one time, Jorg had been the best father a child could ask for, doting and loving, their home filled with feminine laughter and soft voices.

Jorg adored his family, and the loss of two wives and a daughter had slowly destroyed any compassion he’d possessed, leaving him with a heart encased in ice and a paranoia that could get out of control if he wasn’t on his stabilizing medicines.

Peter’s voice interrupted Alex’s dark deliberations. “My men will be guardin’ her as well, of course, but you and yer men will be doing the majority of the protection. I’m settin’ you up in a room across the hall from Jessica’s apartment in one of the buildings I own. Yer men’ll have places on the floors below and above. The only way to access her apartment is through her front door.”

“Or scale wall of building.”

“Her apartment faces the street. It’s too visible for anyone to scale without drawing unwanted attention. The windows are bulletproof, and no one is getting in without having to get through my men and yours. I realize there will be some business you’ll have to attend to personally, but your father has assured me Oleg and Maks will watch over her. Luka will also be stopping by from time to time to cover for you when needed.”

“They are good men.” He shifted in his chair, excitement beginning to build at the thought of his unusual assignment. At the very least, it would be nice to spend the next six months in relative comfort instead of at his father’s training camp in Siberia. “How do you explain to Jessica my presence?”

“I’m going to tell her you’re part of my personal security that I’ve assigned to guard her. I’ll tell her you’ll be working in the United States next year, and having you watching over her will help you and your men with your American English. She’s used to political figures having what they call the Secret Service in the States, so she will know you’re there as her bodyguards. She just won’t know how serious your duty actually is. You’ll be going by yer Gorev alias to keep her from doin’ an Internet search and figurin’ out who you are.”

Knowing his father had arranged this behind his back irritated him, but he forced those thoughts away. Alex had been given a job, and he would fulfill it. Thankfully, this would not be an unpleasant job, and he wouldn’t be out stalking someone in order to end their life. Though the idea of babysitting some young woman wasn’t exactly at the top of his list of things he enjoyed, especially when he couldn’t fuck her, he had a feeling this assignment was going to be a good one. “When do I start?”

“In a week. That should give you time enough to make a trip home and get what you need.”

He’d have to find time to visit with Dimitri, but he should be able to set things up for his absence. “Then I will see you in a week.”

Jessica Venture slumped over the end of the bar after her busy shift, savoring a beer. Sighing in delight, she got off her aching feet, which throbbed to the beat of her heart. She’d waitressed back in Iowa at a busy family diner, especially on Sunday after church, but being a bartender in a popular bar in the heart of Dublin was a totally new experience, and not just because she was still learning the local dialect. Thankfully, she was a quick study, and everyone she worked with was at least passingly nice to her. She didn’t get along with a few of the younger bartenders but not to the point where it was an issue. More like a mutual distaste than actual anger. The vast majority of people she’d met through her job and her newfound family had been really cool and welcoming.

Her family had deeply rooted history in this area, and her return to the city of her mother’s birth had been celebrated. Evidently she was the last descendant of a long line of some pretty amazing people. Her Uncle Peter and Aunt Mary couldn’t have children, so there’d been some hints she needed to settle down and have some kids so the Cleary line could continue. She wasn’t offended, no one meant any harm when they said it, and she chose to find it funny instead of getting upset.

Ireland didn’t feel like home yet, but there was no denying she’d felt a certain resonance in her soul the first time she drove to Dublin from the airport with her aunt and uncle. The whole place had a different vibe from anywhere she’d been in America, and it had taken her a bit to get used to it. Her aunt had really helped a lot in getting her familiar with the city and Ireland in general. They’d hit it off right away and had become good friends.