Seducing the Badman (Russian Bratva #2) (15 page)

I nod and assume he is going to leave me to it; but once I turn around to gather more things from the closet, I jump at the sight of him in the corner chair.

“I didn’t know you were still in here,” I say, placing my hand over my rapidly beating heart.

“I couldn’t leave. You’ll be gone soon and I won’t be seeing your pretty face, so I want to soak it all in while I can,” he admits with a shrug. I melt a little more.

My man.

My Radimir
.

A harsh, scary,
Bratva Brigadier
will miss me. He is smitten, and I can safely admit that I feel the exact same way. I don’t comment on his confession. Instead, I just smile. I spend the rest of our time together quietly packing.

We spent the evening and well into the morning making love,
fucking
, and holding each other. Today will be nothing other than a sweet kiss on the lips and a nod goodbye. I am all right with that. I got the intimate, sweet, romantic, and oftentimes crude Radimir last night. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

There is a knock on the door, and I sigh as Radimir wheels my two large suitcases into the living room. He checks the peephole and must approve of the person on the other side, because he opens it. I hear soft murmuring as I look around the living area one last time. I will miss this apartment. The past few days, it had started feeling more like home, and I have never felt at home anywhere before. My father’s house was like a museum. You were not to touch anything. I would stay hidden in my room day and night, except when I was in class.

When I lived in France and was at culinary school, I stayed in a furnished apartment; but it wasn’t my furnishings, just pieces that came with the place. I felt anxious, awkward, and uncomfortable the entire time I lived there.

Here, with Radimir, I feel at home and happy.

“Come,
kotik
. It is time,” Radimir says quietly, holding out his hand for me. I watch as Alex gathers my luggage.

Radimir wraps me in his big, strong arms and I bury my face in his neck, trying to hold myself together.

“You be a good girl, now, do you understand me?” he asks, his voice deep and rough.

“I will,” I say.

Radimir grabs my chin and tips my head back. His lips are soft as he places them on mine; so tender, I almost cry from the beauty of it all.

“I will see you soon,” he murmurs.

He places another soft kiss on my forehead before he wraps his hand around my waist and guides me downstairs, toward the big black SUV that is idling in front of our building.

Alex is holding the door open and I slide inside, chancing one last look at the man who has stolen my heart. I smile wobbly at him and he shakes his head, but he does it with his own smile.

“Be safe,
moy korol’
,” I whisper, grinning while calling him
my king
. He blinks before he throws back his head in laughter.

I wave my arm and my body, hanging halfway out of the window as Alex takes off toward our destination. Radimir doesn’t wave back, but when I blow him a kiss, I watch as his face breaks out into a devastatingly handsome smile.

“You have him wrapped around your finger, girl,” Alex says from the front seat as I lean back and roll the window up.

“I highly doubt that,” I snort.

If anything, I am wrapped around his finger. I would do just about anything for that man.

“I saw the way he looked at you. He will slay dragons and kill for you,” Alex says with a nod. I just shake my head.

“I think he would kill for just about anything,” I chime. Alex chuckles.

“Radimir is cold, heartless, and ruthless, but he is not typically passionate. He is when it comes to you, Emiliya. In just days, I have seen major changes in him. It is nice to know that his heart truly does beat. I was concerned there for a while,” he chuckles. I roll my eyes but do not say anything else.

A few moments later, we pick up Haleigh and little Maks. I tear up as I watch Haleigh and Maxim say their final goodbyes. Maxim’s hands cup Haleigh’s large belly and his head is buried in her neck while she clings to his shoulders. It is so breathtaking. It is also so heartbreakingly sad. I say a silent prayer that they get whatever they need done
done
, so that we can be back to our men before Haleigh has the baby.

Once we are all settled into the car, Alex takes off. I assume we are going straight to the safe house in the Ukraine, but the car stops shortly in front of another apartment building. I start to open my mouth and ask where we are, but Alex gets out of the car and walks around the hood before he grabs luggage from a man standing on the curb. The man is tall and slim, with light blonde hair that is styled perfectly messy. He is wearing a pair of dark washed jeans and a nice button down, plain navy shirt with a brown belt and brown shoes.

“That is Oliver. Alex’s lover,” Haleigh says quietly. I turn to her, raising my brow in question.

“Maxim and I know. I don’t think many other people do. Perhaps Sergei,” she says, rubbing her belly as she wipes her eyes with a tissue.

“Hello, ladies,” Oliver says cheerily as he slides into the front seat of the SUV.

“Hey, Olls,” Haleigh says with a sniffle. I smile at him. He’s British and it know it will be difficult to communicate, but I hope he is as patient with me as Haleigh.

“You don’t speak much English, right?” he asks me as Alex takes off again toward our destination.

“
Nyet
,” I whisper, almost embarrassed.

“I’ll teach you. If I can teach Alex, I can teach you, too.” He smiles and I find myself smiling back at him.

The rest of the ride is in silence. We are all in our own world. Haleigh is busy taking care of Maksimilyan in between crying. Alex and Oliver murmur quietly to each other. I look out of the window, watching the world pass me by.

This is not the first time I have been ushered into a safe house. My father made many enemies throughout the years, and there were times we lived in a safe house for months and months. My brother always hated it. He was used to being free. But for me, it was just another prison sentence, and I welcomed the change of scenery. I drift off to sleep, wondering if this will forever be my life? Knowing the answer is assuredly a renowned
yes
.

Hours later, Alex pulls into the driveway of a massive estate. I blink, looking around at the expansive grounds, and let out a sigh. It is gorgeous. The home is a brick mansion with a gorgeous stone circle driveway. It is gigantic, and once we are free of the vehicle, I scramble to get out and see the grounds.

I ignore Alex calling my name and wave him off. I must see what other beauty this home holds. I run through the open gate that separates the main home from what must be the guest quarters. I gasp when my eyes come into contact with the beautiful green grass and full pond behind the home.

“It is beautiful. I should have known Maxim would send me somewhere like this,” Haleigh says softly, materializing out of nowhere.

“It is so beautiful, so natural,” I say in response, hoping she understands me.

“It reminds me of the home we had in the US,” she says. I notice there is a hint of sadness in her words.

“If we must be away, this is the place to be.” I say turning to her, smiling, and she smiles back, brightly.

“Yes, this is the place to be,” she whispers. Wrapping her arm around mine, we walk linked together back to the main house.

Once we make our way inside, Alex introduces us to the staff. There is a nurse, named Tanya, a doctor, named Michael, a housekeeper, named Ann, and six men who make up the security staff. I will never remember their names, so I just smile and nod when introduced.

The rules are simple for this house. Haleigh, Maksimilyan, and I are to remain on the grounds, never leaving. Only Alex will be able to give us permission to leave. The staff will also not be permitted to leave. Oliver will run errands in town; and on occasion, Alex will go with him if he is needed.

“Can I call Radimir to tell him I have made it safely?” I ask Alex. He nods once.

“The telephone is secure here, only to be used for emergencies, but we need to check in with the men anyway,” he says sternly. He lifts his chin toward the phone on the wall. I practically run to it and quickly dial Radimir’s number.

“Zalesky,” he barks harshly in my ear. His last name, and my new last name.

“Rad, it is Emiliya,” I say softly.

“
Kotik,”
he breathes into the phone. I find myself melting a bit more at his obvious enjoyment in hearing me on the phone.

“I wanted to tell you we made it. We are safe,” I say softly.

“Good girl. Listen to Alex and I hope to see you soon.”

I nod as if he can see me, then tell him to stay safe and that I will see him again soon. Alex takes the phone from me and they talk for a few moments before he hangs up and instructs Haleigh to call Maxim. I take my luggage up the first staircase and find a room that I wish to call my own for the duration of my stay.

There are several suites with attached bathrooms, so I settle on what I can only describe as the
blue room
. The walls are painted a silvery blue, and the bedding is navy blue with white accent pillows. It is what I would consider gender neutral--not too feminine, but not completely masculine. I sit down on the light gray, padded bench that is below the picture window. I sigh at the sight of the exquisite landscape before me. I can just imagine bringing one of my books to this very spot, enjoying some sun and the luscious view.

“This is a pretty room,” Haleigh says from the doorway. I smile.

“You get the pink and white room,” I say, grinning. She smiles back.

“I do love pink,” she chuckles, looking down at her pink skintight jeans. I wink and she shakes her head as she pulls Maks by his little hand toward their new room.

I yawn and make my way toward the bed. I need a nap before I unpack and worry about the rest of the evening. With a sigh, I settle into the soft bed, pulling the covers up and over my body, enjoying the feeling of being cocooned. I wish that Radimir was here to wrap his heavy arm around me. I miss him terribly already. I hold my breath and pray again that this will all be over soon.

The next morning, Oliver hands me a stack of gossip rags and newspapers. They are full of photos of Radimir and me. I catch myself crying because I already miss him so much.

Our impromptu wedding is everywhere.

Speculations are surrounding the event, and there is already talk of babies and guesses on when we will be announcing a new arrival. I laugh as I read through them, noticing how all of the papers seem to know that Radimir is of importance; but they just list him as a
business tycoon
.

I take all of the articles and papers and put them in my nightstand next to my bed.

I decide when I am feeling extra lonely, they will be something positive that could cheer me up. They will allow me to see my Radimir, since I don’t have any other photographs of him.

I
CLOSE MY EYES
and imagine my sweet
kotik
next to me. It has been four weeks since I have seen her, and it wears on me. We are nowhere near finding out where Yakov’s Ashley is. In fact, everywhere we turn is another dead end.

If anybody knows of her whereabouts, they aren’t talking—and that is fucking terrifying. Everybody has a price, yet we have not found out what that price is for the safe return of the pretty, young slave.

Maxim growls next to me and I want to roll my eyes at the surly bastard. I miss my Emiliya, too. We are in the same boat, yet he is not taking it in stride. He is a beast, and I wonder what exactly his Haleigh does to tame him

“This is bullshit,” he groans. I nod my head in agreement.

“It is. Have you finished looking into Dimitri?” I ask.

It has been a while since I told him to find out where Dimitri’s head is at. He hasn’t been checking in, his product isn’t moving the way it should, and he does not seem stable since Maryia, Maxim’s sister, died.

“I get only voicemail,” he says with a shrug. “The man is mourning.”

“This is not an excuse, brother,” I inform him. Maxim nods.