Alexandr's Cherished Submissive (20 page)

Luka shifted and leaned against the door, his black suit wrinkled and a red silk tie loose around his neck. “I was in Berlin. Dimitri contacted me, and I got here as soon as I could. Your brother would have come as well, but things are not good back home.”

Alex sucked in a harsh breath, hating how conflicted he felt. On the one hand, he wanted to return to Moscow to help Dimitri and the men loyal to them in staving off whatever disaster their father was cooking up, but he needed to go to Rome with Jessica to start weaving a web of protection around her that couldn’t be broken. For the first time in his life, his loyalty was divided between his family and his woman, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

“What did Dimitri say?”

With a grimace, Luka nodded. “That your father is…acting odd. Irrational. Yesterday he talked to Dimitri briefly about taking a hit out on Vili Boldin, who has been dead for seven years. Are you sure your father is taking his medication?”

“Yes, we have a private nurse with him at all times, and everyone in our inner circle is aware of how dangerous it would be if he isn’t medicated. She will put the drugs in his food so he is forced to take them just in case he decides he no longer wants them. He is acting irrationally now, but nowhere near as bad if he was off his medication.” He exchanged a glance with Maks. “I cannot leave Jessica alone, but Moscow is not secure enough for her yet, and she is definitely not ready to meet my father.”

“I understand,” Luka murmured. “One of the reasons I do not have a girlfriend is because eventually I would have to introduce her to my mother.”

That drew a tired chuckle from Alex. Luka’s mother was as mean as a bear with a sore paw and loved to spread her misery around. Growing up, Luka had spent a great deal of time at Alex’s home, and he thought of the man as more a brother than a friend.

Maks interrupted. “We have reinforcements on the way.”

“Who?”

“I have three more men coming to join us in Rome, all Black Tier. Jessica will not know they are here, but they will be watching you.”

Alex nodded, relieved his best men would be there to help guard her. Since he was in charge of the muscle side of the
Bratva,
he’d devised a level system for his men. At the bottom of the pyramid, there were the foot soldiers, and at the very top were the Black Tier, the most elite killers and fighters Alex and Luka had personally trained. These were men he trusted with his life, proven friends and staunch allies.

“I will see you in the morning. Have breakfast delivered at eight. Jessica likes french toast with strawberries and clotted cream from the restaurant down the street. Bring that with a pot of coffee.”

“Got it,” Maks said with a small smile. “Want me to get some milk with that? She usually drinks a glass with her morning meal.”

He wasn’t sure if Maks was being a smart-ass or not, but he didn’t care. Finally, he got to be exactly where he wanted, with Jessica, even if the situation was less than ideal. Mentally, he berated himself that he should have taken this step with her sooner, should have admitted his feelings for her, but he promised himself he wouldn’t hold back anymore. Eventually, he would tell her the truth about his world, but first, he needed to woo her, to make her fall so deeply in love with him that even when she found out he was a demon among men she would gladly stay in hell with him rather than try to run.

Turning the door handle, he eased through then nodded at the men before closing and locking the door behind him. Jessica was a lump among the white pillows with one clasped tightly in her arms. She would never need a pillow to hug again. She would have him to cling to and to hold. He quickly used the bathroom and brushed his teeth then shed his clothes as he approached the bed. His cock started to fill until he caught sight of the bruise swelling her cheek, and his gut clenched.

The need to comfort her consumed him, and he slid beneath the soft sheets, the cotton smooth and cool against his skin. Though he turned off the lights, they were in the city, and it was never truly dark. The dim glow of streetlights reflected around the edges of the curtains. He gently shifted Jessica into his arms, pressed his face to her hair, and inhaled her clean scent. She felt so small, so defenseless in his arms, and his chest hurt, an unfamiliar pain that seemed to settle into his heart as he thought about how close he’d come to losing her. If he’d come out the back door one minute later, it might have been too late.

Never, never again would he allow her to be exposed to danger like that.

Her breathing was slow and even, her body a dead weight on his as he cuddled her against him. He’d been with many women, yet he’d never had the urge to simply hold one of his lovers and sleep with her curled into his side for anything other than the convenience of waking up with a warm body to fuck. He’d certainly never felt the heat that suffused him as her body melted into his.

Tomorrow, he’d have to start setting things up for Jessica’s arrival in Rome. Even though he hated it, he would see to things personally, including briefing his men. He knew Peter and Mary would keep Jessica safe while he was gone. That didn’t mean he didn’t wish he could stay with her, but her safety was more important. He’d do some investigating on his own, contact some sources, and see if he could help steer Peter in the right direction toward finding whoever had ordered her kidnapping. It would also give him time to calm down and, he hoped, give Jessica a chance to heal before he whisked her away to Rome.

Sighing up at the ceiling, he closed his eyes and held her, sweeping his hand beneath her shirt over the small of her back, soothing himself with the fact that she was alive and in his arms. He knew she was his woman, made for him, meant for him, just like he’d been made for her. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind she would be his wife, the mother to his children, the one bit of softness and light in his dark world. Now, he just needed to make her feel as loved as possible, to fill her life with joy, and bind her so tightly to him she’d never want to leave.

Two days later, Jessica tried not to stare at the newest addition to her ever growing army of bodyguards, a gigantic man with a tattoo of a dagger piercing the side of his neck and shoulders so broad she was surprised he made it through the door without turning sideways. But what really caught her eye, other than his bulk, tattoos, and general scariness, were his sideburns that were so long they bordered on being mutton chops. It kind of made him look like Wolverine, if Wolverine was a serial killer. His name was Krom. No last name. Most of them were Russian, and throughout the past few days, Maks and Luka had introduced various new men to her.

All the new guys she met were very professional in their well-made dark suits and polite, but they made her anxious. She’d become used to the warmth and friendship she had with her bodyguards, not the chilling and professional distance the new guys displayed. When they looked at her, they studied her closely, almost as if they could read her mind, but they did not smile. Inevitably, their gaze would fall on the ugly bruises standing out like a beacon on her cheekbone, then down to her split lip, and they’d become even scarier as an almost offended anger filled them. Like they took the marks on her face personally.

Maks, bless his heart, knew the men freaked her out, so he would introduce her to each one, and she’d give them as much of a smile as she could without pulling too hard at her lower lip. After that, she would shake the new man’s hand and thank him for coming—usually much to his surprise for some odd reason. She would then mumble out a quick apology for her troubles having pulled him to Dublin. At this point, Maks would groan and tell her there was nothing to be sorry about, and the new man would stare at her even harder.

By the time the latest guy arrived, she was tired, stressed out, and her head ached. The quiet of the small blue and white study with its comfortable gray chairs and reading nook had soothed her, making it easy to ignore Maks standing guard at the door. She pretended to read, but in reality, her mind was just kind of in heavy daydream mode. Her eyes had closed, and she was almost asleep on the oversized sofa when Maks appeared, yet again, with yet another stranger. If she’d met this latest guy, Krom, first, she might have been intimidated by his scarred face. He had a wicked slash going over his forehead and into his hairline, but after the parade of deadly predators/bodyguards who’d come through Uncle Peter’s home, she was over being afraid. Heck, in a way, she was glad they were so intimidating. Hopefully, they’d scare off whoever was trying to hurt her, and she could move on with her life.

Maybe even want to leave the safety of her uncle’s place eventually.

It wasn’t like she’d been a total shut-in. She’d visited her apartment with her Aunt Mary under Maks and Luka’s watchful gaze, but only long enough to pack up some things. Hell, she’d even showered at her place today…with an armed guard right outside and another in the hallway. And another in the stairway. Yeah. Overkill to the extreme, but she was also grateful for their presence because, without it, her paranoia might take her over and send her running to hide in a closet.

Almost getting kidnapped might have something to do with that new personality quirk.

She grimaced as her head throbbed harder, and she sat up. She pressed her hand to her forehead and tried not to fidget beneath their intense gaze. Since the…incident...any move she made was scrutinized. It was sweet that they were worried about her, but she was being suffocated by their concern. Yeah, it sucked. Yeah, it was scary. Yeah, she’d had some wicked nightmares, and yes, her paranoia had ramped up, but that didn’t mean she was going to go into hysterics. She’d survived the death of both her parents, and those horrible times in her life had given her a new sense of what ‘bad’ was. Surviving an attempted kidnapping wasn’t anywhere near having to bury the people she loved more than anything in the world. That didn’t mean she wasn’t crapping-her-pants scared when she allowed herself to dwell on her situation, but she wasn’t going to let her fear rule her life.

With a tired sigh, she rubbed her hands on her black yoga pants and wondered how she was going to have a normal existence with all these behemoths breathing down her neck. They would not blend. Especially Krom. The guy could squish people with one mighty, tattooed hand.

Totally freaking out now, but trying to hold it in, she turned and smiled sweetly. “Maks, is Alex building an army around me?”

Krom frowned and looked to Maks who, she assumed, translated. Then Maks looked back at her with a tight expression. “We will do what is necessary to protect.”

She nodded, then pushed herself from the couch, and moved to stand in front of the brute. She was tall for a woman at five foot ten, but this guy dwarfed her. She had to crane her neck to look up at him and force a smile. She needed to remember that he was a fellow human being and his crazy boss had put him on her already overstaffed babysitter/bodyguard detail. It wasn’t Krom’s fault he got dragged here, and he probably had a ton of things he’d rather be doing, so she tried to be as gracious as possible and launched into the speech she’d given close to a dozen times now.

“Hi, welcome to the family. You’re going to be spending the next few days watching me sit around and twiddle my thumbs. Let Alex know what you like to eat, and we’ll do our best to keep you fed and happy. If you like beer, Peter’s pub has some excellent choices, and I highly recommend the restaurant on the corner with the blue pepper sign. They serve, oddly enough, a Tex-Mex that is to die for.”

Maks shook his head and translated, leaving the other man frowning down at her again. He gave a short reply in Russian while he studied her. Tired beyond reason, she returned his stern look and yawned.

“Krom is old friend of Alex’s.” Maks’ voice was unexpectedly serious.

“Aren’t they all?” she muttered.

“He understands English and speaks English, but is not familiar with slang so please keep in mind. He will be in charge of your advance security. That means he will be scouting out locations of places you may go for any potential weaknesses. He will go over your security detail every morning with you and asks that, before you go anywhere, to please let him know so he does not have to hunt you down.”

Her throat closed up as the reality of her world came crashing in, breaking through the fragile blanket of indifference in which she tried to smother her fear. Since the incident she’d been on an emotional roller coaster, fine one moment and sobbing the next. She hated it, hated the pitying looks she received like she was some broken doll. Her cheek ached as her pulse sped up, and the thickness in her throat became a burning in her nose. Grasping the cuffs of her pale gray, wool cardigan, she sat up straight and willed herself not to cry.

Maks always grew agitated when she cried, and she didn’t need him hovering over her any more than he already was. It seemed like the moment she was awake he was waiting for her. The handsome man barely let her out of his sight, and she had to fight to keep him out of her room while she was getting dressed.

“Jessica, are you not feeling well?”

Her neck sagged as the pain in her head overwhelmed her pride, and she closed her eyes. “Headache.”

She sensed movement in front of her, and she bit back a yelp when she opened her eyes and found Krom squatting down a bit so she was looking him in the face. He was all up in her personal space, but the intensity of his light brown gaze held her. There was no inflection in his voice as he spoke in Russian, and when he was done, he stayed where he was, watching her carefully.

“Krom says that there is no reason for tears. He is here now, and you will be protected and safe. So no crying. It irritates him. Makes him want to hurt those that make such a pretty woman sad. No more tears, okay?”

She blinked rapidly, then nodded and winced as her headache intensified.

Abruptly, Krom straightened and said something to Maks, then gently gripped her by the back of her neck and spun her around.