Authors: Roxie Rivera
"It's no problem. Would you like something to drink? Water? Coffee? Tea? Vodka?" He said the last with a teasing smile.
"No, I'm fine, but thanks."
He returned to his chair and leaned back. "Have you been to see the baby yet?"
I smiled at the reminder of Benny and Dimitri's baby. Sofia Natalya Stepanov had made her debut early yesterday morning. In the end, Benny had undergone a planned C-section to bring her nine pound, two ounce bundle of joy in the world.
"No, I'm going later today. I figured Benny was tired yesterday after having surgery in the morning. I would have stopped by this morning, but I didn't want to run in to Vivian and Sergei."
"Oh. Right." A flash of regret touched his face. As quickly as it appeared, it vanished. "Sofia is the prettiest baby girl I've ever seen."
"Yeah?"
"So pretty," he repeated. "She has dark hair like Benny but blue eyes like Dimitri."
"I think all babies have blue eyes when they're born."
"These will stay blue, I think." Rapping his fingertips on his desk, he said, "About the repairs to your shop…"
I waved my hand. "It's done. The contractors were in and out in a day."
"If there was any other way, Bianca—"
"It's fine, Nikolai." I really didn't want to talk about what had happened that night or the aftermath that followed. Kostya's impeccable staging had easily fooled the police and insurance company. Thankfully, the redundancies around the shop had allowed us to continue serving our brides with only the tiniest hiccup. The mob cleaner had only taken or destroyed dresses that hadn't been spoken for by customers.
"It's not fine. It never should have happened." He ran his fingers through his sand-colored hair. "I waited too long to act and you very nearly paid the ultimate price."
I didn't dare ask him what he had waited too long to do. The news had been filled with stories of a major fire at the auto shop the Night Wolves operated out of and of a shootout at some bar they owned outside of the city when the Feds had raided them to round the rest of them up. The only casualties had been those racist scumbags so there didn't seem to be much outpouring of concern over the gang violence.
"He misses you," Nikolai said, his words seemingly out of the blue. "I've never seen him like this, not even when he had to leave his mother and brother behind."
Hearing that Sergei missed me bolstered my courage. I had never faced off with a mob boss before so I needed every drop of bravery I could squeeze out of me. "That's why I'm here."
"You want him back?"
"I never asked him to leave."
Nikolai sat forward. "You didn't break up with him?"
I shook my head. "He left me."
"To protect you?"
"Yes."
Shaking his head, Nikolai swore softly in his mother tongue. "He's always been such an honorable bastard." Turning his attention to me, he asked, "What can I do to help you?"
"You can start by telling me exactly how much outstanding debt you hold for Sergei."
"Why?"
I reached into my purse and retrieved my checkbook and pen. "Because I intend to buy him from you."
Nikolai blinked. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
The mob boss stared at me for a few very unnerving seconds before bursting into laughter. Head thrown back, he stared at the ceiling and chuckled. "God, Bianca, I always knew you were a dark horse."
Bristling at his amusement, I insisted, "I'm serious, Nikolai."
He lowered his head and peered intently at me. "I know you are."
"How much?"
"It's a lot, Bianca."
"Well, luckily for you, I have deep pockets."
"Is that so?"
I was probably tipping my hand too early, but I didn't think Nikolai would cheat me. "When Daddy was killed, the drunk driver who plowed into him survived, and our family took him and his insurance company to court. We received a big payout that Mama invested wisely. Later, when Perry was murdered, my mother sued the Blake family. They settled with us by giving us some pieces of land down in south Texas. You've heard of the Eagle Ford Shale?"
"I have."
"So you know what sorts of royalties we have pouring in then," I replied. "Name your price, Nikolai. I'm not walking out of here until I own Sergei."
The mob boss reached for a slip of paper and clicked his pen. He scribbled a figure and slid the paper my way. "Don't start writing that check yet, Bianca. You can't just give me money like this. It will attract unwanted attention."
I understood what he meant. Glancing at the paper, I kept the shock from filtering across my face. "How do we do this?"
Nikolai seemed to be mulling it over. A smile started to lift the corners of his mouth. "I have just under sixty acres of land in Waller County that I need to move."
"What? Over near Hempstead?"
"Close by," he said. "It would be better if this land stayed in the family."
"Uh-huh," I replied unhappily. "I suppose I don't want to know why."
"Probably not," he agreed. "I can promise you that the land would be…cleaned…before it came into your possession."
"So I buy the land—"
"And you get Sergei, free and clear."
"Do you mean that?"
"I need him to fight on Friday and Saturday," Nikolai answered honestly. "There's too much money involved, including his own, to risk that. After Saturday, he's all yours."
The mention of Sergei's money tied up in the fights made me think of his family. "That's something else I wanted to discuss. How do I get Sergei's family over here?"
I might have imagined it, but it looked as if Nikolai's pale eyes actually warmed toward me. "Vladimir could easily immigrate under a job's visa with Dimitri's company, but it's Sergei's mother that has the hardest time coming over here because she's only a seamstress. Until Sergei becomes a citizen, he can't sponsor her immigration. The brothers don't want their mother left behind." He hesitated. "Did he tell you about the last lawyer?"
"No."
"The bastard scammed many Russians and Ukrainians here in Houston. He tucked tail and ran before I could get my hands on him. Sergei lost a ton of money and time to him. He's starting over now, and it will take time, even if Sergei gets citizenship soon. Unless—"
"Unless what?"
"There are ways to jump the line, but it costs money, Bianca."
"Legal ways?"
He nodded and opened a leather address book. Plucking free one of the Samovar business cards sitting on the corner of his desk, he turned it over and jotted down a name, phone number and address. He slid the card toward me. "This guy works for a firm that Yuri uses. He's safe and totally above board. He'll get Sergei's family here—for a price."
"Thank you." I tucked the card into my purse along with my checkbook. "Which realtor do I need to visit to get this ball rolling?"
"The land isn't officially for sale yet. I'll have Vee call you when it's time."
I narrowed my eyes. "Is this your way of holding onto Sergei longer?"
"No, this is my way of making sure we're all protected in this transaction. When Sergei is finished on Saturday, he's all yours if you still want him."
"I do want him."
"I can tell." Nikolai rose from his chair and walked me to the door. Touching my cheek, he smiled down at me. "I'm glad it's you, Bianca. You're the only woman brave enough to fight for him."
"He's worth it."
"Yes, he is." Nikolai patted my back. "It was nice doing business with you, Miss Bradshaw."
"And you, Mr. Kalasnikov."
Feeling some of the tension leave my body, I made my way outside and fished my phone out of my purse. Scrolling through my contacts, I found Erin's number. She was phase two of my plan.
A bit breathlessly, she answered, "You've reached Mrs. Ivan Markovic. How may I dazzle you today?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Boy, you're really milking that newlywed thing."
"Bianca! Hey, you want to go see the baby with me later?"
"Sure. You want me to pick you up?"
"Yeah. That's great."
"Listen, I wondered if you might help me with something."
"Is it about Sergei and the fights this weekend? Ivan said that you two were on the outs, and, honestly, I'm so shocked. When Lena told me you two were together, I thought for sure this was it, you know? Anyways. I'm rambling. Basically, I am totally at your disposal. Whatever you need, I'll do it."
I laughed at her babbling offer of help. "I knew I could count on you."
"You know it! Look, give me an hour to get dressed and then come get me. We'll go see the baby and then grab an early dinner. How does that sound?"
"Like a good plan," I said and firmed up the details. Dropping my phone in my purse, I headed for the parking lot down the block. Determination blossomed inside me. Sergei thought the only way he could protect me was to cut me out of his life—and his heart—forever. Little did he know that he was about to meet his toughest opponent yet.
I loved that man, and I wasn't giving him up without one hell of a fight.
Head throbbing and hands burning, Sergei tried to drown out the noise of the crowd and get his nerves under control. In a very short time, he would walk down the dimly lit hall of the meatpacking plant to the metal cage to face his third opponent. Last night, he had won his first two fights, but he didn't feel the usual surge of male pride that followed hard won victories.
No, he didn't feel anything but that deep, hollow, soul-sucking ache in his chest. The pulsing emptiness of it reminded him of the only thing he had ever truly wanted and the one thing he simply couldn't have.
Ivan lumbered into the makeshift locker room like the great big bear that he was. He dumped a second bucket of ice into the sink before coming over to the bench where Sergei sat. His trainer and mentor crouched down in front of him and put his hands on either side of Sergei's face. "Let me see that cut."
Sergei looked up at the dingy ceiling tiles while Ivan prodded the slit on his cheek. "It's fine."
"For now," Ivan said unhappily. "This is what happens when champions get sloppy and forget to block."
"
Da
."
Cracking his battered knuckles, Ivan exhaled a pent-up breath and took the spot next to him on the bench. "I know you're in pain, Sergei. I know that you miss your woman, but that is no excuse for putting your life at risk. You have to get your fucking head right—or I'll throw in the towel right now."
Sergei's gaze snapped to Ivan's face. "You wouldn't."
"I will."
"But the money—"
"Fuck the money, Sergei." Ivan shook his head and ran his finger along one of the tattoos decorating the back of his hand. "The only reason I train you now and keep one foot in this dirty business is because I wanted to keep you safe. If you're not going to look out for yourself in that cage, then I'll do it for you."
Sergei thought of the cash he had tied up in bets. "I'll be safe."
"You had better be or else I'll kick your ass all the way to the hospital."
Sergei snorted. "
Da
."
Ivan slapped his hand against Sergei's back. "I'm sorry about the girl. I know it hurts."
Sergei stared at the opposite wall. If any man could understand what he was going through, it was Ivan. "It was stupid of me to think that I could have something normal."
"It's not stupid to have dreams or to want better things, Sergei. How the hell do you think I got where I am in life? I let myself dream of how it could be someday." Ivan hesitated. "But I never let myself fall in love when I was still deep in the family."
"That was smart."
"No, it was simply good timing. If Erin had walked into my life back then? There's no way I could have ignored what I feel for her. It would have been hard not to cross that line, but I would have tried. I would have reminded myself that she deserved something better. Even now, I struggle with the idea of tainting her life with my sins."
Sergei glanced at Ivan. "She loves you. I don't think she cares."
"If she does, she's made peace with it. God knows I don’t deserve her selfless love, but she never stops giving it." Ivan squeezed Sergei's shoulder. "You're a good man, Sergei, but you can't have everything. At some point, you have to choose—Nikolai's family or your own."
After having a taste of freedom and a glimpse of the possibilities, Sergei had never wanted to break free more. "How?"
"I don't have that answer, Sergei. It's different for all of us."
"Do you miss it? Do you ever feel guilty about walking away?"
Ivan considered the questions. "I miss the brotherhood, but I don't miss the violence or the gut-gnawing fear that came with every night. And guilt?" He shrugged. "In the early days, yes, I felt guilty about walking away from the only life I had ever known and leaving everyone else behind. Now?" He shook his head. "I get to go home every night to Erin. I get to climb into bed with her and make love to her and dream about the babies we're going to have without worrying that I might get shot or stabbed at work."