Owned by the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance (2 page)

“Legalities have never bothered me,” Alek said with a shrug. “There will also be no talk of this deal. You and your brother are not to breathe a word of it to anyone. The last thing I want is people offering me their daughters in exchange for their loans.”

“You think people would do that?”

“I think some of the people who owe us money would do just about anything to keep us away,” Alek said softly. “Call us another car. I need to see my lawyer.”

Chapter Two

Natalia left the hospital in shock. After her father got the care that he needed, she could not face the reality of what she’d done. She had just signed up to be the plaything for a mob boss for an entire year. What the hell was she thinking?

Her father’s debt would be forgiven, and he would be safe. That was important to her. Now that her mother had died, he was the only family she had left, and after she’d shown up on his doorstep with proof of who she was, he’d done his best to take care of her. He’d covered her college tuition, although she begged him not to. He bought her a car. He set her up with a job. She couldn’t help but feel responsible for him now. She should have known that he didn’t have the money. Of course he’d been gambling for it.

Natalia had almost regretted coming to him to begin with. She didn’t need or want the financing. She just wanted a family. But it was clear he felt guilty for not doing anything for her as she’and had tried to make up for it with money. How long had Alek been harassing him for money? How much damage had he done?

Two weeks. Two weeks to get her affairs in order so she could be a whore for Alek Evanoff. Her chest clenched, and she stumbled on the sidewalk. “What have I done?” she whispered to herself.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out. Someone had sent her a text from an unknown number.
Please calm yourself. If you keep having anxiety attacks, we won’t have any fun.

With a cry of alarm, she looked up sharply and scanned the area. Alek had gotten her phone number and now he was stalking her? Unbelievable. Angrily, she texted back.
I have two weeks of freedom. Stay away from me.

She almost threw the phone in the trash as she began to walk away, but it buzzed again.
I’ll be at your place tomorrow evening for you to sign the contract. If you are not present, I’ll show up at your place of work.

Gritting her teeth, she shoved the phone in her pocket. There was no need to respond. If he was watching her, he would know that she saw it. She was relieved that he had agreed to the contract. It would never hold up in court, but it would be her proof that if anything happened to her or her father in that year, she would make sure that everyone knew what kind of man Alek was. Although, after some cursory research on her phone, she realized that everyone already knew of Alek. He’d been brought up on several felonies and was exonerated from every one. Clearly he had the police in his pocket. That didn’t bode well for her.

The next day she put in her notice at her temp job. Her supervisor didn’t even blink an eye or look up. People rotated in and out of the offices there so fast that she doubted her boss even knew her name. Although she had protested quitting her job, the truth was she felt some satisfaction in doing so. She’d been absolutely miserable working there.

There were no friends to say goodbye to. She gave notice to her landlord that she would be out for a year, and he immediately pointed out that it broke her contract. Her shoulders slumped. He was right. She had to occupy the place at least one week out of each month to keep her contract. He’d been trying to get her out for the past couple of years because she had a rent controlled agreement. Now he could charge someone else more.

Slowly, the layers of her life chipped away, and she realized she really didn’t have anything she needed to hold on to.

That didn’t make seeing Alek on her doorstep any easier. Bones, her cat, immediately belly crawled under the couch to hide. “Let’s get this over with,” she muttered as she stepped back to let him in. She was afraid. There was no denying the hammering of her heart against her chest, but that didn’t mean she had to act afraid.

“This is where you live?” he said softly as he stepped in.

“Well, I don’t make millions off the backs of the poor, so yes,” she snapped. “This is where I live. Except now it won’t be my home anymore because I’m breaking my contract to live somewhere else for a year.”

He looked at her in surprise, and she sighed. “Give me the contract. You can wait while I read it very carefully.”

“Your living situation is not my problem,” he said gruffly.

She stared at him. Of course it wasn’t his problem. He didn’t care about anyone. He was a violent and cruel man. She gazed briefly out the window as she took it. “I see you don’t have your goons with you. I guess I’m not much of a threat,” she muttered as she sat on the couch to read the paperwork.

Alek sat next to her, so close their thighs almost touched. “My dear, I don’t think you realize just how dangerous you are.” He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and she struggled to not lean into his touch.

“But I am more dangerous. Don’t ever forget that,” he whispered as his lips brushed against her ear.

A shiver went through her, but it wasn’t fear. Desire. Hating herself, she immediately jumped from the couch and glared at him. “I believe I was warranted two weeks of freedom. Until then, please keep your distance.” Gripping the contract in her hands, she marched into the kitchen and sat at the table. While he followed her, he gave her some space and lounged in the doorway instead. The distance didn’t do much to calm her libido, and she fidgeted nervously. What the hell was wrong with her? This man nearly killed her father, and here she was responding to his every touch.

Doing her best to pretend that he wasn’t there sucking all the logic out of her, she glanced over the contract. It was pretty straight forward, but there were some things she didn’t like. “Can you please define what kind of work you expect me to do for you? I will not hurt or threaten anyone.”

“Just some paperwork,” he said with an amused smile. “Filing. Answering phones.”

“Excellent. I’ll just add secretary for a mob boss to my resume,” she said with a sigh as she kept looking through the contract. “I want my father banned from your casinos,” she said as she looked up.

“He’s already banned.”

“Good. My cat comes with me.”

He frowned as if he wanted to push the issue, but he finally just shrugged and nodded. At least she had one piece of comfort.

She swallowed hard and rubbed her hands together. “So, I’m on birth control, and I won’t go off it.”

Natalia flinched as Alek through back his head and roared with laughter. “Oh, my dear. It’s been a long time since I’ve laughed like that. I am not a family man. You should have no fear of any attachments on my part.”

“Fine.” She reached for her pen and hovered her fist above the line. Closing her eyes, she had to remind herself that it would only be a year. A year as this man’s plaything. A year of involvement with the mob.

A year, and her father would be set free.

Her mouth set in a determined line, she put pen to paper and signed her name. Taking a deep breath, she moved the contract over to him. He crossed the floor in a few steps and leaned over to press his lips to her hair. Natalia stiffened her spine, but she didn’t move away. The touch lasted only a brief moment before he reached over and took the pen from her. After signing the contract, he removed the top copy and handed the one on the bottom to her. “I believe it will be a pleasure doing business with you,” he said softly before he walked away.

Natalia didn’t even turn around. She heard her front door close, and she didn’t get up to lock it. What was the point? Nobody worse than Alek was going to darken her door, and she had a feeling he would protect his prize.

It was done. And there was nothing she could do.

When Bones finally came out of hiding and wrapped around her ankles, she picked up the black cat and snuggled in his fur. Every part of her wanted to break down and weep, but she refused. Crying solved nothing. She was stronger than that.

Besides, maybe something good would come from this. She would have a whole year to figure out how to bring Alek and his entire operation down.

Chapter Three

Natalia was waiting outside her locked door on the steps when the dark car pulled into the parking lot. With its tinted windows and impeccable shine, she had no doubt that this was Alek. But when the driver got out to start loading her few possessions, she realized that the handsome devil wasn’t in the car.

“Too good to come pick me up himself?” she muttered as she grabbed the cat carrier. Inside, Bones was crying in protest.

“Mr. Evanoff has business to attend this morning. He’ll join you this afternoon.”

Natalia rolled her eyes and tried to grab a bag, but the driver shook his head. “No ma’am. You are his guest. You do not load your own bags.”

“I’m not a guest. I’m a prisoner. And I’m perfectly capable of loading my own luggage,” she snapped as she carried the bag and her cat to the car. Her throat tightened when she finally slid into the back seat and hushed Bones. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered. She hoped it would be okay.

“If you have not eaten this morning, breakfast will be provided for you. Mr. Evanoff requests that you speak to the cook about your dietary needs while we get your room set up.”

Her room? Did that mean that she didn’t have to stay in the same room as Alek? That was a relief. “Breakfast won’t be necessary,” she responded quietly. There was no way she was going to be able to eat today. Her stomach was too tied up in knots.

She stared out the window as she grew more and more anxious. By the time they pulled up to the gated mansion, she was frozen in fear. This was it. She was here. This would be her home for the next year.

The driver opened the door and stared at her. “Miss?”

“Right.” She took a deep breath and tried to move her legs. They didn’t budge. “God.”

“If it would make you more comfortable, miss, you’re welcome to walk the grounds while I unload your bags.”

Natalia stared at the driver. He was so nice. Was he one of Alek’s men that went around breaking legs and shooting people? “Thank you,” she said as she finally climbed out of the car. “But that won’t be necessary. I’d like to make sure Bones is comfortable as possible.” She knew she sounded like a lunatic, but Bones was her baby and her only connection to the life she wouldn’t be able to touch for the next year.

The driver nodded. “Very well. You may follow these gentlemen to your room.”

She looked up and saw three large guys grabbing her bags. As she stared at their tattoos and muscles, she knew these men weren’t just the standard help. As one guy reached up to close the trunk of the car, Natalia saw his shirt lift to show the gun he’d holstered underneath. Her mouth immediately went dry.

Clutching Bones, she followed them at a distance into the mansion. She’d half expected the mansion to be overly ornate and grotesque, but all the rooms were actually rather sparse and modern. It was tasteful and clean and almost minimalistic. Still, it did nothing to ease her panic.

Climbing the winding staircase, she passed several closed doors before the men opened a door and carried her things inside. Her heart dropped when she realized that the room was already occupied. The bed was unmade, clothes were on the floor, and there was a distinctive musky masculine scent in the air. A door on the other end revealed a secondary room that held a large closet, several chairs, some bookshelves, a television, and a large window. As the men set down her bags and began to unzip them, she bolted forward in horror.

“No. Please. I’ll unpack them.”

One of the guys straightened and shook his head. “They must be inspected for weapons.” There wasn’t a shred of regret or apology in his voice, and the men continued to rifle through her things. Since she wasn’t allowed to bring any clothes, her things mostly consisted of books, notebooks, electronics, and her toiletries. Hidden at the bottom of one of her bags were her undergarments. She’d hoped to sneak them in. While she’d immediately thrown out anything remotely sexy while she packed, she’d tried to sneak in her bras and practical underwear. They were immediately thrown into a plastic bag.

Hidden at the bottom of her lingerie was a picture. As one of the men reached in to grab the rest of her bras, it tumbled out and fell to the floor. She gasped when the glass in the frame broke.

“Boyfriend?” one of the men asked when he picked up the frame. She refused to answer him as she reached over the snatch it.

“You need to be careful with my things. This frame was important to me,” she said in a thick voice as she struggled to keep from crying. The broken glass bit into her finger, and she gasped and stuck the bleeding finger into her mouth.

“I’ll get you a bandage,” the man said gruffly. “We’re done here anyway.”

There was no apology for breaking her frame. They immediately left her alone in the suite, and she crumpled to the floor in the middle of her things. Holding the picture of Niko close to her heart, she rocked back and forth. Finally, Bones’s cries to attention pierced through her shock, and she carefully placed the frame back into her bag. Leaning over, she opened the carrier.

Twenty pounds of black fur streaked out of the carrier as her cat immediately headed for a hiding spot under the bed. She leaned down on the floor and stared into his golden eyes. “It’s okay, Bones. You’ll get used to this place.”

The door opened, and she pushed herself up. The guard handed her a Band-Aid for her fingers, and she tried to smile. “Thank you.”

“Alek will be back for lunch. You will join him.”

It wasn’t a request. His eyes lingered on her for a little too long before he exited the room. She sucked her finger before wrapping it with the bandage. With a sigh, she went back into the suite and began to pack the things back into her bag. She had no intentions of putting anything out to make things seem homier. She’d just pull things out as she needed them.