Zel: Markovic MMA (67 page)

“And I’ve known you a long time,” Eric shot back.

Alexei understood what Eric meant. He didn’t like the guilty feeling that clawed at him. Eric had every right to be concerned. He’d earned his reputation as a man who burned through mistresses for a reason.

“It’s not like that with Shay,” Alexei said finally. “It’s different with her.”

“It better be,” Eric warned.

Alexei bristled at Eric’s tone but let it slide. The last thing he needed was to get into a pissing match with a detective who could make his life a living hell. Even more than that, he couldn’t stand the thought that Shay would be disappointed in him if he got into a fight with Eric. Instead, he stayed in his chair and watched Eric leave.

Thinking of Shay, he decided to call her and see what she wanted to do about dinner. He pulled his phone from his pocket and noticed the text message he had ignored earlier. He swiped the screen of his phone and opened the message from Stas.

Your little bird has flown back to the nest.

“Shit.”

Alexei quickly cleaned off his desk and left his office, locking the door behind him. It didn’t take him long to figure out what had sent Shay running back home. Feeling like the worst asshole in the world for forgetting to tell her about the move he had arranged, Alexei made sure the dealership was in good hands and hurried out to his SUV, texting Stas as he walked.

Is my little bird still in her nest?

He was backing out of his parking place when the reply came.

She’s visiting a neighbor.

With his foot on the brake, he hastily tapped in his reply.

I’ll be there soon. Keep her there.

The sun began to set as he drove across the city. The rush of workers trying to get home slowed his progress and gave him plenty of time to think about his misstep. His first instinct was to do something special and give her an expensive gift to show how sorry he was, but as he pulled into the park and drove down her street, it occurred to him that Shay didn’t want things from him. She would want him to apologize for being an asshole—and to
mean
it.

He parked in front of her mobile home and climbed out of the SUV, making sure to lock the doors behind him. He spotted his Maserati parked in her driveway. On habit, he checked the driver’s door and found it unlocked. He had a feeling she had done that on purpose.

He climbed the rickety stairs to her small porch and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he tried the door, found it unlocked and stepped into the house. “Shay?”

There was no reply. She was probably still visiting that neighbor.

He glanced around the living room and noticed how much larger it seemed without the furniture. He walked the length of the house and discovered every room was empty. The refrigerator had been cleaned out, and he could smell the lemon and pine scents of disinfectants and cleansers. Knowing Shay as he did, he was certain she had spent the afternoon scrubbing every inch of this place.

Without a place to sit, he left the house to wait for her outside. When he reached the bottom step, he heard the squeaky whine of bicycle tires that badly needed a shot of WD-40. He watched a young boy with a too-big backpack ride down the street, dodging potholes and puddles until he reached the SUV. The little boy clambered off the bike and popped the kickstand. Hitching his backpack up higher, the chubby kid asked, “Are you Shay’s friend?”

“Yes. Are you?” He leaned against the hood of his SUV.

“Yep.” The kid wandered over to the Maserati. Eyes wide, he carefully touched the gleaming silver paint, running his hand over side panel. “Is this yours?”

“Yes.” He reconsidered his reply and corrected himself. “It’s actually Shay’s now.”

“Really?” The kid seemed skeptical.

“Really,” Alexei confirmed. Remembering how much he had loved cars at that age, he asked, “Would you like to sit behind the wheel?”

“Are you serious? Like for real?”

Alexei gestured to the door. “It’s unlocked.”

The kid laughed and raced around to the driver’s side. He jerked open the door, yanked off his backpack and climbed inside. Ignoring the urge to tell the kid to be careful with those muddy shoes, Alexei walked around to the other side and sat on the passenger seat after moving the kid’s backpack out of the way.

“I’m Hector,” the boy said as he poked buttons and pretended to move the shifter.

“Alexei.”

“You’re Shay’s boyfriend, right? She was telling my mom about you.” Hector narrowed his eyes as if trying to decide if Alexei was worthy of Shay. “Mom thinks you’re sketchy and controlling. She says Shay can have any man she wants and that Shay needs to remind you of that.”

Alexei snorted at that. “You’re mother sounds like a very smart lady.”

“She is.” Hector pretended to drive the car while he chattered away. “She was glad that Shay wasn’t dead.”

“Why did she think Shay was dead?”

“Pelon said that Lalo, Shannon and Shay were missing. Everyone thinks Lalo killed Shay and Shannon and ran off to Mexico.”

“Who is Pelon?”

“My sister’s boyfriend,” Hector said. “He used to be in a gang, but he got out when they shot his brother. He’s a roughneck offshore now, but he’s still down. He hears all the good stuff.” Hector twisted in his seat “Hey, do you want to buy some wrapping paper?”

The swift change in subject amused Alexei. He started to tell the kid no but changed his mind. “Maybe.”

Hector reached for his backpack and dug around inside it until he found an ordering form and small catalog. “We’re raising money for school. If I sell enough paper, I get to take a limo to a pizza party with my friends.”

Alexei disliked the way the area schools pushed the kids to raise money like this. Every time he walked into the employee lounge at the dealership, someone was selling cookie dough or wrapping paper or some other bullshit. He hated the pressure to buy.

He flipped through the catalog and glanced at the order sheet. Shay’s name was the last one on the form. She had purchased three rolls of wrapping paper and a box of Christmas cards. The little smiley faces she had drawn inside each zero made him grin. She really was the sweetest thing. Maybe Hector’s mother was right. Maybe he did need a swift kick in the ass as a reminder that Shay could have any man she wanted.

Alexei did the math between what the kid had sold and what he needed to reach the grand prize level on the flyer. “I’m not interested in wrapping paper, but I’ll make a donation instead.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He wrote down the amount he was pledging in the correct spot on the form and then reached into his jacket for his checkbook. The last check he had written had been earlier that morning when one of the employees from the trailer park had come to the dealership with the invoice for Shay’s lease. As he scrawled on the check, he said, “If you don’t win that limo ride, you call Shay and she’ll tell me. I’ll make sure you and your friends get your party.”

There was a knock at the driver’s side window. A moment later, Shay’s face appeared. Alexei tore free the check and handed it to Hector along with the form and catalogue.

“Thanks.” Hector stuffed everything into his backpack. “For all of this.”

“When you get ready to buy a car, come by the lot for a test drive.”

The kid’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure.”

Hector practically bounced as he got out of the car. A few seconds later, Shay slid into the seat he had just vacated. She closed the door and put her hands on the wheel. Alexei waited for her to speak but it became clear that she wanted him to go first.

“I’m sorry, Shay.” It occurred to him that this was the second time he had said it to her today.
You’ve got to be more careful with her.
He was painfully aware that Shay could have any man she wanted. Right now, she wanted him, and he needed to work to make sure that never changed.

“What are you sorry for
exactly
?” Shay turned in her seat so she could look at him. “Because I need to know if you actually get it, Alexei, or if you’re just saying you’re sorry because you think that’s what I want to hear.”

“I should have told you about Spider having his daughter pack up your place. I should have told you—and not Stas—that those boxes were coming today.”

“You should have
asked
me if I wanted to move out of this house,” Shay corrected. “I thought you asked me to move in with you as a temporary thing. This is a
huge
step, Alexei. You should have made sure I was ready for it. You should have let me decide what to do with my home and my things.”

“I thought I was being helpful.” Alexei tried to explain his reasoning. “I’m used to the women in my life enjoying the way I take charge. I thought you would be relieved to not have to deal with it after everything else that’s happened in your life.”

“You would think that,” Shay said with a sad little smile playing on her lips. “And I get it, Alexei. I get that you show people you care by doing things like this.”

“I do care, Shay.” He reached for her hand. “I care more about you than I have any other woman.”

Just fucking tell her that you love her!
But he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t ready.
Coward.

“I believe you,” she said softly. “I do like the way you want to take care of me and help me—but you have to talk to me, Alexei. I don’t like the feeling of losing control when it comes to big decisions like this.”

“I will,” he promised. “I’m not perfect, and I’m going to fuck this up again—but I’ll try.”

Still holding his hand, Shay glanced out the window into the darkening evening. “I needed to make the decision to move out of this place on my own, Alexei. You sort of blindsided me with the penthouse and the mistress thing. I was still trying to wrap my head around that when you blindsided me with the move to your house. Then you shoved envelopes of money in my hand this morning. I’m just not sure where I stand anymore.”

Leaning over, he touched her face and drew her gaze. “You stand next to me, Shay. That’s where you belong.”

“Is it? Because I’m not sure you want an equal partner who walks beside you. I think you want a woman who is happy to walk a few steps behind you. I think you want someone you can lead and someone who won’t question your decisions.”

Alexei shifted uncomfortably. Her questions needled him. “I’ll be honest, Shay. I’ve always been the kind of man who likes to be in charge and in control of everything.”

“I don’t want to be controlled.”

“I don’t want to control you,” he assured her. “But I’d be a liar if I sat here and said that I don’t want to be the man of our house. I am who I am, Shay. I can change, but essentially, this is me.”

“I like the man you are.” Shay squeezed his hand. With a lopsided smile, she said, “You just piss me off sometimes.”

“I wish I could say I won’t piss you off again, but I’m a flawed man.”

“Your flaws aren’t that bad.” She touched his jaw. “You’re a good man. You’ve been nothing but kind and generous toward me.”

“But you wanted to leave this house and this neighborhood on your own terms,” Alexei guessed. “And with your own money?”

She nodded. “It feels like I didn’t earn it.”

“Fuck that,” he swore roughly. “You’re the hardest working woman I’ve ever met.” Brushing his knuckles along her cheek, he said, “You don’t have to be a martyr, Shay. It’s okay to let someone—to let
me
—help you. It took me decades to get where I am. I want to spare you that.”

Alexei captured her mouth in a tender kiss. He swept his finger down her jaw. “If I walked away right now, you would still make a success of your life. You’ve already proven that you can stand on your own two feet. You don’t need me. You don’t need any man to get where you want to go.” He leaned in and kissed her again. “But I hope you
want
me there with you. I hope you’ll let me help you reach your goals faster.”

Shay cupped his face in her small hands. “I do want you with me.”

“I just want to take care of you, Shay.” He ran his thumb along her lower lip. “It makes me feel—”

“Proud? Like a good provider? Like a man?” she guessed.

He nodded. “It means something to me to be
your
man.”

She leaned into him and pressed her warm lips to his. “It means something to me to be
your
girl.”

Relieved she had accepted his apology, Alexei kissed her until her lips were swollen and red. He flicked his tongue against hers one last time before reluctantly easing off their kiss. He swept the long strands of hair that had escaped her loose braid behind her ear. “Let’s go home. I’ll build a fire and open a bottle of wine and then I’ll spend the rest of the night making this up to you. How does that sound?”

“Like the best apology ever.”

“Let me give my keys to Stas. He can drive my SUV back to the house. You can be my chauffeur for the ride home.”

Outside in the chilly night, Alexei found Stas leaning against the door of the SUV waiting for them to finish. Sitting on the hood of the vehicle, a plate wrapped in aluminum foil rested on top of a thick blanket still sealed in its plastic packaging.