Owned by the Russian Mafia Boss: A Mob Romance (7 page)

Natalia looked stunned as the woman embraced her. “It’s nice to meet you,” Natalia said awkwardly.

“You two lovely people enjoy yourselves,” Dorie said absently. “I’ve got people to talk to.” She sashayed away.

“Who was that?” Natalia said as she stared at him.

“Dorie is the headmistress here at the orphanage. She’s a good woman,” Alek said with a smile. Natalia still looked dazed.

“She seems very friendly with you.”

“Jealous?”

Natalia snorted. “Of a woman in her fifties? Of course not.”

Alek reached down and tipped her face up. “Does that mean if a young and beautiful woman came up and flirted with me, you would be jealous?”

Her face hardened, and she jerked away from him. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

He was going to push the issue when someone caught his eye. “Mingle, Natalia. Have a good time. But do not breathe a word of our arrangement, and while everyone here is more than aware of the kind of organization I run, it’s best not to say it out loud. Do you understand?”

Nodding, she didn’t look up to meet his eyes. He reached out and squeezed her wrists so tight that he was surprised she didn’t cry out. Alarmed and upset, she looked at him. “I understand,” she hissed.

“Smile, my darling. You don’t want people to think you’re upset,” he said as he leaned down and brushed his lips on her cheeks. Her skin was so soft that for a moment he was tempted to linger. But there were people he needed to talk to, and there would be plenty of time to play with his woman later.

Leaving her, he moved through the crowd with his eyes trained on someone. A few people moved out of his way, and some murmured their hellos. Anton had his back to him, but his companion’s face stilled with Alek walked up. Anton turned and frowned,

“Alek. I should have known you’d be here,” the businessman said carefully. He glanced nervously, and Alek surpassed a smirk.

“Of course I’m here. Nothing could keep me away. Especially when I found out you’d be here.” Alek clapped the man on the back and leaned in close. “I had an interesting meeting with Boris earlier today.”

The man noticeably paled. Anton was a wealthy contractor who occasional worked for both Alek and Boris, but Alek had more control over him than Boris did. Because Alek knew something about Anton’s past that Anton would certainly not want to get out. And Anton should have known that trying to build property for Boris too close to Alek’s borders would not go well with him.

“Alek,” Anton said as he cleared his throat. “Perhaps you’d like to talk about this at a better time.”

“Oh, there is nothing to discuss, Anton. I’ve already made it clear that Boris is to move his new casino farther into his territory. And I shouldn’t have to hear any more about it. But we both know that Boris is…shall we say …forgetful, and he may just forget everything I said in our earlier meeting. If that’s the case, I expect you to remind him quite firmly that you will not be building his casino so close to my properties. Do we have an understanding?”

“Alek,” Anton said in a low voice. “You know that I want to help you, but I’m under contract with Boris. I don’t have a choice.”

“A contract?” Alek said with raised eyebrows. “Well, that is interesting. I’m not sure why in the world you signed a contract with Boris, but I have to say that it’s not very smart on your end. The truth is that I don’t give a fuck about your contract, Anton. If you build a casino for Boris in a place that I won’t like, you may find that I have loose lips.”

The older man licked his own lips and looked around to make sure no one was overhearing them. Alek knew that five years ago, Anton murdered his wife and made it look like a disappearance. He had enough money to make it all go away, but Alek had proof. He could have gone to the police with it years ago, but he knew that Anton would just sweep it under the rug. Releasing that information to the public was another matter entirely.

“I’ll do the best I can,” Anton said as his eyes widened in panic. “I promise.”

“I don’t want you best, Anton. Just make sure it gets done.” A shadow past over them as someone joined in the conversation to greet Anton. Alek straightened and put a fake smile on his face. The older man was grateful that someone was there to interrupt, and Alek let it slide. He hated conducting business like this during the charity event, but he knew Anton would avoid him. And now that he had said his piece, he had no desire to make a scene. Slowly, he backed out and scanned his eyes across the crowd to find Natalia.

“She’s beautiful.”

The voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard, and Alek winced as he turned around. Claudia, wrapped in a slinky red dress, glared at him.

He was going to play dumb and ask her who she was talking about, but he really didn’t want to get into it. She, however, was willing to let it go. “It’s amazing how money can dress a girl up,” she said. Poison practically dripped from her lips.

“And you’re telling me that money isn’t responsible for every inch of you?” he said sarcastically.

“I can’t believe you brought her. You never brought me to your charity functions.”

“She isn’t making a scene,” Alek pointed out as he tried to brush past her. “You are.”

Before he could even blink, she reached out and grasped his coat. “Alek, please.” Her voice was soft and pleading. He looked down at her in puzzlement. In the entire time that he’d known Claudia, she never seemed as vulnerable as she did right now. “You have to understand my point of view. You dropped me like a rock. No warning. One minute I was in your bed, and the next minute you had replaced me. I just want to know what I did wrong. I deserve at least that much.”

As gently as he could, Alek reached up and removed her hand. “Claudia,” he said softly, “it’s not you. Before our tryst, I never kept a woman for longer than a month. We had a good time, but it was time for me to move on. You knew getting into this that it wouldn’t be forever. I don’t do forever. I don’t do commitment.”

“But she’s living with you,” Claudia said. The bitterness returned to her voice, and Alek winced.

“It’s not romance, Claudia. It’s just politics. Who are you here with?”

His ex rolled her eyes. “Vlad,” she muttered.

Alek tried not to wince. Vlad was a wealthy man easily thirty years her senior. He was a disgusting drunk, but it didn’t surprise him that she would hook up with him. Claudia followed money, and she didn’t really care where it came from. She didn’t blink an eye at the violence that he dealt with. He knew she was happy that he was young and handsome.

“Enjoy your evening, Claudia. Leave Natalia alone,” he said as he sidestepped her and continued searching for Natalia. The ballroom was expansive, and he wasn’t overly concerned when he couldn’t find her. But when several more minutes past and he still couldn’t find her, he grew uneasy.

Maybe he had pushed her too far too soon. Who’s to say that the news of her father wouldn’t spurn her to leave? After all, he wanted her to realize what kind of man she was protecting. What if she decided he wasn’t worth protecting anymore?

An unfamiliar feeling grew in the pit of his stomach. A couple of people stopped to talk to him, and he tried to focus on the conversation. Silently, he told himself that she was probably in the bathroom or standing out on the veranda. But he couldn’t help but fear that she had gone.

And he didn’t understand why it made him so upset.

***

After Alek abandoned her, Natalia stood awkwardly near the food and picked at it. She wasn’t hungry, but she needed something to do with her hands. Part of her couldn’t believe that a mob boss rubbed elbows with the rich and famous. Part of her couldn’t believe
she
was supposed to rub elbows with the rich and famous.

Picking at the food, she kept to herself. She had absolutely nothing in common with these people, and she tried to will herself into invisibility. Unfortunately, Alek’s ex had already spotted her and was shooting poison darts from her eyes. Furthermore, several men were opening drooling over her. If only they knew her background.

If only they knew who she was here with.

None of the women came up to her and tried to greet her or make her feel comfortable. After snagging two glasses of champagne in hopes the bubbles were settle her stomach, she’d finally had enough. Slipping from the crowd, she began to explore the rest of the mansion.

Where the downstairs was magnificently decorated, the rest of the house was plain. As Natalia wandered down the halls, she saw the discarded toys left behind and the crayon drawings on the walls. Smiling softly, she ran her hands over them. It was hard to believe, after seeing the downstairs, that this place housed children.

“I try not to let them draw on the walls, but when they do, I let them stay up for a week or two. They always think it’s a masterpiece.”

Natalia whirled around to find Dorie smiling at her. “I’m sorry,” Natalia stuttered. “I probably shouldn’t be here.”

“Please,” the older woman waved her hand with a smile. “You all paid so much money to be here that you’re allowed to go wherever you want. And any guest of Alek’s is a guest of mine. Besides, I could tell you were uncomfortable downstairs.”

“So uncomfortable,” Natalia confessed with a smile. “I feel like everything I touched would have cost me a year’s worth of pay. I didn’t grow up with money.”

Dorie laughed. “I know the feeling. I live in sweat pants. It’s easier to chase the children down in them. If it was up to me, I’d just collect the money and say thanks, but Alek thinks the swanky parties bring in more money. He’s right, of course. The rich do love a good charity event so they can show how humanitarian they are while drinking the finest alcohol and eating the finest food. The party alone would bankrupt us if Alek wasn’t the one paying for it.”

“Alek is paying for this?” Natalia said with a frown. “Really?”

The woman cocked her head and stared at her. “How long have you been with Alek?” Natalia opened her mouth before shutting it. Alek had warned her not to saying anything their situation. Dorie seemed to understand. “That was a rude question. I shouldn’t have asked it. I can see you probably don’t know Alek all that well. Let me guess. You see him and all you see is a mobster?”

“You know?”

“Darling, this is Russia. Everyone knows. If it weren’t for Alek’s background, I wouldn’t take a dime from him. Honestly. What kind of message am I sending if I raise these kids on the dime of a violent mob boss? But when I desperately needed the help, he was there. I took over a few years ago to help these children, and instead I thought I was going to have to close the place down. There was just no money here. And when I realized what happened to these kids, I wanted nothing to do with it.”

“What happened?” Natalia asked slowly. She had a feeling that she already knew the answer.

“When Alek’s predecessor, Grigori, was in charge, the kids were recruited. They were eligible at the age of ten. Ten. Can you imagine? Healthy able-bodied males were studied and given a choice. They could find a safe place, a family, and a home under Grigori’s watchful eye, or they can hope that someone would adopt them. At the age of ten, most kids understood that they were too old for anyone to want them. They almost always went with Grigori’s offer. Who wouldn’t? They desperately wanted someone to protect them, to love them, and Grigori offered that.”

“Oh my god,” Natalia said as she pressed a hand to her stomach. She thought she was going to be sick. “So Alek?”

Dorie nodded. “Alek doesn’t talk about it, but I looked up his file after he got in touch with me. He left the orphanage at the age of eleven. He’d been here since he was four, so I’m not sure why Grigori didn’t take him earlier. Or maybe he tried, and Alek resisted. But when he took over for Grigori, the first thing he did was force the headmistress out. I was just working as a maid at the time, but he offered me the position with a few conditions. There would be no more recruiters. He wanted to help. He wanted to put money back into the institution to make it great again and give these kids a fighting chance. I know that Alek isn’t a good man, but to these kids, he’s an angel. And let me tell you, nothing gets past him. He looked over my books every week to make sure that every dime goes to those kids.”

Natalia didn’t want to ask, but she had to. She had to know the truth. “Dorie, have you ever heard of a Petr Primac?”

“I didn’t meet him, but everyone has to sign a log with them come in. I know that Petr was given his own pass because he was here so often.”

“Oh God.” Natalia put a hand out to brace the wall so she didn’t pass out. Alek wasn’t lying. Her father was a recruiter for Grigori. Her father recruited orphaned kids who thought they had nowhere else to go.

Her father recruited Alek.

“Miss, are you feeling okay? You don’t look so good?”

Natalia took a deep breath. “I’m fine. I feel a little overwhelmed. Is there some place quiet I can go to collect my thoughts?”

Dorie reached over and took her arm. Natalia resisted the urge to wrap herself in the woman’s arms and cry. She seemed like such a mother hen, and Natalia could have used some advice. “Come on my dear,” Dorie said. “You can collect yourself in my room.”

She led Natalia down the hall and opened a darkened room. Natalia sat on the bed and smiled weakly. “Thank you.”

“Can I get you some water?”

“No, I just need a few minutes to get my bearings. I’ll be down shortly. You’ve been so kind to me. Thank you.”

“All right, dear. It can be overwhelming to be around all those people. Take your time.” Dorie thought she understood, but she had no idea.

As soon as she was alone, Natalia felt the first tears prick her eyes. Her father had been a horrible person. He’d sculpted Alek into what he was today, and she was paying the price.

But what could she do? She loved her father. He’d done so much for her in the short amount of time he’d known her, and she couldn’t possibly back out of her contract now. No doubt Alek would strike out in anger. He must have hated her father.

Still hated him.

She wrapped her hands around her body and rocked back and forth. She didn’t know if minutes or hours passed, but she couldn’t stop the onslaught of emotion. Hatred. Regret. Pity. Sympathy.