Stingray Billionaire: The Complete Series (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) (79 page)

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Max

It
was dark when
I woke up, and I had no idea whether it was morning or night. I looked down at
Lexi sleeping soundly next to me. She looked angelic with her hair spread out
across the pillow, and when I leaned down and kissed her forehead, she stirred
slightly and a small smile spread across her lips. When I thought about how
close I'd come to losing her, felt a lump form in my throat and I swallowed
hard to push it back down.

I got up and padded into the living room, followed closely by Anna, who
was now dry and looking more like herself. I looked down at her and smiled.
"What do you say, little girl; want to help me with something really
important?" Anna chirped and head butted my ankles as she paced
impatiently. I laughed out loud as I leaned down and patted her head and said,
"Yes, of course, you can have dinner – or is it breakfast – first!"

I walked out to the kitchen, mixed up a bowl of Anna's favorite tuna and
shrimp, and placed it on the mat in front of her. "You're a good girl,
Anna," I said as I scratched her head. "A very good girl." She
purred as she dug into the food, but she didn't lift her head.

I took a look at the clock on the microwave and realized it was very
early morning. The sun would be rising in a short while, so I brewed myself a
cup of strong coffee and took it out to the balcony to watch the sun rise over
the lake while I planned my day.

I stood and watched as the sun began to peek out above the water. The
effect was breathtaking as it slowly made its way into the sky, shining a
glowing pink light across the lake that was then reflected out across the
shore. As the sun rose higher, the light became brighter and the water began to
sparkle as if covered in thousands of small diamonds and spreading out in
prisms that danced on the surface. I watched as the sun quickly rose and became
a bright ball of light illuminating everything it touched, and I knew exactly
what I needed to do.

I quickly called a few of my favorite salespeople at a couple of stores,
and despite the early hour, they jumped at the chance to help me get things
moving. Then, I called the harbor and found a luxury yacht that could handle a
special trip out on the lake. I'd always wanted to own a boat, but it was one
of those things that screamed conspicuous wealth, and after Papa's admonishments,
I hadn't bought one
 
– but today was
different. Today was a new start and a chance to do the things I'd always
wanted to do, but never dared.

I knew exactly how I wanted to spend the day, and it wasn't at the store.
However, I did have some business to take care of, so I plotted my schedule
knowing that I had a few important errands to run before I swung back around
and picked Lexi up. I went back to the kitchen and quickly wrote her a note
before heading to my room to shower and change. Once dressed, I called my
driver and told him my plan as he pulled the car around to the front of the
building.

I stepped into the elevator determined to ensure that everything would
come out exactly as planned, but first, I had to see Papa.

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Lexi

It was light outside when I finally emerged from the deep sleep that had
pulled me under after Max and I had satisfied each other's needs. I smiled as I
stretched my arm out towards the other side of the bed and was surprised to
find it empty.

"Max?" I called as I sat up and looked around the room.
"Max, are you out there?"

When I got no response, I flipped off the covers and hopped out of bed. I
wrapped myself in a robe and padded out to the kitchen, where I found the
coffee pot ready to brew and a note from Max on the counter beside it.

Good morning, beautiful! I'm sorry I'm not here to brew
this myself, but I have some business to take care of this morning. The store
is closed, so don't go in. I'll be back early this afternoon to take you to
lunch, so put on your prettiest dress
–
or pick one from the assortment that will
arrive around 11 a.m. Enjoy your morning, and I'll see you for lunch. Love, Max

I laughed out loud at the thought of Max Malin – Malinchenko – writing a
love note to me, but the image was so endearing that I picked up the piece of
paper and held it to my lips as I flipped the switch and listened to the water
heating up as the strong scent of coffee began to fill the kitchen.

I didn't even try to figure out what he had planned. I just accepted that
my job was to be ready when he returned. It was ten in the morning and the
dresses would be arriving in an hour, so I decided to drink my coffee as I got
ready. As I stood watching the brewing coffee, I lost myself in the memory of the
night before and shivered as I recalled the way that Max had drawn out every
delicious sensation and made my body sing in his hands. I wanted more of that.
And much more.

Lost in my reverie, I didn't hear the elevator bell ring the first time,
so when a familiar voice called out, "Lexi? Where are you, girl?" I
jumped.

"Viv?" I called as I rounded the corner and saw my best friend
standing in the living room weighted down by garment bags and a huge duffle.
"What are you doing here?"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing here?" she shouted as she
dropped everything on the floor and rushed to embrace me. "My best friend
gets kidnapped by a murderous Russian madman and you're asking what the hell
I'm doing here?"

"It was awful, Viv," I whispered as I held tightly to my best
friend.

"I know, Max told me," she said as she patted my head and
gripped my arms. "I was afraid I'd lost you."

"I'm okay," I sighed as I rested my head on her shoulder and
let the tears flow. "I've never been so scared in my entire life."

"You want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

"No, I don't ever want to talk about that lunatic again," I
said in a fierce voice. "I want to forget that it ever happened and move
on."

"It's okay, Wally," she whispered. "It's okay, nothing bad
will ever happen again. Anna has proved that she'll never let anything bad
happen to you ever."

"Don't say that," I warned. "She did her best and never
left me, but you can't promise that."

"Sure I can," she said confidently as she pushed me back and
looked me in the eyes. "I can say that because I have over fifty-thousand
dollars worth of merchandise in these bags and nothing bad can happen when you
are dressed in an Alexander McQueen or Betsey Johnson gown. Promise."

"Viv, what the heck are you talking about?" I laughed through
tears. "Are you insane?"

"Nope, not any more than I usually am," she crowed as she
walked over to the pile of dresses that she'd dumped on the floor. "I'm
saying that we need to get you ready for lunch with Max this afternoon, so
let's take a look at the gems that these ladies put together and see which one
you like best!"

"Are you going to tell me what's going on here?" I asked wiping
my eyes.

"I've already told you," she insisted. "Now, let's play
fashion model with you as the model!"

For the next hour, she had me try on every dress she'd brought with the
shoes that she'd gathered from all of the boutiques around town. There were
necklaces, scarves, clutch purses, and pashmina wraps to accompany each of the
dresses, and after a while, I began to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of
choices. I looked helplessly at Viv and threw up my hands.

"You decide!" I declared. "I'm tired of trying things on!
Each one looks better than the one before it!"

"I know, right?" she said as she bounced up and down on one of
the chairs in the living room. "This is the best fashion show ever!"

"I'm serious, Viv," I said, collapsing into a heap on the sofa
in a gorgeous metallic lace midi dress that had a blue under layer and a Bardot
neckline. I was wearing a gorgeous pair of impossibly high-heeled silver
sandals that matched the overlay on the dress. "I don't know what to
choose."

"I think you should wear this one," she said holding up a
simple teal blue wrap dress that had a subtle black geometric pattern running
through the material. It was made of a light jersey fabric that clung to my
body in all the right places and had a slit up the thigh that revealed just
enough to skin to make it sexy without being tasteless. I nodded. "And,
these shoes." She held up a pair of nude sandals that had thick straps
across the toes and instep before attaching at the ankle with one more strap.
They looked beautiful with the dress and fit perfectly.

I quickly showered and pulled my hair up into a loose chignon at the nape
of my neck before Viv came into the bathroom and applied my makeup, all the
while scolding Anna, who wound her body around Viv's feet as she danced and
chirped. "Get out from under my feet, cat!" she laughingly scolded
before bending down to scoop up the small kitten and kiss her head.

 
When she was finished, she stood
back and surveyed her handiwork and pronounced me gorgeous. I donned the dress
and sandals, and as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I conceded that
the overall effect was stunning and smiled as I thought about how Max would
respond to all of this fussing and pampering. And yet, I felt like something
was missing. Suddenly, I realized what it was and I dashed into the bedroom and
rooted around in the top drawer of my dresser for a long time before finally
locating what I was looking for; it was the pendant that Max had given me the
first day of work. I quickly attached the clasp and then stood back and nodded.

Viv let loose a low wolf whistle as I walked into the living room, then
she made me walk the length of the room and turn and walk back. She nodded her
approval and gave me a thumb’s up just as the doorman rang to let me know that
Mr. Malin was waiting downstairs for me.

When the elevator doors slid open, I turned and looked back at Viv. Her
wide smile told me everything I needed to know, and I smiled back as the doors
slid shut and the elevator carried me down to Max.

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

Max

I'd
spent the
morning calling to have everything set up for lunch, and then headed over to
see Papa. I wasn't looking forward to the visit, but I knew that the longer I
avoided him, the worse it would be when we finally talked. I also needed a
favor – one that I wasn't sure he was going to grant, but I had to ask.

When I arrived at Ursus, Feliks warned me in a hushed whisper that Papa
was in a bear of a mood, and that I might think about coming back later once
he'd had a chance to calm down. I thought about it for a moment and then shook
my head. I would take my chances.

"Maksimka," Papa said as he poured two shots and offered me
one. Sitting and drinking with my father was the last thing I wanted to be
doing, but to refuse would have been an insult that would taint the rest of our
conversation and I knew he was just trying to find common ground.

I accepted the shot and we quickly tossed them back before I said,
"Papa, what happened?"

"Maksimka, I'm going to tell you this one time and one time
only," he said in a weary voice as he rubbed his eyes with one hand.
"There are some things that I did while in the KGB and afterwards that I
am not proud of. They were things that I should probably spend time in jail for
having done, but I did them for the sole purpose of protecting you, your
brother, and your mother."

"Papa, I'm not here to condemn you," I said quietly. "I
just want to know what happened and whether I need to be worried about you. Or
me."

"You're a good boy," he said as he reached across the table and
patted my hand. "You've always been a good boy. I never meant for any of
this to ever touch you. Kristov knew what he was getting into and I gave him
the option of walking away many years ago, but he wanted to be in the life. I
swear on the grave of my father."

"Then, why did the two of you work so hard to try and blackmail me
back into the fold?" I said through clenched teeth. I could feel my blood
beginning to boil as I realized that everything they'd done had been a lie. In
fact, I wondered if what Papa was telling me now was also a lie. "I didn't
want to be a part of it and you knew that, but you bullied me into coming back.
You threatened me, Papa, or have you forgotten that."

"No, I have not," he said as he hung his head. "I will
never forget that."

"Why did you do it?"

"There is no easy answer, Maksimka," he said, lifting his head
and looking at me in a way that made me shudder. "I did it because I love
you. Because I loved your mother and your brother. It was love."

"You have a very sick way of showing love, you know that, don't
you?" I hissed. I could feel myself getting angrier and angrier at him as
I listened to yet another useless excuse. He wasn't apologizing for his
cruelty, he was explaining it away. He was rationalizing it as love, and I
wasn't going to buy the lies. "You are a cruel man who has done cruel things
to the people who loved him."

The pain in Papa's eyes almost convinced me to stop and drop to my knees
to beg for forgiveness, but then the image of my brother lying in his bed with
a hole in his forehead swam in front of me and I fought the urge. His death was
my father's fault. No matter what he said, it was my father's fault. And, I was
finally going to ask the one question I most wanted an answer to.

"Did you kill Mama?" I blurted out. Papa's face twisted into a
mask of pain and rage as the words hung in the air between us. He raised his
hand and then dropped it into his lap.

"You have no idea how painful that question is," he said
slowly. "But the truth is that I did not kill her, Maksim. She was
collateral damage in a war that should never have been fought, but I did not
kill your mother. I loved her more than I loved myself, and I would have died
trying to protect her."

"Then, why didn't you?" came the anguished cry from my lips.
"Why did you let my Mama die?"

"I will never be able to give you a satisfactory answer to that
question, Maksimka," my father said as he dropped his head into his hands
and shook silently. Even in grief, my father was a
bratán
who didn't let his emotions show. I watched him with tears
in my eyes, but I didn't make a move to comfort him. To do that would be to
break the code of the
vory v zakone,
and although I wasn't one of them, I did respect the fact that he was. After a
few minutes, he regained enough control to say, "Someday, when you love
someone that much, you'll understand."

"I do, Papa," I said. "I do love someone that much."

"Miss Wallace?"

"Yes," I replied. "I want to make a life with her. She
matters more to me than anyone in the world."

"Then, you will need this," he said as he reached into his
shirt and pulled out a long chain on which hung a thin band encircled with
small diamonds. He undid the chain and pulled the ring off of it, offering it
up to me. "It was your mother's wedding ring. I bought it for her when we
lived in Moscow. I had to eat out of garbage cans for a month after buying it,
but I wanted her to know she would always be taken care of if she agreed to
marry me."

I took the ring and studied it. It was worn and scratched, but the
etching on the inside was still readable. It said,
Lyublyu, chest' leleyat.
I read the words aloud, "Love, honor,
cherish."

"I did, you know," he said quietly. "Despite what you
think, I loved your mother more than anyone."

"I'm sure you did," I agreed, trying to find a way to meet him
in the middle of our individual pain.

"Go find Miss Wallace and ask her to let you be the one to love her
more than anyone," he said with a wry grin. "Women like that."

"Thank you, Papa," I said before I turned and headed out the
door and back to Lexi.