Stolen from the Hitman: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (49 page)

Cherry’s eyes widen. “You mean…”

“Yeah,” I reply, stepping forward to give Mikhail a tight hug. “This towering giant is my brother, both by blood and by the Bratva” I say, looking back at Cherry with a rugged smile.

I
look back
and forth between the two of them with my mouth hanging wide open. How could they possibly be related?
Brothers
? Leon and Mikhail are both stunningly handsome and undeniably Russian, but otherwise so different. Leon looks like a pretty typical — albeit hunkier than usual — working class guy, with his mischievous smile and lowkey style. But Mikhail looks like a mobster. Like an emotionless killing machine.

“Mikhail, let me introduce to you to my girl. This is Cherry LaBeau,” Leon says, reaching out and taking my hand. He releases his brother and stands next to me, beaming. He looks like an excitable puppy showing me off to his big brother, and the fact that he called me his girl is making my head spin with delight.

Mikhail is tall and straight-backed, his bearing regal and intimidating. He’s dressed in all black, his clothing neatly pressed and immaculately tailored to his muscular body. By comparison, Leon is much more relaxed and Americanized. Even though I can still sense that Russian resilience and power in him, but Leon smiles and laughs more easily. I get the feeling that Mikhail doesn’t do either of those things very often. Maybe ever.

He holds out his hand to shake mine. I oblige him quickly, my eyes wide as I look up into his stony face. “
Ochyen priyatno, sestra
. It’s a pleasure.”

“Same here,” I reply nervously, giving him a weak smile. He scares the pants off of me.

Then he immediately turns back to Leon and leans in to murmur, “
Moy brat
, I have a favor to request of you.”

Leon puts an arm around me and grins at his brother. “Anything for you.”

Mikhail glances around the room at everyone. Half the people are pretending not to pay attention, and the other half are just outright staring.
Way to play it cool, guys
, I think to myself bemusedly. Leon notices the same thing and rolls his eyes.

“Uh, let’s go in the back and discuss this, eh?” he suggests. Mikhail nods.

At first I assume they’re going to head into the back office without me, as I’m probably not exactly at the high level of security clearance required for whatever mafia-esque business Mikhail could possibly want to discuss. But Leon pulls me by the hand behind him, the four of us passing through a wide berth in the crowd. Everyone seems to move out of Mikhail’s way. I wonder if it’s just his ominous presence that does it, or if he has some kind of dark reputation preceding him.

When we get to the back and Leon closes the door behind us, he turns back and asks his brother, “So, what is it? What do you need?”

Mikhail replies grimly, “I need you to help me hide Alicia,
bratishka
.” I can tell from the way Mikhail says her name that she’s the one he loves. It’s hard to imagine such a tight-lipped, buttoned-up statue of a man having tender feelings for anyone, but there it is. And it’s obvious by the genuine concern clouding his face that he’d do anything to keep her safe. “A few months should do the trick. Then I’ll come back and see she’s sent along safely.”

Instantly I can tell that Alicia is crushed, and my heart hurts for her. Didn’t Mikhail discuss this with her? She looks way too shocked for that.

“You’ll come back?” She asks, but Mikhail doesn’t look at her. He’s forcing his hard gaze on Leon, but I can see the flicker of anguish pass his features.

“Mikhail, I don’t know if we can do that right now,” Leon says sadly, shaking his head. I can tell it pains him greatly to disappoint his brother. “The FBI is on our backs, brother, and there’s not a single place in this town we could hide her without them sniffing her out. It just isn’t safe here in Bayonne. It’s not like it used to be when we were boys.”

“
Pozhaluysta
. I beg of you,” the older brother answers, a pleading edge to his tone.

“What happened to the usual safe houses?” Leon asks, frowning.

Mikhail looks aside as though embarrassed. “They’ve been… compromised.”

“What? How did that — ” Leon stops abruptly, seeing the authentic sadness on his brother’s face. I know the last thing he wants to do is let him down. I wonder what they were like growing up together as young boys and teenagers. I only saw Leon the one time at the beach, and I can’t recall ever seeing Mikhail around. Then again, it’s nearly impossible to imagine what this cold-blooded hitman would have looked like as an innocent child. The idea is almost laughable.

“I need to get her somewhere. She won’t last in the city.” The cold-hearted killer has a major weakness for the woman with him. And I can only imagine the trouble she’s in. It doesn’t seem like Mikhail has been back here in quite some time considering how Leon’s acting.

Leon glances down at me beside him, and I wonder if he’s thinking about me that way. If he’s considering what he’d do in Mikhail’s situation.

The two lovers that just arrived quibble. But it’s the kind of quarrel that happens between two people who care for one another, when what’s best for one isn’t what’s best for both. She doesn’t want him to leave her, and I can’t really blame her.

On the upside, their heated discussion gives Leon time to think.

When Alicia raises her hand to gently stroke Mikhail’s cheek, Leon breaks the silent tension in the room. “I need your help, too. I think… maybe we can work out a deal.”

Mikhail gives him a critical look and crosses his arms on his chest. “I will help you in any way I can. Whatever you need.”

Leon takes a deep breath and then says flatly, “I need you to eliminate someone for me.”

My mouth falls open again as my head whips around to look up at him in disbelief. Surely that can’t mean what it sounds like. Leon is a tough guy who runs with a kind of dangerous crowd, I know, but he can’t honestly be asking his brother to commit murder for him? Maybe it’s some kind of code or something I just don’t understand.

Mikhail doesn’t react with the appropriate surprise or indignation at his brother’s request. Instead, he just lifts his chin a little, narrowing his eyes and straightening his shoulders as though squaring up for a business deal. Like they’re just talking about buying a car together—not killing somebody! He takes his chin in his huge, calloused hand and looks at Leon thoughtfully for a long moment. The silence is killing me and I almost want to jump up and down and wave my arms, shouting
‘WHAT THE HELL?’

But I don’t.

Until finally I can’t stand it anymore.

“Leon, what’s going on? What do you mean, ‘eliminate’ someone?” I ask, my voice higher and more shrill than I hoped it would be. But under the circumstances, how could anyone expect me to keep a level tone, anyway?

Both brothers turn their eyes to me and I instantly feel my face start burning. They’re both so intensely attractive and intimidating that I want to just shrink down into a ball and hide for even daring to interrupt this discussion. Alicia just looks at me with a mixture of pity and envy.

I half expect Leon to kick the two of us out of the office so the men can continue their talk in private. But I should know by now that he’s better than that—he’s not like the snobby, dismissive, condescending guys I sometimes had to contend with at work back in the city. Those guys looked down on me for my name, my looks, my girly journalism. As if their boring sports articles were any more world-changing than my fashion pieces, anyway.

Alicia disentangles herself from Mikhail and sits in one of the nearby chairs, her face distant as though she’s in a trance, but I can’t worry about that now. Right now, I need to worry about the fact that my boyfriend is asking his brother to murder someone in cold blood.

But Leon just places a gentle hand on my back and gives me a sympathetic, meaningful look.

“Cherry, if this is getting to be too much, I won’t hold it against you if you want to take a step back. I don’t want you to be in any danger, and I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t feel comfortable with. I promise I will do anything and everything in my power to keep you safe from harm or retribution, but I will warn you that this is dangerous territory we’re going into now. It’s always been this way, and I’m in too deep to dig my way out. But it’s not too late for you to back out if that’s what you want. I won’t stop you. I just want you to be okay,” Leon explains, his voice so patient and gentle.

I stand there blinking dumbly for a moment while I try to sort through everything he just said. First of all, I am touched that he would feel such concern and tenderness for me. But second of all, I am slightly annoyed that he thinks I’m going to throw in the towel and run away at the first sign of real danger! I’d like to think I’m stronger than that, and I want him to know that I’m in this with him, for better or for worse.

After all, they’re talking about the people who very well might have had a hand in my father’s death.

“No,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I’m gonna see this through. Even if it’s scary. Even if I am definitely in over my head. I’m not leaving you and I’m not letting this go. I’m too invested. I have to find out what’s going on here. It’s—it’s what my dad would have wanted me to do.”

“
Smelaya devushka
,” Mikhail comments. I turn to see him smiling down at me, a hint of pride in his face. He gives Leon a nod of approval before clapping me firmly on the shoulder.

“Brave girl, indeed,” Leon murmurs, that devilish, delicious half-smile on his face again. Just knowing that I’m the one who’s put that smile there is enough to make me feel all warm and tingly. Then he straightens up and continues, “If you’re totally sure about this, then I need you to know that things may get a little… um, illegal, from here on out. To beat these bastards at their own game, we have to be just as cutthroat and willing to resort to drastic measures to get things done.”

I nod, hardening my face and trying to look tough. “I understand. They fight dirty, so we have to get down in the mud with them.”

“Exactly,” Leon says, that smile trying desperately to appear again.

“But… still, isn’t it a little too early to resort to murder?” I ask meekly, not wanting them to be angry with me. It feels like a legitimate concern, though, under the circumstances. Generally I think one should at least think twice before embarking upon a capital offense. In my personal opinion, flat-out murder should probably be Plan Z, not Plan B.

“I respect and understand your hesitation,” Mikhail says cautiously. “Your concern for human life is refreshing. But we do not extinguish lives for the thrill, and we only do so when it is to the greater benefit of the majority.”

Nodding, Leon adds, “And this particular target is nothing but a pustule on the face of the planet. He’s not worth the oxygen he’s been slurping up for decades. His existence has directly resulted in the deaths of many, many innocent people. He is not deserving of your concern, nor your pity, Cherry.”

It’s a little chilling to hear him speak this way, so intensely and darkly. He talks about taking a life with a tone of resignation. He is thoroughly certain that what he feels is right. And I don’t know enough about the subject to truly disagree with him. Of course, I have always been a pacifist, almost to a fault. I flee from confrontation and avoid conflict of any kind like the plague. But then, that’s part of why I’ve been stuck writing innocuous puff pieces for so long.

When the world sees that you’re not willing to fight, it tends to write you off.

Well, I’m ready to fight now, even if I’m not sure what will come of it.

“Who is it? The target, I mean?” I question, looking back and forth between them.

“That was going to be my next question, too,” Mikhail says.

“Brother, I need you to take out Martin Chandler,” Leon replies, with an air of finality.

I feel sick to my stomach immediately. There is no possible way this will turn out well. From what I’ve gleaned about him, Marty Chandler is far too well-known and well-connected to be quietly taken care of. I’m sure he has the strongest security team Bayonne’s ever seen, and his death will certainly not go unnoticed, if it even gets that far.

“M-Martin Chandler?” I repeat, a little breathlessly. “Isn’t he that guy from the docks? The rich guy talking to Agent Doyle? How the hell are you going to get rid of him? Won’t people
notice
?”

Mikhail laughs, a deep and throaty sound which actually startles me and makes me jump slightly.

“I’m no amateur,” he assures me. “I have killed many men much more powerful and influential than that sewer slime Chandler. And so has my brother.”

I look back to Leon nervously. I should have known that. It should not come as a surprise. But somehow, I still find myself a little frightened… and strangely, inexplicably aroused.

What is
wrong
with me?

It’s just reassuring, I suppose, to hang around someone who would probably, definitely kill for me if need be. Especially because I have caught glimpses of his heart even in the short time I have spent with him, and I know his intentions to be good and true. He’s not a bad man; he’s a very, very good man who sometimes resorts to very, very bad things.

And after what he’s seen… I can’t say I really blame him.

“I hope that doesn’t frighten you away,” Leon says to me softly, and I can tell he is genuinely worried that it might. I wonder how many women have fallen for his looks and daring personality, only to run away from his troubled past and dangerous lifestyle. I want to prove to him that I can take it. I want to show him I’m strong enough to stick around, even if it gets rough.

Because I’m starting to fall for him.

“It probably should,” I mumble, meeting his gaze a little reluctantly. His bright green eyes are mesmerizing in their sadness. “But it won’t. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Then it’s settled,” Mikhail cuts in, rubbing his hands together.

“And once Chandler is taken care of, that will solve at least a few of our problems. It will throw off the feds’ operation for awhile, just long enough for us to infiltrate and put a stop to it. Without Chandler around, Agent Doyle won’t have easy access to the abandoned docks, so he will have to find a new way to hustle his huddled masses into town,” Leon explains. Then he adds, “Besides, the bloody bastard deserves to die for what he’s done.”