Chapter Eighteen
Adam
I woke the next morning with her in my bed.
Lila was so luminous, so gorgeous. She was the dream I had waited years for, and the previous night had only cemented my devotion to her.
This wasn’t possession, this was connection.
She needed me, and I needed her. Careful not to wake her, I extracted myself from the bed, pulled on my T-shirt and jeans, and shuffled down the grand staircase.
Magda often arrived around seven thirty, and I figured I’d have her make some cinnamon rolls as a treat for Lila and me after such a stressful, momentous night.
Everything had changed, and I wanted it to stay that way.
I wanted to stay in this reality forever.
But as my feet hit the bottom of the staircase, I noticed something.
This house is too quiet. Magda didn’t make a lot of noise, but many mornings I’d hear the familiar staccato of her morning activities in the kitchen, and I’d grown accustomed to those sounds.
They helped make Palm Beach feel like home.
But that morning, no sound came from the kitchen. Or the mud room off the garage entrance. Or the living room.
Taking a few cautious steps, I crept toward the back of the house. “Magda?” I called. Maybe she was late. Maybe I’d gotten the schedule mixed up. Maybe… “Are you back there?”
No answer.
I stepped into the living room and called her name again. “Magda?”
“Y-yes, Mr. Greene, I’m in the kitchen,” she replied. “I’m here.”
Her reply did nothing to soothe my concern. Instead, the hint of desperation struggling with her usual stoicism told me exactly what I needed to know. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
“Give me a minute,” I said, my reply as smooth and unruffled as I could make it. My years in the Army had made me an expert at that. “I need to check something.”
In four soft, swift movements, I opened the hall closet and retrieved one of the handguns I kept there as extra protection, just one gun safe out of four in various parts of the house.
I tucked it in the back waistband of my pants and cleared my throat.
“Do you think you can make us some coffee, Magda?”
“Right away, sir,” she answered. “That will be all?”
That will be all.
Any doubt I had about whatever was taking place in the kitchen swept away with those four words.
Long ago, Magda and I had worked out a system of sorts, a few code words here and there that would help control security on the property.
And those four words mean the worst had happened—she, and the rest of the people in the house, were in trouble.
I rounded the entrance to the kitchen.
Magda had a seat at the table in the breakfast nook, a glass of water in front of her, and was flanked by two men in black suits, white shirts, and opaque sunglasses. Alexi Chekov sat opposite her, at the other end of the table.
“Good morning,” he said brightly as I entered the room. “Did you have a good night’s sleep?”
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
The corners of his mouth turned downward. “Oh, now, come on. Is that any way to treat an old friend, and business partner?”
“We aren’t friends. Or business partners.”
“Still,” Alexi replied. “If I were you, I’d have a seat.”
“No. Not until you tell me what you’re doing here, and how the fuck you got into my house.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Greene,” Magda said between heaving gasps. “I thought they were a delivery van, they—” One of Alexi’s henchmen grabbed her arm and twisted it. She yelped in pain. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right,” I said, watching the man’s steely gaze. “Don’t you fucking hurt her.”
“He won’t, as long as she cooperates. We told her to be quiet.” Alexi pointed at Magda. “It’s to your advantage to follow orders.”
“What the hell do you want?” I demanded again, growing angrier by the second. Why didn’t I expect this? How could I have been so stupid? Why the fuck didn’t I know Chekov would never concede and accept my terms?
“I would have thought you’d been able to figure it out.
” Alexi smiled, showing off a row of yellowed teeth.
“Turns out the society girls and playboys of Palm Beach aren’t the only ones who like attending your parties.
” He wiped his hands together. “I have to admit, this has been one of the better assignments I’ve given my men this year.
Most of the time, their work can be quite unpleasant. ”
“Go on,” I said, careful not to let Alexi know how dismayed and annoyed I felt that a Russian oligarch and his hired muscle had been able to find their way onto my property.
I’d taken a lot of steps with securing those parties, but clearly my security team hadn’t done enough.
And now, I had more than myself to worry about. I had Magda. And Lila.
Oh fuck, Lila…
“You might have made it in here this morning, but don’t think whatever you do isn’t being recorded,” I offered. “There are cameras all over this property. Most of them, you can’t see. You won’t know where they are.”
Alexi chuckled. “Of course, I expect that from you. I’d be disappointed if there wasn’t a similar setup in an over-the-top house like this one.” He waved one hand as if dismissing it all. “That’s why we are going to handle this next conversation like the gentlemen we are.”
I winced. I might not have been a gentleman, but Alexi most certainly wasn’t. He was lower than pond scum. A man who dealt on the fringe of society. A man whose money could never make up for the sins he’d committed to earn it.
“What do you want?” I asked.
He motioned to the empty chair at his left. “For you to sit down.”
This time, I complied with his request. He had no idea what he’d just done, but in a way, he played into my hands. Like many pieces of furniture in the house, the breakfast table had a silent alarm attached to it, one hardwired to the security system.
“Now, what else can I do for you this morning?” I tried once I had settled in, placing one hand on the table and the other in my lap. “I’m all ears,” I said as my fingers found the button underneath the table and pushed it.
“Look at you.” Alexi’s laugh filled the room. “You think you’re so smart.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“I see what you are doing there.” He jerked his strong chin at me.
“You’ve got a little sensor under there and you’re pushing it, thinking it’s going to trip the expensive security system you have all over this house.
You think I didn’t see it.” He leaned forward, his eyes piercing mine.
“I did. I miss nothing. My men miss nothing.”
I blinked at him, willing myself to remain stone-faced. Everything about this had to go perfectly. My face could give nothing away, nothing he could use as leverage. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Alexi lowered his voice.
“My men have been in this house before. We’ve had the whole place under surveillance for a few weeks.
I always knew I’d do business with you one way or another, just like I’ll do business with everyone on this island.
” He grinned, showing a slate of yellowed teeth.
“We already knew the layout of this house when we arrived this morning. That fancy setup you have that you think will protect you…it won’t. We disabled it.”
“Very well.” Fuck. I moved my hand back to the table, cursing myself with every nanosecond that passed, but willing myself to appear calm and collected. “In that case, tell me what you want from me. I’m clearly at your mercy.”
“After you left last night, I got to thinking,” Alexi replied. “And it occurred to me, this business deal didn’t benefit me.”
“And?” I glanced at Magda. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and I wondered how long she’d been sitting there, terrified. “It seems to me, you got off very well. As I said, the debt will be paid. Today.”
He raised his thick eyebrow. “This isn’t about the debt.”
Somehow, I could have guessed that. The night before had been too easy, too simple, and didn’t fit at all with the man whose reputation extended far beyond his physical reach. Alexi Chekov made calculated decisions, not impulsive ones. And I’d been surprised he’d given Lila up so easily.
“She’s valuable to you for another reason, isn’t she?” I guessed. “She’s done more than just offer herself as sexual collateral.”
Alexi laughed. “Such a highbrow word. But, yes. She’s provided a fair amount of—let’s call it leverage—for my company.
Men fall all over themselves to be with her, because she’s like a rare pastry, a piece of cake they cannot resist. They’re shocked someone of her caliber would give them a second glance. And it’s hard for them to say no.”
“Too bad for them. They will have to from now on.”
He slapped the table. “No. I don’t think you understand.
” His expression turned harder, his eyes bulged, and Magda gasped.
“This girlfriend of yours has collected priceless information for me over the last few months, information worth far more than a one-night stand or bullshit hour with a local hooker off the street. Her work is unique.” He sucked in a deep breath.
“So, this, my friend, is round two. And I won’t leave until I have her back. ”
“A shame, then. She’s her own person.” I hardened my jaw. “Lila is not for sale.”
And she never will be again. Ever.
“Didn’t seem that way when you bought her last night, and she left so willingly with you.” Alex rubbed his chin, eyeing me. “Felt like a transaction to me.”
“It wasn’t, you bastard.” I narrowed my eyes at Alexi. “And if you dare to think it was, then—”
“He’s right,” came a familiar voice from the entrance to the kitchen. “I’m not for fucking sale anymore.”