Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
AVELINA
I rub my tired eyes behind my glasses. The plane has just landed, and it’s warm in Vegas, and I look at the strappy tops other women wear before looking down at my long-sleeved T-shirt.
I never wear anything that shows off too much of my back or shoulders.
Our connecting flight from New York was cancelled, and this was the earliest flight I could get us rebooked onto, but we’re still arriving much later than planned.
My phone pings as soon as I switch it on.
My eyes run over the text as my brow puckers. Geliy has left our baby son with one of his ex-military buddies I’ve never met?
The anger that bubbles in my chest isn’t a match for the relief I feel from just knowing that I’ll soon be holding Leon. That he’s safe, presumably, with someone Geliy trusts—someone called Viktor.
As soon as we collect our bags and exit the airport, we get a cab home, and we shift straight into my small car so that we can head over to this Viktor’s place. I type in the address into my phone. It’s about forty minutes away.
I rub at my neck which is aching from where I slept awkwardly during the flight.
Sofia is in the back seat, and she watches out the window. I smile at her through the rearview mirror. “Is it going to take a long time, Mama?”
“Hopefully not, baby.”
“Will it be loud?”
“I don’t know yet, baby. But I’ve got your headphones in my bag.” I give her a smile to reassure her. Her headphones are actually ‘ear defenders.’ They look like headphones, but they’re used to help block out noise.
As we drive through Vegas, I watch the neon lights blur past and think about how this city saved me.
When I first arrived here, I was a broken eighteen-year-old with nothing but a suitcase and a head full of nightmares.
But Vegas doesn’t judge your past—it only cares about who you choose to be today.
I built a life here and found work doing what I love—coaching figure skating at the university. I met other coaches who taught me that skating could be about joy again. With the kids being born, I created a small but steady world for us. It’s not glamorous, but it’s ours.
Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if I’d tried to compete professionally somewhere else. But then I look at Sofia and Leon, and I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. They are my greatest accomplishment, better than any medal could ever be.
We passed a few nice-looking homes and neighborhoods. The kind you see in the movies or on TV. Fancy and well-maintained. The GPS navigates us through the neighborhoods and on to even more luxurious homes. Gated communities and the sort of places I could never dream of living in.
A soft whistle leaves me as we pass a mansion. I wonder how much a place like this would cost. And how many hours I’d have to coach to afford just one night’s stay in a place like this.
We take the last right, and I slow my car to a crawl as we approach a property with heavily armed men stationed outside the gates.
The stucco wall is lined with barbed wire, and the six men at the gate have bullet-proof vests, earpieces, and dark sunglasses—and they look like they could snap me in half with a single look.
We stop at the gate, and one of the men approaches, his weapon aimed at us.
The armed guards have enough firepower to level a city block. My chest tightens as my survival instincts scream danger. But Sofia is watching from the backseat, and fear is contagious. So, I force my voice to stay bright.
“Hi!” I greet him.
“Name?” he barks. His Russian accent is clear.
“Avelina. Is Geliy here? He sent me a text about our baby son.”
“You’re the mother?”
I nod.
He grunts, lowers his gun, and waves us through the gate with a scoff.
“Thank you!” I call out as I put my foot back on the gas.
I inch through the now open gate and up the drive, feeling like I’ve crossed from Vegas into some military compound. Are these people serial killers for hire or something? Because this place is extreme—even for one of Geliy’s ex-military buddies.
I creep up the drive toward a row of black SUVs and try to find a parking spot.
The only one is tight. I try backing in, but the back tire won’t cooperate.
I pull forward, try again, but no go. I try once more but then clip a post. Oh no!
I hit the brake just as someone storms over, a shadow looming beside me.
My door yanks open with more force than necessary.
“Get. Out. Now.” The man’s voice is pure irritation, his jaw clenched. He’s armed with an AK-47 slung across his chest. Christ, who the hell are these people?
Smile, Avelina. Predators can smell fear. “Oh! Hi there!” I say brightly after taking a deep breath. “Are you Viktor by any chance?”
“Yes,” he grits out after a moment of silence.
“Great. I’m, uh, Avelina. Sorry about my parking.
I know I’m absolutely terrible at it. But isn’t this place, um, just gorgeous?
And those palm trees are beautiful…” Because if I ignore the over-the-top security measures, this place is actually stunning.
A lot of money has been spent on not just the house and outbuildings but also on the lush landscaping.
“People like you shouldn’t be allowed near a car,” he clips.
My smile only gets brighter. Because that’s the only way I know how to deal with this man who’s as grumpy as a hungry grizzly bear.
“You’re so right. I’m like a menace on wheels.
I’m surprised I even managed to pass my driver’s test in the first place!
” I know I’m babbling, but something about this whole situation and this man’s intense eyes on me completely unnerves me.
“Get out,” he repeats.
I scramble out of the driver’s seat, and he immediately slides into my car and parks it in one clean motion like it’s nothing.
Damn. Why is that kind of hot?
I flash him a smile. “Wow, you’re like my parking superhero. I wish I could fit you in my purse to help me park whenever I need it!” My words tumble out in a rush but also with real appreciation—because he did save me from causing any more damage.
He inhales sharply. Definitely a man of few words. Silent and brooding. My eyes trace over him. Broad shoulders, ink creeping past his sleeves, the hard set of his jaw. He’s like a real-life Henry Cavill in Superman.
He’s about to slide out of the seat when he startles and nearly jumps out of his skin.
Because Sofia pipes up from the back seat. “I think you’ll find you’re not insured to drive this car!”
His head whips around. “What the f…” He stops himself mid-sentence.
Sofia looks at me and then back to him, her eyes wide.
“How’d you sneak in here so fast, you little—” Again, he just about stops himself from saying anything inappropriate in front of my child.
“I was already here,” she announces. “You were unobservant and didn’t notice me.”
My lips twitch. Ever a stickler for rules, my daughter never ceases to surprise me with the things she comes out with.
His brow arches, and then his head swings back to me. “You’ve got another rugrat?”
I ignore the judgment in his voice and just smile at him. “I do. This is Sofia. She’s six and my eldest,” I say with pride.
He shakes his head and gets out from the driver’s seat.
My hand lands on his forearm in a gentle touch of thanks, and my mouth opens, ready to tell him my appreciation again.
But his eyes suddenly widen with shock and hostility.
He staggers back, putting distance between us.
And my hand pulls back quickly, not quite understanding what just happened.
“You!”
I hear a shout and spin to see a large man storming toward me.
“Are you the mother of the baby?” the new man roars at the top of his voice.
“Hold on, Grigory—” Viktor starts to speak.
“Y-yes, I am,” I stammer as this man, Grigory, towers over me while next to him is another man holding Leon.
Grigory’s nostrils flare. His eyes narrow to slits. Viktor was clearly irritated with me when we met a few minutes ago, but this second man is something else altogether. His body radiates fury and pure danger. I involuntarily recoil from him like I’m bracing for him to hit me or something.
“Do you always dump your baby on poor unsuspecting strangers so you can go gallivanting off on vacation?” he yells at the top of his voice.
“What…?” I rasp in confusion.
Grigory strides closer to me. He’s like a bull ready to charge. My hand instinctively moves to my ribs—old wounds that have never quite stopped aching. Panic and fear rise in my chest. But Sofia is behind me watching. And I can’t let her see me crumble.
“Knock it off!” Viktor growls, stepping up to Grigory, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side like he’s getting ready to swing.
They’re both large. Both burly. But Viktor looks furious, a loaded spring ready to unleash at any time. I look between the two, inching closer to the car and Sofia.
There’s some unspoken conversation going on between them. It scares me more than I want to admit. And my brain whirls with how to get Leon and Sofia out of here if the worst happens.
Viktor might be attractive, but all that seems to evaporate. I promised myself no more dangerous situations. Geliy taught me that much.
Ex-military, strapped with guns and God knows what else beneath his jeans and black shirt, Viktor is exactly the type of man I need to stay far, far away from.
But Grigory’s accusation causes a mixture of embarrassment and anger to wash over me.
And for once, I let the sunny smile slip from my face as the stresses from the last few days catch up with me.
My spine stiffens. “First off, I didn’t dump my baby here.
Geliy did. Secondly, I didn’t go gallivanting off on vacation.
I went to Russia for work after I got laid off from my last job.
And lastly, you and your merry band of men certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for babysitters. ”
“What? Why? What’s wrong with us?” Viktor blurts out.
I merely quirk an eyebrow at him as I flip my hair over my shoulder.
I can feel my face screw up as I look between him and Grigory who is still practically foaming at the mouth. Isn’t that obvious? Who in their right mind would leave a baby with men like this?
My ex apparently.