Chapter 16 #4
Pavel’s stolen fortune, distributed amongst shell companies belonging to Archer Realty, is about to be returned to its rightful owner: me.
Hype is worth every cent, a very worthy recipient of my red crescent moons.
Hopefully she tames Nish and the pair of ‘em get hitched.
Always nice to have a computer geek in the fam.
“You’re lucky that video of Ash and Alexei is contained to a closed gossip loop and not splashed all over the internet.
” I make sure Jonas can see how stabby I’m feeling toward him right now.
I don’t hide the violence in my eyes. “If you threaten me like that again, we’re going to have problems. The Borisov family is very private, Jonas.
Did you think they’d appreciate their nephew’s privacy being violated? ”
Jonas laughs at that, seemingly unaware that Bohnes has found what he’s looking for and is making his way over here.
My Nightmare was temporarily stalking somebody else: Chet Senior, CEO of Archer Realty, and our current target. When you’re fighting a big boss in a video game, you take out the small monsters first, all those annoying adds that make the fight more complicated. Chet is a small monster.
Now, my Nightmare is stalking me. It’s both his and my preferred state of being.
My smile grows lazy and unconcerned. Who would touch us with Bohnes around? Only an idiot.
“How on earth did you manage to get that ring on your finger? Are you pregnant, Miss Force?” Jonas asks, quite loudly I might add.
I sigh. I’m sure there are people who think this is a shotgun wedding—Burt included.
I don’t particularly give a shit. Even if it were, eh, what difference does that make?
They’ll find out soon enough that I’m not playing around, that Alexei is only trapped by love, loyalty, and obsession, not a baby.
Alexei slaps Jonas across the face, a sharp, harsh crack that ricochets around the room.
Immediately, my husband draws his hand back and strips his gloves, tossing them onto the floor with the perfect knowledge that somebody else will rush forward to clean them up.
He lifts wild green eyes up to Jonas while spreading hand sanitizer over his palms.
“If you ever ask my wife a question like that again, I will carve your eyes from your head and make you eat them.” Alexei slips on a fresh pair of gloves while offering me an apologetic look.
“My apologies, rodnaya. Sometimes lesser folk take longer to learn proper manners.” He tacks something onto the end of this that’s in Russian.
There are enough people in this room that speak it that laughter breaks out here and there.
I’m so beyond delighted that I’m at a rare loss for words, blushing as Alexei lifts my hand to his lips, pressing a kiss against my skin that couldn’t be mistaken as anything other than what it is. Affection. Romance.
“Chivalry? In this day and age?” I throw my head back with a wild laugh.
Jonas puts his hand up to his face, working his jaw like he can’t quite believe the disrespect he’s been shown. Nobody steps in. Nobody says a word. They’ve all seen worse. I do think they’re surprised to see that Alexei is far less willing to play games than most of them are.
Ash is this close to breaking. Only my personal edict is preventing him from muttering fuck it and reaching for his sword.
I turn my head just slightly and spot Burt across the room, watching us.
He’s sipping something, lifting it up in greeting when he sees me looking his way.
The gesture clearly says, have at it, kid.
I turn back to Jonas, finding his attention weirdly fixed to Ash.
Not on Alexei, who just slapped him. Not on me, who’s clearly pulling the strings.
Not on Widow, who’s fired up and pumped full of righteous testosterone-fueled vengeance.
Not on Bohnes, who’s just slid into place behind me.
He slips an item into the pocket of my jacket, leaning in to whisper in my ear.
“Chet is speaking with Polina in the parking lot. He’ll be in shortly.
” Bohnes takes the liberty of licking the shell of my ear while he’s there, causing a ripple in the confused crowd.
Lovely. Always nice when a plan works out.
I might not be six-foot-something and stacked, but I have a mind for strategy.
“Beg for her life, Ash,” Jonas whispers, his expression pleasant but his words cruel. “Ask me to save Yua. If you come home, I’ll let you decide what happens to her when I’m finished.”
“Why the fuck should I care what happens to some maid you’re screwing?
” Ash replies, cold and detached. Breaking.
Shattering. Unraveling. I reach down and take his hand, startling him.
One of Widow’s hands comes down on Ash’s right shoulder, offering up a squeeze of warning. Don’t fly off the handle, not tonight.