Chapter 5 - Viktor
The drive over here took excruciatingly long. I could have cursed the traffic coming out of the city. It was bumper to bumper, and I felt like a tortoise trying to win a race against a hare. Then I get to Roman's place and I hear Riley crying out. I swore my heart dropped, and I thought I was too late, so I just rushed into her room. The ensuing chaos of trying to get her out just reaffirms that she can't take care of herself and needs me to take care of her.
I have to remind myself about what she's been through. She isn't like us. She isn't used to this life that we grew up in, so this is all new to her and it's scary. That doesn't ease my nerves, though. It makes her reckless and a liability. She's got a target painted on her back and she can't handle it. I don't even know how to tell her how I found out about Jimmy following her around.
“We need to move,” I say again. “Get up.”
“No,” she says, crossing her arms. Tears are still in her eyes, and I don't know why, but I want to reach out and gently brush them away. I don't want her to cry, but this is a serious situation, and she needs to treat it as such. “I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about.”
I sigh and run a hand through my hair, frustrated. I don't know what to do with her, she just isn't listening. I bite my tongue. I don't want her to start crying again. I need to explain to her what this is all about, but I don't want to freak her out. How do I tell her I know someone is following her because I had her followed? Why would I have her followed? That's what she's going to ask, right?
I pace the room. “Riley, I understand this is a lot to take in,” I say as calmly as I can manage. “But you need to trust me and come with me.”
“Not until you tell me what's going on,” she says.
“I'll explain everything in the car,” I say. “I promise.”
“No. Tell me now.”
“Jesus, woman,” I look around the dark room and flip the light on. She squints at me. I squint back at her and wait for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. “This doesn't have to be this hard. You're being so goddammit difficult.”
“Well, I'm sorry if I'm not comfortable running off with someone who is a complete stranger to me,” she snaps. She has a fiery side and I won't lie. I like it. It's nice to know she isn't completely helpless.
I wonder if she fought the men who kidnapped her.
“Look, I have come into some information…”
“What information?” she asks. “How did you come into it?”
“It doesn't matter how I got it; the important thing is that you're being followed around by someone affiliated with the Vultures.” I see the color drain from her face, and I instantly regret telling her. But she sits up straighter.
“Are they going to try to kidnap me again?” she asks shakily.
“I don't know what his plan is. The Vultures are over so it could be a power play to try to establish a new gang. They must think that you're connected to our family but that you are powerless. That's why my plan is so important. I need to give you power.”
“How are you going to give me power?”
“Isn't it obvious?” I ask, looking down into her enormous eyes as she shakes her head.
“Well, obviously, I'm going to have us married so that you have my reputation behind you. With me as your husband, no one would dare lay a finger on you. It's really your only choice.”
She sits there staring at me for a moment and I'm waiting for her agreement when she frowns.
“That's a terrible idea,” she says. “I can't marry you.”
I start to pace again. “Riley, I don't have time to argue with you.”
“I'm not marrying you,” she says, standing up. She walks toward the door and I stop pacing.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“To make coffee. I told you earlier.” She flips the lights on as she makes her way downstairs. I notice she has let her hair cover her beautiful face. She's hiding. She's delaying. I don't have time for this. My cousin is waiting with the necessary paperwork to marry us. He still needs to get it to a Justice of the Peace to sign off on.
“Riley, you can't have coffee. We need to go,” I say, following her.
She ignores me and takes out a mug, then pops in a pod for the coffee machine. She puts water into it and turns it on. She hugs herself as she stands there, her body half turned toward me as though to keep an eye on me. I notice that when she reaches for things, her hand shakes slightly. She's terrified, and I feel terrible for being the cause of that. I'm not a monster. I understand that this life is not for everyone.
When the coffee machine finishes, she adds a generous amount of creamer and stirs before she sips it. “Did you want it?” she asks.
“Yeah, okay,” I say, sitting down at the kitchen island. There's no point in fighting her on this. As scared as she is, there is a fire in her, a fire I like, and I need to convince her to come with me willingly or this isn't going to work.
She pops in another pod and takes out another mug. “Your plan is ridiculous. You have to see that.”
“This guy isn't going to stop,” I insist. I look around the kitchen. Roman's just had it redone to Gwen's taste and I have to admit it's quite nice. Not as nice as my house, but nice still the same. “He's not going to stop until he takes you.”
“Then assign me a bodyguard.”
“It's not that simple. Assigning you a guard would just draw more attention to you and the fact that we're on to him. He could try a different method to get you, a more dangerous method. I don't want people to get hurt.” I take the coffee and creamer from her and pour some in. I hold my hand out for a spoon and stir in the creamer before I take a big sip. “That's why you need to marry me.”
“I don't understand how marrying you is going to deter him,” she says quietly, leaning against the counter behind her.
I sigh and play with the cup of coffee in my hands. “You don't quite understand our world. My cousin is the head of the most powerful family in Las Vegas. His name is Kervyn Milov.” I pause, ensuring she's listening to me. “He has three brothers: Luka, Arseny, and Asher. Together, they run all major operations in Las Vegas, and they're not people to be trifled with.” I take a sip of my coffee. “We came over from Russia to help Kervyn manage his empire. My brother, Rigor, leads our part of the family and has built quite a name for himself, opening clubs in our honor. He holds power, and that power trickles down to us. I've done things, Riley. Things I'm not entirely proud of, but things that were necessary. My reputation precedes me.”
I finish off my coffee and look into her eyes. She has the most beautiful, sparkling eyes made brighter by the tears that constantly threaten to overflow. “I'm a menace to my enemies. An enforcer of sorts and that's why I was one of the people to come and save you. I'm handy with weapons, I'm not known for my patience or mercy and if you were to marry me, you would be tying yourself to the biggest family in Las Vegas, which would give you some power, and make you slightly less desirable to our enemies. Gwen would never be kidnapped because she's married to Roman. None of the wives of my cousins, or brothers, are ever threatened because a threat to them is a threat to our family and that's basically a death sentence.”
Riley goes absolutely quiet and I could curse myself. I think I've lost her on this one. She doesn't want to be tied to a criminal family. I've just convinced her not to follow my plan and if I can't get her to sign the papers, then it's all moot. She finishes her coffee and sets the mug down. “Okay.”
“What?” I look at her, surprised.
“Okay, I'll marry you. Your plan makes more sense now. I just don't want to be expected to do anything criminal,” she says. “I don't want to be part of the family business in any way.”
“You don't have to be. You're just going to be my wife. We don't even have to share a bed.” I smile broadly. Although the thought of sharing a bed with her is appealing, my main priority right now is keeping her safe. Marrying her will offer her a level of protection that she would otherwise not have access to.
“I'm going to put sneakers on. I hope you don't expect me to go full bridal.”
“No, the plan is to sign the papers at my cousin's office, where he will have them sorted out with a Justice of the Peace. We will then stay at my manor, where you will be safe with my guards.” I stand up. “No wedding dress is necessary. You could go in your pajamas.”
“I need to pack,” she starts to say.
“No, we've delayed too long already. We need to go now.”
“I'll go put on my shoes,” she says.
I follow her upstairs, and she pulls on her sneakers and grabs her phone. “Can I try to call Gwen at least?”
“You can try, but I couldn't reach her or Roman.”
I watch her dial her best friend's number, which she knows by heart. She stands there holding the phone to her ear. I hear the voicemail message, and she hangs up. “Maybe Roman.”
She searches for his number and dials it, standing there looking uneasy. I hear the voicemail message and gesture with open hands. “See what I mean? I can't reach them either. They're either asleep or haven't landed at their destination yet.”
Riley's hand shakes slightly as she puts her phone in her pocket. She ties her hair in a ponytail and nods. “Okay, let's go.”
As we leave, she hugs herself, and I lead her downstairs. I stop at the guardroom. “Riley is going to be staying with me for the foreseeable future. Make sure no one breaks into the property here, and alert me if you see anyone skulking around.”
“Yes, Sir,” the guard in charge says.
I lead Riley out to my car and open the door for her. She hesitates.
“I know you're worried and scared, but I'm not taking you prisoner. You're still free to move around. I just want to protect you,” I say quietly.
“Why?” she asks softly.
“Because you mean something to Gwen,” I say quickly. “And Gwen is family. In my life, family is everything. We do whatever it takes to protect family.”
Riley nods and slowly climbs into the passenger seat of my car. I shut the door, go around to the driver's side, and climb in. “Buckle up.”