JETMIR
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ishouldn’t have come, and I told myself that I didn’t want to—a bold-faced lie—the entire drive to downtown.
The moment I handed my keys to the valet, my mother appeared at the entrance of the Waldorf.
“Hello, Mother.” I fixed my cufflinks as I walked over to greet her. I bent my head and kissed her offered cheek. “Why are you out here?”
She smiled tightly. “I was waiting for you.”
“Well, here I am. Shall we go in?” I offered my arm and she took it, but she didn’t move. “Or do you prefer we just stand out here?”
She sighed, her eyes boring into mine. “Jetmir, I wish you would… talk to me.”
“I am talking to you,” I answered nonchalantly. “Right now, in fact.”
“You know what I mean,” she retorted dryly, then tilted her head. “Don’t think I don’t know about your”—she glanced around—“recent foray into real estate. You’re up to something.”
“I’m never up to anything,” I drawled, resuming my steps. She followed, her arm still tucked in mine.
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with her free hand. “Fine. Keep your secrets. But know that I’m on your side. Always. And… should you need a place to land, there’s our home in Russia—”
“Anya hates the cold.” Fuck, where did that come from? Damn it, my mother had a way of dragging shit out of me.
“Ahhh, okay.” She stopped again and I did too, then she raised her palm and pressed it to my cheek.
Compared to me, she was short, but her aura was larger than life.
“If you love her, nothing is a sin. Just make sure you don’t hurt her.
Show her that you’re worthy of her love, because you, my son, deserve the best. Which is all I’ve ever wanted for you. ”
I smiled. “Three years, Mother.”
“I know, but she was very young. And you two… it happened so fast. You surprised us all. You seemed so different.” I scoffed. Maybe we were, but we were perfect together. “However, now that I’ve seen her, she doesn’t seem much happier than you.”
Fuck, that shouldn’t make me happy, but it did. I ensured no man would approach her, but truthfully, it was an easy job since not many had dared. Not that she seemed overly interested in moving on either…
We slipped through the front doors and into the ballroom. I was invited, but I knew people hoped I wouldn’t show. It was fine by me. I wasn’t here to be seen; I was here to see.
Although, before I even had a drink in my hand, Raphael Santos spotted me. I sighed as he plowed through the crowd toward me.
“You shouldn’t have shown up,” he growled, glaring at me.
“On the contrary, I’m exactly where I should be,” I deadpanned just as a waiter passed. I snatched a glass of a brown liquid, downing it in one go. Shit, it was whiskey.
“You got some—”
“Hello, Jetmir.” Sailor, his wife, appeared by his side. She patted his arm as if that might calm him down. “How are you? It’s nice to see you.”
My eyebrows arched up. Anya’s mother was being way too nice to someone who lied to her daughter, and then married her without anyone’s knowledge.
“No, it’s not nice seeing this motherfucker,” Raphael growled.
I ignored him. “Thank you, Mrs. Santos. It’s nice to see you both.”
“This is a truce between our families, but not between you and me,” Raphael hissed. If looks could kill, I’d be dead already. “I hope you have a miserable time. I expect you to get the hell out of my town before the stroke of midnight.”
I smiled coldly. “Just so you know, Cinderella wins at the end.”
“What—” He took a step forward, but his wife was already dragging him away.
Ah, finally alone. I found a shadowed alcove behind a bank of white orchids, and my eyes scanned the room. I had a clean line of sight across the ballroom floor, watching people I’d known my whole life playing pretend at civility. I barely registered any of it.
My eyes had already found her.
She stood near the far wall, a flute of champagne loose in her fingers, untouched.
She was alone, a flat smile on her face, but her eyes were scanning the room too. Was she looking for me? I sure hoped so. All I wanted was to be next to her, see her every day. Fuck, if she’d let me kiss her, I’d even be in heaven.
I watched Gabriel make his way through the crowd and join her, making my jaw tighten.
Seeing him felt like having ice water poured on me.
It was a reminder of how severely I fucked up.
I was still working on that resolution. Over the years, the doctors came to a conclusion Gabriel needed a new cornea.
The problem was you had to get it from a donor who was dying.
Of course, the almighty big brother of my beloved refused to get one off the black market or have someone killed for it.
So we were at an impasse.
A waiter strode past my hideout, and I grabbed another drink. The man stilled, almost shitting his pants judging by his expression.
“Move on,” I gritted out, knowing it wouldn’t take much tonight to give him a real reason to shit himself. I was just in that sort of mood.
I sipped my drink, leaning back against the wall and crossing my legs at the ankles.
I couldn’t risk Anya seeing me yet. I wanted to drink her in, study every inch of her.
I’d been taught the most dangerous man in the room was the one nobody saw.
But I begged to differ; the most dangerous thing in the room was the sight of her collarbone in that dress.
I exhaled slowly, forcing the thought down where it belonged, buried under three years of silence.
I told myself I’d come to watch my mother’s back, to make sure Liana Volkov didn’t walk into a room full of Santos loyalists alone.
But the truth was I couldn’t stay away from my woman.
I’d refused to look at or touch any other woman since Anya ran back to her family.
But she was my wife and I pledged my love and fidelity to her.
And by God, I’d meant it.
Soon, she would learn the Volkovs kept their promises. Always.