13. Melissa
CHAPTER 13
MELISSA
SATURDAY AFTERNOON – ALLYING WITH THE brATVA
W hen I’d asked Marko what he was doing at my house, I had watched as he pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes while he obviously decided how best to answer. I’d wondered at that moment if he would tell me the truth or make up some story, but then he started talking.
As I sat quietly listening, I couldn’t hide my reaction, especially when he talked about what had happened to his sister, Krissa. That was so awful.
After he had told me what I assumed was everything he planned to, I just looked at him in stunned silence, trying to process it all. Was this for real?
I felt like I had woken up two days ago and walked into my very own crime novel, and I seemed to be one of the main protagonists. I shouldn’t have been so shocked considering I hadn’t led the most law-abiding life myself; however, “What the hell?” and “Oh shit!” were really all I could think in response to what I’d just been told.
Pulling air into my lungs, I took a deep, steadying breath as I desperately tried to get my thoughts in order.
“Okay, let me get this right. You’re from a Russian Bratva family, and your brother is the pakhan?” I said, trying to make sense of everything.
He nodded.
“A corrupt lawyer called Aiden Mathieson blamed your family for his father’s imprisonment and subsequent suicide and his family’s struggles afterwards.”
Another nod.
I didn’t mention that the same bloody lawyer was none other than my biological father. Not yet, I was keeping that little nugget for later.
“And he was secretly using your enemies to attack you in various ways over the last few years as some sort of retaliation?”
Marko still said nothing, just making sounds of agreement as I continued to relay my understanding.
“And although you managed to thwart his attempts to take your family down, you are not sure that he was working alone, so you traced one of his bank accounts and it led you to me and you want to know what I have to do with him?”
“That’s about right,” he said.
Woah! Geez, I knew my biological father said he was an evil man, but I didn’t think it meant he’d been trying to take down a Russian mafia family, like his father before him, apparently.
“That’s why you were around when I was robbed and when someone blew up my home? You’ve been following me?” I asked for final clarity.
My voice rose a bit at the end of this last question as my nerves started to take hold. Maybe I was in danger from him after all? Marko obviously sensed my worry as his voice took on a soothing quality when he next spoke.
“Yes, Melissa, but you are not in any danger from me. I promise. However, I need you to tell me how you are connected to Aiden Mathieson? It is very important that you are truthful because you are obviously in danger from someone. I will help you with that, but I can’t do it if I don’t know who is endangering you,” he said, and I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding as I relaxed a little at his statement.
It was a relief to hear that he wasn’t a direct threat to me, though he was right—I was definitely in danger.
I chewed on my lip, deep in thought. He had promised to help me, and I knew I needed all the allies I could get. Besides, I had already realised that Marko’s help was crucial. His tech skills were exactly what I required. I just hadn’t figured out how to ask him for help, but it seemed like fate had provided a clear path forward. So, I bit the bullet and decided to be as truthful with him as he’d been with me.
“Aiden Mathieson is my biological father, but I only just discovered that,” I rushed out. I saw his lightbulb moment when I told him my mother was called Jessica Adams.
“That’s why there was an account in her name,” he said, nodding.
“I guess so,” I replied before telling him everything I knew about Mathieson and the MP.
Marko looked pissed when I told him how Mathieson had tasked me with obtaining the evidence to bring the MP to justice.
“Why the hell did he ask you to do that?” he asked incredulously.
“Well, I have some special skills that he seemed to think made me the ideal candidate unfortunately,” I replied, my voice laced with irony.
Then, I told him about my dad being a cat burglar and me having the same skills. Not something I had ever wanted to disclose to anyone, but I needed his help to break into the MP’s place and get the evidence Mathieson alluded to, so I’d had to suck it up and tell all.
His eyes widened in amazement when he heard, then he smirked sexily.
“I’ve always liked a woman with skills. You’ve got hidden depths, Melissa, and I’m looking forward to peeling back each of your layers and discovering all of your secrets,” he grinned and I gulped hard, as my knickers got damp.
“Yes, please!” my inner voice screamed as I stared at him. He could peel back my layers anytime he wanted. And I didn’t doubt for a second that I was the only one with hidden depths. Marko had his own secrets, and I was eager to uncover them.
In fact, I wondered if we might start unearthing some of our secrets together right now. My mind raced with several intriguing possibilities, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips. My cheeks flushed when I noticed the way he was grinning at me, clearly aware of the shift in my thoughts.
Suddenly feeling overheated, I blinked rapidly and turned away from that captivating grin and the mischievous sparkle in his eyes before my impulse took over and I jumped him. There would be time for that later, I hoped. For now, we still had important matters to discuss, so I pushed the tantalising thoughts aside and forced my focus back to the task at hand.
Fetching my backpack, I poured out the contents and showed him the letters. Once he’d read them, I opened my phone and pulled up the pictures I took of the photographs from the safety deposit box.
“These were what was stolen with my bag, along with a small dictaphone,” I said before playing the recording of the phone conversation that had been on it.
Mr Sexy Nerd gazed at me with a mix of awe and admiration as I explained the precautions I had taken at the bank—how I’d split up the evidence, but made sure I had everything I needed on my person as well as in my bag. His smile, so undeniably sensual, made my cheeks flush and sent a tightening sensation through my core. The effect he had on me with just a look or a grin was electrifying. I was so screwed!
“There was another attack on one of our businesses yesterday, and I believe the MP might be behind it. It is likely we have a common enemy, Melissa. Even if it wasn’t him, he sounds like a foul bastard anyway, so it looks like we need to work together and take him down,” he said vehemently as I pondered his words.
“Besides, it gives me another reason to have you remain by my side.” He winked, and his slow grin full of secret promise made me gulp.
My heart pounded, and I squirmed, looking away from him as I tried to push away the rush of sexual need I felt every time he looked at me like that.
Marko had laid out his family’s moral code regarding women when he talked about his sister. I could respect that, but getting too entangled with this man and his family made me uneasy. Yes, I desperately needed an ally and had hoped to leverage Marko’s IT skills, but could I really get in bed with the Bratva?
“You already did!” The annoying little voice in my head chimed in. My hand flew to my mouth as I stifled a cough to hide the giggle threatening to escape. The voice had a point—there was no denying it.
As I paced the floor, I chewed anxiously on my bottom lip. Danger was closing in, and I had already determined that I needed backup to stay safe. Marko was that backup. Yet, the idea of getting more personally involved with him made me hesitant. Engaging in criminal activities together was risky enough, but becoming emotionally entangled with him would complicate things even further.
My head was aching from all of this thinking. I’d returned to the UK for a quiet life. Why the hell couldn’t danger have left me alone? It was as if I was a bloody magnet for it.
I’d sworn to leave the dangerous life behind and pursue something more stable. A brief brush with danger was one thing, as I had no choice if I was to navigate this current mess, but I refused to be pulled back into old habits and a world I’d only just escaped. The idea of getting involved with Marko felt like a slippery slope back to that world. Clearly, shutting down this growing attraction was the smartest move, no matter how good we were together.
However, as he quietly watched me, with his eyes full of admiration and his smile undeniably sensual, my body had other ideas. Damn it! Just his gaze made my knickers dampen, making a mockery of my resolve.
“Well, I’m a grown woman, I can resist his charms ,” I told myself. But despite my words, I wasn’t convinced.
Huffing out a breath, I sunk heavily onto the sofa.
Maybe I should just grab the first flight out of here and never look back. But as soon as the thought crossed my mind, I knew it was unrealistic. No, I had to stay and face this head-on.
Mathieson had warned me that the MP would come after me—even before I knew anything concrete about him—and he had been right. Considering the events of the past twenty-four hours, it was clear the MP viewed me as a threat, a loose end that needed to be tied up. There was no escaping this mess.
More importantly, I was determined to bring that bastard down. He was a malevolent force who had torched my home and destroyed an irreplaceable part of my past. He needed to pay for what he’d done, and Marko was essential to achieving that. I resolved to work with him and keep things strictly business. It would only be a few weeks, maybe months at most. Surely, it wouldn’t be too hard to keep my emotions in check and maintain my distance?
“Agreed!” I finally said, nodding.
“But first, I need to sort out some clothes and other necessities and then a place to stay,” I told him.
Marko noticeably balked at the idea, and his smirk slipped. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at me.
“Melissa, you can use the spare room here if it makes you more comfortable but getting a hotel room is not only dangerous, as we don’t know what the MP will do next, but also impractical. We will need to work together closely to obtain the evidence we require. It will be easier to do that if we are here together where I can protect you,” he said, rising to loom over me.
“But…”
“You will stay here!” His voice was commanding, leaving no room for argument.
I shot him a glare, ready to protest, but then thought better of it and clamped my mouth shut. Biting back the retort I wanted to hurl at him, I took a deep, calming breath. His intense gaze locked onto me, waiting for a response.
Damn, the man was annoying. But I had to admit he was right, though. Staying here would make our collaboration smoother and keep me safer. And if I was honest, the idea of being alone in a hotel right now was frightening. Yet, it wouldn’t help me maintain the distance I needed from him, and I could already feel my resolve starting to waver.
“Fine, but I still need clothes,” I huffed, frustration evident in my tone.
Marko’s smirk only fuelled my irritation. That smug look of his made me want to slap him. I realised I had capitulated far too easily. I should have fought harder, made him work for my agreement. Yet, despite my irritation, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from those irresistibly curved lips of his.
Even though my mind protested, a thrilling rush surged through me at the thought of staying here with him. Marko’s gorgeous smile, those well-defined abs, and the nerdy charm he exuded when wearing his glasses—who knew that was my type? I momentarily lost myself in admiration, only snapping back to reality when he pulled me into his embrace.
“Better stop looking at me like that if you want to hit the shops for some clothes before they close,” he teased, planting a quick kiss on my lips.
My body betrayed me, swaying towards Marko on its own accord, seeking more, but he stepped back, turned me around, and gave me a playful swat on the bum, directing me toward the bedroom.
“Go get ready,” he ordered with a chuckle that made my core ache with need.
So much for keeping things strictly professional, my resolve had lasted less than five minutes and the way my body responded to Marko showed me just how ridiculous that thought had been.
As I headed to the bedroom, with a wry smile, I admitted that it was useless to even try. Getting further involved with Marko might definitely be dangerous for my newly gained quiet life, but there wasn’t any way to avoid it. I was already in way too deep. Resistance was futile.
Besides, we were about to embark on a perilous mission to bring a psychotic MP down. Who knew what would happen? We could end up dead. I shivered at the thought, but it was true. So why not just go with the flow and enjoy what moments I could? Just because we worked together and had a fling didn’t mean I couldn’t go back to my quiet life in the future.
By the time I grabbed my shoes and bag and returned to the livingroom, I had decided that was exactly what I would do. And, in the process, I intended on making some really great memories.