Mafia Soldier's Irresistible Lover (The Karzhov Crime Family Series Book 3) Read online

  Billy wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and had laughingly filled her in on the money he’d been promised for keeping an eye on Alexandra and her daughter. The fact that he’d been able to do so by earning Chelsea’s trust was just icing on the cake. He’d professed true affection for Chelsea, but he’d broken her trust and she’d kicked him to the curb without a second glance.

  Alexandra had immediately set in motion their move, taking great care to cover their tracks, making it seem as if they’d moved out of state when in fact they had simply moved to a much higher altitude only a little over an hour away from Denver.

  Now, encased in Val’s strong arms, she closed her eyes and gave into the feeling of being comforted and cared for, even for those brief moments. Her body had wanted to get closer to him since she’d first laid eyes on him, and now that it was getting a taste, she found she really didn’t want to let go.

  She let her arms wrap around his back, noting the muscles beneath her palms. He must work out a lot.

  “I do. I used to be a fighter.”

  Chelsea lifted her head, not realizing she’d voice that thought out loud. “Boxing?”

  “MMA. I injured my shoulder and decided I like having the use of both of my arms too much to continue.”

  “So now you take pictures?” Chelsea asked skeptically. “That seems like a weird transition to make.”

  “Not so much. I also do some security and surveillance work on the side. Taking pictures goes along with both.”

  Chelsea pushed herself out of his arms, grateful for his support but needing some answers so she could figure out the best course of action to take where Darya was concerned. “I guess I need to go find out why Terrence was looking for me.”

  “Chelsea, a bit of advice?”

  “Sure.”

  “Don’t agree to anything he suggests just yet. I have a colleague of mine doing some checking up on your brother.”

  “He told you why he’s here?” Chelsea asked.

  “He did.”

  “Do you believe him?” she wondered out loud.

  “For the most part. I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

  Believe me, I won’t give Terrence a second chance to destroy me. No way. I have too much riding on the future—Darya needs me.

  Chapter 11

  Danil’s cell phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID before answering it brusquely, “What?”

  “It’s Taro. I’ve located the girl and am in route to retrieve her.”

  Danil bit back a curse. “I don’t want her retrieved. I want her eliminated. And make sure it looks like an accident. I don’t want any chance of this being traced back to me. Understood?”

  “Understood. I’ll contact you when it’s done. By the way, Yoshi would like to meet with you at the end of the week. He will be travelling to Las Vegas on Friday. Meet him at the Neptune Club at ten o’clock Friday evening.”

  Danil cringed but agreed. “Fine. Hopefully you will have taken care of the girl by then.”

  Taro didn’t answer; he simply hung up. Danil pocketed his phone, glancing behind him to see that Pyotr was still following his progress along the sidewalk. Nikolai’s henchman had been his constant shadow and was beginning to get on his nerves. As he continued his walk, he started making plans for how to get away from his constant shadow Friday night.

  The Neptune Club was a known hangout for the Asian population, and not someplace the Russian mafia would normally visit. It would be easy enough for Danil to sneak in without raising too much suspicion, but if he also had his shadow along, it would draw unwanted speculation. Speculation that could be very costly indeed.

  As a plan began to form in his mind, he glanced into the mirrored surface of the building he was presently passing, pleased to see that Pyotr was already on his phone, telling Nikolai of his most recent phone conversation. Perhaps he could work that to his favor.

  *****

  Val escorted Chelsea back into the house, smiling when she was met by a very exuberant Darya, who was overjoyed to be going home with Margot for the day. It seemed that Margot had a mama cat who had a litter of kittens that were just about ready for their new homes. Darya was hopeful that Chelsea would let her have one when the time came.

  After hugging the child and giving her assent for Darya to spend the night with Margot and her family, Chelsea turned to find Val watching her with a strange look in his eyes. “What?”

  “You care for her as if she were your own.” He’d watched the interaction between the two females the night before, but today the trust and love between them was even more pronounced. And Chelsea made no secret of the fact that she cared for Darya more that her own life. Not having ever known that sort of maternal affection, Val was intrigued by it and wondered if that was characteristic of her relationship with the child or just how she loved in general.

  “Outside of actually giving birth to her, I feel like she could be mine. Alexandra had a heart condition that limited her activity level. It didn’t show up until after Darya’s birth, but it severely limited what she was able to do with the little girl as she grew up. I’ve always been the one she’s played with, gone places with. I couldn’t love her any more if she were mine.”

  Chelsea saw the look of confusion on Val’s face and couldn’t resist asking about it. “Why does that confuse you so?”

  “I never really knew my mother. She and my father lived very dangerous lives and were killed when I was still rather young.”

  “You were raised in foster homes?” Chelsea asked, sympathizing with being parentless, as she too had experienced the loss of her parents at a young age.

  “No.” He paused, trying to figure out how to tell her that within the Bratva, orphans didn’t go into the foster care system. They were simply absorbed into the organization with whomever had room or the ability to provide for their needs. His needs had been taken care of by a variety of men, all of who had instructed him in their special talents, giving him a well-rounded education that had now earned him the position of one of Nikolai’s top Boeviks—soldiers who were willing to do whatever was necessary to protect the family.

  “I was raised in several different homes. My family takes care of their own.”

  “Family? Like aunts and uncles?” Chelsea asked, not fully understanding the dynamic.

  “Not quite.” Val didn’t go on to explain. “Did you ever hear the gang Terrence was involved with refer to themselves as a family?” When she nodded, he continued, “Well, my family is very similar. We all work together for a common goal and to help each other.”

  Chelsea let that thought rattle around in her brain as they approached the bedroom. There was something about the way Val had talked about his “family” that had her wondering if there was more to him than met the eye. Isn’t there always? When have you ever fallen for a guy that was straightforward and didn’t have a hidden agenda?

  Pushing those doubts aside, she opened the bedroom door to see her brother trying to get out of bed.

  “Chels. Need to get—” The man broke off as he used his quickly diminishing strength to roll himself over to his side. “Shit! That hurts,” he complained as he lay on his back, breathing through clenched teeth.

  “Stop trying to get out of bed before you hurt yourself even more,” Val commanded the man, watching the upper part of his shirt for signs that the stitches weren’t going to hold.

  The man opened his pain-filled eyes and met Val’s gaze, before looking over and finding Chelsea sitting a few feet away. “Chelsea! Get over here and help me up!”

  Chelsea didn’t move as Val put his arm out, blocking her approach to the bed. She paced a few steps away and then rounded on her brother, placing her hands on her hips in exasperation as Val kept his body between hers and her brother’s. “Terrence, what are you doing here? Why did Val find you lying on my front porch? Bleeding? And furthermore, how did you get up here?” Chelsea shot the questions at him rapid-fire, glancing out the window towar
d the driveway as she asked the last question.

  She could barely make out the silhouette of a dark colored pickup parked at the edge of the driveway in the trees. “Is that your truck?”

  Terrence looked at his sister and tried not to smile. He let his eyes take in her grown-up image, trying hard to reconcile it with the last time he’d seen her at the age of fifteen. She’d been able to turn heads back then, but now, she was the thing men dreamed about at night and woke up hurting for when they realized it had only been a dream. She was gorgeous in an understated way.

  “The truck’s mine. As for why I’m here, I came looking for you. How in the hell did you end up living in these mountains? This has got to be about as far from civilization as I’ve been.”

  “Don’t get out much, do you?” Val asked snidely, earning himself a glare from Chelsea as she stepped closer to the bed while ignoring her brother’s question.

  She stepped around Val, evading the hand he tried to stop her with, and stopped at the edge of the bed. “How did you get injured?”

  Terrence winced as he tried once again to push himself up to a sitting position on the bed. When the laceration on his right pectoral muscle began to pull, he glimpsed down, for the first realizing he wasn’t wearing his own shirt. “Where’s my shirt?”

  “I cut if off you. You were bleeding all over it anyway. Now, answer my question!” Chelsea was quickly losing patience with the man on the bed.

  Terrence looked over her shoulder at Val, then back at her. “I fell on some rocks and cut myself.”

  “Rocks?” Chelsea asked, her voice full of doubt.

  “Yes, rocks. I had a flat tire a few miles back and fell down the side of the mountain.” Terrence held her stare, daring her to call him a liar.

  Chelsea thought back to the wound she had cleansed the night before. There had been no evidence of dirt or debris in the wound or on his shirt. Terrence is lying through his teeth!

  Glaring at him, she folded her arms over her chest and stared him down. “I don’t believe you. Now, either answer my question or I’m calling the authorities and having them come over here and arrest you for trespassing. Maybe they can help you remember how you got that nasty cut on your chest.”

  Val smiled at her tenacity. She was a spitfire when she got riled up. I wonder what she’s like when she gets going in bed. With the little girl out of the picture for tonight, maybe I should try and find out. Even if only for a taste. But first, I have to help her deal with the asshole in the bed who just happens to share the same blood in his veins.

  “That cut didn’t come from any rocks.”

  Terrence glared at the man standing behind his sister and challenged him, “How would you know? Seen a lot of injuries and stuff?”

  “Yes. Now answer the question truthfully, or she won’t have to call the authorities. I’ll dump you in your truck and send it over the side of the cliff.”

  Chelsea turned and looked at Val, shocked that he would issue such a threat in a nice, even tone. She assumed he was joking, but one look at the cold stare of his eyes and she realized he meant every word. He really would send Terrence over the side of a cliff!

  “Just tell me why you’re here so you can leave.”

  “Didn’t lover boy here tell you my plan for us all to get rich?” Terrence asked her, looking from one to the other.

  Val shook his head, laying a gentle hand on Chelsea’s shoulder. “No. I figured it might come better from you. You are suggesting she crawl back into bed with the same caliber of men as Mateo. Right?”

  “Nah. Raul’s more sophisticated. And he likes his women with a bit of color in their skin, if you know what I mean. Although Carlos likes his women white. And he’s between women right now—”

  Val had heard enough. Stepping around Chelsea, he gently pushed her behind him before grabbing her brother by the shoulder and shoving him back onto the mattress. “Shut. Up. If you even think another vile, reprehensible thought like that about your sister, I will make you pay and then…I will kill you slowly. Very slowly.”

  Chelsea pulled on Val’s shoulder, but he wouldn’t budge.

  “Who do you think you are to issue threats like that?”

  Val leaned over Terrence, lowering his voice to a deadly whisper. “I am your worst nightmare. Right now, your sister is under my protection. That means she’s mine. Hurting her is the same as hurting me, and I don’t take well to being hurt. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?”

  Terrence swallowed as he suddenly realized he’d never run up against someone of Val’s caliber before. This man meant business and was used to doing whatever he wanted, however he wanted. Nodding his head, he breathed a bit easier when Val stood to his full height and escorted Chelsea from the room.

  Before closing the door, Val cautioned the man, “Stay in bed and rest. I will bring you some food in a bit. When she returns, I would advise you to speak respectfully to her, and truthfully. Anything less and I will take it as a direct insult to myself.”

  Val didn’t wait for Terrence to comply. He shut the door and turned to find Chelsea leaning against the wall. Dealing with her brother had stolen her energy and created a whole new set of worries for her.

  “Come. Let’s get some breakfast, and then I need to make another phone call and see if my colleague was able to find out anything on your brother.”

  Chelsea looked at Val, then shook her head. “Why are you involving yourself in this? This is supposed to be your vacation, and here you are, getting mixed up in God only knows what kind of mess.”

  “Do not worry about it, milaya moya. I will enjoy helping you rid yourself of this problem.”

  Chelsea watched him for a moment, then turned toward the kitchen. Right now, she would take any help she could get. If Val was okay with helping her, she wouldn’t turn him down.

  Chapter 12

  Val convinced Chelsea to take a walk with him after a late breakfast. All of her other guests had checked out earlier that morning, and as he was the only one left, there wasn’t much for her to do. Margot had dealt with the guests and then taken Darya for the night. James had restocked the firewood in each of the rooms and taken care of the light housekeeping and bed linens.

  With only Val to cook for, it was easy to go along with his request and join him for a walk. When they returned an hour later, it was to hear a strange cell phone ring coming from the front porch. After searching around, she discovered an unknown cell phone lying beneath the porch rail.

  “This must be Terrence’s. It must have fallen from his pocket when he collapsed last night.”

  Val held his hand out for the phone, and after fiddling with it for a few moments, he was able to open the voice mail feature and push play. There were two new messages, both from different numbers.

  The first call came from a man named Charles, who seemed to work for the airlines.

  “Terrence, this is Charles out at the airport. Someone’s looking for you. An Asian dude with a really bad hair job. Kind of looks like a skunk. Black on the bottom, snow white on the top. He wasn’t very friendly either. He said he was actually looking for your sister and I told him he must have the wrong guy. You don’t have a sister, do ya? Later, man.”

  Val was very interested in the description of the Asian man, but he decided to listen to the second message before checking on things. He was very glad he did.

  “Terry! Hey, man, this is Kevin down at the courthouse. I don’t usually work Saturdays, but I thought you might be interested in knowing I got a strange request earlier today.

  “Someone else is looking for that sister of yours. They managed to navigate their way past the secure login and were able to view her adoption petition. They now have the exact same information you have.

  “Oh, and by the way, the judge’s docket was cleared yesterday and he was able to catch up on some paperwork. He approved your sister’s adoption petition late yesterday afternoon. Thought it might help your cause to be able to give her some good news. Take care.”


  Chelsea sat down on the porch swing and couldn’t decide if she should cry tears of happiness or fear. Darya was hers! But that joy was tainted by the knowledge that someone else was looking for her, and her brother had just unknowingly led them straight to her.

  Val sat down beside her. “Congratulations. I guess you can stop worrying about whether or not Darya is going to get to stay with you as your legal child.”

  “What about the man who’s looking for me? Val, I swear I don’t know any Asian men who look like that.”

  Val nodded. “That’s okay. I have a suspicion about who the man is. Let’s go have a chat with your brother.”

  Val and Chelsea found her brother sleeping soundly, which didn’t deter Val one bit from kicking the side of the bed to wake him up. “Wake up. Your friend Kevin from the courthouse left you a message. So did Charles from the airport.”

  Terrence came awake, belligerently grabbing his phone from Val’s outstretched hand and scrolling through his messages. “What gave you the impression that I was okay with you listening to my voice mail?”

  “Knock it off, Terrence. Someone is looking for me, and now, thanks to your friend Kevin, they know where to find me!” Chelsea was once again livid at the man lying in the bed. There had once been a time when she had looked up to her older brother, but any feelings she had for him died that day ten years ago when he so callously sold her to Mateo Cordoba.

  Throwing her hands up in the air, she stalked from the room, tossing over her shoulder, “Val, I don’t care what you do with him, but get him out of my house. Terrence, I don’t ever want to see or hear from you again. Ever!”

  Chelsea climbed the stairs to her bedroom, carefully closing the door even though she really wanted to slam it. Hard. She’d been ready to make a good life for her and Darya, but now Terrence had brought all kinds of trouble her way and she was heartbroken at the thought of having to start over someplace else.