Page 25 of Lethal Legacy

My bad-boy hardwired libido is one thing. But selling myself for money is quite another.

And if Papa should find out . . .

I shudder. Old and infirm my father might be, but something tells me that wouldn’t stop him finding a way to put a bullet between Roman Stevanovsky’s eyes.

Roman can never know who Papa is.

Even the thought of a meeting between the two men sends a cold trickle of fear down my spine. They would recognize each other as bratva in an instant. And from there, it would be a very short leap for Roman to discover who Papa and I truly are.

On the other hand, Papa and I are not safe out in the open, staying in motels where we are noticed. Somebody has already stolen our money and passports. Regardless of whether the thief was actually looking for us or just an opportunist, if anyone starts looking into the names on those passports, they’ll get suspicious fast. Our fake identities won’t stand up to any real scrutiny.

What better place to disappear than into Roman’s fortress? With the money he’s offering, I can easily find a discreet apartment and excellent care for Papa.

That contract offers me time—and invisibility.

And God knows we are in desperate need of both.

I stare at the contract again, feeling both the seductive attraction of it and the moral compromise it represents.

Then, with a physical effort, I put it to one side.

No matter what Lucia Lopez has had to do to survive, somewhere within me, I am still Darya Petrovsky. Heiress not just to the legendary contents of the Petrovsky vault, but to my father’s legacy, the life he built from freezing cold poverty with nothing but his bare hands and ruthless determination. I can’t dishonor that legacy now, no matter how dire the situation we face. To do so would be to betray everything he worked for.

I stuff the contract back into the pocket of my work bag, next to the fat envelope with my name on it, trying not to think of the fact that the money inside it is the last I will ever receive from Roman Stevanovsky.

I know that declining his offer means I’ll never see him again. CEO Man isn’t one to waste his time.

I lie down on the sagging bed and turn to the wall, closing my eyes and trying not to think of my aching feet, the men hunting us, or the eight-hour shift still ahead of me.

8

ROMAN

It’s been four hours since Lucia left my office.

Two hundred and forty minutes.

And despite my phone’s incessant buzzing, the only message I’m waiting on remains noticeably absent.

Will she sign it?

With every passing moment that Lucia doesn’t answer, my tension ratchets up a notch.

It’s just because you want to fuck her.

There are a million other women out there who’d leap at what that contract offers. Damn, I wouldn’t even need to throw in the offer of money. And despite what I told Lucia, au pairs are hardly a rare breed. One phone call and a decent salary package would have another one on my doorstep within the hour, even if I had to fly them in from overseas.

Lucia Lopez is no more than a passing urge, the contract just a means to an end.

But no matter what I tell myself, her final words as she left my office have left me with a distinctly uneasy feeling.“If you think that asking me to formally become your live-in sex slave is a fact I want widely advertised, then you’re even more delusional than I thought.”

I stare out the car window to avoid Dimitry’s eyes and press my fingers to my temples to alleviate an increasingly uncomfortable headache. It’s been a long time since my sex life has caused me any kind of concern.

Actually, I’veneverallowed it to cause me concern.

I don’t do love. I do mutually convenient sex.

Frequently, and with willing partners whose names I rarely recall after the momentary lust has passed.

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