Page 7 of Dangerous Obsession

I haven’t had a nightmare like that in years, not since I finally moved past my grieving of my life. I perch on the edge of the bed while I force my eyes to adjust to the light. The sun is up, shining in through the single window in the apartment. That means it’s after seven already. My stomach grumbles, ready for my morning coffee, but I doubt this place has anything other than brown water and dusty cups. The clothing I pulled out of the dresser last night still lays on the floor at my feet, so I pick it up and put it on. Leo can order me to sleep nude, but that doesn’t mean I have to walk around this place completely naked all day. Besides, there is a chill in the air. It must be cooler today.

After relieving my bladder I snoop around the kitchen and confirm my suspicions. There is one can of tuna which is expired, a jar of jelly with a coating of dust so thick it won’t wipe off with my thumb, and two bottles of beer, also caked in dust. The fridge isn’t much different. The sole box of baking soda doesn’t even keep the scent of mildew out of the ancient machine. I shut the door feeling frustrated and head back toward the bed. He better be bringing me food or I’m going to let him have it.

I sit and rifle through my bag, hoping to find my phone. I don’t really have anyone I can contact for help, but I can at least look at my GPS to see where the hell we’re at. But my phone battery is dead. It won’t even turn on. I drop the useless device into my bag and look around the room. There is nothing to do, except maybe watch TV, but the fear of seeing my face plastered on that screen again keeps me from doing that. If Stuart reports me missing, they’ll broadcast my alias and face together, and then it’s all over. Alexsi knows, my dad knows, and Leo is as good as dead.

My eye catches on something, the corner of a paper sticking out of the top dresser drawer. I remember last night when I was searching for clothing, I found the drawer full of papers, photographs, and mail. It makes me curious. I stand and open the drawer and pull out a few sheets of paper.

There are bills from various places, the water company, a trash service. It’s boring and mostly useless to me, but it gives me something to do. I unearth a few photos of things around the city, Central Park, Washington Square, some subway shots. But when I find a picture of Leo and his brothers all holding weapons, standing on a street corner looking like thugs, I shudder. I keep looking and find more images, scarier images. Pictures of Leo’s older brother shaking hands with a man I know to be involved in organized crime. I’ve seen that face on the news and in my father’s case files when I was younger.

But what does it for me, what scares me the most, is when I find an image of Alexsi Gusev on the front page of a newspaper clipping. I sink onto the mattress and curl up to read the article snipped out of the paper seven years ago. Alexi was accused of murder and money laundering. The paper reports that he is connected to the Bratva and may be a high-ranking member. This all makes so much sense now—my father a cop, Leo’s father a mobster. God, no wonder Alexsi chased me off.

Now I wonder if it was his doing that Leo forced me to leave too. Who the hell did I just have sex with last night? And how can I get away from him before anyone else finds out I’m in bed with the Bratva?

5

LEO

Isat outside the front of the bookstore for at least twenty minutes before walking inside. I know Dominic is here and I know he’s not happy with me. My brothers have no ability to keep their mouths shut. I should have known better than to call for help the other night. It’s all about loyalty and fidelity to the cause, only, that loyalty is strictly to be given to the cause. They aren’t loyal to me; they have no reason to be. Their lives are wrapped up in the Gusev name and business. Without it they are nothing, and that’s the way it’s always been.

I, however, see things differently. Loyalty has to run both ways. They should have my back as much as I have theirs, but every one of these fuckers deserted me when I tried to stand up to my father twelve years ago. Things would be so different today if I’d had her by my side this whole time. There would be an entire generation of Gusev children making new memories by now, building a family legacy. But my father’s orders were to be obeyed and that made me a rebel.

I stalk toward the cash register where the teenager we have working for us is cashing out a customer. I don’t recognize the elderly lady whose grin seems oddly out of place for such a dank little bookstore, but I’m glad the neighbors still patronize the place. It’s getting harder and harder to clean cash with so few sales happening. We’re relying entirely on what Sven does at the port and I know Dominic is struggling to handle things as he takes control with Dad getting sicker by the day seemingly.

“Is that him?” I hear Dominic call. I know he’s talking about me. The teen looks at me nervously and I wave her off. She looks relieved as I pass by and stroll into Dominic’s office. It’s tiny, a single light hanging from a chain in the middle of the square room. His desk takes up most of the space, with barely enough room to sit behind it and walk around its end, while still leaving space for a single chair across from him. He wears a t-shirt and a dark blue windbreaker. It’s typical to see him dress down when he plays manager for a day. Last thing he needs are the cops looking around here wondering how this little bookstore survives while he wears Armani.

“I’m here,” I tell him, glancing over my shoulder down the hall before I shut the door and sit down. He’s typing away at his calculator so I keep my mouth shut until he’s finished. He looks up at me with a salty expression, lips pursed, forehead wrinkled.

“What the hell is going on, Leo? Rome called me, said you’re in deep shit with that woman again. We told you to lay off last time something stupid happened.”

He’s referring to a time when I had to step in to intervene in Willow’s life and protect her from a very sour business deal. She was going to be taken for a ride financially and her art is worth far more than she knows. “I never showed my face back then, and you know it.”

“No, but you couldn’t just let her live her life and learn the hard way.” Dom puts his calculator into his desk drawer and types something into the small laptop in front of him. “You’ll never learn.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I adjust the way I’m sitting and try not to let him ruffle my feathers too much. I feel like a caged lion in this dump of an office, always have. The cream wallpaper feels like it closes in on me, suffocating me.

“It means, you need to keep your nose out of her business. She isn’t yours, and she never will be. You need to back off. I’m warning you.” He looks me dead in the eye and purses his lips more tightly. “It’s going to backfire and someone’s going to get hurt.”

I don’t know if I should take that as a threat or if he is trying to warn me. He’s my big brother. I’d like to think he cares about me enough that it’s a warning, but given my family and how my father raised him, my gut tells me it’s a threat.

“Who’s getting hurt, Dom? Me? Are you threatening me if I don’t leave her alone?” I lean forward and cross my hands on the edge of his desk. I’m not going to be pushed around by him or anyone else. The Italians are going to be on my tail if they haven’t already found the safehouse. If my brothers can’t back me up, I’ll just roll without them. I will protect Willow at all costs.

“It’s not a threat, Leo.” Dominic’s shoulders relax and drop slightly. I can tell he’s holding back his temper. His is worse than mine. I know he doesn’t want to hurt anyone; he just wants people to respect that he’s the leader, and that means his own brothers following his orders.

I’m not playing that game.

“Listen to me. She isn’t who you think she is, and if things play out in the wrong way, it’s going to be a shit show for the whole family. Okay?” His cryptic message isn’t making sense to me. He’s not coming across clearly.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? She isn’t who I think she is? She’s the fucking woman of my dreams. You know that. I’ve had it bad for her for years. I’ve watched everything she said and did for more than a decade. Protected her from anything and everything. I’m not turning her over to a man who wants to rape her.”

“That man, Romeo Leoni, is dead and there is a price on your head now.” He glares at me down his nose and I’d like to put my fist in his face.

“Yeah, well better him than her.” I sit back, folding my arms over my chest. “I’m not afraid of their bounty. I know my own strengths and weaknesses and I would hope my brothers have my back.” My words hit their target.

“Your family has your back, but you have to follow my instructions.”

“Oh, that means leaving her to be chased down by them? No way to defend herself?” I stand, infuriated. “I’m not doing that. You know I love her.” My temper is getting the better of me.

“You know her father is a detective. He hunted Dad down. He was on to us. And you fell in love with her and you had no clue. She’s dangerous. If she tells her father who we are—”

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