Page 60 of Alexei (Belles & Mobsters 4)

I’d admit that it sounded like my brothers were controlling my life. They didn’t; not in that sense. But they worried about me a tad bit too much. I didn’t freak out when they took an hour to respond. My brothers did.

“They sound like good brothers,” he commented. “They’re doing their job.”

My eyebrows shot up. “One time, I was an hour late getting home from a boyfriend’s house, and they destroyed his front door.” It was right before my twenty-first birthday. When I didn’t come home on time, Winston and Royce showed up with security and some of their ex-SEAL buddies, busted through the front door, and scared the living daylights out of his family. “What do you think will happen if I don’t respond to their texts for several hours?”

Alexei shrugged, apathy on his face. “Jesus, I hope you never have daughters,” I muttered. “I have a feeling you’ll be worse than my brothers. Actually, I’m pretty sure you’ll be obsessive over your sons and daughters.”

He didn’t react but his knuckles tightened around the wheel. Did I say something wrong? Regret instantly flooded me. I didn’t like to upset people.

“Who are we trying to get close to?” I attempted to steer the conversation back to the sex club and maybe take his mind off his future children.

He side-eyed me, as if he was considering how much to tell me. “A guy named Igor owns the club.”

“Does Igor have a last name?” I questioned. He was rather stingy with information.

“No.”

Dammit.Didn’t he know there were millions of Igors on this planet?

“Okay, and he will lead us to whom?” His clipped responses were agitating me, and I tried hard not to lose my cool.

“Ivan Petrov.”

My heart skidded to a halt. The FBI ghost criminal and the reason Alexei was on their radar. Until Milo wiped out Alexei’s record.

“You know him?” I asked, trying to subdue the tremble in my voice.

“Yes.”

“How well?” I put effort into keeping my voice steady while my nerves danced under my skin. I waited three heartbeats. “Your friend.”

“Definitely not.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair and sank back into the seat.

“How does he look?” From all the questions, it wasn’t the best one, but the appearance was all I remembered from Kingston’s kidnapper. My eyes returned to Alexei’s hands and remained there.

“Ugly.” His short answer didn’t surprise me.

What surprised me was a memory that flickered in my mind but faded too fast.

A boy’s hand that held mine.

ChapterSeventeen

ALEXEI

It had been two days since I talked to Agent Ashford. I hacked into her building’s security cameras to see her, just to get a glimpse. I checked on her a few times throughout the day. It was only when I confirmed her safety that I could finally continue with my day.

I fucking hated that this fear was ingrained into me. The Nikolaev bitch ensured I was just as fucked up in the head as I was physically. She’d given me something to cherish then took it away. Over and over again. It didn’t matter what it was.

Family. Toy. Pet. It was always taken away.

And now, all that paranoia was focused on the young woman. This obsession with her wasn’t healthy. I knew it as surely as I knew the moon would rise each night.

I even contemplated getting a dog. Maybe it’d split the obsession between the two living things. I hadn’t had another dog since I got Puma out of Russia. She had a good five years with me and then died of old age, peacefully. Just as her whole life should have been.

Though it was another loss.

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