Alexei

  In all the time he had known her, Alexei had never glimpsed this side of Shay. It convinced him that she was in an intense amount of discomfort. Otherwise she never would have been so cross. Wanting her to know that he didn’t intend for this to ever happen again, he apologized. “I’m sorry that I missed your call earlier and that I didn’t get here sooner. You needed me, and I wasn’t there for you. It won’t happen again.”

  Shay lifted her tired head and stared at him. Her expression turned dark. “How was your business meeting?”

  He might have imagined it, but her tone sounded accusatory. “It was fine. I had dinner with Mueller. We ironed things out between us over steak.”

  “And your other meeting?”

  He frowned. “Other meeting?”

  She made a disgusted sound and rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously going to stand right there in front of me and fucking lie?”

  Thrown by her statement, he asked, “Lie about what?”

  “I saw you!”

  “Saw me where?”

  “At the penthouse!”

  “What were you doing at the penthouse?”

  “That’s the question you ask?”

  Suddenly, he was very glad for the tray between them. Shay looked as if she wanted to punch him right in the face. “What other question am I supposed to ask?”

  “Apparently, this is the point where men like you ask what bright, shiny, expensive thing I want to make up for the other woman you’re sleeping with behind my back,” she shot back nastily.

  “Men like me? The other woman? What are you—?” And then it hit him. She must have seen him with Marissa. “Shay, I don’t know what you think you saw—”

  “All right, Miss Sandoval,” a doctor interrupted and pulled back the curtain, “let’s take a look at that hand.”

  Alexei stepped aside so Shay could receive the care she needed. As he watched the doctor examine the nasty burns on her fingers and palm, Alexei tried to control the panic building inside him. His meeting with Marissa had been completely innocent, but he could imagine what it must have looked like to Shay. She knew why he had that penthouse. She knew his history. She was already feeling vulnerable after his morning blunder in bed. Finding him with Marissa must have been shocking and upsetting to her.

  I should have told her I was meeting Marissa. It seemed so obvious now, but at the time, it hadn’t even occurred to him. Because you aren’t treating her like your partner. No, he was still treating her like a pretty piece of arm candy. She deserved better and more from him.

  “You did a number on these fingers,” the doctor said. “I want to have a plastic surgeon consult on this. She may have a different idea for treatment.”

  “Um…I don’t know think my insurance—”

  “I’ll handle it,” Alexei insisted. “I don’t care who you have to call or what it costs. I want her to get the best treatment.”

  “That’s all I want for any of my patients,” the doctor said before leaving the room.

  Assured of a few private moments with Shay, he stepped back in front of her and moved the tray out of the way. He supported her wrist with his left hand and cupped her face with the right. “Shay, please look at me.”

  She reluctantly lifted her gaze. “I don’t want to hear it, Alexei. Maybe it’s good that this happened now. I realize that I’m not cut out for this. You want something I can’t give you.”

  “Stop,” he ordered gently. “You are all I want.” She started to protest, but he pleaded for a moment. “Please let me explain.”

  She exhaled slowly. “Fine.”

  “Yes, I did meet with Marissa today. I did not sleep with her. In fact, I made it very clear to her that I’m serious about you.”

  Shay’s eyes glimmered with hope. She wanted to believe him, but the childhood she had suffered had left her wounded and vulnerable and unable to trust. He had abused her trust this afternoon by not being honest with her. “Are you going to Vegas this weekend?”

  “How did you—?”

  “I saw your redhead—Marissa—at the salon. She was telling her stylist about her plans to meetup with her ex in Vegas. When I saw you with her—”

  He couldn’t even begin to imagine how betrayed she must have felt when she had seen him with Marissa after having to listen to her talk about Vegas and her plans. “I was going to Vegas, Shay. I’ve done it for years to celebrate my birthday. It’s a boys-only trip with my friends. If she was going, it was on her dime and without an invitation from me.”

  Standing in front of her, caressing her cheek, he finally realized what a colossal asshole he had been. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think I would be able to enjoy Vegas without you. I think my days of boys-only trips are behind me.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with you going on trips with your friends.”

  “I should have told you I was planning to go. I should have told you about my meeting with Marissa.”

  “Why did you meet with her today?”

  “She’s a very good real estate agent. I’m selling the penthouse.”

  “What? When did you decide—?”

  “This morning,” he said, stroking her cheek. “I don’t need that place anymore.” He kissed her forehead. “I have you, and we have our house.”

  Her surprised gaze flicked to his. “Our house?”

  Teasing his mouth against hers, he whispered, “Ours.”

  “Knock knock.” A surgeon in scrubs poked her head into the room. “Oops! Sorry to interrupt.”

  Shay smiled up at him and then at the surgeon. “It’s fine.”

  Alexei stepped aside as the surgeon and a nurse walked into the small room. The surgeon washed her hands in the sink and slipped into a pair of gloves before sliding the tray back under Shay’s hand to examine it. He moved behind Shay and put a comforting, soothing hand on her shoulder.

  Shay winced and hissed as the surgeon probed her burned skin. Seeing her in pain was almost too much for him to handle. He listened intently as the surgeon decided on a plan of treatment. When the nurse stepped out to get the necessary supplies, the surgeon assured Shay the injury looked much worse than it was.

  “We’ll watch for contracture as the wounds heal. If you scar badly, I can revise them. We’ll make sure you get the number for my office so you can schedule an appointment next week. I see no reason to be overly concerned. The biggest risk right now is infection. In a month, you’ll be fully healed. But maybe we’ll be more careful with our tools?”

  Shay smiled sheepishly. “Yes. Definitely.”

  Half an hour later, Shay held her freshly bandaged hand close to her chest. Each finger had been slathered in antibiotic ointment and wrapped individually. Her palm had also been treated and bandaged.

  “Have you had a tetanus booster?” the surgeon asked as she washed her hands.

  “Um…”

  The surgeon laughed. “I’ll see if we can get you one tonight.”

  “Great,” Shay answered sarcastically.

  “Better safe than sorry,” the surgeon said and patted Shay’s arm. “I’ll see you next week in my office. Okay?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  It was another hour before Shay had her tetanus booster and discharge instructions. Feeling terrible for her, he draped his jacket around her shoulders and curved his arm around her back as he walked her out of the emergency room. She stopped to thank each nurse and technician who had helped her tonight, even the harried triage nurse who had made her wait so long for her turn.

  “It’s not her fault that this place is so busy,” Shay said when she saw his face. “You know how emergency rooms are,” she said with a shrug. “If you can’t afford insurance or if your copays are too high, you put things off until they become serious.”

  “That doesn’t mean I have to be happy that you were made to wait while you were in pain.” He spotted Stas and Boychenko as they came through the double doors. Both men had their gazes fixed on something across the room. They r
eminded him of a pair of watchdogs with their hackles raised. When he realized what they were staring at, he understood why.

  Eric Santos and two police officers stood on either side of a handcuffed man with a bloody face and even bloodier shirt. Another line of officers stood in front of the entrance to the emergency room. Alexei didn’t have to think too hard to come up with possible explanations for the police presence. Even from here, he could see the Hermanos tattoos on the bloody man’s arms and neck and the sides of his shaved head. With what Nikolai had told him earlier, he would put his money on retribution.

  Stas stood up. Voice lowered, he said, “We need to get the hell out of here right now.”

  “Shay?” Eric called out to her, and Alexei quietly cursed under his breath. There would be no quick escape now. “Shay?”

  “Hi, Eric.” She flashed the detective a smile as he approached. Stas and Boychenko stepped up behind her, forming a human wall of support.

  Eric’s gaze slid to the men flanking Shay before it moved to her bandaged hand. “Are you okay?”

  “I got a little careless with my tools and burned my hand. I’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

  “That’s good to hear.” Eric glanced around the busy waiting room. He motioned toward the nearest corner. “Can we talk?”

  Alexei caught Shay’s questioning gaze and shook his head. “It’s late, Eric. She’s tired, and she’s in pain. Whatever it is can wait until morning.”

  “No, it can’t.” Eric stepped forward and lowered his voice. “We found Ruben’s Escalade this afternoon. There was enough evidence in the vehicle to confirm that someone was killed in it.”

  Shay’s face went slack with shock. “He’s dead?”

  “Yes—and that’s not all.” Eric glanced left and right before stepping closer and lowering his voice to a barely audible level. “We identified that body from the motel. It’s Lalo. Before all this shit,” he glanced back at the bloody man, “blew up tonight, the biggest news on the street was about your sister. Everyone thinks she iced Lalo and Ruben. There’s a bounty on her head, and a lot of people will want to collect. One of my informants mentioned your name as part of that bounty.”

  “What the hell is your problem, Eric?” Alexei snarled at the detective as Shay went white next to him. “Why the hell would you say something like that to her?”

  “Because it’s the truth,” Eric snapped. “She needs to know. If she’s going to be safe—”

  “She’s perfectly safe. Nikolai has given his word, and you know what that’s worth. If you’re not clear on that, maybe you should ask your cousin to give you a reminder.”

  Eric narrowed his eyes. “Let’s leave Vivian out of this. I’m just trying to keep Shay safe.”

  Stas stepped forward. “She is safe.”

  Eric sized up Stas. “And when you’re not with her and when Alexei isn’t with her?”

  “Then I’m with her,” Boychenko said.

  The bloodied man on the other side of the waiting room started to shout and kick. Eric looked back and frowned before returning his attention to them. Locking eyes with Alexei, he said, “Get Shay out of here. Take that hall. Make a left and then a right. Go out the side exit. Nikolai may have vouched for Shay, but there are a lot of hotheaded soldiers with itchy trigger fingers hanging around this place.” He expelled a tired breath. “And I’m tired of cleaning up blood tonight.”

  Alexei took Eric’s advice and escorted Shay out of the building using the side exit. Boychenko took his valet ticket while he stayed behind with Stas and Shay. She burrowed into him for warmth as they waited. Stas pinned him in place with an aggravated look when he kissed her temple and embraced her.

  Shay must have seen the look because she reached out and touched Stas’s arm. “We’re fine. It was a misunderstanding. She’s a real estate agent.”

  Stas grunted and looked down the street. “If you say so…”

  Alexei didn’t blame Stas for being skeptical. Stroking Shay’s hair and her back, he thought about how damn lucky he was that she had listened to his explanation and trusted that he was telling her the truth about Marissa. She could have made him grovel and beg and buy her forgiveness but she had given it freely. He wouldn’t abuse her kindness by putting her in this position again.

  When Boychenko arrived, Alexei helped Shay into the passenger seat. He offered to drive the two guards to the valet stand to retrieve Stas’s vehicle, but they both declined.

  “Do you have a list of supplies she needs?” Stas asked. “We can stop at one of the drug stores and pick them up.”

  He handed Stas the list he had scribbled down in the emergency room. “It’s mostly bandages. They called in her prescription to CVS. The one on Kirby. It’s on the way home.”

  Stas pocketed the list. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thank you.” Alexei slid behind the wheel and buckled his seatbelt. He touched Shay’s good hand. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to stop somewhere?”

  “I really just want to go home.”

  He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. She sagged in the seat, and he didn’t think she would make it home still awake.

  He was right. Shay nodded off before they reached the house. When he pulled into the garage, she woke up and smiled sleepily. He parked and got out, walking around the vehicle to her side and opening her door. He reached in and unbuckled her belt. “I’ll help you get undressed when we get upstairs.”

  “You would try to get me out of my clothes even with twenty yards of gauze wrapped around my hand,” she teased.

  He laughed and kissed her. “I promise I won’t try anything. Come on. Let’s get you in the house.”

  When they reached the door, he paused to turn off the alarm but noticed it hadn’t been set. “Did you or Stas turn on the alarm when you left?”

  “I don’t remember,” she admitted. “Probably not. We were in a rush.”

  “It’s fine. I just wanted to be sure that someone else hadn’t turned it off.” He unlocked the door and led her into the house. He turned on the lights in the kitchen. “Do you want me to make you something to eat? You need to stay up long enough to get your medicine from Stas. It might be easier on your stomach if you have something in it.”

  “Nothing too heavy,” she said.

  “Toast? Juice?”

  “That works.” She settled into one of the seats at the smaller breakfast table. He made quick work of toasting bread and pouring juice. He scraped a thin layer of butter and another layer of blueberry preserves onto the toast before bringing it to her. Before she took the first bite, she said, “I kind of left a mess in your office. I’ll clean it up in the morning.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll handle it.” He gestured to her plate. “Eat.”

  He left her in the kitchen and made his way across the house. He had just stepped into his office when he felt the unmistakable presence of another person. The hair on his arms stood on edge as he took a step back and then another.

  But it was too late.

  “Stop right there,” a shaky female voice ordered. “Or I’ll blow a hole right through you.”

  Raising his hands, Alexei did as instructed. From the shadows of his office, Shannon stepped into view. Her face was a mess of bruises and scrapes. The men’s clothing she wore looked as if it had been stolen from a hobo. Looking at the stains and wear, he decided it probably had been. Her sunken eyes were bloodshot. The white residue around her nose was impossible to miss.

  High as a kite and pushed to the edge, she held a piece of shit pistol in her trembling hand. The Lorcin .380 was a true Saturday Night Special and it made him nervous. This one even had athletic tape wrapped around the grip to prevent print transfer. Whoever had sold it to her had known that she wanted a cheap piece to use and toss. Having it pointed at his face with her shaky hand at the trigger didn’t sit well with him. One wrong move, and he was going to eat a bullet.

  Hands in the air, he said,
“Shannon, please put that gun down. It’s not safe.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” she snarled. “I’m fucking sick of men telling me what to do.”

  “Shannon, I’m not trying to upset you. I just want to keep both of us safe. That gun is a throwaway piece for a reason. If it fires—”

  “I know what I’m doing. Ruben taught me how to shoot.” She swallowed hard and then pointed the gun at his chest. “From this distance, I won’t miss.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Shannon, Shay is in the kitchen right now. If you hurt me, you’ll hurt her.”

  “Fuck Shay,” Shannon snapped. “She betrayed me. She told Lalo where to find me. He nearly killed me in that motel.”

  “Nearly killed you? He nearly killed Shay and Kylee and me that night when we all ended up at that shithole where you were hiding. Shay didn’t betray you. She went there to save you. She was willing to let Lalo take her—to rape and abuse her—to save you and Kylee and me”

  “Bullshit!” Shannon shouted angrily. “She was the only one who knew where I was hiding!”

  “Really? What about Ruben? He knew where you were hiding.”

  Shannon roughly wiped her nose, smearing fresh blood across her upper lip and cheek. “He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t betray me. He loves me.”

  “Shay loves you.”

  “Oh, yeah. She loves me so much that instead of coming to look for me she decided to shack up with you like some sugar baby.” Waving the gun at him, she said, “I always used to think that she was so stupid holding onto her virginity like that. Now I see why.” Gesturing around his office with the gun, she laughed. “Look at what she bought with her golden pussy.”

  Alexei frowned with distaste at Shannon’s remark. “Your sister is not a whore.”

  “You sure about that? What did she trade for all of this? For the cars? For the money? For the house? For your protection?”

  “I’m not going to stand here and listen to you talk about your sister like that in her own fucking house.” Lowering his hands, he shook his head with disgust. “If you had come here for help and asked properly, respectfully, I would have given it to you with no questions asked. Breaking into our house? Putting a gun in my face? Talking shit about your sister? About the woman I plan to marry? You know what, Shannon? You can go fuck yourself.”