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He reads the text out loud to me and asks me to grab Alexie from the spare room when I’m done getting my shit together. I agree, saying we will be down soon. He shoots Stryker a message back, letting him know I’ll get Alexie.
A few minutes later, I walk out of my room with my folders, turn to the right, and head to the door at the end of the hall. I knock a few times before entering to find Alexie sitting in an armchair in the corner, just looking at me. “Hi, I was told to come get you for the meeting,” I say shakily, gripping my folders in my hand a little tighter. This man is fucking intimidating, his eye contact alone makes me feel like he is looking into my soul. His look is just so damn intense, it makes me cower a little.
“I’ve been expecting someone, you’re Conrad, correct? I heard you stole the affections ofMalyshka. She’s a beautiful little thing, isn’t she? You don’t strike me as her type, though.” He looks me up and down like he’s taking in every inch of me. “She’s only ever loved me and has been mine, and only mine, most of our lives. Do you still have feelings for her after all this? I told her I’m willing to share if that’s what her greedy little pussy needed. I only aim to please my girl…or shall I sayourgirl?” He winks at the end, his voice low and gravely, yet smooth all at the same time.
“Um…yeah…I mean, yes, I’m Conrad, and I don’t know how I feel about her right now. I’m still processing, and honestly, I don’t feel comfortable talking about this, her, with you. Not to mention, we would be doing it behind her back. So let’s just go, okay?” I say, trying to brush it off and get out of this room.
He winks at me and says, “Ahhhhh, soMalyshkastill affects you. I understand, my boy, I will come with you.” He stands and slinks toward me. “Go ahead,” he gestures to the hall, “After all, I don’t know the way…Conrad,” he says with a smirk.Damn, I probably look like I’m shitting myself right now. Buck up and show your backbone
We walk through the threshold of the dining room where King’s leaning on the door frame and Stryker is sitting at the head of the table.Typical.My eyes immediately lock onto the back of Nat’s head. Her long red hair is so bright, shining from the light peeking through the window.What I wouldn’t give to have my hand wrapped up in that hair, pulling at it while she rocks on top of my dick, moaning in pleasure.
She hears me coming, and as she turns around, our eyes lock. Reaching down quickly, I discreetly adjust myself, so the guys don’t notice the instant hard-on in my pants at the sight of Nat. Watching my movements, she licks her lips, biting down and nipping at her bottom lip. All the resentment I just had towards her melts away. How does she still do this to me; affect me so easily? Despite all of this, why do I still think of her affectionately?
“Nat,” I nod my head towards her, making sure not to make eye contact again while moving around the room to sit in the chair as far from her as possible so I can build my walls back up. Lifting my head, I glance over to see Alexie sitting down next to Nat. He just winks at me. Tilting my gaze towards Nat, I can see the hurt etched onto her face at my curtness towards her.
“Conrad, I’m so sorry! My feelings for you…I nev–” I lift my hand up to cut her off before she can finish.
“That’s enough, Agent Kash. I don’t want to hear any more from you until the rest of the team is here, then you can explain yourself. I don’t care about your feelings right now, as you so clearly didn’t care about any of ours.” She winces, and I’m surprised by just how coldly that came out.
She takes a deep breath, her gaze dropping to the table as her shoulders sag and a look of being entirely defeated settles over her features. Alexie rubs her shoulder and whispers something in Russian to her.Damn, she’s breaking my heart looking this sad!Suddenly, I hear the door open along with the girls arguing back and forth down the hall. Stryker speaks up, announcing we’re in the dining room waiting for them.
“Hey, Kitty Cats,” BJ quips, walking in with a giant smile on her face. That causes all of us men to smile back at her, relaxing a bit.
Marcela quickly chimes in, her tone as sassy as she is at this moment, “Well, I’m here.”
The girls both move to find a chair. Marcela comes all the way over to me since she’s still fuming about Nat. BJ takes advantage of the opportunity to snuggle up next to Nat on her open side, pulling her in for a hug. She tells Nat that she knows Nat did this for a good reason, and she trusts that Nat never wanted to hurt us. She places a soft kiss on her cheek before pulling away. A small tear rolls down Nat’s cheek as she sits back in her chair after their exchange.
Stryker’s sitting directly across from her at the table. King’s spent this whole time observing us quietly before pushing himself off the wall and moving to stand behind Nat’s chair. He places his hands on the back of it, gripping it tightly. To anyone looking, it would look like a comforting motion, him standing behind her, but I know he’s boxing her in to prevent her from being able to leave if she tried.
“So, now that we’re all here,” Stryker starts to speak as he stands up. He places his hands down on the table in front of him in a show of authority while looking around the room at all of us. “Whether or not we want to be,” he says, looking over at Marcela with that statement. “How do we want to do this? I personally think we should hear her out, which may answer some questions we have. Does anyone have any questions for her first? Totally open to suggestions here as we’ve never had to deal with this before.”
I grab the pile of folders in front of me that I brought downstairs and clear my throat. “I have some information I found these last few days on everything happening and our new roommate, ‘Alexie’.” Throwing my hands up in finger quotes as I looked over at him. “Can I go over that with everyone before Nat speaks?”
“Absolutely, Conrad. Go right ahead, the room is all yours.” Stryker gestures to the head of the table before taking a seat again across from our girl.
“Okay, so Alexie Volkov is the son of Andrei Volkov, the Head of the Volkov Bratva. They’ve been stateside for a while now after moving most of their operations over from Russia. Alexie is set to take over the Bratva throne one day, being the only son of Andrei.” I look over to see Alexie caressing Nat’s hand, and I lose my train of thought. Shaking my head, I try to clear it and get back on track.
“Agent Natalie Kash here recently had a legal name change, but I’m unable to find out what her prior name was. I’d like to meet whoever cleans up the Bratva’s shit because they are damn good if I can’t even find the original information they’ve washed clean. Not tooting my horn, but I’d like to think I’m one the best in the business.”
“Go ahead and toot away, Connie. We know you’re the Bomb-dot-com,” BJ chimes in, raising her hands up and down, fake bowing to me.
“Thanks, BJ.” I laugh. “Lastly, Nat has mentioned Ivan, or Umbra as she calls him, as being the one responsible for the explosion. Well, I can’t find a damn thing relating to him. Both of these identities are not bringing up a single thing, and I’ve run them through a number of systems.”
“That’s why he’s called Umbra, Conrad, he’s a shadow. No one knows him or who he is…he’s a legit ghost. He’s the worst type of human being, if you can even call him that. Doing terrible things to anyone in his path, even the innocent; women, children, elderly; HE DOES NOT CARE!” You can see the goosebumps raise up on her arms as she speaks of him, which shows just how scared she is of him. Her eyes get this glossy sheen to them as if she is about to cry.
“Let me guess, you know him so well because you fucked him too?!” Marcela whips in Nat’s direction, speaking for the first time since the meeting started.
Nat’s eyes dry and immediately fill with fury. “Are you fucking serious, Marcela? I told you my past with men and that I’d only been with Alexie before coming here,” Nat spits out at her with pure rage.
Marcela retorts quickly, “How do I know that? How do I know anything you’ve said has been true, Nat, or whatever the fuck your name is.”
“That’s enough!” Nat yells at the room. “I get it! I did you all wrong, but you need to let me explain and tell you my side of things, why I’ve done everything I have before you attack me, and make me feel like even more shit than I already do! So…are you all going to shut the fuck up and stop speaking for me, so I can tell you MY STORY?!”
“Go ahead then. Start talking, Little Fox,” Stryker calmly says, and I lower myself back into my chair.
Nat
Thepressurebehindmyeyes is becoming too much as tears threaten to burst free.I can’t do this. The look on all of their faces makes me hate myself.Conrad won’t even look me in the eye, and my stomach is twisting in knots just thinking of how he must feel. I hurt him so much. He shared his vulnerable side with me, and I ruined that. Ruined any chance of him opening up again.I don’t deserve his forgiveness. Any of their forgiveness.
