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“My name is Sergei Reznikov,” he began. His voice had taken on a softer tone, and its warmth pulled me in. I trembled a tiny bit in his arms, but I opened my eyes again and pulled away just enough so I could meet his gaze.
Captivated by his eye color, I stared into them, noting the flecks of green within his light silver-grey irises. The color combination gave him a striking appearance, conveying a sense of intellect and focus. He didn’t say anything for a moment, allowing the silence of his intense, icy gaze to capture my complete attention while also giving me a sense of warmth and gentleness from the softness and kindness hidden within them.
“I was supposed to get married today,” I confessed, and his arms squeezed a bit tighter around me, not in a controlling way, but as if he was offering his quiet support.
“His name was Robert Cooper,” he replied. I stilled, narrowing my gaze.
“Why do you know that?” I asked, my head swirling with what ifs. Who was this man? Why was he here, and what did he want? My entire body tensed, immediately suspicious of his intentions.
“I’ve come to tell you some very difficult things, Natasha,” he began gently, and I stiffened in his arms. “I’m not here to hurt you. I promise you,” he added, and eventually I relaxed once more, at least as much as I could.
“How do you know my name?”
He cleared his throat and started to run his fingers along the bare expanse of my upper back. It soothed me, and I settled against him, albeit warily.
“Robert Cooper was found dead this morning.”
Stunned, I blinked as I tried to process the information. Sergei didn’t give me much time, though, and kept going.
“You should know that Robert was hiding a great many secrets from you. First, he had a gambling addiction. It started in some of the bigger casinos in Vegas, and it ended here when he racked up an enormous mountain of debt. He owed some very bad people a lot of money and pissed away the entirety of his trust along with your life savings. The house you two just bought together was put up as collateral, along with any other assets he had at his disposal. He left you both penniless.”
Dumbfounded, I said nothing.
“He owed a lot of powerful people a lot of money, and when the marginal payments he was making stop, they’re going to come after someone.”
“His family?”
“No. Someone much closer to home. They’re going to come after you,” he explained.
“Who? Like a gang?” I asked, my voice quivering as the weight of what he was telling me settled on my shoulders. Could it be true? Robert wasn’t like that, was he?
Deep in the pit of my belly, though, there was something that told me that this wasn’t a lie, that Robert had been fully capable of some truly terrible things. I’d ignored the feeling for a long time, telling myself I was just being crazy, but maybe I had been right all along.
“No, much worse than that. They are more organized than a typical gang, more advanced, with nearly limitless amounts of money, power, and influence at their disposal. If they come for you, there will be no escape. They will find you and squeeze everything out of you. They will ruin a sweet girl like you,” he continued.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“I can’t stand it when a man’s deceitful actions hurt those around him. You don’t deserve to pay for his sins,” he growled, and I could hear every bit of emotion in his voice.
I shifted in his arms, feeling the tension bleed down into his fingertips. He gripped me a bit tighter.
“Why are you here?” I finally braved.
“I’ve come to offer you a deal.”
CHAPTER2
Natasha
Still safely confined in his lap, I swallowed hard. In a single day, my entire world had fallen on its head. This morning, I was set to marry the man of my dreams, or at least I’d thought he was. Now, I didn’t know where I was going to be tomorrow.
A door hinge squeaked at the back of the church, and I jumped. Immediately, I lifted my chin and looked back to see several big men that looked much like Sergei enter the building. They stood at each exit like security guards, and I had a sudden feeling that I wasn’t leaving here by my own choice.
I shifted, starting to feel genuinely uneasy.
“Are you associated with the men that own Robert’s debts?” I asked cautiously.
“I know of them, but I am not here to collect you as payment for his debt,” he answered, his voice calm and strangely protective.
