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He turned and headed out. I nodded goodbye to Roman who only scowled at me, clasping his hands together hard enough to turn his knuckles white. I left the bar, putting all thoughts of him out of my head for now. Nik and Yuri brought up the rear, and we drove back to the warehouse to celebrate a lack of bloodshed and unpack our arsenal.
“It’s not over yet,” Ivan warned. “Don’t get comfortable. I want everyone to remain on high alert until he agrees to everything.”
“He’ll agree,” I said, only wanting to believe the best. I couldn’t wait to get back to Theresa and get her out on the water. “Definitely keeping everyone on guard, though,” I assured him.
I thanked Nikolai and Yuri for standing by me before letting them get on with their day.
“I hope she’s worth it,” Nik said, getting into his car.
“She is,” I told him. “You’ll see.”
He reached over and clapped me on the shoulder. “Go celebrate but know that things still may take a turn.”
“Go home to your family, you grumpy old man,” I said, unable to hold back the grin I’d been trying to keep under wraps since we left the bar. “That’s what I’m going to do.”
Yuri piled his guns into the trunk of his car instead of returning them to the warehouse. “Just in case,” he said. “I’m sure everything’s fine, though.”
Not even his overabundance of vigilance could sway my good mood. We’d won.
Ivan peeled out without another word to me. I didn’t like disappointing him, or the fact he was pissed off about having to rearrange our power structure to make room for Oleg, but even though he’d give me the silent treatment for a while, he was still behind me, and that was all that mattered. I’d make it up to him somehow, maybe offer to babysit so he and Reina could have a night on the town.
Now that I was officially a free man, I couldn’t wait to get my woman onto the yacht I’d rented and into her sexy bikini so I could show her the best day of her life.
Chapter 20 - Theresa
By the time Aleksei returned, I was all ready to go, dressed in my new red swimsuit under one of the few sundresses I’d stuffed in my getaway bag. I had more messages from my mother, but ignored them, though I’d either have to go shopping or go back to the apartment for more clothes soon. If she hadn’t already gone back to Boston, that was. She had a way of twisting everything around to make herself the victim instead of feeling any kind of remorse over anything, and it was just as likely that she’d thrown all my things away before she went home.
I was washing up my breakfast dishes when he got back, and I noticed right away what a different mood he was in from when he left. It was almost manic, he was so happy and excited. He picked me up and twirled me in the air, showering me with kisses.
“I hope you have sea legs, little one,” he said. “How do you feel? Did you keep anything down?”
“My sea legs are fine,” I told him. “I take the ferry all the time in Boston. And yes, I ate two eggs and an apple.” He raised his eyebrows at the cereal bowl I was rinsing. “And some Lucky Charms. Julep needs it, Aleksei.”
His eyebrows shot higher. “Julep? What happened to Margherita?”
“Don’t you think it’s cute?” I asked.
“No child of mine will ever be named Julep as long as I’m alive.”
“Pfft, you’ll come around.”
He hugged me harder. “It’s going to be a boy, anyway.”
I wriggled out of his grasp, even though I could have stayed there all day. “Good thing Julep suits both.”
I left him in the kitchen with his mouth hanging open. “Get your shoes on. I can’t wait to get you out in the ocean air,” he called.
He caught up with me in the foyer as I buckled up my sandals, and I looked at him seriously. “Where did you go this morning? Was it to meet with your brothers again?” I wanted to ask when I’d meet them, the baby’s future uncles, and the most important people in Aleksei’s life, but I didn’t want to be presumptuous. It also scared the stuffing out of me, wondering if I’d stack up to their expectations.
His bright eyes darkened for a flash before he answered. “Everything’s the way it should be at last. It’s finally just us now, Theresa.”
I held my breath, staring at him questioningly, unable to bring myself to ask if he meant he had broken the contract with the Pavlovs. Saying their name might break our fragile peace.
“Really?” I asked.Really, truly?I pleaded silently.
He gathered me up off the bench, grabbing his car keys from the side table. “Really,” he promised solemnly. “Now let’s go have some fun in the sun.”
The yacht was everything I dreamed it would be. Long and sleek and one of the biggest in the harbor, it had lots of comfy seating and highly polished wood and brass everywhere. A crew lined up to greet us at the dock and as they ushered us aboard, I noticed a few of them had discreet guns strapped under their jackets. Perhaps someone who hadn’t grown up surrounded by armed guards wouldn’t have noticed, but I picked up on it right away. Was that normal for a yacht crew, or were things not really the way they should be, as Aleksei had promised?
