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Safe. Protected. Peaceful.
I didn’t know what this was but holy shit, it was everything.
I angled my face up for a kiss, letting Gianni dominate my mouth as I was content to just taste him. He was my entire world right now, everything else falling away as he covered me, Gianni continuing to nip and kiss at my lips until I fell into a peaceful sleep without the nightmares that usually plagued me.
Chapter thirty-four
VALENTYN
With Gianni taking care of Rhys and Dmitri keeping Paval occupied, I had just enough time to answer a business call without being missed. Chester lived a few blocks away from our house, not that he knew or cared. So long as we stayed on our own side of the metaphorical fence, we kept it cordial. Unfortunately, the message he left on my voicemail sounded anything but.
“Oh my goodness! My favorite Belarusian! Whatever brings you to my humble abode?” Chester squealed as he waved away his guards and bounced up to me, dragging me inside and setting a shot of whiskey in front of me. Not taking it was a sign of disrespect so I knocked it back but held onto it, letting him know that I hadn’t come here to play.
His warehouse of crazy wasn’t somewhere I wanted to kick back and relax and while we weren’t enemies, we definitely weren’t friends. He grinned as he started up a conversation, jumping right into business. “A little birdie told me you dropped the job.”
The next time I saw Owen, I was going to drop-kick him and give him a few bruises that wouldn’t heal. If Rhys wasn’t there, I’d bury the guy for good. “You heard wrong.”
Chester cackled as he reached over the counter and grabbed the full bottle of whiskey before downing a fifth. He made an exaggerated sigh as he smacked his lips together, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “See, that’s what you told me last time. But then I saw this.” He snapped his fingers and one of his people slid a handful of pictures onto the surface.
Pictures of me, my guys, Rhys, and Paval. There were smiles and those stupid hairbands and in the last picture was Rhys attached to my lips. We really did look like a family and in every picture that caught us looking at Rhys, I could tell that this relationship wasn’t going to end when the job did. It couldn’t. I wouldn’t let it.
“I’m just not convinced that you’re trying to pull information out of him. You all looked a little too excited to be out there.” Chester’s smile widened as he took another gulp of the whiskey and I fought my reaction to punch him in the gut for not so subtly threatening my family.
“You’ve got your tactics and I’ve got mine.” In another day or two, all of this would be over. Rhys would make his presentation and then I’d steal him away to safety. It was the only option we had at this point.
“But kissing your target?”
Chester wasn’t going to fall for my upstanding business practices. I had to play his game, terrible as it was. I slid him my shot glass, letting him fill it up so that I could throw it back before I answered. “Tell me you wouldn’t mind hitting that?”
A moment of silence filtered between us and then he nodded, chuckling. “You’re right. He’s adorable and loaded. The whole package.”
To keep up with the lie I was creating on the spot, I gave Chester something else to chew on. “Besides, he doesn’t respond to threats well. Owen tried a few times and scared the piss out of the kid but he never gave anything up. Probably the reason his company used him over anyone else. Genius, really.” Chester raised an eyebrow, silently asking me to clarify. “Owen’s trigger happy. You know that. He hired us and then tried to complete it himself, nearly ruining the whole thing. But I’ve got it under control.”
He nodded. “So, you’re taking the job?” Chester seemed almost defeated and for the price that Owen was paying, I’d be pretty disappointed missing out on that paycheck too.
“Don’t see why I wouldn’t. We already got the kid’s trust. Just need a few safe combinations and we’re on the road.”
Once again, Chester’s acceptance turned into suspicion. I couldn’t keep up with this guy. “And this wouldn’t have anything to do with why his house is empty?”
I should have known that more than just Hawk International was watching the house but fuck if we were going to stay there with Rhys’ life in danger. “Had to make it seem like the world was closing in on him. If he thinks we’re his only safe haven left, he’ll trust us with more than he’s supposed to.” These lies were to going to fucking kill me one day.
“Not sure I believe you but we’re honorable businessmen. Hurry up and get that fucker to stop calling me before I kill that payday you got coming your way.”
I knew a warning when I saw it, knowing that Chester was just as trigger-happy as Owen but Chester had a lot more to lose if he stepped over that line. Giving the table a good pat, I slipped out of his establishment and immediately dialed Owen. He picked up on the second ring, singing a hello in my ear that had me wanting to rip him to shreds. “Where’s the money? We’re out of the house.”
The deal had been simple. We didn’t get paid until we left Rhys’ house.
Owen chuckled. “And my fiancé?”
“Safe,” I barked.
“And I told you guys to leave him alone.”
My hand tightened around my phone as I stalked toward the car, hoping and praying that Owen was nowhere within reach or he was going to die a gruesome death tonight. Breaking my usual persona, I decided it was time for Owen to hear words that he didn’t usually have to deal with. “And I don’t quite like the fact that you are terrorizing him with what you think is love. We’ll have the program to you by the end of the week.” As a professional, it wasn’t my job to step inbetween them but fuck, Rhys was more to me than just a transaction now. He had been since the moment I laid eyes on him.
“Where did you take him?!” Owen screamed, his voice barely above a whisper but I could tell that he was put out by the fact that we weren’t just going to roll over and let him freak Rhys out.
“Until he tells me that you’re safe territory, that’s none of your business. Money in the account by midnight, Owen. I don’t take jobs that can’t be paid for.”
