Mafia Soldier's Irresistible Lover (The Karzhov Crime Family Series Book 3) (6 page)

Val convinced Chelsea to take a walk with him after a late breakfast. All of her other guests had checked out earlier that morning, and as he was the only one left, there wasn’t much for her to do. Margot had dealt with the guests and then taken Darya for the night. James had restocked the firewood in each of the rooms and taken care of the light housekeeping and bed linens.

With only Val to cook for, it was easy to go along with his request and join him for a walk. When they returned an hour later, it was to hear a strange cell phone ring coming from the front porch. After searching around, she discovered an unknown cell phone lying beneath the porch rail.

“This must be Terrence’s. It must have fallen from his pocket when he collapsed last night.”

Val held his hand out for the phone, and after fiddling with it for a few moments, he was able to open the voice mail feature and push play. There were two new messages, both from different numbers.

The first call came from a man named Charles, who seemed to work for the airlines.

“Terrence, this is Charles out at the airport. Someone’s looking for you. An Asian dude with a really bad hair job. Kind of looks like a skunk. Black on the bottom, snow white on the top. He wasn’t very friendly either. He said he was actually looking for your sister and I told him he must have the wrong guy. You don’t have a sister, do ya? Later, man.”

Val was very interested in the description of the Asian man, but he decided to listen to the second message before checking on things. He was very glad he did.

“Terry! Hey, man, this is Kevin down at the courthouse. I don’t usually work Saturdays, but I thought you might be interested in knowing I got a strange request earlier today.

“Someone else is looking for that sister of yours. They managed to navigate their way past the secure login and were able to view her adoption petition. They now have the exact same information you have.

“Oh, and by the way, the judge’s docket was cleared yesterday and he was able to catch up on some paperwork. He approved your sister’s adoption petition late yesterday afternoon. Thought it might help your cause to be able to give her some good news. Take care.”

Chelsea sat down on the porch swing and couldn’t decide if she should cry tears of happiness or fear. Darya was hers! But that joy was tainted by the knowledge that someone else was looking for her, and her brother had just unknowingly led them straight to her.

Val sat down beside her. “Congratulations. I guess you can stop worrying about whether or not Darya is going to get to stay with you as your legal child.”

“What about the man who’s looking for me? Val, I swear I don’t know any Asian men who look like that.”

Val nodded. “That’s okay. I have a suspicion about who the man is. Let’s go have a chat with your brother.”

Val and Chelsea found her brother sleeping soundly, which didn’t deter Val one bit from kicking the side of the bed to wake him up. “Wake up. Your friend Kevin from the courthouse left you a message. So did Charles from the airport.”

Terrence came awake, belligerently grabbing his phone from Val’s outstretched hand and scrolling through his messages. “What gave you the impression that I was okay with you listening to my voice mail?”

“Knock it off, Terrence. Someone is looking for me, and now, thanks to your friend Kevin, they know where to find me!” Chelsea was once again livid at the man lying in the bed. There had once been a time when she had looked up to her older brother, but any feelings she had for him died that day ten years ago when he so callously sold her to Mateo Cordoba.

Throwing her hands up in the air, she stalked from the room, tossing over her shoulder, “Val, I don’t care what you do with him, but get him out of my house. Terrence, I don’t ever want to see or hear from you again. Ever!”

Chelsea climbed the stairs to her bedroom, carefully closing the door even though she really wanted to slam it. Hard. She’d been ready to make a good life for her and Darya, but now Terrence had brought all kinds of trouble her way and she was heartbroken at the thought of having to start over someplace else.

She didn’t have the funds to make a good start for her and Darya…unless she used some of the funds from the Cayman account.
No! You don’t even know where that money came from. Alexandra was concerned enough about it to never touch it.

She sat on her bed for a while, then got up and started a bath. Different scenarios played in her mind. She could just wait out this new threat and hopefully weather whatever storm got thrown her way.
Think about Darya. She doesn’t deserve to get caught up in something like that.

She could always run—ditch the car after they crossed the border and try to find some little town in an out-of-the-way place and hope whoever was looking for her wouldn’t follow.
How are you going to support yourself, let alone a little girl?

None of the options seemed viable. When she heard the front door close an hour later, she watched from her bedroom window as Val helped Terrence climb into his truck. Val then got into his own car and followed her brother as he started down the hillside.
Shouldn’t I feel something for him? I mean, he’s my only flesh and blood relative left, but all I feel is relief that he’s gone.

Hanging her head, she closed her eyes and tried to find some sympathy for the man she had once called brother. A man who as a child had lived to make his little sister smile. But that child had grown up and become a monster. That child only existed in her memories now. The man was nothing to her.
Nothing
.

She climbed into the tub, but only after pulling out the bottle of brandy she kept hidden underneath the bathroom sink and pouring herself a nice glass. She downed it all in one drink, relishing the burn of the alcohol as it did its job.

She poured herself another glass, then disrobed, dropping her clothing along the tiled floor as she walked toward the tub. She added some of the lavender bath salts that were her favorite and sank beneath the hot water, sighing as she leaned back against the tub.

When the ends of her hair sank into the water, she didn’t even bother to gather them up, as was her norm. She just didn’t care right now. Tomorrow, she would have to make some major decisions, but for tonight, she just wanted to forget and lose herself in something other than her worries.

                                                                                    *****

Val followed Terrence in the old pickup all the way back down the mountain. When the truck pulled over and stopped, Val followed suit, getting out and walking toward the rolled down window.

“I meant what I said earlier. You’ve caused enough trouble and hurt in Chelsea’s life. As far as you’re concerned in the future, your sister is dead. Don’t call her. Don’t come looking for her. Nothing. If I find out you’ve broken our agreement, I will come looking for you.”

“What about the meeting between your boss and Raul? What do I tell him?”

Val handed Terrence a blank business card with only a phone number scrawled across it. “Tell Raul to call that number in seventy-two hours. If no one answers, that is the answer. If someone picks up, it means they are willing to consider a deal, but I warn you now—it will be on our terms, not Raul’s. Make sure he understands that before he makes the call.”

“They can negotiate—”

“Listen very carefully, Terrence. My boss doesn’t negotiate. If he decides to help Raul out, it will be on his terms and only his terms.”

“What about the Asian dude who’s looking for Chelsea?” Terrence asked in an abnormal spurt of familial concern.

“Don’t you worry about him. I have someone looking into his identity. He will be dealt with.”

Val handed over the weapons he’d taken from Terrence earlier, having removed all of the bullets from the gun and discarded them in the woods along the drive back down the mountain. “Have a good life.”

Turning, he got back into his vehicle and headed back up the mountain. As far as he was concerned, Terrence was now dead to him. He would have no further dealings with the man, and knowing Nikolai, he would see an opportunity and jump at the chance to gain a foothold in Colorado.

He may use Raul’s organization temporarily, but before long, Nikolai and the San Moreno
Bratva
would have their own people in place and running things. Terrence would be extra baggage at that point and would either fall in line or disappear. That is if Raul didn’t take care of him first, which was a distinct possibility.

When Raul found out that in order to protect his interests in Colorado he would have to become subordinate to Nikolai and the San Moreno group, his ego would more than likely strike out, taking down anything and everything in his way. That would most likely include one Terrence Barlow.
Not a great loss to humanity.

Done with thinking about such scum, he turned his thoughts back to the devastated beauty sitting in her bedroom all alone. The B&B would be vacant tonight, with the exception of himself and Chelsea. His body immediately took notice of that fact, and his mind began playing through the various scenarios he might use to help her forget her worries, if only for a little while.

As he made the last turn into the B&B driveway, his only worry was whether or not her interactions with Mateo had left emotional damage. He wanted to get close to her, but not at the risk of causing her more mental anguish. Vowing to go slowly, he stopped by the kitchen and prepared a tray of cheese, fruit, crackers, and two slices of the cheesecake he found in the fridge. He then grabbed two wine glasses and a bottle of white wine he found half full in the fridge.

Val didn’t have any great plans of seduction in mind, having decided to play things by ear and let the moments take them where they would. Tonight he was going to forget the reason he’d come to the mountains in the first place and enjoy spending time with a beautiful woman who stirred him in ways no other woman had been able to.

Not only was she gorgeous, but she was also smart and a survivor. The last one being both intriguing and a huge turn on in his mind. Val’d had his share of witless beauties whose only thought was how to please the man they were currently with. Chelsea was much more than her looks. She had a tender heart that knew how to love but also knew what it felt like to suffer the ultimate betrayal. She would be loyal to anyone who proved himself worthy of her trust and respect.

As he knocked on her bedroom door, he wasn’t thinking about only being with her for one night. For the first time in his life, he was envisioning starting up a real relationship with the beautiful woman behind the closed door.

Chelsea roused from her partial slumber enough to acknowledge the tap on her bedroom door, but instead of climbing from the tub to answer the door, she turned the water on with her foot to warm the bath up.
Whoever is trying to bother me should just go away.

The brandy had definitely helped her relax, and the thought crossed her mind that she should probably go downstairs and get something to eat to help balance out the alcohol, but it was only a fleeting thought. She wasn’t exactly drunk, but she had a nice buzz going.

Val waited for a few minutes, but when she didn’t answer the door, he carefully balanced his offerings and turned the knob. “Chelsea?”

He expected to see her sleeping on the bed, but instead was greeted with a trail of clothing that led directly to the bathroom, the door of which was only partially closed. A trail of steamy air slowly wafted through the crack.

The sound of water running in the bath caught his attention as he set the tray down on her dresser. He set the glasses and the wine down as well, then made his way to the bathroom door, using one finger to push it open farther.

He stood in the bathroom door for several minutes, taking in the sight that greeted him. Chelsea used her foot to shut the running water off, the bubbles clinging to the wet skin of her curvy leg as it lifted from the water and then sank back down.

She was reclined against the sloped edge of the tub, her hair falling down, the ends disappearing beneath the surface of the water. The steam had caused the shorter tendrils around her face to curl, and her cheeks had a nice rosy hue to them.

As he let his gaze travel around the bathroom, he suspected the flush in her cheeks had as much to do with the half-empty brandy bottle as it did the steamy air of the bathroom.

She was humming to herself with her eyes closed, using a small handheld sponge on her arms and across her collarbones. When she dipped the sponge below the water, rubbing it across her chest, circling her breasts multiple times, Val wasn’t sure who moaned first—her or him.

Someone did, however, causing Chelsea to raise her eyes and widen them. “What are you doing here?”

Val stepped closer to the bath, unable to keep his eyes from travelling from her face down the length of her body. He could just make out the dusky pink of her nipples beneath the water and, lower still, the darker hair that covered her femininity. Her height made concealing her entire body in the tub almost impossible, but he smiled at her attempt to do so.

Chelsea couldn’t believe Val was standing in her bathroom, watching her with those hungry eyes of his. She’d just been thinking how nice his earlier hug had felt. She’d been turned on by him the night before, and just thinking about the way he smelled and how hard his chest muscles had felt had her longing to be held by him again.

When she’d heard herself moan at how sensitive her breasts had become, she’d opened her eyes to find the object of her imagination standing there. In living, breathing, warm flesh.
God, I wish he’d hold me again.

Chelsea watched him take another step closer, grabbing up a big fluffy towel on his way. When he held the towel out for her, she kept her eyes glued to his own as she pushed herself up from the tub and stepped over the edge and into the towel.

Val was proud of himself for keeping his eyes on hers and not letting them travel the length of her luscious body. She deserved to be treated with respect, and he doubted she’d had that experience often enough to come to appreciate it. He was determined to give that to her.

“I brought a snack tray up for us and some wine. Although, by the looks of that bottle, you might do better with water,” Val teased her, wrapping the towel around her body and grabbing a second one for her hair.

“Come sit on the bed and I’ll dry your hair for you.”

Chelsea let him lead her out of the bathroom, sitting down on the bed and then scooting back at his insistence. He was treating her like a small child, but she found she didn’t mind all that much. It had been so long since someone had taken care of her. It was truly a novelty, and one she found she enjoyed. Very much.

Val dug around on her dresser top, finding her brush and comb. He returned to the bed and removed his shoes before climbing up to sit behind her. When she moved to turn toward him, he stopped her. “No, face away from me so I can comb the tangles out of your hair.”

“I can comb out my own hair,” Chelsea reminded him, finally finding her voice.

“I know you can, but I want to do it.” Val waited until she had turned back around before he used the towel to rub the excess moisture from the strands. Using the comb, he carefully detangled her hair, letting the silky strands flow through his fingertips as they dried.

He was entranced by the variety of colors in her hair. At first glance, it looked auburn and very normal. But up close, there were varying shades of brown mixed in with some reds, and even a few dark blond strands here and there. Her little sounds of pleasure as he toyed with her hair had his groin hardening to painful levels in a few seconds.

Needing to give himself a little respite, he climbed from the bed and put the brush and comb back on her dresser before picking up the tray of snack foods and bringing it to the bed.

“You haven’t asked about Terrence,” Val commented as he handed her a plate.

Chelsea shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe I don’t want to know. I meant what I said to him. I never want to see or hear from him again.” She glanced up and met Val’s eyes. “I’m done letting him destroy my life. Does that make me a horrible person?”

Val shook his head, sitting next to her, close enough that if she moved her crossed legs just a bit forward, she’d be touching him. She still had the towel wrapped around her body, and all of a sudden she realized how exposed she was.

Lowering her eyes, she softly asked, “Could you hand me the robe hanging on the back of the bedroom door?”

When Val made no move to leave the bed, she lifted her gaze to find him watching her. “I really don’t want to do that.”

“Why?” she asked, needing him to put words to what was evolving between them. The air had thickened with sexual tension, and while she was no stranger to sex, this type of chemistry was brand new to her. Before going forward, she needed to make sense of it.

“You feel it.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement. One Chelsea made no attempt to deny. When she slowly nodded her head, Val reached out a hand and traced her collarbone from one side to the other with his index finger. He tracked his finger with his eyes, looking up to see her doing the same thing.

When he let his finger drop to the edge of the towel and began to rub back and forth between the skin above and the skin below, he felt her intake of air all the way through his body.