An Obsession with Vengeance (Wanted Men Book 3) (10 page)

She was trembling steadily now, and he felt bad for that. But still he pushed. “Do you agree to those very loose and subject-to-change terms, Sydney?”

With a resigned slump of her narrow shoulders, she gave him the only answer there was to give. “Yes, Maksim.”

Something passed through him at hearing that. She’d sounded like the true submissive he was almost positive she was. He stood and pulled her up by her elbow.
So tiny
, he thought and was unable to stop himself from testing his theory. “You will obey me in all I tell you to do, even if you’re unsure. You will follow my instructions with the complete understanding that everything I do will be done with your best interests in mind.” Later that last bit would change to
everything I do will be done with your
pleasure
in mind
.

Her anxious gaze remained on the stretch of sand beyond the boardwalk. “Okay,” she agreed. “Anything you say . . . I’ll do.”

And that couldn’t have pleased him more.

CHAPTER 5

The bright fall sun had broken through the clouds and glimmered across the pool outside as Vasily sat at the twenty-foot dining table in his daughter’s kitchen; the scent of bacon hung in the air. He looked down the long stretch of polished wood and thought about Maksim’s new job, which would begin today. Looked as though they might have to add another chair. To keep up appearances, of course.

Eva sat across from him, her long black hair shining. She was staring out the window, but her gaze kept flicking to him. She probably didn’t think he noticed, but since he normally watched her as closely as she watched him, it was hard to miss. And the bacon? Had to be her.

“Kathryn also had cravings when she was pregnant with you,” he supplied because he knew she liked hearing about her mother. “She’d do with ham in a pinch but preferred bacon.”

He was still having a hard time trying to process his daughter being pregnant. After being alone for so long, by his own choices, being blessed with Eva’s presence in his life had been incredible. But now she and Gabriel were giving him a grandchild, one he’d be able to watch grow from infancy into toddlerhood, then into a teenager and on to adulthood. He was warily grateful he was being given a second chance to enjoy all the things he’d missed out on by leaving Eva and her mother so many years ago. Even if his leaving had been in the interest of protecting them from his enemies.

“As much as I love hearing about Mom’s cravings, it also makes me feel awful.” Her laugh sounded as though it had come from a constricted throat.

He winced. “I’m sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have shared that. You’re much more emotional than she was. I remember—shit, sorry. I was about to do it again.”

“No. Dad, please.” She reached over and patted his hand where it was circled around his coffee cup. “I never meant I wanted you to stop talking about her. Please don’t ever do that.”

She seemed sincere enough, so he finished. “I was going to say that I remembered reading about the runaway emotions caused by pregnancy, and I teased her the one time that she was missing a gene because she wasn’t suffering as most women did.” He chuckled, feeling an ache as he remembered Kathryn’s crestfallen expression as she’d stared at him across the pillows of their bed. “She certainly became upset then, asking me if I thought she would pass that on to you. I laughed but at the same time felt like hell for making her worry.”

“That sounds so much like her.” Eva sighed, a small smile playing around her mouth as her gaze went outside again. Very preoccupied today. She pulled at the collar of her Columbia University hoodie. Going by that and her jeans, he guessed she wasn’t heading to the office today; she was normally dressed well enough to grace the cover of
Fortune
magazine.

He’d been out of town and hadn’t contacted her but for a few quick phone calls. Could this be her version of the cold shoulder? He hid a smile. Her mother had never been able to stay mad at him for long. But Eva had to understand that if there was a chance a call could be traced, he would not make it. With her mother gone, killed by one of Vasily’s enemies, it was more important than ever that he do whatever he could to keep his daughter safe.

“What’s the matter, precious? You don’t seem yourself today. Are you upset that I didn’t get in touch often while I was away? I only returned late last night, if that helps.”

She shook her head. “I’m not upset about that. I know how busy you are.” She played with the corner of the cloth napkin in front of her. “Did you know Gabriel was going to ask me to quit working?”

Boom.

A cold blast of oh-shit hit him squarely in the face at the accusation layered in the question. As if she already knew what his answer was going to be. But he was honest with her. “Yes, I did. We spoke about the TarMor building not being quite as secure as we’d like. And the dangers of you traveling around the city, going to different board meetings without proper protection, hasn’t been sitting well with either of us.”

Her eyes closed on a pained sigh. “I was hoping for a simple no. This sucks,” she whispered, and then said louder, “Why wasn’t I included in these conversations? I wish you both knew how awful it feels to have everyone know what’s going on but you. I thought we were through with this.”

“When did Gabriel speak to you about it?” Had Gabriel demanded she quit, or had he given her the option to work from home, as they’d discussed?

She reached out and quickly aligned the sugar bowl and creamer with her empty coffee mug before looking at him. He hadn’t seen her do that in a while. Her OCD—a condition Nika had been the one to tell him about—always kicked into overdrive when she was unsettled. “He told me last night. So you’re home just in time,” she said with a wry tilt of her lips.

“What did he say?”

“That he thought it might be better if I gave up my office in the city and worked solely from here.”

Okay.
That wasn’t so bad. Score one for the Italian. “That’s good.”

Her expression fell, and she settled a glare on him. An actual
glare
. At
him
. He wanted to grin. She already saw him as nothing more than her dad. Not a ruthless organized crime leader she should fear. Just her old man.

After having had to stay away for all of her childhood, it felt good that they’d reached this point. Especially since he’d never thought it would be possible for him to have a relationship with her at all.

“Good? It’s not
good
. Believe me. After that suggestion—which I laughed at because I thought he was joking—he fired me! He freaking fired me! He can’t do that! He said I didn’t ‘need the goddamned job anyway
.
’ But it’s not just a job. It’s
. . .
I feel useful there. I went to college for four
years
to do what I’m doing now, and he wants me to throw that all away. I swear, just to spite him, I’m going to hand in my resignation and go to
. . .
to
. 
. .” She snapped her fingers as though she’d missed an opportunity. “Not some random bottom-of-the-corporate-ladder gig. I’ll go see Lucian Fane! Markus said his brother is on his back all the time about needing someone with a good head for business. I’ll have to remember to throw that at Gabriel next time. Why do I always think of the good stuff after the fact? And why didn’t he tell me this was on his mind? Or you?
You
could have told me what was coming.”

Okay.
Vasily hated to even think it, but he was pretty sure her hormones were adding to her crazy here. Not that he would point that out. He wasn’t an idiot. “For starters, you don’t call Lucian for anything. Understand? And it wasn’t my place to get involved, Eva. You’re Gabriel’s wife, and anything—”

She surprised him again by slashing her hand through the air to cut him off, her humor gone. “Yes, I’m his wife. He’s not my owner! He can’t dictate what I do with my life. He should have talked to
me
about this rather than you,” she insisted stubbornly. “This should have been a discussion, not a foregone conclusion after he made some solitary decision on my behalf. I hate that this was done behind my back. Don’t either of you understand relationships? God, this is screwing with my head,” she murmured, laying her palm across her forehead. She leaned her elbow on the table and sniffled alarmingly.

Tears coming or not, he set her straight on her backward thinking. “There is a marked difference between breaking someone’s trust—as you seem to think we did—to fuck them over, and breaking a trust to protect someone you love.” She looked up at his blunt words. “You must know by now the type of fear Gabriel lives with. It’s damn near impossible for him to function properly when it comes to your safety unless he’s standing over you with his finger on the trigger.” She blanched, and he felt bad for that, but she had to be made clear on the dark part of their world once and for all. “A man like yours isn’t used to bringing anyone else in on the decisions he makes. That isn’t who he is. Now saying that, he does pussyfoot around you. I’m quite sure he hasn’t told you some of the assholes he and Vincente have slapped down lately have threatened to come after you.”

One of her hands dropped below the table, indicating the type of mother she would soon be since her first thought was for her child. The other curled into a fist. Vasily waited until she shook her head, confirming Gabriel was treating her with kid gloves.

“He doesn’t want you to live looking over your shoulder, but you have to be aware that there is reason to be careful.” He could have used her mother to press his point, but he didn’t really have to. Kathryn’s death was always between them. Always. “We knew the minute we broached this subject you’d dig your heels in. And with good reason,” he added, holding up a hand when she would have spoken. “Your career is a very important part of your life, and knowing that, Gabriel was understandably leery about making you choose between it and him. Not that he’s gone that far.”

Her expression softened, but the leniency didn’t last. “He said something along those lines last night. But it’s a little late for me to be making choices now, isn’t it?”

Vasily’s frown deepened at her tone. “You’re married, Eva. But that doesn’t mean your choices are gone. If you don’t want to stay with him”—he couldn’t believe he was saying this—“you can leave anytime you wish. You come home, stay with me, and I’ll deal with him.”

A startling glimpse of pain flashed in her expression. “And have my child grow up as I did, without his father? No way,” she whispered sadly. She turned her head away from him and stared out the window.

Shock had him sitting back. This was the first time she’d allowed him to see what his desertion of her and her mother had done. And it was brutal.

“Eva?”

“What?” she murmured without looking at him.

“Evangeline,” he repeated, using the full name he and Kathryn had given her after his mother.

He waited for her to look at him. “If I could change the past, I would. If I could make different decisions, I would. But I can’t.”

“Did you love her, Dad?” she asked suddenly. “I mean, did you love her the way I love Gabriel? Because she loved you. Losing you wasn’t something she got over. I don’t remember her ever even going out on a date. It was like she couldn’t have you, so she didn’t want anyone.”

For the first time in their relationship, Vasily regretted coming to visit his daughter. He’d known this question would come. Was surprised it had taken so long. Had he skipped today and dropped in tomorrow maybe their conversation would have been different, and he wouldn’t be in this position. He didn’t want to respond. Because the answer was too private. His pain too personal. Hearing of Kathryn’s loyalty, even after his desertion, was agonizing.

In this life, there were just some things one had to sacrifice in order to survive. In order to allow others to survive. He knew that better than anyone.

He looked down the table again, picturing it full of the boys and the women coming into their lives, and he felt pure envy.

“I’m still single, aren’t I?” was all he said before steering the conversation onto something that didn’t make him bleed inside.

Anxiety shadowed Sydney for the rest of the day. Every time she turned around—even though Maksim seemed to think her problems had miraculously been solved—she expected to find Luiz behind her, ready to collect. Was she supposed to contact him and tell him of her “relationship” with Maksim? Or would Maksim or his boss do that? She wasn’t sure. Hadn’t thought to ask while two men had transferred the duffel of drugs from her trunk to theirs and driven away. Only minutes in, and her Russian had, with one phone call, taken a portion of the weight from her bowed shoulders by saving her that dreaded monthly trip to New Jersey. But even with the reprieve, she couldn’t help but find that the more Maksim revealed, the more he showed exactly what he was capable of, who he was in the organized crime world, the warier she became. He was much higher on the totem pole than Luiz Morales was, she’d realized as she’d obediently kissed his cheek where his tattooed finger had pointed before sliding into her car and leaving Coney Island. His Hummer had stayed on her tail the entire drive back, continuing on down her street after she’d turned into the alley behind the club.

Now as she moved up in the checkout line at the small market she favored, she juggled her kale and avocados and remembered Maksim’s words.
You will do as I say—everything I say—at all times.
Would he abuse his position? Make her do things she didn’t want to do?

Shivering, she dropped her produce on the counter. She honestly didn’t think so. For some odd reason, she trusted him.
You will do as I say—everything I say—at all times.
She shivered again. Did that authoritative attitude of his carry over into the bedroom? Was Maksim one of those men who enjoyed lording over his women—? She didn’t even finish the thought. Yes. She absolutely believed he was. Too bad she wouldn’t have the chance to experience it. Too bad
for him
, she meant. Because if she believed what he’d said, it was all business from here on out. And that was good. It was.