I ended the call without another word. Bobby knew what needed to be done, and I was eager to find out just what the hell a rival family’s princess was doing in my playground. Was she here to spy on me? Surely that jackass of a father of hers wouldn’t send a delicate little princess here… or maybe he would. She was a little jumpy and eager to get away from me, though. Not exactly the attitude of a spy looking for information. Damn. I want to be wrong about this. But if I’m not, I’ll make her regret the day she and her father tried to toy with me.
She’d mentioned she just moved to the area, so I wasn’t shocked to find that Bobby didn’t have an address for my girl. My girl? What the hell was I saying? That didn’t matter, though. She provided a cellphone number, and that alone would allow me to find her. I called another associate to have him track her ass down. One thing was for sure, she had to be watched closely.
One call later and I knew where she was. The Markow princess – the only daughter to one of the five mafia bosses – was holed up in a seedy motel that was mostly used by hookers and drug addicts. The more I learned about this girl, the more concerned I got. Nothing added up when it came to her.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, she was cash-poor, based on what she said at the diner, and she was driving a car that should have hit the scrap yard ages ago. She wasn’t dressed bad, but there’s no way her father would let her run around looking the way she did. All of these points definitely raised some concerns. What the fuck was Markow up to? And how the hell was his daughter involved? Was she involved? She didn’t seem to have a clue who I was. Fuck, maybe she did and just feigned ignorance.
My next call was to my best captain, Vladimir, to keep a watchful eye on the mafia princess and report back to me with every single move she made.
“Da.”
“Vlad, we have an unusual situation. One that needs to be handled with kid gloves.”
“Kid gloves?” Vlad chuckled. “Whatever you say, boss. What’s the job?”
“You’ll report directly to me, and no one else on this. Keep this quiet. It seems that we have a rival pakhan’s little princess in the area. I ran into her and she seemed a little too jumpy for my liking. Bobby is digging up what he can so we’ll know more soon. I want you to watch her every move. Do not let her see you, and absolutely zero contact. Give me hourly reports.”
“Who is she?”
“Liliya Markow.”
“Fucking hell Boss. You don’t think the old bastard sent her to rile you up before the big meeting he called, do you? Maybe get under your skin… or even into your pants. If she’s a looker, maybe her old man thinks she can seduce some secrets out of you.”
I couldn’t hold back the growl and Vladimir’s hearty laugh didn’t help. He knew me too well. Vlad and I don’t keep secrets, so I knew it was pointless hiding my interest in her. “Fuck, man. I’ll admit that she’s gorgeous little piece… but we need to find out why she’s here. That’s top priority, Vlad. She’s driving an old Ford Taurus that’s seen much better days. From the looks of it, she’s hiding something, and I want to know what the hell it is. We don’t do anything other than watch until we know what her story is. Then, and only then, will I make my move. Her being here is cause for concern.” I gave the name of the shitty little motel to my right-hand man.
“Yeah. I’m on it. I’ll report back in an hour.”
After wrapping up the call with Vlad, I slid behind the wheel of my car and waited. For what exactly, I have no damn clue. Knowing how close she was, I had to fight the urge to drive to the rat trap motel. Instead, I replayed the entire interaction with Liliya in my head, trying to see if there was something I didn’t pick up on. In the diner, she seemed unsettled and deep in thought. I’d watched her talk with Gladys, a retired prostitute I’d helped get off the streets several years ago. I’d chat up Gladys later, once I had a better understanding as to what brought the little princess here in the first place. Gladys might know something. She’d always read people pretty well.
I needed answers, and I need them now. Rubbing a hand over my head, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Liliya flooded my mind, leaving my stomach in knots. Obsessing over a rival’s daughter wasn’t a good thing. Wars have started for less between mafia families. The peace between the five families was already near a breaking point. Acting on my obsession with Liliya would only make matters more hostile.
Even though it had been damn near a half hour since her hand last touched mine, I could still feel the ghostly whisper of her touch and the electric surge of mystery and lust that flooded my body along with it. It left me wanting to touch her again and again. My cock began to stir. No woman had stirred such a reaction from me in… well, ever. I had to fucking have her. I would have her.
I cranked the car and pulled out of the parking lot, pointing the car towards the strip. I needed to relax. Waiting for calls – Hell, waiting in general – had never been my strong suit, and it never would be. My phone chimed, alerting me of an incoming text message. I grabbed the phone from the seat, swiped my thumb across the screen, and read the incoming message from Vlad. It hadn’t even been an hour yet. As I read his text, I felt the need to punch something. Bastard was trying to rile me up.