Good Lord. I could listen to his voice all day. The accent only increased the sexiness. Damn. I had always loved a good Russian accent. That was one thing about my father’s background that I’d always appreciate, although I wasn’t lucky enough to have that beautiful accent myself. My mother was American, and all of my nannies, too. I guess the lack of exposure to the language robbed me. But at least I could understand a little bit of the language; not much but enough to ask for a bathroom and a few other things; very touristy stuff.
“I don’t know what kind of job I want. I’ve never worked before. Don’t ask,” I said, noticing the strange look he gave me. “I guess I’m open to almost anything… aside from getting naked or selling myself. A girl has to have limits.” I said the last with a giggle.
Ruslan arched a brow in response, that wicked smile returning and damn near disarming me of logical thought. Neon lights lit up the word DANGER in my head, but as much as I believed him to be dangerous, I felt an overwhelming sense of safety around him. I don’t know why. Maybe it was the controlled way he carried himself. But the fact of the matter was that I hadn’t felt safe in months, and suddenly this stranger willing to help me for no reason made me feel at peace. I really needed to be able to trust someone. Could Ruslan be someone I could trust?
“I tell you what…” He reached in his pocket, slid his wallet out, and retrieved a business card. “When you decide what kind of work you’re interested in, give me a call and I’ll see what I can do to help. I’m always available. Sound good?”
“Yeah, that sounds great. I really appreciate all of this.” I replied, taking the card from him. His fingers brushed over mine and that same spark of electricity was back in full force. It was intense. Hell, my attraction to this man was off-the-charts intense. My body hummed all over, my skin tingling where our hands had touched.
A low rumble interrupted our exchange as I tucked the card into my back pocket. A tow truck pulled to a stop just a few feet away and a young man hopped out and headed our way. The two men talked for a minute and I did my best to ignore them. I just wanted the dang tire fixed so I wasn’t a sitting duck if my father’s men came looking for me here.
Thirty minutes later, I had a brand new tire. Bobby, the man who changed my tire, gave me his card and offered his services free of charge if I found myself in a bind again while in Vegas. I thanked him profusely before doing the same with Ruslan. After the last few months, I couldn’t believe the luck of running into, not one, but three very kind people, and all in one day. If this streak of luck continued, then everything would work out.
I said goodbye to Ruslan and hopped into my car, giving him a quick smile and wave as I pulled away. As much as I didn’t want to look back to see him, I couldn’t help it. A small part of me wanted to look in the mirror and see that fine man watching me drive away. I wasn’t disappointed.
Chapter Five - Dane
“Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.
-Benjamin Franklin
Dane and his men spread out across New York City, looking for any sign of Liliya, finding nothing. Every snitch had been talked to. No stone had been left unturned. But she was gone. Mr. Markow, her father, was not a happy man, and when he was unhappy, his anger flared hot and bright, burning anyone who stood too close. I was the only one close enough to feel the burn this time.
It had been my job to keep a watchful eye on his princess for more than a year now. At first, it had been an easy task… but that changed soon enough. Liliya Markow was a woman that screamed trouble. She seemed pure and innocent, but word amongst the men was she gave as good as she got. They made her sound like a whore, but I knew for a fact that wasn’t true. She flirted, but in a year she hadn’t given me more than a kiss. I’d have her one way or another, though. She was mine. Only mine.
Grabbing my phone, I placed the call I’d been dreading for two days. “Boss, we’ve had no luck locating Liliya. It’s like she just vanished. Maybe she had help from someone in the family?”
“That’s unacceptable, Dane,” Mr. Markow screamed. “A girl can’t just disappear without a trace. If someone in the family helped her, they’ll fucking regret it. I don’t think anyone is that stupid, but I’ll look into it, just to be sure. You find her, boy, or don’t bother coming back.” The line went dead.
Fuck!
Double fuck.
I crammed my phone back in my pocket and faced the small group of men helping to search the city. I had no choice but to find Liliya and bring her home to her father. The consequences of failure just weren’t an option. We’d come too far to risk her taking the whole organization down. One word of what she had seen or overheard spoken to the wrong person and we were all dead. The Commission wouldn’t allow our plan to come to pass.
She had to be controlled.