Stolen by the Mob Boss : A Russian Mafia Romance (Bratva Hitman) Nicole Fox (unputdownable books TXT) 📖

me. Between hospital visits and running smaller errands, the woman wasn’t home during the day much. Having someone watch after her at night put me at ease just a little more.

“Where’s the girl?” Dustin asks, glancing at me.

“Where I left her.”

He laughs nervously. “What, did you kill her or something?”

I cut my eyes to him, and his laughter stops. He knows about my rules. He knows that’s out of the question. I don’t even care for jokes about it.

Lucy’s words come back to me. She told me she’d rather I hit her than abandon her. That turned my stomach.

“Is she okay? I really don’t want to have to tell this old lady that her granddaughter’s in danger or something.”

I give him another look. “I’d be the one to do that. Besides, she’s fine. She’s just ... pissed at me. That’s all.”

“That seems to be how it is with you and women. You come back here acting all stoic and shit, and they’re mad at you, calling you all kinds of douchebag and prick.” He chuckles, shaking his head. Maybe it was a mistake sharing a few personal stories with him years ago. I don’t think we’re friends, but Dustin and I are as close as two acquaintances can be.

“I’m going for a walk,” I say, unlocking the door.

“C’mon, man, you just got here. Stay a while, keep me company. It’s lonely watching old women wander around their houses and stare at soap operas reruns all day.”

“All the money I’m paying you is more than enough company,” I grunt. I climb out and slam the door behind me. I cross the street and head back to my car when I see the front door of Lucy’s house open and a small woman appear. She has a large container rolling behind her, and she struggles to get it out of the door.

I’ve never seen the woman before, but the resemblance is uncanny. She has the same piercing blue eyes, and I imagine that, before it grayed, her hair was the same sunny blonde shade as her granddaughter’s. I’m not close enough to see whether she has freckles too, but something tells me that she does.

For a moment, I consider letting her do this on her own. I don’t like to be in contact with too many people. The fewer people who can recognize my face, the better. But I feel guilty about what I did to Lucy. This is a way to make up for at least a little of the bad karma I’ve generated.

“Let me help you with that,” I say, hurrying up the steps and taking over for her. She seems surprised that I’m offering but doesn’t object.

“That’s so kind of you,” she says in a honey-sweet voice.

“It’s nothing, really. You were struggling.”

I drag the recycling bin down to the curb with the trash can, and a thought crosses my mind. Did she also bring that down here by herself? I almost have it in me to wring Dustin’s neck. I’m sure he saw her dragging this thing down and did nothing to help. This is what I get for working with cops.

When I finish with the bin, I dust my hands off and look up at her. Just as I thought. She has the exact same freckles as Lucy. Genetics are crazy.

“I’ve lived here my whole life,” she says, “but I’ve never had anyone offer to take these out for me. My granddaughter usually does it, but I haven’t heard from her in a while.”

That guilt returns. “I’m sorry to hear about that.”

“Oh, don’t be,” she says, smiling mischievously at me. “She told me she met a nice man that wanted to spend time with her, so I’m not in any rush to have her back. I’m glad she’s finally branching out. This is the first man she’s ever shown interest in.”

My gut twists, and I look away. “Is he?”

“Mhm, yes,” she nods. “I just hope I get to see her settle down with a nice man before I go. She’s been through so much. She deserves someone that will take care of her and give her the world.”

Fuck.

I really need to go. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to be standing here with Lucy’s grandmother, realizing how shitty I’ve been to her granddaughter. This is what I get for trying to help.

“You must be busy, pardon me,” she giggles. She steps forward and gives me a tight hug, surprising me. When she pulls away, she says, “Thank you so much for helping me out, young man. I really do appreciate it.”

“Not a problem, ma’am.”

I can’t help but feel jealous of Lucy. She has a grandmother that wants nothing but the best for her. She has family that cares for her and only wants to see her do well in life. What I wouldn’t give for someone to wish for the same for me.

“I hope I see you around,” she says, grinning. She brushes a strand of gray hair behind her ear.

“Fingers crossed.” I force a little smile and wave, heading back to my car. I don’t even want to look back at Dustin because I’m sure he’s probably laughing his lazy ass off. People that age only ever want to talk, and it always makes me feel strange. I don’t like talking. I’d rather just sit in silence and listen to the world around me.

When I make it to my car, I lean back and close my eyes. This is almost over. Konstantin is almost out of the picture. Soon, I’ll be able to put this all behind me. Disappear for a while. Not exist. Maybe I’ll change everything about me. Put this in the past where it belongs. And when I come back, probably for another assignment from Mr. X, I’ll never make these mistakes again.

I can’t.

Chapter Fifteen

Lucy

I’m such a fucking idiot.

I should’ve never trusted Roman. This isn’t the first time he’s changed his mind. It’s not even the second time. I should’ve known that