Unprotected with the Mob Boss: A Dark Mafia Romance (Alekseiev Bratva) Fox, Nicole (best chinese ebook reader .TXT) đ
Book online «Unprotected with the Mob Boss: A Dark Mafia Romance (Alekseiev Bratva) Fox, Nicole (best chinese ebook reader .TXT) đ». Author Fox, Nicole
âI want somebody to answer their fucking phone,â I snarl. âWhat is the point of owning fucking cell phones if youâre not going to answer them?â
I dial my motherâs cell phone. It rings three times. I hang up and toss the phone on Levâs bed. I cover my face with my hands, settling on the bed as I try to think. Itâs past midnight. Theyâre sleeping. It makes perfect sense that they wouldnât answer their phone.
I stand up. The world is unsteady as I start walking toward the door. Levâs hand grips my elbow as he steadies me.
âWhere do you want to go?â he asks.
âHome,â I say. I use the heel of my hands to hide any evidence of tears. âMy parentsâ house.â
He nods.
* * *
The lights in my parentsâ house are on. It should be reassuring, but I know if my mother was in a rush to leave the house, she wouldnât be worrying about the electric bill. Lev is still pulling into the driveway when I open the passenger door and bound out. I hear his voice, concerned and nearly angry, but I ignore it as I pound on my parentsâ door.
After nearly five seconds pass by, I try the doorknob. Itâs locked. I slam my fist against the door three more times.
Lev runs up beside me.
âAlly, two cars are in the garageââ he starts. The door swings open. My mother looks at the two of us, her eyes wide and confused.
âMom.â I grab her, hugging her tightly before pulling away. âWhereâs Dad? Is he okay?â
Iâm nearly choking on my own voice. Levâs hand settles on my back, his other hand on my hip.
My motherâs face softens. âOh, Ally, Iâm sorry, heâs fine. We should have called. Iâm sorry. Heâs not here. One of the officers picked him up and took him to the hospital to check on the policemen, but heâs fine. Come in. Please, come in. Iâm so sorry to make you worry. Come in.â
My parentsâ house is a tribute to law enforcement, the Marines, and houseplants. The walls are covered in newspaper clippings and photos of my father and grandfatherâs service. The floors are covered with houseplants that prickle my legs every time I pass them.
My mother gestures for us to sit in the living room. âIâve got some coffee started. Iâll get some tea for you, Ally. Is coffee good for you, Lev?â
âIâd be grateful for that, Mrs. Harrington,â he says.
I sit down on our couchâthe same couch I filled out college applications on while my father helped me with the essays. Lev sits down beside me. His hand squeezes my knee before he leans forward to kiss my temple.
âEverything is good,â he says. âJust breathe. Your father is fine.â
I donât say anything. My hands are shaking. He folds his hands over mine like heâs keeping them warm. I should be reassuredânone of my worst fears came true. My father wasnât even hurt. But all I can think is: not this time. He wasnât hurt this time. If heâd died tonight, Iâd know that he was angry at me over a lie and that I ruined a man who gave me everything I could ever need.
The second thought creeps in slowly, but I push it away before it has time to make itself at home.
My mother returns with two cups of coffee in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. I take the tea from her and Lev takes the coffee.
âThank you so much, Miss Harrington. Iâm so sorry if we scared you,â Lev says.
âOh no, itâsâit was my mistake. I should have called Ally.â
Lev is like the serpent in Eden, lulling her into a sense of faith in his words. Iâd never noticed it before, but he did the same thing to me when he convinced me to marry him in exchange for keeping Douglasâ murder a secret. He must do it with every model he meets. He must do it with the board members in Mariyaâs Revenge, assuring every one of them that the Bratva rumors wonât hurt their bottom line. He must do it with all of the Bratva members, allowing him to stay in power while they all kneel to him.
I thought his power over me was because we were compatibleânot quite soul mates, but like the statues of Lady Justice, where I was the set of scales, weighing evidence, and he was the sword, carrying out justice.
Lev and my mother continue to talk, the conversation branching from Mariyaâs Revenge to my motherâs green thumb. He tells her that his mother was killed and his father was a âdeadbeatâ that disappeared. He lies so seamlessly, itâs embarrassing that I ever believed anything he ever told me.
The second thought sneaks back in: how certain am I that he was at a Mariyaâs Revenge board meeting earlier tonight?
He told me quickly about it before leaving, saying he was discussing advertising for their new flavor of vodka. But he came home late and I never asked him about the meeting.
The way my mother is acting toward Lev, my father must not have told her the full story. On one hand, it seems insane to me that he wouldnât forewarn his wife. On the other, I didnât warn either of them.
âAlly used to think that snakes lived in our snake plants,â my mother says. âShe thought the eggs grew in the leaves and theyâd come slithering out someday. She wouldnât go anywhere near them. Do you remember that, Ally?â
âSure,â I say, setting my tea down on the end table and standing up. âLev, could I talk to you outside for a moment?â
If heâs surprised, I donât see it on his face, but my mother raises both her eyebrows.
âOf course,â he says, standing up. âWeâll be right back, Mrs. Harrington.â
He follows me out of the house. I walk out toward the mailbox, so I know weâre too far
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