Owned by the Boss Read online

  There’s a number written on the back, but no name. The only thing on it is a vague logo of a tree with an 800 number for customer service.

  “Probably fake,” I tell myself and start to tear it up.

  A figure appears on the driver’s side of my car and I jump until I see Lukas’ face peering in at me. I start the car and lower the window. “Are you trying to put me in a grave today, too?”

  His clenched jaw and the sweat beading his brow tells me he’s been searching all over the city for me. Great. Now I’m in trouble with not only my favorite bodyguard but with Danya. I have no doubt he’s either texted Danya already to say I gave my protection detail the slip or that he will text once we get to the funeral.

  “Where have you been?”

  “Shopping. Needed to get some air and a new dress. Why?”

  “We lost sight of you and you didn’t answer your phone.”

  “Huh, weird,” I say, trying to play it off casually. Lukas’ jaw only clenches tighter. “Look, I’m right here, I’m in one piece, and if you don’t move, I’m going to be late. Don’t think either of us wants that.”

  He glances up and down the sidewalk and nods. Damn, how many guys is Danya having watch me? Is he really that worried? “No, we don’t. What’s that?” he asks, pointing to the business card in my hand.

  I frown, as if confused, then look at it. “Oh, perfume sample card. Nothing exciting.” I quickly shove it in my purse and place my hands on the wheel. “Can I go now?”

  His brow furrows more, but he steps back from the car. “We’ll be right behind you.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I got it,” I mumble and roll up the window.

  Close, that was too damn close. That business card is a time bomb sitting in my purse. I should shove it down the garbage disposal as soon as we get back to the house.

  Too bad I know I’m not going to do that. Jack’s right about one thing. I need a friend who does not exist inside this world. I need someone out in the real world, but I can’t betray Danya. I won’t. Not unless I have no other options left.

  Not unless we find ourselves holding another life in our hands. I haven’t stopped much to let myself think on it, but I should’ve had a period this week. I’m late. It’s one of the reasons I have been all right with Danya not speaking to me much these past few days. I haven’t gotten up the nerve to take a test yet, too terrified of what it’ll tell me.

  “You’re not pregnant,” I whisper to myself for most of the drive back to the mansion. “You’re not. You’re going to get your damn period and everything’s going to be fine.”

  A strange flutter in my gut catches me off guard and I grip the wheel so hard my knuckles cramp. Danya can’t know my fears, not yet. I won’t tell him anything, not until I’m certain, and even then, hell, even then, I might still keep the truth from him. A single tear slips from the corner of my eye as I pull up the drive to the mansion. I told myself I wouldn’t betray Danya ever again. If I keep this from him, if I deny him this truth, I’m as good as plunging the knife into his back myself. It’ll ruin us, ruin the trust we’ve built back up.

  Feeling more lost than I have in a long time, I numbly pick up the shopping bag and my purse and hurry inside to get ready for Mikhail’s funeral. What can possibly go wrong there?

  Chapter 2

  Danya

  My cell vibrates again. “If you need to take a call, take it now, before we have to go downstairs.”

  I glance at Nadia across the large master suite. She’s wearing an elegant black gown that drags on the floor behind her. She’s just finished putting up her hair in a twisted bun. The short black veil that hangs from beneath it reaches her lower back. Mother is always over the top. I guess I should expect nothing less for Mikhail’s funeral.

  A tightness starts in my chest and I rub at it, hoping it’ll go away. “It’s nothing.”

  “You certain it’s not your missing wife?”

  I shove my hands in the pockets of my black slacks and scowl. “She’s not missing. I told you, she had some errands to take care of for me,” I lie, knowing I can’t keep doing it forever.

  I wonder vaguely if Stella will even show her face today. It’s been tense between us these last few days. We’ve fought nearly every night, sometimes not even with words. Just glares across the room. She hates me for what I made her do. Even if it was just to keep her safe, she hates me for it. I can’t really blame her, but nothing she does or says will make me back down. With Mikhail dead, the Ivanovs are on the warpath, and since I’m currently not in charge of them, I have to keep playing by someone else’s rules. That means Stella is still in danger.

  My worries about her life have only grown worse since the night of the charity ball. Not only do I have to worry about any one of the families coming after her for the documentary, but Mikhail’s will just upped the stakes. Lying piece of shit. I should’ve known he wouldn’t let me take over the business this easily. I should’ve seen this coming.

  “Danya, really!” Nadia exclaims as she picks up a diamond necklace to grace her neck. My cell vibrates again, and she sighs heavily. “Take care of whatever business is distracting you from this day and do it now.”

  I check the message briefly and see it’s from Lukas. He and three others have been assigned to watch Stella at all times when she’s not at the house or with me. Stella was meant to still be at the house, but the moment I read Lukas’ text, I curse. I tell Nadia I’ll be just outside the door and exit the bedroom. I’m calling Lukas a second later.

  “What do you mean she left?” I demand.

  “She said she needed to take care of a few things,” he says in a rush. “We’re downtown.”

  “And?” I only told Nadia Stella was taking care of errands to give her an excuse for being late. I assumed she was at the house merely waiting until the last minute to appear, not that I blame her.

  “And we’re not certain where she went.”

  I grip the cell phone harder and pray to God to give me strength to deal with the most stubborn, reckless wife in the world. “Are you not tracking her damn phone?”

  “That’s just it; she left it in the car.”

  “You know, I’m starting to wonder about you if my wife is able to slip past you and your men,” I snap, then take a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, I get it. We’ll find her. Text you as soon as we do.”

  I hang up and glower at the phone in my hand. Why can’t she just follow simple instructions? Why does she have to make everything so fucking complicated? I lean over the upstairs railing of the estate where the viewing for Mikhail is being held. His body is already below, in the sitting room. The flowers were delivered first thing this morning. People will be arriving in the next hour or so to say their goodbyes to the great Mikhail Ivanov. I shrug my shoulder and cringe at the sudden twinge from my healed gunshot wound. The mansion is undergoing repairs, which is why Nadia is staying upstate. It’s safer for her, too, until I can figure out who betrayed us.

  I quickly text Stella, demanding to know where the hell she is, then head back in the bedroom. Nadia is putting in earrings, sitting in front of the solid cherrywood vanity.

  “Everything all right, my son?”

  “Fine, Mother. Everything is fine. Touching base with my men.”

  Her hands pause with an earring halfway to her ear. “And? Any leads on who tipped off that bastard De Luca? Any leads on who murdered my husband in his own home?” She visibly trembles from her anger.

  “Not yet,” I reply roughly. “But I’m getting close.”

  “Good. You find them, and you make them pay, Danya. Every last one of them.”

  “I will, Mother. I still don’t understand why Vlad would turn on Mikhail as he did. Honestly, we have yet to find proof of his crimes.”

  She slams her fist on the vanity, rattling the mirrors. “He did it!” she yells. “He betrayed Mikhail. Your brothers say so. Do you no longer trust your brothers? Do you no longer trust your closest f
amily?”

  I nearly say no but stop myself just in time. “I trust them. They saved my life, after all.”

  “Yes, they did, when you failed to save Mikhail.”

  Her words cut me deep, just as she intended them to. I nod slowly as she holds my stare in the mirror. “I did fail, and I’m sorry for it, I am. But Mikhail is the one who started this shit show in the first place. He should’ve known the other families wouldn’t go quietly.”

  “Like the Russos?”

  I stiffen at the implication of her tone. “If you’re questioning Stella’s loyalty, you best stop right now.”

  “Do you love her?” she asks, her tone shifting to a quieter one. A dangerous one.

  “Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I love her, and I trust her.”

  Nadia finishes putting in her earrings then stands. She walks toward me gracefully and cups my face in her cold hands. “I hope for your sake you can. She is a Russo, Danya. There is traitor’s blood running through her veins.”

  “She will not betray me.”

  “And what about the family, hmm? Did you think about us?”

  When her lips curl into a tiny smile, I tilt my head, studying the woman who raised me. I grew up learning about Nadia’s facial expressions and her subtle changes to show her mood. It took years to figure out most of them, but I can tell when she is angry or sad or pissed off.

  When she is ready to kill for the sake of the family.

  As I stare into her eyes now, eyes so much like the twins, I see that glint of hate. Mikhail was the one who wished for Stella to be my wife. With him gone, will Nadia try to remove her from my life? Permanently?

  Gently, I reach up and cover Nadia’s hands with my own, then remove them from my face. “I always think about the family,” I assure her. “It’s what I’ve been taught to do.”

  “Yes, and you’ve always been your father’s good boy,” she replies in Russian. She kisses both of my hands then lets them go. “So hard to see you grown. I only hope you are ready for what happens next.”

  She glides away for the door, leaving me to wonder at her words.

  “And Uncle Vlad?”

  My questions freezes her. “What about him?”

  “Will he not have a funeral, too?”

  She turns to face me, and the coldness in her eyes makes the temperature in the room seem to plummet. “What for? His body has been tossed in the harbor. Traitors do not deserve funerals, Danya. Remember that.”

  Then she’s gone. I pace around the room, weighing my options. Today should be about mourning the loss of my father. I grieved for him already. There’s no more time to waste wishing that night had gone differently. Wishing he had not been killed.

  Wishing I’d listened to Stella and run off while we had the chance.

  Mikhail’s will hangs over us like a cloud we can’t get out from underneath. A baby. I want children with Stella, to see her belly swell with a child and know it’s mine. But not like this. We swore we would wait until it was safe and we knew we had a chance to get out of this world. Now it seems a baby might be the only way to save us and doom us at the same time. I know Stella is on birth control. We should be fine. I just have to find a way out of this shit before she gets pregnant.

  I finally leave the bedroom and check my cell. There’s no news from Lukas yet or Stella. “Dammit, woman.” I shove my cell away and head downstairs to wait, wondering how much worse this day is about to get.

  Chapter 3

  Danya

  The living room is packed with those who say they’re friends of the late Mikhail Ivanov. Many of them, I know, are grieved by the fact that the man who made them all wealthy is dead. Others, I can tell, are here to gloat in the face of the Ivanov family in turmoil. News of the will was meant to be kept quiet. However, word has already gone around about what the conditions are. Uncle Lev will continue to hold power until either the twins or I produce a legitimate heir.

  Luckily for me, neither twin is married. Yet.

  I adjust my tie for the fourth time and force my gaze to the room and not the black wooden casket set on a platform a few feet away. It’s open, showing Mikhail’s cold, dead face frozen in an expression of disapproval. I shake hands and speak quietly to those who come to greet Nadia and myself. The twins have yet to arrive, class acts as always.

  Several prominent businessmen Mikhail did close business with approach. I groan internally but shake their hands and thank them for coming all the same.

  “Such a shame to hear the news about your father,” Tim, the man with the horrible combover, says, glancing at the casket. “Have you found those responsible for his death?”

  “Not yet, but we will soon enough.”

  “And the business? I know this is not the time or place to speak of it, but many of us wonder about the strength of the family with Lev in charge instead of his brother.”

  It certainly isn’t the time or place, but instead of scolding them, I give in and tell them exactly what they want to hear. They provide a distraction, if nothing else, since Stella has yet to arrive. Uncle Lev joins me, and talk quickly turns from Mikhail to our current arrangement with these gentlemen. Over the last year, Mikhail made certain I knew every last detail about every business arrangement he made over the years, so I would be prepared. I let myself get lost in the conversation until a familiar head of dark hair appears in the doorway.

  Stella has finally arrived, wearing a modest black dress and matching heels. Lukas is right behind her and slips to the side to take his place at the rear of the room. Stella gives him an annoyed look, then composes herself and walks forward. Immediately, the air in the room changes and several family members from the Ivanov line turn to glare pointedly at my wife. She stops short, swallowing hard and doing her best to keep a calm look on her face. Her eyes tell another story. Several prominent men from Nadia’s side of the family turn their backs to her as she nears. The uneasiness in her eyes swirls into annoyance and then her gaze locks onto mine.

  I want to go to her right then and make her tell me where the hell she’s been. The two businessmen and Uncle Lev trail off and turn to see what I’m staring at so intently.

  “Ah, I see your wife has finally arrived,” Lev says darkly. “Good of her to join us.”

  “As I told Nadia, she was tending to some errands on my behalf today.”

  “Errands?” Lev asks sharply. “What errands?”

  “Things I needed taken care of. In my state of grief, she saw fit to see them complete for me on this day of mourning. Problem, Uncle?”

  He lays his hand on my shoulder, his grip firm. “I understand you care for this woman, but remember what her place is, Danya. You remember so she remembers, especially now, after all that shit went down with the Russo family. She is your wife. Ensure she understands what that means.”

  I shrug out from under his hand with a glare. “I understand perfectly well.”

  “And the business?”

  “What about it?”

  Lev gives a brief smile to the two businessmen then pulls me aside. “Our business, Danya. We all know Joseph let his daughter in on most of what he did. You will not do the same, understand me? She is not to know. She is not to attend meetings. That is not her place.”

  My eye twitches in anger and I force a smile. “Don’t worry, Uncle Lev, the family business won’t be yours to run forever.”

  He leans back, blinks, then nods slowly. “Perhaps not, but right now it’s my job to keep it afloat. Don’t bring us down because you believe in the end, she wouldn’t gladly stab you in the back like every other wife here. Show her where she belongs. Do it once, do it well enough, you’ll never have to teach her the lesson again.”

  Furious at being told to remember Stella is essentially my property and not my wife, I leave Lev and the others to go sit beside Stella. She’s taken her designated seat in the front row at the end. Her hands are folded on her lap, but her back is rigid. Several prominent family members who had been heade
d my way fall back, giving me awkward nods instead, then glare at Stella before walking away.

  The precariousness of my situation sinks in even more. Being married to Stella strengthened my position while Mikhail was alive. With him dead, being attached to her has weakened it. My eye twitches again, and I glance toward Stella.

  “You’re late,” I whisper.

  “I got caught downtown,” she replies, not looking at me. “Everything all right here?”

  “Just peachy,” I mutter.

  “There’s more people than I expected. Sounds like everyone knows the story of his death.”

  She was right about that. Those closest to us are talking quietly about how the great Mikhail left this world. The story of his assassination being carried out by Vlad spread like wildfire. There was hardly any proof, and yet that has become the accepted story. I’m not so ready to buy it as everyone else is. Stella’s hand suddenly reaches for mine, and I let her hold it. Why did I even want to pull away from her? She’s my wife, and I meant it when I told Nadia I love her. The old lessons Mikhail pounded into my skull rear their ugly head. The family is what matters. The business is life or death. Cut out any weakness and they can’t bring me down.