While Sacha swallowed her tears and swooned over her best friend’s support, Justin checked a text. “Peggy’s meeting me at the office first thing tomorrow. She heads our family law division,” he supplied when Sacha gave him an inquiring look. “With her on it, your case is won.”
Her case. Could it really come to that? She couldn’t see it. “I cannot afford to pay for her services.” And Alekzander will make it so not one scheduled meeting takes place.
He shrugged. “I wasn’t aware payment had been discussed.”
“Then it should be because as I said, I do not have the money to pay for an attorney.”
“Done. Discussed and taken care of all in the same conversation. Sheppard, Lupin, and Sheppard will offer pro bono legal services to you because you’ve given the founding father’s grandson an uncorrupted, wholesome place to hang out when he isn’t working.” Justin winked and raised his beer in a toast.
Angela laughed while Steve paced.
“What does that mean?” Sacha asked, wondering if he’d hung out in a not-so-wholesome place at one time. That would explain his wide knowledge of bad words.
“It means they’re taking your case on for free,” Angela said, misunderstanding the question. She stood.
“Yeah, and earning disapproval from the fucking Russian mob,” Steve added under his breath.
Sacha’s blood ran cold as she too got up and placed her empty mug on the coffee table. Steve was right. What was she doing here, allowing them to make light of this? She couldn’t ignore how grave her situation might become if things went wrong.
“Steve is right. I cannot involve you in this.” She slipped her purse over her shoulder and lifted Lekzi’s bassinet, careful not to wake her yet. She would need to eat before she was out for the night, but hopefully, Sacha would have enough time to prepare for bed before then. “As I said earlier, I will keep it simple by having this meeting with Alekzander in the morning. If I see that he plans to pursue me, I will have to leave.”
“It won’t come to that,” Justin said confidently.
Steve shot his friend an impatient look and went over to stand behind Angela. Before he spoke, he brought his hand around and covered his wife’s mouth. His skin appeared pale next to her dark complexion. The contrast was distractingly lovely.
“Since nobody wants to say it like it is because they don’t want to risk hurting your feelings, Sacha, I’ll be the asshole here. You’re being naïve, and quite honestly, blind as shit. You’re not dealing with an old high school sweetheart who works in an insurance office and plays golf on the weekends. You’re dealing with a man born into one of the most ruthless Russian organized crime families to exist in the last hundred years, who just so happens to own a multi-billion-dollar company on the side. Overachiever much?” he snorted with a roll of his eyes that made Sacha want to slap them out of his head. “He’s not going to frown and wave his finger in your face if he finds out you had his kid and kept her from him for months and months. He’s going to lose his fucking mind because you stole from him something those guys live and die for; their family. Plain and simple; he’s going to destroy your little fucking life. And that’s only if he’s not in the mood to kill you and dump your body in the Hudson so he can take his daughter and raise her to be the next Russian mafia princess. And anyone who gets in his way will join you in that watery grave. All of you wake the fuck up to the reality of this situation. He’s stationed guards here not to protect her but because he wants her. There are goddamn mobsters surrounding our fucking building right now!” he spat as he pointed to the muted TV. “They probably have semi-automatic weapons under their five-hundred-dollar coats! If you think there’s still a possibility that you can take Tarasov’s child and “leave,” you need to give your head a shake. What you should be doing right now, is praying.” With that, he released his wife’s mouth and stormed across the room. He didn’t slam the bedroom door but closed it quietly. He might be angry, but he was still aware enough not to frighten the two babies in the house.
“You’re right,” Justin said to Angela. “He should write a book or something.”
“Right?” she said, bobbing her head in an I-told-you-so fashion.
Neither was fazed by the outburst.
Sacha was shaking.
She stared at the door Steve had just hidden behind and tried not to show how livid she suddenly was. How dare he voice such a warped, negative representation of Alekzander’s character? So biased and…Hollywood! Her daughter’s father was so much more than a successful businessman who’d been born into a family with questionable ties. He was strong, protective, loving. He was affectionate and warm, and generous and thoughtful. He was witty and funny, and he’d been her very best friend as well as a considerate, incredibly erotic lover. And, yes, he was a member of the Tarasov Bratva, and a cheating, womanizing jerk. There was no denying that. But that was not all he was.