Ultimate Vengeance (Wanted Men Book 4)(54)

Unspeakable was how Markus referred to anything to do with their quiet lives.

“I’m telling you,” he said to Gabriel. “Arrange for this Gabriel Moretti guy to buy Gabe Moore’s half of TarMor and become visible. If they know it’s a duo working the reins, the sharks will swim away. If not, you’ll be fighting them off for the next decade.”

Regret flashed in Gabriel’s eyes as he studied his wife. When she glanced up, he looked out over the room, appearing uninterested in the conversation. Not fooled, Eva intertwined their fingers and gave his arm a hug, which had the boss raising their clasped hands and kissing her fingers.

To Markus, Gabriel said, “If they contact you, keep it to yourself and politely tell them to fuck off. I already know I’m holding her back. I don’t need to know what from.”

“Alek? Will you point her out?” Sydney appeared at his elbow. “Maksim’s game of making me guess has gotten old.”

“Two o’clock. Gold dress, straight hair.” That should be wavy. With it styled like that, Sacha looked young. Young and alluring, and too fucking approachable.

“Wow,” Sydney said, sounding properly impressed. “If she talks like Natasha Fatale, I’ll die.”

“Who?” Eva asked. “Holy crap, Alek. No wonder you never forgot her. I think Nika wins.”

“Yeah,” Sydney agreed. “Definite eleven. Natasha Fatale is the hot Russian babe from Rocky and Bullwinkle. I don’t want Sacha to have the smoker’s voice, but the accent? Yes.”

“The curvy one with the cigarette holder,” Eva said, nodding. “Yeah. I can totally see it.”

As the girls talked, the band that had been warming up began to play.

“There’s my cue,” Alek said. “Markus, sooner rather than later on that room, okay?” He left them and detoured by the bar on his way around to rudely interrupt the cozy group that would soon be missing one of its members.



♦ ♦ ♦



As people came and went, Sacha found her smile growing more and more forced. A second ago, it had slipped away completely because she found herself standing between three Harvard graduates—Justin being one of them. She knew they went to Harvard because they’d just finished discussing some classmates who’d walked by. She also knew they went to Harvard because the knowledge was digging in and making her feel more inferior than she had in a long time. She straightened her spine again from the curve it kept trying to settle into.

Justin’s associate once again had her back turned in an angle that excluded Sacha. Was she doing that deliberately? Trying to make Sacha feel as if she were an interloper? The emaciated woman needn’t have bothered. Sacha had been feeling that way since entering the room.

She knew she didn’t belong here with these people. The more she witnessed their false cheer and listened to their confusing, double-meaning conversations, the more lost she became.

Finally giving up, she amused herself by sipping at the two ounces of champagne in the bottom of her flute. As she brought the crystal down and looked around from under her lashes…

Her heart slammed into her ribs. Good…God.

Alekzander was at the edge of the dance floor looking the very image of class and sophistication. Like every man here, he wore a tuxedo. But it was better. He stood with one hand in his pocket while the other casually swirled a clear liquid in a squat glass. His gaze was locked on her.

She wanted to walk over and kiss him until that controlled arrogance fell away and he became the man who’d once began talking dirty to her while they drove through Brooklyn on their way back from a dinner party. Having had a few drinks, she’d felt brave enough to turn his teasing around on him. She’d lifted her dress and started stroking herself, saying he’d turned her on too much for her to wait until they got home. He’d shocked her by pulling into a dark alley, and looking viciously aroused, he’d dragged her on top of him and wasted no time impaling her with his steely length. He’d helped her ride them both to a frantic climax.

She also wanted to stomp over and slap his gorgeous face to get that possessive light out of his eyes. He was the one who’d ruined them. Why was he acting as if that didn’t matter?

She dropped her eyes to her glass. Before leaving home, she’d told Angela she would listen to Alekzander when he came to her again. And, depending on what he said—would she recognize a lie?—she would most likely tell him about his daughter.

Sacha’s shoulders bowed. She would tell him about his daughter. For Lekzi’s sake. The Tarasovs would shower her baby with love, and Lekzi deserved that.