Page 44 of Fergus
Nikolai openly grinned at him before sobering. “Now that I have also chosen to intercede, you may be assured, Thea, that you will not see Lev Yegorov again.”
One look into those icy-gray eyes and Thea knew Nikolai’s anger toward the other man wasn’t all about her. That Nikolai Volkov’s own reasons for wishing Lev to disappear were just as valid. Whether that was by returning Lev to Russia to face the wrath of the Russian people, or by ensuring that Lev “disappeared” by Nikolai’s own hand would be his decision.
It was a totally different world from the one in which Thea had been living for the past twenty-four years. But she couldn’t say she wouldn’t be relieved to have both Lev and Martin out of her life. Even if it was by, as Nikolai claimed, whatever method he deemed necessary.
She knew she should feel bad that she felt that way, but those two men had made her life unbearable since her mother died.
“Can I just add something here?” Linus cut in. “I didn’t only check on Martin Hayes earlier, I also looked into Lev Yegorov after Fergus told me he was trying to force you into marrying him. Amongst all the same distasteful things Nikolai learned about the man”—his mouth twisted with disgust—“I also discovered that several days ago, he had his lawyer draw up, and falsify the signature, on the Last Will and Testament of one Thea Jane Morgan, in whichhewas made the sole beneficiary. Like Nikolai, I believe he changed his plans after discovering, as Hayes had, that Thea had gone to Fergus to ask for his assistance.”
Thea could barely breathe, her chest tight as she tried to draw in more air.
If she hadn’t gone to Fergus and asked for his help, she had no doubt she would now be either dead or married to a man she despised.
* * *
“It’s okay.”Fergus quickly stepped forward to wrap his arms about Thea and cradle her gently against him. “Neither of them will ever hurt you again.” He gave Nikolai a look he hoped conveyed to the other man how much he wanted that to be true. Fergus didn’t want either of those two bastards coming anywhere near Thea ever again.
The only reason he wasn’t personally ensuring that happened was because he believed Thea needed his presence here with her more than Fergus needed to settle scores he knew Nikolai would deal with far more efficiently than he could.
The bastard.
“I believe it is now time for the two of us to leave,” Nikolai prompted Linus as he rose gracefully to his feet before refastening the button on his perfectly tailored jacket. “It has been a pleasure meeting you, Thea.” He took hold of her hand and lightly kissed the back of it when she turned to look at him, eliciting another disapproving snort from Fergus. Which the Russian again completely ignored. “I look forward to seeing you again soon,” the other man added, completely unperturbed by Fergus’s caveman attitude.
“Thank you for your assistance today,” she acknowledged huskily.
“Anytime.” He nodded before turning that sharp silver gaze on Fergus. “I will look forward to receiving yet another Wynter family wedding invitation soon.”
Fergus decided, then and there, that no matter what, Nikolai was not going to be the godfather to any of his and Thea’s children.
But first, he’d need to ask, possibly persuade, Thea into wanting to marry him.
Because he knew, without a single doubt, in the same way that his brother and cousin had known the moment they met their future wives, that Thea was the woman he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
Fergus’s apartmentfelt strangely empty and silent once Nikolai and Linus left.
Not that Thea had been able to hear any of the sounds of the city this high up, anyway, but it now seemed especially quiet. A world totally separate from the hustle and bustle that was London.
Thea had no doubt that was partly because Nikolai was such an overwhelming presence. Linus, at over six feet tall and broadly muscled, was no slouch either when it came to making an impact on his surroundings.
There was also this…frisson of silence between herself and Fergus that she thought they had dealt with before the other two men arrived. One that a scowling Fergus didn’t seem inclined to fill as he instead seemed lost in thought.
Thea finally couldn’t stand the silence another moment longer. “Well, that was…enlightening.”
Fergus focused his attention back on her. “I still can’t believe… It was very brave of you to stand up to your mother all those years ago.”
Thea gave a shrug, as if it was unimportant. When, in fact, her mother had barely spoken to her for the next six months, and even after that, it had only been when it was absolutely necessary. In some ways, it had been a relief when Jessica married Andrei and mother and daughter had barely interacted at all.
“You didn’t deserve her brand of crazy,” she dismissed. “No one did.”
* * *
And yet Fergusknew Thea had suffered through that craziness for almost all of her twenty-four years.
It was still a wonder to him, a miracle, how she had turned out to be so loving and levelheaded.
“You didn’t need to bear the brunt of her anger either by defending me—” Fergus stopped speaking when Thea placed her fingertips against his lips.
