“What information?”
“This time, your father’s inheritance raised a flag.”
It was like talking to a wall. “What inheritance? I didn’t keep any of it!”
“We believe that’s inaccurate.” Shocked and jaw gaping, she looked at him as he shuffled through some papers before taking picking one up. The whole situation was so surreal, Deva thought, feeling like she was deep in some sort of nightmare.
“Two million dollars were found in various offshore accounts. Not very well hidden if you want my opinion.”
“I don’t want your opinion. I want you to tell me where I have to sign so this whole thing ends, and I can go home.”
“I fear it’s not that simple. If two million were found, there is potentially more out there. And it is feared that you may use this money to fund illegal activities.”
“Oh, come on! You know I have nothing to do with the Dark Blood Rows anymore. They have elected a new president, and so far, I haven’t been contacted by any of them.”
“Is that right? But the potentially illegal activities I’m referring to are related to the Storm Wayfarers and Damon Evans.”
“Related?”
Letting go of the paper, Aleksei half sat on his desk, arms crossed. “So much money in the hands of an MC is something that can worry the authorities. That’s my duty to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Deva was about to respond when something caught her attention, a glint. Calming down, she frowned, and crossed her arms, mirroring his posture. Wheels were spinning wildly in her head, processing that new piece of information.
“Why am I here? To confirm that I’m hiding money my father potentially left me? I’ll sign anything to relinquish any rights to any money you may or may not find, and feel free to dig around my financials at your leisure. You’ll see that I didn’t go into physical therapy for the money, unlike your trade, it seems. And as for my personal relationships with the people around me, unless I do something unlawful, you and your slithery friends can go fuck yourselves.”
Deva turned to grab her coat, having had enough of it all, and unable to look at Aleksei, so cold and calculating, accusing her of whatever things he had conjured up in his head. Maybe the only advantage of this meeting was that it gave her the confirmation that although she had fallen in love with a man who was no better than her father, that love wasn’t returned. Again. A man who would never trust her as she needed him to. And knowing that, there would never be anything between them.
A hand on the door knob, Deva turned it, only to have it slammed closed again with violence. Before she could react, her body was plastered against the door.
“I’m to go fuck myself, am I? While you fuck Evans?”
His breathy snarl in her ear lit out a fire in her belly, making her remember other times when his body wasn’t encased in an amazing suit when he wasn’t Aleksei, but Alyosha. She had to get out if she wanted to survive. To save what was left of her pride and her sanity.
Pushing against the almost unmovable wall of muscles, she loosened his grasp enough to turn and face him.
“You think I betrayed you, so why would you care who’s in my bed?”
His gaze seared her, his features so ferocious, she wondered for a moment if he was about to squash her like a bug. So tall, untamed, barely contained in this civilized facade. His stormy eyes were a dead giveaway. Just as fear was about to seize her, Aleksei, with arms straining on either side of her, bent and leaned toward her until his head was buried in the crook of her neck, inhaling deep. Deva bit back a curse.
Once more, she put both her hands on his chest to push him off, but this time again, he didn’t yield an inch. The image of a taser popped into her mind.
“Aleksei, let me go.”
When he retreated slightly, his lips skimmed her ear lobe. His voice was raspy, filled with dark promises and laced heavily with his Russian accent. A sign that he wasn’t as cold as he appeared.
“I can’t, Deva. I can’t let you go. Thinking I would never feel your warmth again, be filled with your scent, it’s killing me. Tell me that you used me, that you lied to me, that you are a thief and fucked Evans. Tell me so what I feel for you can die.”
His lips whispered against her cheek. The tender touch filled her eyes with tears as he continued talking.
“Tell me I imagined you saying you loved me, and that what followed was only a nightmare. That the gift you gave me, offering me the chance to bury my mother, was only another trick of yours.”
Deva didn’t know what to do. She felt raw, exposed, and vulnerable. If she uncovered what was left of her one more time, and was turned away, she would disintegrate.
Was she strong enough to take another leap of faith? Was she stronger than him?
With trembling hands, she framed his face, looking deep into those swirling pools of gray, gaining courage she didn’t know she had.
“The reason I helped Lazarus to uncover Finch’s plan and came back to Chicago, meant that I got close to you. The alliance with Damon Evans was a necessary evil. He saved my life, and I was in debt to him. I had to help him in return.”
