Chapter ThreeAlexei

Chapter Three

Alexei

"You can't marry her, it's a trap."

I lift my eyes from my computer to look at Mikhail. He's pacing my office, his veins bulging from how hard he's clenching his fists. I'd just told him about Irina and our marriage, he doesn't seem pleased with the plans. Neither do I.

"I don't have a choice." It's either I marry Irina and make the Phoenix believe they have me under control, or they leak that video and destroy everything I've worked for. It's better the former than the latter.

My brother shakes his head. "Just give the order and I'll wipe out the Volkov's tonight."

Mikhail is my second brother, five years younger than me. Despite only sharing a father, he looks just like me. Tall, dark-brown eyes and dark hair. He's loyal to the core and strong, but his temper is something he needs to work on. It's the only way he will ever see the bigger picture.

"Matteo Volkov is not the problem, he's just a lapdog," I say, rubbing my chin. "Killing him won't work in our favor."

Mikhail stops pacing and looks at me. "And marrying his daughter will?"

I steeple my fingers in front of me and spare a moment to think of Irina. She'll be my wife six days from now. Hating her ass of a father is one thing, but something about her makes her irresistible. Maybe it's her beauty, or her sass. The way she carries herself makes me want to have her more than I've wanted any other woman.

"You already know my answer," I tell him. "She'll be your sister-in-law soon. I suggest you use your time to do something valuable, like tracing the source of that video."

I glance to where Nikolai, my youngest brother, is seated on the couch across from my desk. He's admiring a dagger he just added to his list of prized possessions. He's not paying any attention to us, he never does. He just waits for orders on who to find or kill, and he's damn good at it.

"Nikolai!"

He lifts his head when I call his name.

"Have some of the men watch Matteo until my wedding with his daughter, I want them to report on everything he does," I say.

A twisted smile curves his lips. "Including when he fucks?"

My lips turn down to match the frown I feel crease my forehead. "I don't care about that, you know what I mean. His guard will be down during the wedding, have a look at his place."

"How much digging do you want us to do?" Mikhail asks.

"Not you. It'll be suspicious if my brothers are not at my own wedding." I rub my temple. "Have our men do the job. Let them look through every computer and document. We may get a lead on something."

"How about we install our own cameras?" Nikolai asks.

"That fucker will probably find them. He's not as stupid as you think he is," I reply. "Just have the men do as I said."

Nikolai's smile widens. "Is this meeting over? I have things to take care of."

I open my mouth to answer when I hear voices come from outside my office. I twist my head to the door at the sound of approaching footsteps, heels clinking on tiles, then the door swings open and the most beautiful woman on the planet storms into my office.

My secretary glances between me and her. "I'm sorry, Sir. I told her she couldn't come in."

My eyes meet Irina's. She's seething, glaring at me as if she'd shoot me if she had a gun. Something tells me she would.

I dismiss my secretary with a wave, refusing to take my eyes off Irina. "I suppose you've found out?"

She doesn't respond to my teasing. "I need to speak to you. Alone!"

I nod at my brothers, signaling them to leave.

The second they're out of the office and the door slams shut, Irina walks to my desk and leans over it, leveling her face with mine. "What is all of this about?"

I lean back in my seat. "What?"

"The marriage," she says, her tone angry. "What do you have on him to make him think it's a good idea for us to get married."

I shrug. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't fucking lie to me, Alexei. My father would never let me get married to you if you weren't holding something over him," she barks. "Tell me what it is."

A chuckle rumbles in my chest. She thinks I threatened her father into agreeing to our marriage. Interesting. What's even more interesting is that she thinks so highly of her father and has the audacity to storm into my office and create a scene. I'm impressed.

"If what you're asking is if I suggested this marriage to him, then no. I didn't." I run a hand over my hair. "As much as I'd like to make you moan my name, I have more important things to do than threaten your father so I can have you."

Fear bleeds into her eyes, but she doesn't back down. She's brave for someone so petite. "You're lying."

"I don't lie." Unless to my enemies, but there's an exception for everything. Just like my obsession with her from the first time we met. I find it odd that I even remember her name and smell, especially since I never remember the names of the women I've been with.

She straightens up and folds her arms. Some of the anger in her expression melts away, but I still get the feeling she'd prefer me dead than alive. "Call off the wedding."

"I can't, even if I wanted to."

Her eyes widen, as if with surprise that I'm using the word can't. "What do you mean you can't? No one will force you into a wedding you don't want, especially with your reputation."

Hearing her talk about my reputation piques my interest. "And what reputation do I have?"

"You're the head of the Russian mafia, everything I hate and work against," she says angrily. "I'd rather throw myself into a pit full of shit than marry you."

My jaw clenches. I'm close to losing my self-control and telling her the father she loves so much is not any different, but the thought of seeing her sad makes my chest tighten. "You don't have a choice."

"I can run away."

"I don't care where you run to, I'll look in every corner of the word if I have to." I brace my hands on the edge of my desk and stand. "I have something for you."

She squints at me. "What is that?"

I open my desk drawer, take out a jewelry box, then hold it out to her. "Why don't you see for yourself?" I'm baiting her. She won't take the box from me if she knows what is inside.

Sighing, she takes the jewelry box from me and opens it. "What is this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I ask. I had my best friend, Dimitri, buy it this morning. It's worth a fortune, and I didn't mind spending that as I figure Irina likes flashy things. I intend to spoil her with more expensive things once we're married.

"I told you I'm not marrying you," she snaps, closing the lid and tossing the box at me. "Do you think you can buy me by offering me an expensive diamond ring? Think again, Alexei. I'm not broke and needy for your trinkets."

"Trinkets?" I laugh. "Someone's playing hard to get."

"I'm not playing."

I round my desk and walk over to her.

She smells like vanilla and roses.

Her breath hitches as I lean toward her and she stiffens when I cup her cheeks. Her skin is so delicate in my hands, so silky and smooth. Her lips look even better, I bet they're delicious. It's an effort not to kiss her when I'm this close and I know she'll be mine in a couple of days. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"We're getting married in six days, Irina. Your opinion does not count." I put the ring in her hand. "Wear this, and don't expect a grand proposal from me. I'm just as upset about getting married to a Volkov."

I pull away from her and return to my chair. I expect her to leave, instead, she asks, "What will it be like if I agree to this marriage?"

"I'm also curious. What do you think?"

She clenches the box in her hand. "I hate you, but I'll only agree to this to protect my family. First, you must promise not to hurt them."

"I don't make promises, malyshka ," I say dryly. "The only thing I can promise you is that you'll have to make arrangement for funerals if you don't agree to this marriage."

She snorts. "Bastard, I hope you rot in hell." She spins around and storms out.

I stare at the door until Dimitri comes in. He collapses on the chair across from my desk, glances at the door, and then at me. "Looks like your bride didn't like whatever conversation you two had."

"She's such a cranky woman, not much pleases her it seems." I lean my hips on the desk. "What do you want?"

"I tried tracing the source of the video that was sent to you, it showed was sent from Italy to Japan," he says. "Both were from a public computer where there is no CCTV footage of who sent them."

I clear my throat. "And the number?"

"It's a burner phone. It can't be traced."

Rage spirals in my gut like a storm. I don't care about my marriage to Irina, it won't kill me, but I'll be pretty close to being dead if I can't find out who runs the Phoenix. All the information I've gathered over the last few months points toward different notable politicians, and then a dead end.

I think for a moment. "What if the Phoenix has more than one leader?"

His brow lifts. "How is that possible?"

"I don't see how it isn't," I say. "From what we've gotten so far, it's run by someone rich and influential. Someone who can't easily be tracked down, but what if we're always at a dead end because it's run by more than one person. That would mean more money, more influence and power."

It can't be a one-man organization. In fact, they'd be stupid to try and take me down alone, and assuming they succeed, they'll want to expand to other territories and countries. More continents, even.

"We'll just have to keep looking." He pauses and stares at me intently. "About your marriage to the Volkov girl, are you sure you want to go through with it?"

"It's not about what I want. It's about what we need to do to give us time to get to the bottom of this nonsense." Not that I hate the idea. What man wouldn't want a pretty woman warming his bed every night.

"She could be a spy," he says quietly. "it's like letting a hyena into a lion's den."

"Then we give her something to report on, or I can simply keep her busy." Either way, I'm content with having her around.

Dimitri adjusts in his chair. "And Matteo? He won't sit back quietly and watch, you know?"

"Matteo can suck my dick for all I care. What I want is his daughter, I don't care what he does as long as he doesn't get in my way." I try to find an excuse for this behavior, where I'm completely obsessed with the daughter but hate the father with a passion.

I'd wanted to kill Matteo once, when he had the cops snooping around my business, and I regret I didn't do it. That fucker has no business running around and causing problems for me.

But Irina would hate me if I killed her father, so I guess it wasn't such a bad choice. Our marriage may be forced, but she'll be my wife. I want her loyalty to lie with me at some point.

His brows knit. "You never wanted to get married. How are you going to cope with all of this?"

"How every other man copes. All I need to do is keep her alive and we're okay."

He laughs sardonically. "I feel sorry that the poor girl will have to put up with this. Your whore, Nadya…she won't be pleased."

Nadya is the only girl I've ever fucked more than once. She's good with her mouth and how she bounces on top of me, I give it to her, but I'd be damned if I consider her anything more than a means to an end. She works for me, not the other way round, I don't care about her feelings.

"I'm quite certain she wasn't expecting me to marry her."

"You sound like you won't be needing her services any longer."

"I won't cheat on my wife." I was young, but fragments of memories of how my father treated my mother remain. I'd also seen how he treated my stepmother, and the last thing I want to become is a monster like him.

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding our marriage, I'll never allow Irina to feel that kind of pain. It's a promise I made to myself way back, and that is the reason I've stayed single. I couldn't commit to any woman until I was absolutely sure I wouldn't be an asshole husband.

"Good luck man," Dimitri says with utmost sincerity. He and I became friends after my father's death. He'd been the one to kill his uncle, one of my father's loyalists, and he'd sworn his loyalty to me.

It's a decade later and our relationship has grown from Pakhan and consigliere to friends. I know he'll risk his life for me in a flash if need be. "Thank you."

He swivels his chair. "By the way, did she like the ring I got for her?"

I grin widely. "She probably expected me to be a gentleman and get down on one knee. But she took it though, that is what matters."

Dimitri shakes his head, as if disappointed. "You really should remain single."