She let out a small, disbelieving laugh. “I always wondered what you did for a living. Guess now I know.”
The accusation in her voice was clear. I didn’t bother defending myself because she wasn’t exactly wrong.
The front door opened before we reached it. My housekeeper, an older woman who’d worked for my family since I was a kid, stood in the doorway.
“Mr. Lebedev,” she said, nodding respectfully. Her eyes slid to Alisa, but being discreet was her thing, and she didn’t let her expression falter.
“We’ll be in the library,” I said, guiding Alisa past her. “And Maria? Please bring some food. And coffee.”
“Of course, Sir.”
I led Alisa through the main hall, past the living room with its twenty-foot ceilings, up the stairs, down the hallway, and past the wall of windows overlooking the bay. She took it all in silently.
The library was at the end of the hall—dark wood, leather furnishings, and bookshelves lining every wall. On one of the many tables, a single folder waited.
The marriage papers I’d ordered while driving here. One text to my lawyer at a red light, and everything was arranged. Sometimes it paid to have people afraid of disappointing you.
Alisa stood beside me and eyed the manila envelope. “You planned this.”
“Of course I didn’t plan this! I had no idea you’d be there tonight,” I snapped back. “And once I saw you, I… improvised.”
“With a marriage license? That’s not something you just happen to have lying around,” she fought back.
I sighed, needing to de-escalate, and gestured for her to take a seat and moved over to the other side of the table. “When you’ve been in my world long enough, you learn to move fast.”
“Your world,” she repeated. “The criminal world.”
“Alisa, sign the damn papers,” I sighed, handing her a pen
She stayed standing and, of course, refused to take it. “I’m not signing those papers.”
I flipped open the folder. “You are if you want to stay alive.”
“Are you blackmailing me? Look… if you missed me… ” Her voice faltered, and she paled. Actually paled.
I tried not to roll my eyes. “Stop flattering yourself, will you? I’m doing this for you!”
She looked at me like I’d grown a second insane. “This is insane.You’reinsane.”
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But I’m also right. Look, you need protection. Those guys back there? They’re not done with you. And I’m your best shot at staying alive.”
“So protect me! Be my bodyguard! That doesn’t require a marriage license!”
“It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple! You’re making it complicated!”
I leaned in closer, lowering my voice. “You want to go back to your apartment? They know who you are, Alisa, and they’ll find you one way or another. You think they won’t come for you again?”
Her face paled. I hated using her fear against her, but I needed her to understand.
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with,” I continued. “These people don’t play by normal rules. But they do respect territory. And if you’re mine—officially mine—they’ll back off.”
“I’m not property!”
“In their world, you are. And right now, you’re in their world whether you like it or not.”
She shook her head. “How do I know you’re not working with them? That this isn’t just… part of the plan?”
