Looking over my shoulder, I see Mick flanked by two security guards. His posture is relaxed with his hands in his pockets, but the look in his eyes is dangerous. Seeing him now, it’s easy to believe he grew up in an organized crime family.
“Who the fuck are you?” Craig demands. “This isn’t your problem.”
“On the contrary,” Mick says coldly, “I’m Andrew’s business partner, and more importantly, his friend. Ms. Taylor is his woman, so that makes anyone trying to hurt her my problem.” He takes a step forward so he’s standing next to me. “And my name is Mikhail Balshov.” I do my best to hide my surprise at Mick telling Craig his real name. It’s something he prefers to avoid in business because of how well known his family is in the city. But seeing Craig’s reaction when he hears it, it’s clear why Mick told him.
“I-I didn’t mean any harm. Honestly,” Craig stammers, raising his hands and backing away.
“I’m sure you didn’t,” Mick responds sarcastically. “But we can discuss all that privately.” He motions for the guards to step forward, and they quickly restrain Craig and haul him away despite his protests. I turn to Mick and reach out a hand to shake his.
“I appreciate it,” I tell him as we clasp hands. “What are you going to do with him?”
Mick glances at Holly before meeting my eyes. “Your call. What do you want me to do with him?” I look over at Holly as well and note the tremor in her hands and the fear in her eyes as she wrings her fingers together.
“I want you to make sure he can never bother Holly again. I want him to disappear so thoroughly, it’ll be like he never existed. Make the man a ghost.”
Mick smiles in a way I’ve never seen on him before. It’s not happiness or pleasure. It’s something dark and twisted, something born from his bratva roots, and it sends an icy shiver up my spine at the same time it assures me that he’s more than capable of doing what I ask.
“You got it,” he says, then turns to Holly. “Ms. Taylor, I’ll save the introductions for a better time, but please know that I’m glad to have you here, and I look forward to hearing the beautiful voice Drew has told me so much about.” He doesn’t wait for a reply, but gives her a slight bow of his head, then turns on his heel and walks off.
I approach Holly slowly, and she looks at me with wide, uncertain eyes. I reach out gently and brush her hair behind her ear. “Are you okay, angel?” I ask.
“I… Yes, I’m okay. Thank you.” She takes a step back from me, and the move makes something in my chest twist. “I-I should go,” she says.
“Go? What do you mean? Do you want me to take you home?” I ask, confused.
“No, you’ve done enough. Really, I don’t know how to thank you. But I need to figure out my next steps. With Craig occupied, I should use the chance to go back home and get my things from his house, then figure out where to go next.”
Hearing her call that bastard’s house home makes a cold kind of rage pulse through me. That’s not her home. My house.Me, I’m her home. I force back the feeling so I don’t scare her more than she already is.
“I can send someone to collect your things. You don’t ever have to go back there. And if you don’t want to stay here after what just happened, we’ll go home. Whatever you want, angel.”
Tears pool in her eyes, and the look she gives me is so full of heartbreak, it cracks something in my chest.
“Why?” she asks. “Why are you still helping me? I heard what you said to Mick. That you won’t let me become a problem.”
Is that why she ran crying from my office? I look around and notice all the stares aimed our way. This isn’t the place to have this conversation, but the drive home is too long to wait. Taking Holly’s hand, I pull her with me into a first-floor conference room.
Closing the door behind us, I turn to Holly and pull her into me. Cupping her cheeks, I hold her so I can look into her eyes as I say, “Baby, what you heard wasn’t me telling Mick I had any plans of ending this or letting you go. You’re mine, and not just because I won you at some auction. You’re mine because you won my heart. I’m in love with you, Holly. What you heard was me telling Mick that I refuse to let you go.”
Holly looks at me with wide eyes. “You…you love me?” she says, and I don’t miss the note of hope in her voice.
“Yeah, angel. I love you. So, if leaving is what you really want, that’s fine. But I’m going with you.”
“I don’t want to leave,” Holly says, hiccuping around a sob. “I never did. I thought you didn’t want me.” She hiccups againand reaches up to fist my shirt with both hands. “I love you too. I don’t want to go anywhere without you.”
“Then it’s settled. You’re mine, and I’m yours. We stay together. Always.”
“Always, Daddy.”
Epilogue
Andrew
One Year Later
Walking out into the living room, I’m hit with an air of tension. It’s no surprise since tonight is an important one. In a few hours, Holly’s first album will hit the market. Her first single was released a few months ago and quickly climbed the charts into a top ten spot and stayed there. With her unique, powerful voice, she quickly became a sensation.
In a few months, we’ll be leaving for her first tour. She’ll be opening for another act, but it’ll be her first time performing in front of large crowds. I know she’s nervous, but not nearly as much as she is tonight. Her first album is full of songs she wrote herself. She’s sharing a piece of her soul with the world, and she’s scared it will be rejected. I have no such concerns because I know how beautiful and talented she is.
