This can’t be good.
“I’ll cut to the point, Alessa,” Alexey says, enunciating my name after what I told him about pet names. “We need your help.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You kind of picked a bad time, guys. I’m a bit busy.”
Dmitri nods his head. “We understand. We wanted to talk to you before, but there was never a good time.” He sighs, running his hand through his hair. “It’s Mama.”
My ears perk up. Nina, their mom, is such a sweet lady. Why she’s with the likes of Viktor, I will never know. She’s no taller than five feet even, long black hair barely streaked with grey and the prettiest, kindest brown eyes I’ve ever seen.
“What’s wrong with your mom?” Ryder asks, sitting up in his chair. He feels the pull toward Nina too, since we both grew up without moms. She always doted on us whenever she was around, and Viktor’s back was turned.
“Father,” Alexey grits out. “He laid hands on her.”
Gage sits up too. “Excuse me?” he asks, feeling the same way as Ryder and me.
“He’s always been a monster. But we didn’t realize how much of one until we saw it first fucking hand,” Alexey says, his jaw flexing, showing his emotion. “We aren’t around much because we don’t want to be, and we missed the signs.”
“This isn’t your fault,” I soothe, looking at Gage, Dex, and Ryder. They all nod in agreement. “What can we do?”
“We need your help getting her out. She’s in full agreement but knows she can’t just leave. He will kill us all,” Dmitri answers with the same emotion as Alexey. How in the fuck could you raise a hand in anger to a woman as sweet as Nina?
“You will have to give me some time, but I’ll come up with something. Meet me at the games on Tuesday.”
“Thank you,” Alexey says with sincerity and relief.
I shake my head. “Don’t thank me yet. Thank me when we get her out.”
“I have no doubt you will,” Dmitri says, standing up and buttoning his tux jacket. “Thank you for even considering it.”
Alexey follows suit with Dmitri, leaving us in the boardroom. I sigh and lay my head on the table. “How the hell did I just add more to my plate?”
Ryder rubs a hand down my back. “Our plate,Il mio sole. You aren’t alone in this.”
“This might work to our advantage, Baby girl,” Dex says, and I turn my head toward him. “We can storm the place like a kidnapping. If Viktor just so happens to get killed in the process,” he shrugs, “Two birds, one stone.”
I sit back in my chair. “You’re a fucking genius.”
He chuckles. “No.”
Gage’s phone starts pinging like crazy before I can reply. He pulls it out with a frown. He flashes me the screen; they’re all from Leo.
He swipes it open, then curses. “Shit. Viktor is looking all over the place for Alexey and Dmitri, and Leo said he looks pissed.”
If he saw where they came from, he can’t see us come from the same door. I nod toward the other door. “We go the long way. Back through the lobby.”
We get up and make our way back through the lobby, entering the ballroom the same way we first came in. Viktor spots us immediately and storms toward me. I feel Ryder and Dex bristle behind me; Gage slips his arm around my waist, closing ranks.
He towers over me when he’s closer; it’s such a dick move. “Stay the fuck away from my son!” Viktor growls in my face with his thick Russian accent, looking me up and down with disdain.
“Um,” I tap my chin thoughtfully, “What?”
“He doesn’t need to be seen with the likes of you…Italians.” He spits the word Italians like it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Forgive me, Viktor,” I start politely. “But what the actual fuck are you talking about?” His face immediately turns beet red for me using that type of language in his presence. It’s laughable, as I’ve heard how he talks to Alexey and Dmitri.
He steps closer, and Ryder plants a hand in the center of his chest. “I suggest you back the fuck up.”
He drops back a step. “You and Alexey on the dancefloor are a disgrace tomyfamily.”
