Myfucking priority, not his. But I don’t question Aleksi’s loyalty. I never have. “How the fuck am I supposed to explain my parents’ house to her?”
“You could try telling her the truth,” he says.
“Yeah, because every woman wants to run into the arms of a fucking Bratva heir.” I shake my head. As soon as she realizes who my family is, she’s going to want to run. I’m not going to let her, but she’ll try.
It takes thirty minutes before I’m pulling into my family’s estate.
“Just tell her the truth, because if she really is the one for you, the truth won’t matter,” Aleksi says before I get out of the car.
“I know.” I run a hand down my face. I mean that. Iknowhe’s right. I’ve watched all my cousins and even my sister fall down the hole of love. Their partners all accepting them for who they are, accepting the family forwhatwe are.
Caitlyn is different. I know she’s had a shitty few years. She’s just escaped an abusive relationship. She’s not going to want to fall into bed with a man who has more blood than a fucking blood bank on his hands.
Aleksi follows me into the house.
“Lex, where the fuck are you?” I yell out as soon as I’m over the threshold. This house is too fucking big to just go searching for anyone.
“Neo Valentino-Petrov, I know you’re not screaming under my roof.” My mother appears in the foyer. “Aleksi, how are you?” She skips past me and greets him first.
“Where is she?” I ask my mother.
“You need to stop and breathe. Caitlyn is fine. She’s out back with your father.”
My eyes widen. “What the fuck for?”
Of all the people for Caitlyn to be talking to, my father is the last to make her feel at ease. He’s fucking scary, every bit the Bratva boss that he is.
I rush to the back of the house and push through the door. I hear laughter. Caitlyn’s sitting on a porch chair next to my dad and laughing. I pause, watching as her face lights up with joy.What the fuck did he say to get that response from her?
My father’s eyes meet mine. “You fuck this up, I’m keeping her and getting rid of you,” he tells me in Russian as he stands. He smiles at Caitlyn before reverting to English. “I’ll leave you two to it.”
She looks over a shoulder, and her eyes meet mine. I don’t say anything. I wait. My father passes me, closing the door as he walks inside. Caitlyn stands. “I didn’t ask to come here. I’m not stalking you or anything,” she says quickly.
“I’m not opposed to having you as a stalker,solnishko.” I smirk and make my way over to her. Looking her up and down, I pick up her arm as soon as I spot a red mark around her wrist that wasn’t there this morning. “I’m going to fucking kill him,” I hiss under my breath. “Are you okay?” I bring her arm to my mouth and kiss the underside of her wrist.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing,” she says.
“Sit down.” I don’t let go of her hand as I pull her over to the two-seater sofa. “I’m sorry you got fired. But I have a solution for you.”
“What?”
“I just happen to have a position open at one of my companies. I need an office assistant. Someone to answer phones and emails—boring shit.” I shrug.
“I… I don’t have any experience doing that, Neo. I appreciate you trying to help me. I do. But I’m going to be okay. I will just go back to the drawing board and find another waitressing job.”
“It’s a six-figure salary, Caitlyn, and comes with a fully-furnished apartment in one of the company buildings.” It’s a lie. There’s no such position, but if it gets her to take the job, then I’ll make it happen. “Not that you need an apartment because you’re taking me up on being my roommate.”
“I can’t move in with you,” she whispers.
“Why not?” I ask her.
Chapter Eighteen
Ihave to tell him. I can’t let this man put himself or his family, who have been nicer to me than anyone has in the past few years, get mixed up in my mess.
I close my eyes. “You don’t know me, Neo. You don’t know anything about me.”
“Then tell me all about you, Caitlyn,” he says.
