Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the preacher says.
Alexei lifts my chin with two knuckles and then kisses me, soft and tender in a way he hasn’t been before. I murmur something, I don’t know what, and the kiss deepens as if he’s promising every vow imaginable. Then he releases me and I blink, startled.
“Yay,” Betty yells, throwing fake flower petals up in the air above us.
I blink as one lands on my eye and Alexei gently brushes it away. He kisses me once again and then starts walking down the aisle with Garik following us. Looking over his shoulder, I turn and throw the fake bouquet at Garik as hard as I can. He catches it and looks down, his eyes widening.
I finally feel free to laugh.
Alexei kicks open the door, and we walk out into warm Reno sunshine toward the car. It hits me all of a sudden that I’m a married woman.
Alexei’s phone buzzes, and still somehow managing to hold me aloft, he reaches into his pocket and lifts it to his ear. I wrap an arm around his neck to better balance myself.
“Sokolov,” he says. “When? How? Thanks. Got it.” He clicks off.
“What?” I ask.
He sighs. “Apparently, Blythe Fairfax was murdered last night. They found her body this morning.”
Panic grabs me and then I relax. “You were in the prison infirmary last night.” Thank goodness. They can’t pin this on him.
A muscle along his neck flexes. “The police want to speak with you.”
I frown. Why would they want to talk to me? “Okay. I guess we need to get back.” None of this makes sense.
He grins, his surprising dimple flashing for the briefest of moments. “We are not a hundred percent married yet.”
I blink. “What do you mean?”
“For a marriage to be validated, it has to be consummated.” Then he kisses me.
THIRTY-SIX
Alexei
I sit at Rosalie’s dining table first thing in the morning with a steaming cup of coffee in front of me. We immediately returned to California after exchanging our vows, and I had all night with her. There’s no doubt we consummated the marriage—four times. I like that my girl is a screamer, and she deserves an exotic honeymoon. After I get my business in order.
Right now, I flank one side of her while Joseph Cage quite unfortunately flanks the other side. We face Detective Battlement and his partner, a young woman by the name of Shelly Jones. She is husky with pretty green eyes, long curly dark hair, and light-brown skin. She dutifully takes notes as Battlement questions Rosalie.
Battlement crosses his arms. “Mr. Sokolov, you’re not needed here. You should leave.”
“Actually, he can stay,” Rosalie says. “This is an informal interview that I have agreed to, and I set the parameters, Detective.”
Pride fills me. She sounds tough even though she looks rather delicate in a pink suit. This one has another pencil skirt, and I’m finding myself rather addicted to them. Her blouse is a flowery one with all sorts of different colors, and the suit jacket is buttoned even though she’s sitting. Her hair is up, her eyes are clear, and if anything, she looks a little pissed off.
I, on the other hand, am feeling quite relaxed. “I’m not going anywhere, Detective.”
His gaze flicks to me. He’s a beefy man and could probably take several punches before he falls.
Although I’m relaxed and present, since Hendrix is dead, I need to go and consolidate power. My phone keeps vibrating silently in my pocket, and I’m spending time here that I don’t have. No doubt Lillian is making a move to consolidate without Hendrix, and I won’t be surprised if a couple of the higher up lieutenants decide to try for a takeover.
Most of them don’t know that the power really lies in the ability to physically charge the amethyst crystals that run the servers and just think that the company is a normal Bratva-run organization. I need to disabuse them of the idea that they could prosper without me. Yet I won’t leave until the detective does.
Movement sounds from the kitchen, and I have no doubt that one, if not several, of Rosalie’s boarders are listening, unapologetically, at the door. Garik is covering the front of the house. There really is no privacy around here, and I find that is something I’ll probably change. Oh, I’ll let her keep her boarders, but there’s going to have to be some sort of distance to keep them safe, if for nothing else.
Battlement reaches for an old, battered notebook that he tosses on the table and flips open. “Where were you Sunday night?”
“I was still in the infirmary,” I note.
“I’m not talking to you,” Battlement says. “You’re not a suspect. We know exactly where you were. You, however, are a suspect.” He’s facing Rosalie now. “I find it interesting that you start dating Mr. Sokolov here and then all of a sudden, both his brother and his ex-lover end up dead.”