Page 33 of Russian Roulette
“Thanks buddy,” I reply gratefully. The guys tease me for being vegetarian, but they’re respectful of my life choices, which I appreciate.
“How is Jade doing? Is she with you now?” Seven asks.
“No, she’s been asleep in the guestroom all day,” I answer. “I’ve kept a close eye on her to make sure she doesn’t sneak out. So far, so good. She hasn’t given me any trouble. Any news on your end?”
“I’ve been able to gather a bit more information,” Seven replies. “I’ll share it with everyone when we get there. Giovanni might want her for a different reason than we suspected.”
“Oh no, I’m afraid to hear it,” I say, before hanging up.
Since the guys will arrive soon, I’d better go wake Jade. It’s time we gave her a better explanation of why we’re holding her hostage. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if we should’ve grabbed her. The idea of snatching a strange woman from a casino didn’t set well with me for a variety of reasons. Now that I’ve spent time alone with her, I realize it’s for the best.
Jade might believe she’s our prisoner when the truth is we’re only trying to keep her safe. We’re the only ones who understand the reality of what she’s up against. If she thinks the Russian mafia was bad, she won’t know what hit her when Giovanni decides he wants her.
And he will.
Giovanni always gets what he wants. He’s a master of deception and has a way of making people believe he’s helping them when, in reality, he’s trapping them in a life they desperately want to escape. To fall in with Giovanni means to sell your soul.
We understand what kind of man he is.
We should, since all three of us sold every shred of our souls to him a long time ago. Now we’re all trapped in this hellish existence together until he lets us go.
Which will never happen in a million years.
Recognizing the monster he is, I’m never letting him get his filthy hands on Jade. I can’t let that happen, no matter what it takes. I’ll do everything in my power to protect her from his clutches.
I quietly walk along the hallway to her room, hesitant to wake her. I’ve peeked in on her several times by barely cracking the door open, certain she wouldn’t appreciate me barging in on her again like a stalker.
Knocking lightly on her door, I ease it open. She’s still in bed, sound asleep. My loose shirt has slipped off one shoulder, leaving it bare. Her black hair is fanned out across the pillow. Under her eyes are hints of dark shadows where her long lashes touch her cheek.
She’s clearly exhausted to fall dead asleep in a stranger’s house. Either that or she’s more trusting than she should be. We kidnapped her and now she’s sleeping in my bed as if she doesn’t have a care in the world.
As I stand there, watching her sleep, I can’t shake off a sense of unease. I should focus on keeping her safe, yet my mind keeps drifting back to the strange connection forming between her and Vulcan this morning. What really happened in the desert between them?
I move closer to the bed and watch her silently for a moment. Why is there such a powerful pull toward this woman who fell into our lives only yesterday? It’s a feeling that I need to resist. Whatever fascination she holds for me, I need to work it out of my system soon and forget her. The last thing any of us need is a woman to come along and screw things up.
Especially a woman we’re all clearly attracted to.
The three of us thrive on the healthy competition between us. Everything we do together ends up being a competitive event of one kind of the other. It’s a never-ending game we all enjoy, with each of us taking turns to win and lose. Always in good spirits and fun.
A competition over Jade’s affection would be different. If we all go after the same woman, the situation won’t end well. We need to be careful and smart. I can’t allow her to break up the strong bond between us.
Right now, I’m the only one sensing the potential danger coming from her. For everyone’s sake, I need to stay strong and keep things together. No matter how drawn I am to her, resisting her temptation is my only option.
The question is…are Seven and Vulcan willing to do the same?
Even if I drop out of the game, the two of them will try every trick to win Jade over. When they arrive tonight, the first thing I’m doing is setting a few ground rules concerning her. Otherwise, this will be a disaster that we might never recover from. No woman could ever be worth destroying the bond we have.
Gently, I reach over and brush her hair back from her face. The urge to lean down and touch her soft lips with mine is overwhelming. I almost give in, then straighten back up from the bed. What the hell am I doing?
I move back toward the door, pretending I’m just now entering the room. “Jade!” I call out. “Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty. The guys will be here soon. They’re bringing pizza. You must be hungry.”
Her only response is a sleepy murmur, “Five more minutes.” She curls deeper into the bed without opening her eyes. “This bed is heavenly.”
I bet it is, and I’d love to crawl in there with her. I lean back against the door and close my eyes. Resisting her is going to be harder than I expected and a test of my strength. “Okay, I’ll be back in five minutes,” I say. “No more. We have things to discuss.”
In five minutes, she’s getting up, whether or not she wants to. The image of Vulcan or Seven coming in to find her curled up in bed stirs up an uncomfortable twinge of jealousy.
This is bad.
