Page 32 of Alexei

“Maybe he was working on a campaign?” Vasili suggested.

“Senator Ashford is okay,” Nico chimed in. “Though a manipulative bastard. You have to watch your back with that one.” It didn’t surprise me to hear it. Most politicians were like that. “I know her brothers,” he continued. “I can introduce you. I never met Agent Ashford. I know they keep her out of the public eye, ever since-”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but I knew what he meant.

“Ever since?” Sasha asked curiously.

“Ever since her brother was kidnapped,” Nico answered, keeping his mask firmly in place. Nico knew about Kingston. This was something I never shared with Sasha and Vasili. It was my shameful secret to bear. “His sister was the witness.”

“Fuck, that’s rough,” Vasili grumbled. “No wonder she joined the agency. Probably sees her brother in every single one of those abducted boys.”

“The part that the world doesn’t know,” Nico continued, “... is that Senator Ashford has a hard time keeping it in his pants. He has another son named after his old man, and another daughter. Davina Hayes, born in Texas.”

“Well their family sounds just as fucked up as ours,” Sasha sneered. “When Alexei marries Agent Ashford, our family dynamic will go up a few notches and our family parties will beat your wedding, Nico.”

“How about you worry about your own women, Sasha?” Vasili smirked. “Or are you scaring them with your BDSM shit?”

Sasha flipped him off.

“Not around the little ones,” Nico taunted him, amusement on his face. “We don’t want you to rub off on them.”

“Oh, and you three bastards are so much better,” he remarked back dryly.

“Her brothers have impressive special forces backgrounds. You know their empire better than anyone, Vasili,” I continued, before Sasha could say another dumb thing. “They are powerful and have connections everywhere.” That family was something and you couldn’t help but admire them. Her brothers would tear down the world for each other and especially for their sister. I had no doubt Agent Ashford would do the same for them.

“We will have to tread carefully,” Vasili commented. “We don’t want to attract any unwanted attention if something happens to her or we have to get rid of her.”

“Nobody is getting rid of her,” I growled threateningly. “Or touching a single hair on her head.”

The words escaped me before I thought better of it, cold and deadly. Fuck! My self-control was slipping. I felt it in every breath I took.

It was a mistake to show you cared too much. I never liked to show it, and I hadn’t made such a mistake in a very long time. The lesson was fresh even after all these years.

Thick tension penetrated the air. Or maybe it was my barely functioning heart. I didn’t know. One thing was for sure, the invasive silence stretched on.

Vasili raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Sasha smirked like the fucking idiot that he was.

Nico muttered something along the lines of, “It happens to us all.”

Raphael just stared. Bastard! He was lucky he held my nephew; otherwise, I’d punch him.

“If you need help,” Nico broke the tense silence. “You can use my resources.”

Since he offered.

“I do,” I said calmly. “I need you to keep her brothers occupied while I work with Agent Ashford.”

“That’ll be hard,” Nico responded. “Her brothers have been all about their little sister. They’ll ditch the U.S. President before they ditch their sister. But I’ll definitely try.”

A nod and that was set.

* * *

Two hours later,I’d done my quota for the day in terms of socializing. Heck, I’d done my quota for the year. I’d probably socialized more in the last year than I had in my entire life. I strode through the large family room and headed out when as always my eyes caught on the painting Isabella hung above the fireplace.

It was a 16 x 24 canvas of a weeping willow. I never understood why Isabella and Vasili liked the damn painting. It was bland and just boring. Tatiana even asked her once what the deal was with it. Isabella blushed crimson, then mumbled something about the beauty and peace of the tree. Her eyes fleeted to her husband as she answered and Vasili’s smirk didn’t escape me.

Who the fuck knew what those two did? Not that I cared to know.