Page 16 of Mountain Daddy (Broken Boss Daddies #1)
LILLY
I run.
My feet pound against the sidewalk like I'm being chased by demons. Which, honestly, I am.
The image burns behind my eyelids. Nikolai's hands around that man's throat. The blood streaming from split skin. The way Nikolai’s face went cold and deadly, flipped from human to monster.
And God help me, the sick part?
It turned me on.
I should be horrified. Should be packing our bags and running as far from this town as my car can take us.
Instead, I'm wet.
My thighs clench and I hate myself for it. Hate that watching him nearly kill a man made my body respond like he'd touched me instead.
What kind of sick, twisted woman gets aroused by violence?
The kind who's been ruined by Nikolai Vetrov, apparently.
I push harder. Faster. Like I can outrun the memory of him in that alley. Dangerous, beautiful, completely in control. The way his muscles flexed beneath that shirt. The power that coiled through him, outward, for all to see.
He was completely in control. He wasn’t angry. Wasn’t acting on his emotions. That's what scares me the most.
He was methodical. Like he'd done it a thousand times before.
Like he enjoyed it.
My lungs burn. Sweat stings my eyes. But I don't slow down. Can't slow down. Because if I stop moving, I'll have to think about what I saw. What it means.
What it means for Chleo.
The thought hits like ice water. My son. My sweet, innocent boy who thinks Nikolai is just a nice man who fixes chairs.
If Nikolai is capable of that kind of violence—and clearly he is—what does that make me for wanting him anyway?
What does that make me for letting him anywhere near my child?
I round the corner onto Elm Street.
Completely spent.
Tired.
Breathless.
My house sits at the end of the block. White clapboard siding. Blue shutters. A garden where I grow herbs for the bakery.
Normal. Wholesome. Everything Nikolai isn't.
That's when I see him.
Sitting on my porch steps like he owns the place.
Looks like he's been waiting.
My feet stutter to a stop. Every instinct screams at me to turn around. To run back the way I came and keep running until I hit the state line.
But I can't.
This is my home. My life.
Nikolai looks up as I approach. No guilt in his eyes. No shame. He's cleaned the blood from his hands.
"You're a fast runner," he says conversationally.
"How did you know where I live?"
"Small town. It's not hard to find people."
The casual way he says it makes my skin crawl.
"You followed me."
"I've been watching you, Lilly. Your address was never a secret."
Watching me.
The words settle in my stomach like lead. "You've been stalking me."
"I've been protecting you."
I laugh bitterly. "Protecting me? From what?"
"From men like the one in that alley."
He stands slowly, and I take an instinctive step back. Even casual, even sitting, he radiates danger. Standing? He's a predator uncoiled.
"You mean men like you?"
His mouth curves into something that might be a smile on anyone else. On Nikolai, it’s something else. A threat. Amusement.
"No, Lilly. Not like me. Men like me don't hurt innocent women. We hurt men who try to."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"It's supposed to make you understand."
I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly cold despite the sweat cooling on my skin. "Understand what?"
"That I'm not the monster you think I am."
"I saw you nearly kill a man."
“That man was dangerous. The things he had in mind, I wouldn’t upset you with them.”
The conviction in his voice makes me want to believe him. Makes me want to think there was a reason for the violence. A justification.
But I've seen enough of the world to know how this works. The dangerous man always has an excuse. Always has a reason why his violence was necessary.
"Even if that's true?—"
"It is true."
"—you can't just decide to be judge, jury, and executioner."
"Can't I?"
The quiet question hangs between us like a loaded gun. Because the answer is obvious, isn't it?
He can.
He did.
And he'd do it again without hesitation.
"Who are you?" I whisper. "Really?"
"You know who I am."
"No. I know you sit at Table 9. I know you’re dangerous." My voice rises despite my efforts to stay calm. "But I don't know who you really are."
He studies my face for a long moment. Like he's deciding how much truth I can handle.
"I hurt people who try to take what's mine."
Simple. Direct. Honest.
And absolutely terrifying.
"Am I yours?" The question slips out before I can stop it.
His eyes darken. "What do you think?"
I think I'm in way over my head.
I think I should grab my son and run as far as we can get.
I think I'm playing with fire and pretending it won't burn me.
I think I want to be his anyway.
The realization hits like a physical blow. Despite everything, I want to belong to him.
I’m going crazy.
"I need to change and head out to get Chleo from daycare," I say, moving toward the front door.
He doesn't stop me. Just watches as I climb the porch steps on shaking legs.
I fumble with my keys, drop them twice before managing to get the door open.
To my shock, I hear voices.
Panic claws up my throat. "Chleo!"
"In here, Mama!"
His voice comes from the living room. Relief floods through me, followed immediately by confusion. He should be at daycare.
I follow his voice and freeze in the doorway.
My son is sitting on the floor, surrounded by toys. Nothing unusual about that.
Except for the man sitting across from him.
Tall. Lean. Dark hair. Wearing an expensive suit.
And when he looks up at me, I see the same predatory intelligence I recognize in Nikolai's eyes.
"Mama! Look, this is Maksim. He picked me up from daycare because you had to run an errand. He has the coolest cars!"
My blood turns to ice. A stranger picked up my son.
"You." My voice comes out as a croak. "You can't just—who are you? How did you?—"
"Breathe, Lilly."
Nikolai's voice behind me. Calm. Steady.
I spin around. "You did this. You arranged this."
"I thought you might need some time to process what you saw. Chleo was safe with Maksim."
"Safe?" My voice cracks. "Safe with a complete stranger?"
The man—Maksim—stands smoothly. He moves like Nikolai does. Like violence is always an option, just waiting to be unleashed.
"I apologize for the informal introduction," he says, his accent slight but unmistakable. Russian .
"You should have left my son at daycare where he belongs!"
"Mama?" Chleo's voice is small, confused. "Are you angry? Did I do something wrong?"
My heart breaks. None of this is his fault. He's five years old, playing with toy cars. Completely unaware that his world just shifted on its axis.
"No, baby. You didn't do anything wrong." I kneel down beside him, check him over with my eyes. "Are you okay? Did you have fun with... Maksim?"
"He's really nice. And he brought snacks!"
Snacks. Like this is a playdate instead of... whatever this is.
"Maksim," Nikolai says, "meet Lilly. Lilly, this is my oldest friend. My brother in everything but blood."
Brother. This isn't just a friend. This is someone Nikolai trusts completely. Someone who's part of whatever world Nikolai comes from.
And he's been alone with my son.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you properly," Maksim says. "Nikolai speaks of you often."
"Does he." It's not a question.
"Only good things," Maksim assures me with a smile that's probably meant to be reassuring.
It's not.
Because now I know. This isn't just aboutNikolai and me anymore. This is about Nikolai's world intersecting with mine. With my son's.
And once that line is crossed, there's no going back.
"Chleo," I say carefully, "why don't you go wash your hands for dinner?"
He pouts but obeys, disappearing down the hallway toward the bathroom.
The moment he's out of earshot, I turn on both men.
"Get out."
Maksim raises an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"
"Both of you. Get out of my house. Stay away from my son."
"Lilly—" Nikolai starts.
"No." My voice shakes with rage and fear. "My son is five years old. And I will not let your world touch him."
Maksim looks at Nikolai.
"Perhaps I should go," Maksim says finally. "Allow you two to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," I snap.
But Maksim is already moving toward the door. He pauses beside me, leans close enough that only I can hear.
"He's a good man, Lilly. The best I've ever known. And he would die before letting harm come to either of you."
Then he's gone, leaving me alone with Nikolai.
"You can't do this," I whisper.
"Do what?"
"Pick up my kid without telling me."
Nikolai steps closer. “It’ll never happen again,” he says with a finality that tells me he means it.