Merrily jumped at the sound of Giovanni’s voice in her ear. She’d forgotten he was listening to everything. She was so embarrassed her face should have been flaming. She couldn’t look at any of them. She didn’t think Alex saw her the way Danny described, but what did she know? He’d made promises, told her he meant to make a place for her in his home, but no matter what he said just before they had sex, there was always the specter in her head that he was only giving her a place in his life in return for sex.
At least, that’s what her brain said. Her heart said he was growing to care for her as much as she was him. Now, she had to face her father as well as Danny’s accusations and assertions. “Just hang in there a little longer, Merrily,” Giovanni encouraged.
“Just get this over with,” she hissed, beyond caring if anyone heard her. If she made it through this, she’d never complain about anything as long as she lived.
A door slid open to their right, behind the Maddisons. Steve Black, Merrily’s father, walked in with Azriel urging him forward. Though dressed in a suit and tie, the older man looked worse for wear. Merrily might have had a pang that her father had been hurt, but it was quickly doused when she remembered that he had probably had at least a part in putting her and Rose in danger in the first place.
“Merrily!” Her father started to veer off, but Azriel steered him on to his seat across the table, clamping a hand on her father’s shoulder and forced him back to the chair beside Danny. “Let me go! I need to go to my daughter.”
“Not now, buddy,” Azriel said, forcing him into a chair and pouring him a glass of wine. “Sit. Eat. Enjoy the company.” Azriel grinned, looking over their guests. “We’re all just one big happy family here, aren’t we, Dan?”
Dan obviously knew when to keep his mouth shut. He just sat there, looking angry and more than a little defeated.
“My Merrily,” Alex said, stroking her hand gently. It wasn’t until that moment Merrily realized a tear had slid from her eyelashes to her cheek. Angrily, she brushed it away. Before she could set her hand back on the table, however, Alex snagged it. He kissed the tip of the finger with the offending moisture, a tender, intimate gesture Merrily appreciated more than she ever thought she could. “It’s nearly Rose’s bedtime. Do you want to go to her? You know she likes you there when she goes to bed. I can finish this ugly business if you want me to.”
Merrily stilled. He’d given her a way out, but he’d also mentioned Rose to everyone around them. Her father knew, but the other three obviously thought she’d aborted her daughter and was unable to have more children.
“Wait.” Sharon lifted a hand. “Who’s Rose?”
“Bellarose,” Alex said mildly. “Her daughter. Soon to be my daughter.”
Danny perked up, his eyes sparkling, smelling blood in the water.
In that moment, Merrily realized three things. First, Alex had purposely told them about Rose with the idea that Danny would seize on the fact that Rose would be Alex’s heir. Second, Alex fully intended on marrying her and adopting Rose as his daughter because… Thirdly, he was about to get every single person on Rose’s paternal side to sign away their rights to Rose, effectively cutting them out of Alex’s fortune.
Her heart pounded and she was sure she was going to pass out. “I’m good,” she managed to say. “I’ll see this through. I just have one question for you, Alex.”
“Anything, my Merrily.”
“When this is over, how many of these signatures are going to be strictly necessary? Because I know there are consequences coming.”
“Oh!” Giovanni sounded like he was doing everything he could not to cackle with glee. “Good one, Merrily. Alex, remind me never to piss your woman off!”
“Girl’s got a point, Alex,” Azriel said. He didn’t bother to hide his mirth.
Alex merely shrugged. “That’s hard to say. Which is why I’m not taking any chances.”
She put her shoulders back and sat up straighter. “I suppose that’s fair enough. This is important. Rose will be fine without me one night. You know how much she loves Mrs. McDonald and Gloria.”
“I do indeed.” He smiled as if remembering something amusing. Attention back on the four people at the table, Alex’s expression hardened. “So.” He raised a hand to Azriel, who placed blue-backed legal documents in front of each guest. “As you have probably figured out, Rose is the child of the pregnancy all of you agreed should be terminated.”
“I didn’t –” Steve, her father, tried to argue, but Alex cut him off.
“Steve, you may not have actively sought to force Merrily into that course of action, but you didn’t prevent it.”
“Was this the whole reason for the meeting tonight?” Dan was angry, no question. “Is it why you humiliated me tonight?” He bit out his question sharply. “Not because you were worried about your company. You never intended for this merger to happen, did you?”
“Not in the least.” Alex’s tone was abrupt and completely unapologetic. “You’re right. The merger was never going to happen. I needed to get your books legally so I could see what kind of situation Merrily and Rose were in.” His grin was completely at odds with how Merrily knew he felt. “We’ve been watching you and your company for several months now. We weren’t quite ready to move on you because we hadn’t figured out who you were laundering for, but the threat to my Merrily and little Rose escalated things a bit. By gaining access to your books, I could at least see the amount of money involved and get an idea of what I needed to do next. As to the rest… I merely wanted to make the point that none of you deserve to ever meet Rose. If you do, however, it will be with no rights to her. Period.”
“Rose is my granddaughter,” her father said, tears in his voice, his face lined with worry. “I warned Merrily they would be coming for them so she could run before they were caught.”
Alex stilled. Then, slowly, he turned to face her father. “Be very sure you want to do this, Steve.”
“I admit, I’ve not been the best father over the years, but I love my daughter. I risked my life to tell her about the danger headed her way.”
“Dad,” Merrily’s voice was soft. “He’s giving you a way to keep this to yourself. He already knows what your true intentions were so just let it go. If you try to gloss it over, he’s going to call your bluff.”
Steve looked as if he couldn’t believe Merrily was taking Alex’s side over his. “Has he poisoned you against me, then? I love you, Merrily. I stayed away to protect you from the realities of my life.” He wiped a hand over his face. “I’ve always loved you.”
“Dad…”
“Tell me about your employers, Mr. Black.” Merrily knew Alex would be as merciless with her father as he’d been with the Maddisons. She wasn’t sure she wanted that, but knew it was unavoidable.
“This isn’t your business,” Steve snapped. “This is between me and my daughter!”
“Answer him, Dad,” Merrily said, her voice unsteady.
“They’re bad people. Which is why I kept my distance from you.”
“If that’s true, how did they find out about us?” Merrily asked quietly. She knew Alex would drag it out of Steve if she didn’t. He’d done all the heavy lifting until now. This was her responsibility.
“You can leave this to Alex, Merrily.” Giovanni was a soft voice in her ear, but she ignored him.
Steve hesitated. “Your mom knew. She probably told them when they were torturing her.”
“Mom kicked me out of the house when I refused to get the abortion. She had no idea where I was or if I’d actually had a child. The only way they could have found us is if you told them.”
“I didn’t tell them anything!”
Merrily’s heart was breaking. Of the people in this room, the only one who had any kind of blood tie with her cared nothing for her. She was a pawn in his life. A means to an end. Alex and his band of Demons, however, truly valued her. She knew that in the way they all treated her. With respect and dignity. Like she was a valued member of their team. Of their family. She had a choice now. She’d choose to believe.
“When you came to warn me, you knew they were watching you. You didn’t have to tell them anything. My guess is, you knew I could make a good showing of falling off the grid. Probably expected me to do more than I did since I’d told you some of the things I could do with computers. You figured they’d spend time and resources chasing me and give you time to figure something out.” She held her father’s gaze. “Is that about right?” To his credit, he didn’t refute her. “Sign the document, Dad. Just… sign it.”
“I’m not fucking signing anything!” Danny smirked, thinking he’d won something. Merrily knew better.
“That’s not a good idea,” she responded quietly. “Alex and I haven’t known each other long, but one thing I know with absolute certainty is that he’s just looking for a reason to make the remainder of your life a living hell, Danny. Signing that paper and leaving us alone will give him a reason to… maybe not see you harmed.”
“Are you threatening me?” The longer this went on, the more hostile Danny was going to get. She knew this from the time they were together in high school. “Because I’m sure I can sue your ass for that.”
“You’re not going to sue anyone, Danny Boy.” Alex chuckled. “In fact, there is a very good chance you won’t live to see tomorrow, whether or not you sign that document.”
Dan reached for the document in front of him. Scanned it. Then signed in his bold, flourishing script. “Sign it, Sharon. Danny.”
Sharon threw Merrily a malicious glance. “Looks like you landed the big fish, honey. I may sign this under duress, but that kid of yours is still my flesh and blood. I’ll figure out a way around this and sue you for all the pain and suffering you’re putting me through by not letting me see my granddaughter. When I’m in front of a judge, I’ll be appropriately distraught. I guarantee you, I’ll get my rights to Rose.” She glanced at Alex. “And my share of Rose’s inheritance.”
When Sharon reached for her document, something inside Merrily snapped. She grabbed her crab fork and lunged, planting the two-pronged utensil between Sharon’s thumb and forefinger. Sharon shrieked, snatching back her hand. Merrily laid her palms flat on the table, still standing.
“Sign the fucking paper, Sharon.” Merrily bit out the words between clenched teeth. “You try to work your way out of that document, I swear by God and sunny Jesus I will be the one you answer to. You won’t have to worry about Alex, or whoever Dan’s in bed with. When you threaten my daughter in any way, implied or otherwise, I’m the demon you should fear.”
* * *
If it was possible for Alex to be more turned on by a woman, he couldn’t imagine how. When Merrily stabbed Sharon, he could only watch in fascination as events unfolded. No one else seemed to be able to function, either.
Finally, Azriel managed to find his voice. “If you decide she’s not the one for you, Alex, please tell me first. Because I’m sure she’s the one for me.” The bastard sounded awestruck.
“You keep your fucking hands to yourself, Azriel. That’s my woman, and I will fight you to the death for her.” Alex was serious — which Azriel knew — but he tried to keep his tone light. No sense muddying the waters. There was a goal and, if Azriel was right, a finite time to reach it. They expected the Brotherhood to show up soon, and he wanted the business of Rose out of the way before they did.
“You’re all crazy,” Sharon spat. “Every single one of you!”
“Probably.” Alex didn’t care what the woman thought. Hell, she was probably right. “Please sign the document.”
She did. Danny, however, still sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest defiantly. An evil sneer spread across his face, and Alex knew there was no way he was lifting a finger to save him from whatever fate the Brotherhood had in store for him.
“Last chance, Danny,” he said, all traces of amusement gone. “Once this starts, it’s out of my hands.”
“There is nothing you can say or do that would make me sign away rights to my own child.”
Alex could almost pity the man. Rose was his daughter, a child he truly hadn’t known existed until a few minutes ago.
“That girl is my key to Easy Street, and I won’t give her up willingly.”
And just like that, all sympathy evaporated. The man was truly a monster. “So be it.”
“Perfect timing.” Giovanni’s voice was quiet but insistent in his ear. “Ben’s reporting a car coming to the gate. I’ve instructed them to let it pass without confrontation. Sebastian says there are several armed men at the border wall of the property settling in to wait. Says the only mistake they’ve made so far was shooting one of his drones out of the sky — otherwise he might not have even noticed them.”
“So.” Alex looked at Merrily. “They’re on their way. Go to Rose.”
“What about you?”
Bless the woman. He could see the anxiety in her face. For him. He smiled at her, rising and urging her to do the same. “I’ll be fine. I’ve done this a few times, you know.”
She seemed to flow into him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. Alex clung to her tightly, loving that she didn’t hesitate to show affection in front of the others. This had been hard for her. He wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. Far harder than she wanted anyone to know.
Alex knew. She’d been stripped bare, her past laid out for everyone to judge. He was sure she fully expected everyone to side with the Maddisons. “Baby, you know everyone here believes you. Right?”
She looked up at him, a small, sad smile on her face. “It doesn’t matter, Alex. I realize now that it never did. All that matters is that Rose and I are safe. Thanks to you, that’s possible now.” She laid her hand on his cheek. “Whatever happens next, know that I’m proud — so very proud — to know you, Alex. Rose was right. You and your brothers are truly Angels.”
“You might rethink that after tonight, love.” He cupped her face in his hands before taking a tender kiss from her sweet lips. “You know where the safe room is. Rose is waiting there with Ruth and Gloria. Go take care of them for me.”
“Promise you’ll come get us when this is over. Promise you’ll be the one to come to us.”
God, he loved this woman! “I promise, my Merrily.”
She kissed him this time. In the background, Alex heard Danny laying down a disgusted commentary. One he would pay for soon, likely with his life. Then she walked to the back, to the elevator that would take her to her daughter and safety.
Alex watched every step she made away from him. She took his heart with her, which made his job that much easier. When he turned back to face the group at the table, he knew death shone in his eyes.
“Sign, Danny,” he snapped. “Now!”
Danny was the only holdout. Even Merrily’s dad had signed with little protest after Merrily called him out. Danny hadn’t moved from where he sat with an arrogant smirk on his face, arms crossed over his chest. “Go fuck yourself, Petrov.”
Alex glanced up. He knew where the representatives from the Brotherhood would enter. Giovanni was guiding them through the manor much the way he had Merrily and Rose.
“They’re following my lead willingly, Alex. Just outside the dining room now.” Giovanni, ever the eyes and ears of the team, had this covered.
The door opened. In walked five intimidating-looking men. Four of them were covered head to toe in black. The fifth was in the middle, dressed in black except for a yellow sash around his middle, and no head or face covering.
“The guy in the middle isn’t the leader. He’s the decoy. The leader will be to his right, slightly behind him. The first guy. He’s the most dangerous of the group. Keep on him at all times.”
Azriel glanced at Alex and nodded his agreement. This could go bad fast.
“Gentlemen,” Alex greeted, making a sweeping gesture at the table. “Please join us.”
The “decoy” waved him off. “We’re here for your guests.” He indicated the Maddisons and Steve. “Don’t interfere, and no one gets hurt.”
“While I have no problem in you taking the four of them, this is my home. I can’t simply let you do whatever you want.”
“I respect that.” The man looked to Azriel. “Good to see you again, Brother.”
“Malcolm.” Azriel was tense but congenial.
“Your guests took something that didn’t belong to them.”
“I’m fully aware of the extent of the damage.” Alex hadn’t expected things to be this… non-violent. Oh, well. It would probably go south in a few minutes. He was sure he’d get to punch someone before it was over. “My only question is in regard to Merrily Dane.”
Malcolm shrugged. “The woman and her daughter are no concern of ours unless Mr. Black proves uncooperative.”
“What do you need from him? This ends now. I want the threat to Merrily and Rose gone tonight.”
“It’s quite simple. I want the money he stole from our employer.”
“I didn’t take anything,” Steve said instantly.
“Do you have the total missing? Because Danny took quite a chunk.”
“We are fully aware of the amount stolen by both Daniel and Sharon Maddison. The rest we tracked to Mr. Black.”
Alex looked to Azriel, who shrugged. “The Brotherhood has nearly as many resources as we have, and highly intelligent people doing their forensic accounting. It’s possible they missed something, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”
“Mr. Black.” Alex turned back to the other man. “I can’t help you. Your only hope now is to turn over the money and pray for mercy.”
“That’s a lie!” Steve insisted. “I didn’t steal anything.”
“If not you, then who?” Alex didn’t really care, but he wanted the threat to Merrily and Rose gone. Tonight.
“How should I know? I just delivered the load I was given to the appointed drop off. No questions asked. I turned it over to my contacts and left. Follow the trail. I’m sure those two guys know something.”
“We did.” Malcolm didn’t take his eyes from Alex. “His contact was two of the Brotherhood. They counted the money before Mr. Black left as per instructed. Mr. Black signed for the drop off the same as he did for pickup. He has copies of both documents. The numbers are there.”
Instantly, Steve’s face drained of blood and Alex knew he was caught. Waving his hand, he said, “You can’t fix stupid. He’s all yours.”
“And the Maddisons,” Malcolm was insistent. “They have a considerable debt that has yet to be paid.”
“What will you do with them? Steve included.”
Malcolm’s face turned hard. “Exact payment.”
“You can’t let them take us!” Sharon clearly looked terrified. “If you do, you’re just at much to blame for whatever they do to us as they are!”
Alex smiled at the older woman. “Sharon, my dear, you can’t begin to imagine how much I really don’t give a fuck.”
Then the Brotherhood took possession of the four of them. Alex meant what he’d said. He really didn’t give a shit what happened to them. Danny fought hard, as did Sharon. All it got them was a beating. Fortunately, it only took one blow to the face to knock Sharon out. Alex got the feeling that was as merciful as the men would be with the woman. Malcolm’s face screwed up with distaste, as if he didn’t like striking a woman any more than Alex would in similar circumstances. Except, with this particular woman, knowing all she’d done — or tried to do to Merrily — he would be able to get past the fact she was a woman with ease. Danny, however, didn’t receive such gentle handling. By the time they dragged his limp and bleeding body out of the manor, Alex was certain Danny fully comprehended what he was facing.
“Malcolm,” he called to the other man. “What about Merrily and Rose?”
He faced Alex, his face expressionless. “We know Mr. Black has little love for his daughter. His reason for keeping contact with her was his contingency plan, keep everyone looking for her while he ran. I’ll tell our employer she is of no use to us, but he’ll likely still insist we go after her.”
“How much would it take for your employer to forget about the girls?”
“Mr. Black’s debt is close to fifteen million. The usual interest rate is three hundred percent.”
“Forty-five million, and your boss leaves Merrily alone. You can guarantee that.”
“You have my word.”
Alex looked to Azriel. If Malcolm’s word was questionable, he’d know.
Azriel only nodded.
“Then tell your boss I’ll make it an even fifty. He can do whatever he feels appropriate with Mr. Black, but Merrily and Rose are both off limits. Forever.” He took a step toward Malcolm. “Or I find him.”
Malcolm gave a slight smile. “If Azriel follows you, I know the threat is not idle. I’ll accept your offer on his behalf. I’ll contact Azriel with delivery instructions. Consider the matter closed.”
“Good. Get your trash off my lawn.”
Malcolm barked a laugh. “As you wish.” Then the Brotherhood was gone.
* * *
When Alex opened the door to the sub-level-three safe room, Merrily’s heart leapt. Everyone had gathered there, protecting the children while making it seem as non-threatening as possible. It struck Merrily that they apparently did this often, given the order with which everything proceeded. At no time had Rose been frightened, and she kept Snowball and Smokey with her with no problem. Alex had a grin on his face and swung Merrily around when she jumped into his arms. Rose had danced around them, unsure why her mother was so happy, but willing to play. Smokey and Snowball had meowed in protest at Rose dumping them out of her lap but remained where she’d left them. It was late, and most of the children were asleep. Rose probably would have been too, but she was very attuned to Merrily.
Alex had suggested they all go back to Merrily’s suite and get Rose settled, Ruth and Gloria included. Which meant Alex intended for her to go with him to his suite the minute the little girl was asleep. Which was fine with her.
Sure enough, an hour later, Merrily found herself naked in Alex’s bed. The man was insatiable. But then, so was she when it came to Alex.
Once they’d spent themselves, they lay in a sweaty heap on the bed, Alex solidly on top of Merrily. She loved his weight pressing her into the bed. Loved how he was so dominant during sex. Merrily still had the beautiful ring he’d given her before the confrontation with the Maddisons snugly on her finger. She didn’t want to remove it though she knew she needed to. It had to be worth a fortune.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting your ring back,” she said, stroking her hand down the side of his face. “It’s so lovely I didn’t want to take it off, but it’s not mine.”
He raised his head, giving her an impatient look. “Why would you ever take it off? You better not take it off!”
“Alex, it’s an engagement ring. Not only are we not engaged, we barely know each other.”
“And you knew when I got every single person related to Rose other than you to sign over their rights to her I intended on marrying you and adopting her.”
She blinked. “Well, yes. But…”
Alex cut her off with a hard kiss. Which led to another. Which led to more sex. Which led to more pleasure. By the time he’d finished with her a second time, Merrily was too worn out to protest.
“Consider that my official proposal,” Alex murmured. “We’ll be married as soon as I can arrange it. Adopting Rose should go rather quickly as well.”
“You’re something else, Alexei Petrov.” Merrily snuggled closer to him. “I don’t think I could love you more if I had known you for years.”
“I guess that’s something we’ll find out. Because I plan on being with you for many, many years.”
“I thought my life was good. It was good.” She smiled at Alex. “Then, along came a demon and everything changed.”
“For the good, I hope.”
“Now my life is better than good. It’s complete.”
“My Merrily.”
“My Alex.”
She drifted off, happier than she could ever remember being. Who said demons were bad?
