23. Crashing Dates & Parties

ROMAN

Ivan. Fucking. Malev.

These words are enough to make me go insane with anger and why, you ask? No fucking reason.

My men got a tip that he would be coming from Russia in a few days for business and apparently there's a rumour he's getting married. To whom? No idea.

Speaking of Russian, did I have any idea that Heather was half Russian? No, I did not. No one did. At least not until she starting speaking the the language with her brother.

At first we thought they learnt it for no apparent reason but after much research, we found that the Elias family is Russian. At least their father is.

So now I'm sitting here and looking through the photos on my phone and thinking my eyes my be playing a trick on me, because there is no way Heather can know Ivan fucking Malev.

Or can she?

She is Russian after all.

"What're we thinking Roman?" Gabriel's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I briefly glance at him and then my phone.

"How are you sure it's her?" I ask him and he throws another pile of pictures on my desk. I skim through them and my eyes land on the few photos where she's in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist as he kisses her head.

No fucking way.

"Could they be related?" Enzo asks Emilio, our hacker who shrugs.

"Not that I know of, although..." He trails off and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"What?" I say to him and he seems to think a moment before speaking.

"There is a rumour that Ivan has come here to ask for Alexander Elias' help as well as Heather's." He says and I frown.

What has she got to do with this?

"Continue." I order him.

"The Russian Mafia was supposed to be... Alexander's, or as they call him Aleksander, but their father gave it all up for his family." He says and both Enzo and Gabe give me a knowing look.

"But it was handed to Ivan, because the Elias family gave it up and because they trust Ivan with their lives, something about his father and Heather's uncle and father being childhood friends. Ivan was placed under the care of Heather's uncle, so he took over instead of Alexander." Emilio finished.

"Then the Elias family must be returning to the mafia." Enzo said and Gabe shook his head.

"They're not returning, they were always in it, just didn't take over." He said and Enzo nodded thoughtfully.

"This makes so much more sense. Heather and Alexander both have been professionally trained... remember?" Enzo pointed out and I nodded.

Looks like she's the Russian princess then.

"But why does Ivan need Heather's help then?" Gabe thought to himself when suddenly Enzo's eyes widened and he looked at me.

"Could it be that Ivan and Heather...?" He started but I held my hand up suddenly and he stopped.

No, it can't be.

"Track her car Emilio, see where they are heading. It's time to pay Ivan a visit." I said and Emilio nodded, quickly locating them and in the next ten minutes, we were headed to the same restaurant I brought Heather the other day to discuss the project.

"Table under Angelo." Enzo told the manager who nodded but I stopped him.

"Heather Elias, is she here?" I asked the man who seemed to be scared of me, not that I cared and he hesitated a bit before nodding.

"Good, I want a table close to hers but not too close." I said and he nodded before scurrying off.

"What if they see us?" Gabe asked me and I smirked.

"That's the whole fucking point." I said when the manager came running back and led us to the empty table and sure enough, I had a clear view of Heather sitting and enjoying her food with none other than Ivan Malev.

And she was smiling so widely, and he was smiling right back at her.

"I thought Ivan never smiled." Enzo said glancing at them and then me, but my eyes never left her face and she seemed to be oblivious to everything around her but him.

"He does for her." Gabe said, making my fists clench shut, my knuckles turning white as the waiter brought us water.

I averted my gaze before I'd shoot someone and focused on anything else, when I heard the most beautiful laughter, the same I'd heard the first time that had me hooked and my eyes went to the very person.

It was a beautiful sight, how her head fell back and her eyes twinkled, a dimple on her right cheek showed and her cheeks turned a light pink colour.

She looked so beautiful, ethereal and carefree, that it brought an involuntary smile to my face which disappeared as soon as it came when my gaze fell on the man next to her.

Fucker.

The man that made her laugh and somewhere deep inside of me, I wanted to be the one who made her smile and laugh like that, no one else.

A while later, they were both talking to each other and drinking their wine when her eyes wandered around the restaurant, looking at everything carefully with a small smile on her face until they fell on me.

Her smile disappeared and she choked on her wine, coughing, when Ivan got up from his seat and went towards her, rubbing her back until she averted her gaze and reassured him she was fine.

They sat there for a while more and I noticed she wasn't smiling like she was before, or talking with such enthusiasm, until they both paid and got up suddenly.

"They're leaving." Enzo said and I got up from my seat and walked to the front door, Enzo following close behind.

I saw him offer her his arm and she looped hers through it, taking a hold of his hand as they walked towards us.

"If anyone is bothering you, you tell me kotenok. Got it?" I heard his voice and I knew what he had called her.

Kitten. His kitten.

"Got it." She responded and just as they were about to leave, I called on to the princess.

My princess.

"Going somewhere, princess?" Ispoke and both of the stopped in their tracks.

"Heather." Ivan said her name in warning and I'm guessing he knows I stopped them. Both of them turned around together and her eyes widened a fraction when they fell on me.

The click of a gun brought me back to my senses and before I could comprehend what happened, Heather's hand took a hold of his arm before he could pull it out.

She knows he carries a gun, so I'm assuming she knows the true nature of what he does.

"No, Ivan." She warned him, making him glare at her.

"Why the fuck did he call you princess, kotenok?" He asked her furiously, when her eyes fell on me briefly and before I could help it, my gaze drifted towards their intertwined hands, my jaw clenching shut in place before I looked up at Ivan.

"Malev." I spat and Ivan's eyes came to me, his lips curling in distaste.

"Angelo." He spoke poisonously when Heather suddenly took hold of Ivan's face with both of her hands and turned it towards her.

Why is she doing that? What relationship do they have with each other?

"Ivan, look at me, calm down. Let's go, yeah?" She told him, making him frown.

"Why is he here?" Ivan asked her.

Wasn't that obvious?

"He lives here Ivan, and as for the restaurant, I don't know. Now come on." She explained and practically dragged him out.

Although before they could exit through the front doors, he kissed the top of her head and threw another glare towards me before leaving.

Who does he think he is?

"Capo?" Enzo's voice brought me back to the real world and I sighed and shook my head.

"Let's go." I said and left the restaurant, Enzo and Gabe trailing behind.

Hours had passed and here I was sitting in front of what I presumed was dinner.

"Boss." Emilio called out to me and I saw him walking in with a sly grin on hid face and his iPad in his hand.

"Speak." I said looking away as he made himself comfortable on one of the dining chairs.

"We got a tip that a few students from the Kingston College are throwing a beach party tomorrow." He said.

Do I look like I fucking care?

"And?" I raised an eyebrow at him and he gulped.

"One of the students happen to be Heather Elias and rumor has it her borther and Ivan are going to be there as well." He finished and my head snapped up to him immediately.

"Send Enzo the details."

"What are we doing?" Enzo said rubbing his haands together as he entered the dining room.

"Crashing a beach party apparently." I spoke reclining in my chair with a smirk.

I'm not done with you just yet Heather.