"They're here!" Ivan announced as if Andrei and Igor didn't have eyes and couldn't see the Cessna C421C Golden Eagle touch down on the tarmac and glide towards them.
Their guards were instantly on the alert as the plane stopped a few meters away. Several minutes passed before the plane doors opened, and out came Juan Pérez, dressed in an all-white suit, his long black hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. A pretty little thing with dusky skin and a mass of black twirly hair cascading around her bare shoulders hung onto the man's arm. Her tight metallic dress left little to the imagination, showing off her voluptuous body in all its glory. The sparkly shoes on her feet did wonders for her toned legs. Toned legs were one of Andrei's very few weaknesses. The things he could do with those legs— "I see he brought company," Ivan muttered beside him, gatecrashing Andrei's drool fest. "Did you expect anything less?" he drawled, irritation quickly replacing his anxiety as he scoped out the five guards trailing behind Juan and his lady friend. They were all dressed in black suits and serious Ray-Bans to complete their look, and Andrei instantly hated them. Nothing screamed mob, drug dealing and human trafficking than guys dressed in black suits and Ray-Bans and carrying shiny briefcases. Couldn't they have been a little discreet? "Mr Ivanov!" Juan was the first to speak when his entourage finally closed the gap between them. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you." His accent was so thick that Andrei struggled to understand what he was saying. But he shook his hand and welcomed him to Africa. "I hope you had a good flight?" "It was fantastic!" said Juan's arm candy. "I love Africa already. The weather is beautiful, and I can't wait to see the lions. Juan says we'll go to the safa…safa…" "Safari!" Juan snapped at her, his irritation evident. "I told you, you don't talk. Your only job is to look beautiful, and dare I say, you look magnificent. Now be a good girl and wait in one of those nice cars." "But—" "I wasn't asking, Sofia," Juan said, sounding calm enough, but the crazy look in his hooded eyes said otherwise as he pointed at the four luxury SUVs Andrei's security occupied. "Fine, Honeypot," Sofia pouted as she leaned in, kissed him on the cheek and sashayed off, leaving a thick cloud of feminine scents behind her. They watched her stroll to the car, swaying her hips dramatically with each movement. "Sorry about that. Women sometimes…" Juan said, laughing his head off as if he didn't just disrespect his wife, girlfriend, sidepiece, or whatever Sofia was to him. Andrei didn't laugh. He found women a nuisance half the time, but he didn't get off on blatantly disrespecting them, especially in company. "Shall we begin?" he asked. "Yes, of course," Juan nodded, and they slid into Andrei's car. "Show me yours, and I'll show you mine," the Mexican said as soon as the doors closed. "Right," Andrei nodded at Igor to do the honours. His second in command reached down to retrieve an unassuming briefcase under the driver's seat. For some reason, Juan seemed to have major trust issues. One minute, Andrei was watching his captain retrieve the cash, and the next, the muzzle of a gun was pressed to the back of Igor's shiny bald head, and all their guards, with their weapons drawn, surrounded the car. "You have ten seconds to get that shit off my man's head, or your brains will be splashed all over these windows. I don't think Sofia would like to miss her safari, do you?" Andrei said calmly. He'd been in his fair share of blitz attacks. Some he'd initiated, and others sprung on him. But from past experience, he knew that remaining calm was the only way to escape any hairy situation with his head still intact. "What is your guy trying to do?" "What the hell do you think he's doing? Getting your cash, of course!" "Under a car seat?" "I don't know how you do business where you come from, but here, we're discreet. We don't fucking walk around with shiny briefcases. Now you have two seconds left, or the deal is off, and I'll put a fucking bullet in your head myself." Juan didn't look convinced and needed a little motivation. Before anyone could even process what he'd done, Andrei had reached for his backup pistol strapped to his ankle holster, cocked it and aimed it at Juan. Both were now on equal footing. Armed, loaded and ready. "Don't be a dumb ass, Juan. This is my fucking territory. I call the shots here. Look around you. Private airport, no flight manifest. I can make all of you disappear, and no one would even know where to look." "Right!" Juan broke into manic laughter as he lowered his gun. A collective sigh of relief swept through the car as Igor and Ivan relaxed in their seats. "I like you!" Juan decided, still cackling with laughter. "I like how decisive you are!" Andrei didn't share his sentiments. He couldn't deal with the Mexican's erratic ways. The deal was— His phone vibrated in his pocket. He put away the gun and pulled out his phone, half expecting Juan to aim his Glock at him now. Surprisingly, the man was now smiling inanely as he motioned to him to answer the call. "My men will handle it from here. I'll be back. Igor, Ivan, do the necessary," he said before stepping out of the car. He walked a few feet away from the two security teams still engaged in a tense standoff and answered his phone, wondering who was calling him from a withheld number. The moment he heard her voice, Andrei wished he'd ignored the call. "You declined my Hot Connexions match?" "What? Did the little prima donna's ego get bruised? Can't handle a little rejection?" "Why did you reject me?" Holly demanded, sounding drunk out of her mind. "I'm beautiful, fairly wealthy and educated! And oh, I can dance. I can even do the tango! What more do you want?" Andrei didn't know he needed a wife who could tango until Holly brought it up. Yes, he had to add knowing how to tango to his list of requirements. There was no dance sexier, bolder and more intimate. His future wife definitely had to know how to tango. "Tell me your requirements right now! And I bet your ass I meet all of them. I think I even give good head. I'm pretty sure I do!" "Holly Anderson! Who do you think you're talking to?" Andrei barked at her, unable to believe he'd left his meeting for her drunken nonsense. "Call your driver to take you home right now, and I'll be generous enough to pretend this call never happened." "What will it take?" She slurred. "Nothing! You and I can never happen—" She barraged on, cutting him off. "What will it take to get my penthouse back?" So that's what this was about? Her penthouse? All her drunken talk about being a damn good catch, knowing how to tango, and giving good head was about her damn penthouse? Thank heavens she wasn't fixated on him! "Listen carefully, you little prima donna, that penthouse is mine now. I'm not selling it." "But you don't use it!" Holly shrieked on her end. "Give it to me! Give it to me right now!" "I'm not having this conversation with you right now! In fact, I'm not having this conversation with you, period!" Andrei snapped and hung up, pissed out of his mind that the spoilt princess had taken five minutes of his life he'd never get back. He switched off his phone just in case she was tempted to call him again. When he returned to the car, Denis, their resident cook, had just finished checking the samples. "What's the verdict?" Andrei asked as he resumed his seat and yanked off his tie, sorely tempted to call Liam and tell him to keep his little sister on a leash. "It's fucking beautiful!" Denis effused. "I've never seen anything so pure. This…This will be our rainmaker!" "Of course, I deliver only the best," Juan said smugly, and Andrei's mood soured even more. He should just put a bullet in the back of the Mexican's head, take his shitty samples, and keep all his money. But, he was a man of his word. He signalled to Igor to hand over the cash. "We'll call you with the next steps," Andrei informed Juan as they traded briefcases. But he had no intention of doing business with the Mexican. Juan had shown his true colours when he pulled a gun on Igor for no reason. And if Andrei had learned anything throughout his long, colourful career, it was to believe people when they showed him who they were the first time around. Igor's phone screeched, and it was his turn to jump out of the car. When he hopped back in, he wasn't a happy camper. "Boss, we have to go. Family crisis. Helga couldn't reach you. There seems to be trouble at home." With their business concluded, Andrei shook Juan's hand, albeit reluctantly, promising to keep in touch, even though he had no intention of doing so. He walked the Mexican and his crew back to their Cessna. "We should meet up after we return from the safari. I'd like to see more of your beautiful country," Juan said before turning to the plane. "Sure, call me!" Andrei nodded as he watched him smack Sofia's ass. He really hoped this was the first and last he saw of the Mexican. As soon as the plane took off, Andrei returned to the waiting cars. His security wanted to hold a debrief session to discuss the shitshow with Juan, but Andrei asked them to shelf it for later. He had a far more pressing matter to deal with. "But we need to—" Lev, his head of security, tried to protest, but Igor put him in his box. "The boss has an emergency, Lev!" With that, they bundled him in the car and headed off, with Andrei feeling somewhat relieved the meeting had gone fairly well. "Did Helga say what the emergency is?" "She mentioned an intruder." "Fucking hell!" Andrei swore. Could this damn night get any worse? "You missed the off-ramp," he said when he noticed they were driving in the wrong direction. Linksfield was in the opposite direction. "It's not the house in Linksfield. We're heading to Forrest Creek!" Ivan announced. Andrei didn't ask why because he had a pretty good idea. Damn that Holly Anderson!Five minutes before the ceremony was due to start, Andrei took his place at the altar, and Father Gabriel walked in moments later. To say Andrei was relieved to see him was an understatement. Even though Rowena had assured him the priest was on board, Andrei knew his father's influence. A small part of him had expected Father Gabriel to run straight to his old man and squeal on him. Thank God the man had proven he could be trusted. "You'll be glad to know the roof of the Lord's house is being fixed as we speak, and the homeless shelter will remain open for the rest of winter. You've truly answered our prayers, young Ivanov!" "Why didn't you do it?" Andrei asked. "Why didn't you tell my father?" "Because you asked me not," Father Gabriel replied. If the response had come from any other person, Andrei would have been deeply suspicious because, in his world, people rarely stuck to their promises, and even fewer actually meant what they said. Andrei imagined things worked a li
It took Colleen some time to calm her down, explaining the two cars trailing them were actually their security. "They work for Andrei," Colleen said, taking her hand. "They've been following us since we left Morningside Mews. I totally forgot to tell you. I'm so sorry." When Holly still didn't look convinced, Colleen pulled over on the side of the road. The SUVs followed suit, and a moment later, a familiar face filled Holly's window. "Miss Anderson, I'm Bastian. It's a pleasure to officially meet you," said Andrei's man when she rolled down her window. "Is everything okay?" he added, but his eyes were on Colleen. "Everything is fine," Holly replied quickly, feeling utterly foolish for not listening to her friend and acting like a scaredy cat. "It's nice to meet you, Bastian." "Miss Anderson was feeling a little nauseous, that's all," Colleen added. "Wedding jitters." "I understand," Bastian said, flashing his pearly whites, his gaze constantly scanning their surroundings. "W
If Holly thought their trip to Pine Crest was rough, their trip back to Rock Castle was downright terrible. It was the stuff plane crash fears were made of. Luckily for them, despite the bumpy flight, they managed to land at the heliport east of town with little trouble. After hugging Willow goodbye, Holly made her way to Eric's car, and asked him to drop her off at Morningside Mews. "What's happening at Morningside Mews?" Eric asked. "I have to pack up the place," Holly replied. It wasn't a total lie. Over the next two weeks, before her surgery, she'd have to pack up the place. Just not today. Today, she needed the privacy of her old place to prepare for her wedding in peace. "I thought there were speciality places for that, you know, to help you move—" "There are," Holly cut him off. "But I prefer to handle it myself." Her response seemed to satisfy Eric, and he didn't pester her for the rest of the drive. But half an hour later, he was reluctant to leave her alone. "Are
After dropping Holly the pin to their wedding location, Andrei headed to Indigo, making a surprise stop, to Colleen's dismay. "What brings you by? I'm about to close shop." "So early?" Andrei frowned, checking the time on his Cartier. "It's Friday," Colleen retorted as she stepped aside and let him. "And?" "And some of us have lives, you know. I have a date with Mark." "I'm afraid you'll have to delay it for a wee bit. I need to check the books!" "Right now?" Colleen shrieked, her irritation burning bright in her eyes. "You have shitty timing, Ivanov!" she hissed over her shoulder as she pulled out her laptop from her bag and fired it up. "There," she said, pushing it at him. "Knock yourself out." Andrei sat behind her desk, and while he checked the monthly financial reports and read through Colleen's business growth plan for the next quarter, he tasked her with finding him a few wedding-esque items—like something old, something blue and something borrowed. "Who are they f
"Is the church service over already?" Holly asked, taking her mom's hand as she sat beside her. "All the screaming and shouting made everyone uncomfortable." "I'm sorry," Holly said, and she genuinely meant it. The last thing she wanted was to add to her mom's grief. "Don't be," Lois said, patting Holly's cheek. "You were speaking your truth, that's all. And sometimes, I wish Agnes was as brave as you." "How so?" Holly asked, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "Aunt Agnes was one of the bravest people I knew. Look at how hard she fought to live." "She didn't fight for love, though. And sometimes I think that's what made her sick." "What do you mean?" "Remember her wedding dress?" "The one you left in my room?" Holly said, nodding. "Yeah, that one!" Lois laughed softly. "I think I'm ready to tell you everything now." "About Aunt Agnes and Edward?" Lois nodded. "They were madly in love, your aunt and Edward. But he wasn't from a wealthy family. He came from a long line of m
It rained cats and dogs on Friday, with the gloomy clouds blanketing the Midlands sky adding to the already mournful atmosphere hanging over the farm. Holly's heart was just as heavy. But since no one else knew today was supposed to be her wedding day, all she could do was grieve for her dashed dreams in silence. After a light breakfast none of them had the appetite for, they set off for St. Luke's, and by 9:00 AM, when the priest opened the service with a prayer, kickstarting the first leg of her aunt's final sendoff, Holly was beside herself with sorrow. How she made it to the podium, she would never know. But what was even more baffling was her stunning delivery of a eulogy she'd prepared late last night when her mom realised they needed a speaker. Willow and Liam had politely declined, pointing out they didn't know their aunt well enough, so as her favourite, Holly was automatically the chosen one. She'd written a three-page long speech. But as soon as she stood in front of t