The Runaway In Love (The Runaway Trilogy Book 2) Read online

  Leaving them to let out their fury, I went into the kitchen to discuss plans for keeping guard throughout the night. At the moment he was just trying to scare us, but who knew if that would change?

  While discussing our plan of action, I heard a smash then further commotion outside the house. Ivan yelled Tess’s name while she screamed to let her go. I ran out quickly, followed closely by my guards. Tess was in Ivan’s strong grip, her back to his chest as she kicked and screamed, calling Hassan a murderer while swearing profusely. As was their job, my guards quickly surrounded us while Jonesy picked up Jean and took her back indoors. Hassan held his phone out of the car window, filming the whole thing, which meant retaliation wasn’t possible for us. But when he made the shape of a gun with his free hand as if to shoot us, I saw red, and tried to push my guards out of my way to get to him.

  I wanted to take out Franco’s gun and shoot the bastard between the eyes, but during our stay my guards had forgone carrying their weapons so as not to frighten Jean. How I wish that was not the case.

  My anger and frustration were so great that I began to shake. I demanded that Ivan take Tess inside, and although she protested both physically and vocally, he did as I asked. A grown man would find it hard to overpower my cousin; Tess didn’t stand a chance. As soon as Ivan, flanked by Nate, took her in the house, the car pulled away.

  Before I could speak, Franco muttered under his breath, “Give me the order, boss. I’ll take him out of the picture.”

  “No, Franco,” I stated. “That job is all mine.”

  7

  Kolya

  I waited with the rest of my guards outside Jean’s property, watching until the car’s headlights finally disappeared. Then I turned on my heel and stormed back into the house.

  I was furious; my anger so strong it was almost palpable. How could the police have let him go after the evidence I supplied them with? How dare he threaten Tess? Why did she disobey my order to stay indoors?

  She was arguing with Ivan and Nate when I entered the kitchen, screaming out her fury at being restrained. She looked wild and out of control; her hands shaking as she poked Ivan in the chest while she yelled at him.

  “Do not take your frustration out on Ivan,” I bellowed. “He did the right thing when he restrained you and kept you safe. The man could have hurt you or taken you. Sarah is dead because of him, yet you put yourself in his path. Why, Tess? Why did you feel the need to disobey me and put yourself at risk?”

  “Disobey you? Who the fuck do you think you are? You aren’t my boss, and I’ve done without a father figure in my life for nearly eighteen years, I doubt I’d take notice of one now.” Tess was breathing fast and heavy; her eyes were wide, challenging me to argue.

  “Do not yell and swear at me, Tess,” I told her in a low, almost threatening tone. “I am your husband and it is my duty to keep you safe. I will not hesitate to take the necessary steps to make that happen, whether you agree with them or not.”

  I did not wish to frighten her, but I wanted her to know I meant business. I would lock her away from the outside world if I had to. I would rather take her wrath than see her hurt again.

  “Are you trying to intimidate me, Kolya? That bastard out there tried to do it and he didn’t succeed. So, if I were you, I’d save your fucking breath and lecture someone you pay money to obey you. There’s enough of them here. You could start with your cousin; he deserves it.”

  She turned swiftly, her copper curls flying behind her as she ran out of the room. I heard her footsteps come to a stop in the hallway when she came face-to-face with Jean.

  “I’m sorry for smashing your plant pot, Jean. I was aiming for his head but I missed it and hit the car bonnet instead. I’ll buy you another when I can.” I thought I heard a hitch in Tess’s voice, as if she was going to cry.

  “Don’t worry about it, love. I never really liked that one and the plant was dead anyway. Just make sure you take better aim next time, and maybe use a bigger plant pot,” Jean replied. This caused both of them to laugh, which angered me a little. Was Jean aware that Hassan was filming? Did she not realise that he could go to the police with the evidence that Tess tried to hurt him and had possibly damaged his car?

  I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation due to Dave entering the property. He informed us the cameras he’d set up outside had captured the whole thing, should we need it. I told him to send it to my email. I would show PC Foster when we went to the station tomorrow. She needed to know that Hassan was trying to intimidate Tess and Jean.

  Even though Tess attacked his car, he had made the decision to pass Jean’s home so many times. He was the one who stopped and made a gun shape as if to shoot. From what Tess had told me before, it seemed he was fond of doing that. I, on the other hand, would make sure I held the real thing the next time I came face-to-face with Hassan Akbar. And I guarantee he won’t be smiling when I’m done.

  Jean came into the room and went to put the kettle on, asking everyone if they wanted a hot drink. She took enough cups out of the cupboard and proceeded, with Jonesy’s help, to make sure everyone had what they wanted. When it came to my cup, she brought it over herself.

  “I’d like to have a word with you, if I may,” she said as she sat down at the table. She gestured to the chair beside her then glanced around the room at everyone present. “Would you mind leaving us, gentlemen? I won’t keep him long.”

  Each of my men looked my way and only left the room when I nodded my approval.

  “Do you have something on your mind?” I queried, keeping eye contact as I took a sip of my tea.

  “I want to know why you married Tess. I know you have the resources to have kept her hidden until she turned eighteen, which is only five weeks away. Why did you choose to marry her, Kolya? What was your objective?”

  “Once the police found Sarah’s body they began to question Tess’s involvement. Was she also a victim whose body was yet to be found? Or did she play a part in her friend’s death? The best chance Tess had was to come forward and give her side of the story. If I’d have kept her hidden away any longer, her absence would have made the situation much worse. Tess was a ward of the court, so she would have most likely gone straight back into care if we hadn’t been married. I couldn’t have protected her like I’m trying to do now if she wasn’t my wife.” I kept my eyes locked on hers so she knew how important my next question was. “Now you can answer me a question, Jean. Why did you go outside with her instead of making her stay indoors? Why did you make out it was okay to throw the plant pot at him when he was clearly filming the whole thing?”

  “Have you ever been so angry, hurt, and frustrated about a situation, you throw caution to the wind and do something you know could backfire on you? But even knowing those risks you still need to retaliate before you break down and succumb to despair?” she questioned.

  I nodded my head, still holding her gaze.

  “You have a son, Kolya. If, God forbid, anything ever happened to him, and the man responsible for it was outside your home, can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t want to go outside and hurt him in some way? Even knowing you could get hurt you would still do it, I’m sure. I’d say it’s human nature to retaliate in that way.

  “Because of my heart attack, Tess and Sarah were the last of my foster children. Maybe that’s why the bond we had was so strong. They’d each lost their drug-addicted mothers in terrible circumstances, and there were no other capable family members waiting in the wings. So I became more than their foster mother, in a way. I wasn’t worried about it at the time. Despite them being told they were only with me short-term, no one ever wants to adopt troubled teenagers. Good residential children’s homes are hard to come by, so I knew they’d be with me until they were eighteen. That was what usually happened when I fostered teenagers who had no parents.

  “I didn’t have any kids of my own; my husband and I had problems conceiving. So I loved being a replacement mother figure to all those that stayed w
ith me, for however long I had them. I still see so many of them, even now. A lot of them have children of their own, and most are doing well.” Jean took a drink of her tea then sighed.

  “What I’m trying to say is that I want that man to suffer. Not only was he involved somehow in Sarah’s death, he also tried to hurt Tess, and his actions tonight hurt her even more. The pain of Sarah’s death has been like a knife to the gut for Tess and me, and what Hassan did earlier dug that knife in a little deeper.

  “Tess isn’t used to being told what to do. Growing up, she was always the one in charge, even at six years old. She’d looked after her mother and kept a roof over their heads for years, learning the hard way about budgeting and living off the state with an addict who thought of very little—other than her next fix. When she first came to live with me, it was hard for her not to take over and be the one in charge. It often resulted in her storming off upstairs in a temper, and using swearwords that would make a sailor blush, but eventually she came to trust me enough to let me take care of her wellbeing. The change in her once that happened was such a wonderful thing to see. She would laugh and act more like the teenager she was. Tess was always very protective over Sarah. They became as close as real sisters, not foster sisters.

  “Because of the situation tonight, I saw that angry, guarded Tess that first came to live with me once again. I saw how she bristled when you told her not to go outside. I knew she would do it anyway, not just to defy you, but to let them know she wasn’t going to be bullied and intimidated. When I heard the door open and saw her dash outside I ran after her, thinking I could protect her somehow, but Ivan grabbed her as she threw the plant pot. It didn’t hit its target, sadly, but it at least gave Tess the feeling she had gained back a little control. Like she’d shown him she was strong and could stand her ground. She didn’t have that before. She feared he would hurt me if she told the police or retaliated in some other way, so she ran as far away as she could because she felt she had no other choice and no one to support her. After you had words with her in here, she probably felt alone and unsupported against Hassan once again, hence the shouting and swearing. So there was no way on earth I was going to tell her she was in the wrong, whether she was being filmed damaging his property or not.”

  “I will always support my wife, but I cannot have her putting herself in danger, Jean. The memory of her lying pale and bloody in my arms is still so fresh. I could not live through that again.”

  “I’m going to ask you once again, Kolya. Why did you marry Tess? And don’t give me the excuse you did earlier, however plausible that is. I want the truth this time, from the heart.”

  “I married her because I’m in love with her. She’s the first thing I think about on waking—which is only to be expected because she haunts my dreams every night. I know she’s too young for me, and if I was a better man I would have set her free. But I’m not a good man, Jean. I allowed myself to become obsessed with her instead of just taking care of her as I promised I would. Once she turns eighteen, she will be my wife in every way, not just legally.”

  Jean seemed confused for a moment, but I knew she understood what I hadn’t said outright when her eyes grew wide.

  “What does Tess think about all of this?” she asked hesitantly.

  “She understands more today than she did before. I should have told her sooner how I felt about her, but I didn’t want to scare her away.”

  “And what about not consummating your marriage until she’s eighteen? Who decided that?”

  “I did. I am not an ogre, Jean. I do not prey on underage girls like the man we saw tonight. I respect Tess, and her innocence. I will wait. It is the right thing to do.”

  “For whom?” she questioned. “And just to clarify, when it comes to sex, Tess isn’t underage. She is a young woman who knows her own mind, and has been making decisions by herself for years. You are obviously a man who is used to being in charge, so you and Tess will most certainly clash if you try and take over her life. I know you spoil her, and you’re an extremely wealthy man so she’ll have a comfortable life and will want for nothing. But a happy, lasting marriage needs more than that, especially when the two people involved are so strong willed. You keep calling her your wife, so act like a husband and make decisions together.”

  “Has Tess spoken to you about this?” I asked. I could tell that Jean was a little uncomfortable with our conversation, yet she seemed determined to see it through.

  “We haven’t gone into detail, but Tess seemed worried that you might be a little…disappointed. I wasn’t aware you hadn’t actually been intimate yet. I just assumed because you are married and are sleeping in the same room…”

  “I don’t understand. Why would she think I’d be disappointed?”

  “She doesn’t have the experience you have, Kolya. You’ve been married before and I’m sure you haven’t been living like a monk for all these years. The only experience that Tess has had with regards to sex was seeing and probably hearing all the men her mother earned her living from. I told her to talk to you about it, and said it would get better with time. Like I said before, I just assumed you were intimate. It’s clear to see you’re in love with each other. Your eyes never leave her when she enters a room. You have to be touching her in some way—either stroking her hair or holding her hand. I’ve been a widow for some time, but I recognise the look of lust in your eyes when you gaze at her.

  “My husband and I were very much in love. I know he was taken much too soon, but I consider myself a very lucky woman to have had him as mine. We had the kind of love and”—Jean began to blush but carried on speaking—“desire for each other that most people can only dream of. I can see your relationship with Tess being like that. But you have to listen to her and not dismiss her feelings just because you think you know best. If you do that she’ll rebel, I guarantee it. You’ll both have to learn to compromise.”

  “My priority is her safety, Jean. There will be no compromising on that.”

  She sighed heavily. “I’m not saying you should, but you’re a clever man, Kolya, or so your business success dictates. You must realise that life will be much easier with a wife who feels happy, content, and respected, rather than an angry screaming banshee.”

  I laughed a little at that, remembering the wild, out-of-control look of my furious young wife.

  “Yes, she does have a quick temper,” I stated.

  “Oh, Kolya,” Jean replied, shaking her head. “You don’t know the half of it.”

  8

  Kolya

  After getting Jean to agree to come back to Oxford with us, I had one last meeting with my security team then went to sit in the back garden while I rang my son. The air was much fresher tonight and I was glad of it. Sitting in the police station for the last few days had been stifling, and when everyone was together inside Jean’s house I began to feel trapped almost. I longed to go back home or, even better, back to Glengarran.

  I didn’t regret staying here, though. Tess wanted to be in her old home and I know being with Jean helped. I admired the woman greatly. To foster teenagers wasn’t the easiest job in the world, especially ones with a troubled past. To me, she was an angel sent by God to tend to the failings of his human flock.

  Since my mother passed away, I hadn’t bothered with religion as such, yet religious teachings have a way of staying with you. Though she lived all her life in Russia, my mother never favoured the Orthodox Church. She’d been brought up in a strict Catholic household, and had insisted all her children were baptised. My father, although distrusting of anyone with a higher power than himself, never denied my mother anything. So I went with her to church every Sunday until she was too sick to go. She always saw the good in people, even my father—the notorious pakhan. She would have adored Jean. The woman has an inherent goodness about her that makes you feel at ease, even when she is questioning you about your personal life.

  Feeling a little calmer due to the fresh air, I took out my phone a
nd called my son. He didn’t answer. After the second time the call went to voicemail, I gave up. I could have contacted one of his security team but I would rather their focus be on him than speaking to me. So instead, I dialled my best friend and prepared myself for yet another rant over my recent marriage.

  Yannis answered on the fourth ring.

  “What can I do for you, Kolya?”

  “Good evening to you, too, Yannis. I’ve been calling my son but he doesn’t appear to be answering his phone. Are you with him?”

  “We are out at Athena’s. I’ve just stepped outside for a cigarette while he and Brad charm a number of young women with tales of their prowess on the football field, amongst other things. Do not worry, both his and my guards are in attendance.”

  Athena’s was a club on the neighbouring island to Athilos—the Greek island that Yannis owned. This time of year it would be busy with tourists. I preferred it in the winter months when it was much quieter and you could hear yourself speak. God, I sounded so old. I couldn’t afford to be that way now I had a young wife to entertain.

  “Are you still angry with me?” I asked, though from his tone I guessed the answer would be yes.

  “Am I angry that I didn’t get an invitation to your wedding? Me…your supposed best friend and godfather to your son? A little, I must admit. Yet I am more annoyed that you didn’t tell me about your plans or that your feelings for the girl had changed. I could have talked you out of it, Kolya. I would have made you see sense.”

  “Don’t start with this again, Yannis. I told you I had fallen for Tess. I had to make her mine. I wasn’t prepared to live without her.”