Dirty Obsessions - The Lion and The Mouse

“Hey,” Maxwell said. “The limo is downstairs.”

“Good. I’m ready.” I grabbed my phone.

“Hmmm.” Maxwell eyed my tuxedo. “We’re wearing the same thing again.”

“We like to dress alike.” I winked at him.

Maxwell leaned his head to the side. “Do we?”

“Yes.” I walked out of the room.

All will be solved in these next days. And everything will return to normal.Chapter 1

Misha

What else can I handle now? It’s time to get things in order.

Natalya’s small face flashed in my mind. Last time I saw her, she was sleeping in her stroller. Little pink teddy bear headphones covered her ears. Blonde curls outlined her small face. She had pudgy little cheeks that were tinted pink. She was about six months old. I’d marked her birth date on my calendar.

My heart warmed at that memory.

Another dilemma.

I still hadn’t dealt with the fact I was a father.

I’ll have to deal with this.

I left my bedroom. Rolan and Maxwell followed. I took out my phone and pulled up Valentina’s number. My men rose when I entered the living room.

I stopped in the center of the room and texted Valentina.

Me: We must talk soon.

Valentina: About?

Gritting my teeth, I stifled my annoyance and typed again.

Me: I am Natalya’s father. I will be in her life.

Valentina: You’re no more than a sperm donor. This is my daughter.

I gripped the phone hard. Lucky for Valentina, Ava’s last performance was tonight. If not, I may have shown up to her place with armed men. Not that it would be a good idea. I was already on Kazimir’s bad side. My starting a war with his sister wouldn’t improve things.

Me: Pick a day and time for us to talk or I will.

No response came.

I gestured for my guard to open the door. He rushed to it. I glanced at my other guard. “Any updates on Ava?”

He walked with me out of the condo. “Her guards check-in with me every fifteen minutes. Currently, she’s in her dressing room, putting on her costume.”

I headed down the hallway. “And her grandmother?”

“Mrs. Jones’s guards said that she is finishing up her make-up and will be waiting for us when we signal you’re there.”

“Good. Let Mrs. Jones’s guards know that we’re on the way. We can’t have any disruptions this evening. It’s the last night of the performance. Who knows when Bolshoi Theater will return for this season?”

And if they would keep Ava as a prima ballerina, after my killing their patrons.

I checked my phone. There was still no response from Valentina.

You’re going to make this as hard as possible, aren’t you?

Worry coursed through my veins.

I directed my attention back to my guard. “Put more men on Valentina and monitoring her place.”

“Well...” He looked uncomfortable.

“What?”

“Her men keep killing any of our people that get too close.”

“Then don’t get too close.”

He nodded. “The few guards that are watching her must keep a huge distance.”

“Did they put the trackers on Natalya’s stroller and baby bag?”

“Yes. We also switched out her tiny baby bracelet with one of our own. It looks exactly the same but has a tracker in it. The man who did it barely made it out alive, but didn’t get caught.”

You’ll never be able to hide her from me, Valentina.

“Good. Valentina can’t leave St Petersburg. If she does, get everyone to stop her and then notify me.”

“Yes, sir.” He took his phone out and walked back to the condo.

I continued forward.

I will be her father, whether you like it or not. Don’t make me kill you, Valentina.

The thought delivered shivers up my spine. It would be the last resort, but one that was definitely on the table.

Fathers were important. Although my father had been a difficult one to love, still he was an active part of my life. In my family, I always looked to him to lay down the rules and enforce them. And I would never have admitted this to him in real life, but I took pride in the feeling of security with him. I knew as a child and adult that I would always be protected.

Too bad, I just wanted him to love me. Did he?

All my life I yearned to make him proud. Instead of taking all his money, I went out and made my own. I built a mega empire through technology. So much that I could turn the world off and on at my fingertips. Unfortunately, he never understood my power. For Igor Stronz, muscle, scars, and guns represented true power.

And my standing next to Kazimir never helped things. I loved my cousin, but whenever the Lion was in the room, the whole space suffocated from his overwhelming energy. I knew my father would have preferred Kazimir to be his son. They held the same ideas and beliefs.

I’ll be a better father to Natalya. I’ll be proud of whatever she does and give her all my support.