The Russian Billionaire’s Secret(5)

“I think I have you pegged.”

“Oh?” Alexei hesitated then made Ashley a drink as well. She probably needed it.

“You’re rich,” she said going to the bar and accepting the gin and tonic he offered her.

“Guilty as charged,” said Alexei.

“You’re also a lady’s man.” Ashley took her drink to the sofa and sat down there. “You act tough, but that’s just to impress your dad. Deep down, you’re a marshmallow.”

Alexei laughed. “A marshmallow?” he repeated. “I’m not sure about that… You’re being more candid. I suppose this means you’re starting to trust me.”

“I shouldn’t,” said Ashley. “I don’t really have much of a choice, though… Have you decided what to do with me?”

Alexei grabbed the television remote from the coffee table and joined Ashley on the sofa. “I’m going to sleep on it.” He turned on the television and found them a movie to watch. It wasn’t like Douglas was going anywhere. The money wasn’t going anywhere either. As it turned out, Ashley might not be a good criminal when it came to escaping, but she did have a head for white collar crime.

For a while, they both sat there. The television was the only source of noise between them.

Alexei had chosen a romantic comedy. Maybe he was a bit of a marshmallow. In his line of work, he tended to go in for mindless entertainment.

By the time the credits rolled, Ashley was asleep. She had tucked her legs up on the cushion beside him. Her head rested on the arm of the sofa. She was snoring, softly.

Alexei wasn’t surprised to find her asleep. She had had a long day, after all. Considering Alexei had spent most of he previous night sitting in a car, keeping a look out for her, he could probably use some sleep, himself.

Alexei considered waking her up, but he didn’t have the heart. She looked so peaceful lying there. Instead, he took a throw from the back of the sofa and spread it out over her. Taking care to keep his noise level down, he left for the bedroom.

The next morning Ashley was gone. It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it did. Alexei, honestly, hadn’t seen this coming. He was her best shot at surviving this whole ordeal. Granted, she might not be convinced of that. She had no reason to take him at his word. He searched for a note, but there was none.

Alexei tried to tell himself that worrying was silly. This was a woman he barely knew. He had been helping her out of spite toward a man he casually disliked. He owed her nothing.

Still, he couldn’t help but hope she did a better job of getting out of town this time. He was almost tempted to let her keep the money. He had a job to do, though.

Alexei got his phone and proceeded to make a few calls. It was time he settled this matter. He didn’t absolutely need to catch a flight back home until the weekend. If he finished everything up today, he could forget about Douglas completely and just go have a good time.

“Alexei!” Douglas said, jovially, when he answered his phone. “I was just about to call you!”

“Oh, yeah?” Alexei asked, rhetorically.

“Any news on that bitch that made off with my money?” he asked.

Alexei felt a twinge of annoyance at Douglas’ tone. “No luck finding her, I’m afraid,” he lied. “Got some people following the money trail, though. I’m sure we can find some way to resolve this whole thing to everyone’s satisfaction.

Douglas gave a long and low sigh of annoyance. “Fine,” he said at last. “I guess we don’t have much choice. See you soon?”

The last thing Alexei wanted was to get stuck at Douglas’ home again. Tiffany and Heather were fine, but not if it meant Douglas’ company. “I’m not sure that’s necessary,” he said instead. “I think I have most of this tied up. I hate to waste your time if it’s not necessary.”

“Ah.” Douglas was silent for a moment. “Well, maybe we’ll do dinner before you head back to Russia.”

“That sounds great,” Alexei lied. “Let’s be sure to do that.”

After wrapping the call up, he took a nice long shower and found himself a change of clothes. He was pulling on a fresh shirt when someone knocked on the door. Hopeful Ashley had wised up and come back, he went to answer it. Glancing through the peephole showed him it was only Tiffany.

She was standing there, clutching her purse and looking a bit lost. She smiled when Alexei opened the door, though.

“What are you doing here?” asked Alexei, immediately a bit suspicious.

Tiffany’s smile became a frown. Evidently, she had expected a warmer welcome than this.

“You gave me and Heather your the address to where you were staying… Remember?” She held up her phone, where Alexei’s room number was still displayed on the screen. “You told us to come by any time?”

Alexei, vaguely, recalled giving her his number. She had been fun. Both of them had. “Probably not the best time. You should have called first.”

Tiffany’s eyes grew wide. She didn’t strike Alexei as the sort who had experienced a lot of rejection in her life.

“Seriously?” She moved into the doorway, so he couldn’t just shut her out. “I was on my way to a party, though. Heather’s there. She said I should drop by on my way over - see if you wanted to come.”