The Mobster’s Flower (Men of Valor Springs #3)

Chapter Two

Vlad

The call comes as I am waiting for my lawyer at the Shadow Lounge. He and I have all our meetings at this club because it’s one of the many businesses I own on the outskirts of Valor Springs. It’s discreet, and it’s an environment I can control since everyone works for me. Wilson has been my lawyer for a long time, but I’d be foolish to trust anyone in my line of work.

Wilson and I are meeting to discuss routine business, but I know he’ll bring up the assault charge my cousin, Anton, is pressing against me. Anton’s latest ploy has dragged on longer than I expected, and now it’s beginning to get on my nerves. At first, I was going to let things play out to see how far Anton would take it, but it seems I’ve overestimated my cousin’s common sense.

I barely touched that son of a bitch, and he thinks he can use some bogus assault charges to get me thrown in jail, no doubt hoping to seize control of the family assets in my absence. He should know better though. Even behind bars, I’d have no trouble maintaining my role as pakhan .

He knows I have enough money and power to get myself out of any trouble, and he is starting to get on my nerves, like a gnat that won’t go away.

Wilson has asked me to talk Anton into dropping the charges, but I know what my cousin is after. It’s the same thing my father and his father spent more than a decade fighting over, and my father came out on top. I had no intention of reigniting the same war as our parents, but it seems that is not an opinion Anton and I share.

I’ve clearly established my authority over the family, and Anton knows his place, whether he likes it or not. He isn’t foolish enough to outright attack me, so he tries any other method he can come up with. If asked, I would chose to fight it out to the death and let the last man standing run the family businesses, just to be done with it. But Anton is too weak and cowardly. He knows that he lacks support among the ranks. As long as I am around, he has no chance at seizing control. Hell, even with me gone, his chances are slim. His delusions that his name and genetics will be enough for him to hold onto power are just that, delusions.

I will not pacify him by giving him any part of my inheritance. If the man wasn’t family, I would have gotten rid of him like the little pest that he is. I’ll have to decide on some manner of dealing with him once and for all, though. His latest insult cannot go unanswered.

I bring my whiskey to my lips, but before I can taste the bitter liquid, my phone vibrates on the table. Few people have my personal number, and they are all people whose calls I cannot ignore.

I put down my glass and grab my phone from the table, a smile tugging at my lips when I see my sister’s name flash on the screen. Arya is the most important person in my world. I can remember as if it were yesterday how tiny she looked when she came into my life. I was twenty when my father’s mistress dropped a two-year-old Arya at our door, an innocent lamb dropped into a world of bloodthirsty wolves.

To protect her, I had to send her away to a different country, allowing only occasional visits.

But now she’s back for good. Well, she didn’t give me much of a choice. Arya was adamant about staying in Valor Springs for good this time, and I had no excuse to keep her away any longer. The threat that was posed by my uncle’s presence is gone now. Anton is too much of a coward to pick pose a risk to Arya; he knows the hell that would rain down on him should he try.

I shake my thoughts of my problematic family away and focus on the one person who actually matters. I accept the call and press the phone to my ear, expecting to hear my sister’s bubbly voice, but I am met with silence.

“Arya?”

More silence.

“Vlad,” comes a small voice on the other end of the line. A voice I haven’t heard since she was ten and broke her arm. It’s enough to have all their hairs in the back of my neck standing up. Something is wrong. I am on my feet before she can say anything else.

“Are you okay? What happened? Where are you?” I rapid fire questions at her, my anxiety growing by the second.

“Don’t get mad,” comes her broken voice, and it’s immediately obvious she’s been crying. I am already walking out of club, but as I approach the door, I realize I don’t know where I’m going. I almost bump into my right-hand man, Jax, who’s rushing in. He stops in front of me, and I don’t like the look on his face when he does so.

“What happened?” I ask again, this time the question is directed to him since Arya isn’t forthcoming with an answer.

“Your sister is in the hospital. She was involved in an accident.”

That’s all I need to hear to have me rushing to my car. Jax slides into the driver’s seat, and Arya’s voice barely registers as we tear away from the club’s parking.

“I’m not hurt,” she says, sounding drowsy, which isn’t exactly reassuring. “T-the accident wasn’t serious.”

I turn to Jax, who is driving far over the speed limit. “How bad is she injured?”

“I’m not sure yet; I came here as soon as I got word from our contact at the hospital.”

I am pretty sure Jax breaks a record number of traffic laws in route to the hospital, but all I can think about is getting to Arya. I keep her on the call even if she’s barely speaking at this point. The not knowing chips at my normally steely nerves.

Fuck, I should never have let her come back to Valor Springs. She should have stayed in Belgium and never set foot back in the States, no matter how much she begged. Once she is released from the hospital, I am sending her right back to Belgium, even if I have to put her on that plane kicking and screaming. Adult or not, Arya will do as I say. Her safety is my greatest responsibility, and I have failed. It’s unacceptable.

One look at my cold expression when I storm into the hospital, and everyone knows to give me a wide berth. Arya gives me her room number, and I waste no time getting to her, not bothering to stop at the visitor’s desk to check in. Valor Springs is a small town, they all know who I am. Only when I reach her room, do I end the call. Pushing through the doorway, I seek out my sister immediately, half expecting to see her entire body wrapped up in bandages, but she’s resting peacefully with an IV attached to her arm.

She’s alive.

Fuck, of course, I knew Arya was alive. I spoke to her moments before I came busting through into the room. Her weak voice wasn’t a good sign, but I assume she was speaking that way because of whatever is in the IV fluid bag.

I let out a relieved sigh as the panic eases a little. I take a step toward my sister, and my heart aches at how small she looks in the hospital bed. Her eyes are heavy, and she only manages a small smile and a glance toward the far wall before they fall closed. I turn around, expecting to see a nurse I missed when I came in, but…it’s not a nurse.

Standing by the open curtain is a fairy. I’m not an overly superstitious person, but if ever fairies did exist, then this girl would be one. Soft, olive-green eyes stare back at me with something akin to curiosity. She is in a stunning yellow dress that hugs the top half of her body tightly with a startling amount of curly red hair hanging loose around her shoulders. The sunlight dances on her skin, highlighting her delicate features, and I find myself staring.

Exotic.

That is the only way I can describe the girl standing in my sister’s hospital room. She seems to be from a whole other universe because she sure as hell doesn’t look like she’s from around here.

I would know.

Thirty-seven years in Valor Springs, and I recognize an out of towner if I see one. In my business, it pays to know who belongs and who is out of place. I remember this particular girl by the effect she has on my alone, which in itself is a surprise. I don’t entertain women. Relationships can be a liability when you have a family and enemies like mine, and I vowed never to put myself in such a vulnerable position. Except…no one has made my breath catch in my throat at mere sight or sent all my blood rushing south. All without so much as a touch. Without even hearing the sound of her voice.

Christ, she looks young. Perhaps a year or two older than Arya if not the same age. I should not be looking at this stranger with desire in my eyes, but I can’t help myself. I can’t look away to save my life.

There is this shameful urge to walk toward the only girl who has ever brought any kind of feeling to my dead heart and…touch her. I want to know how that long hair would feel between my fingers and if her skin feels as soft as it looks.

The faint blush on her cheeks, is it natural?

“You are not what I was expecting,” she mutters, almost as if she let herself think out loud. Her voice is light and airy, and I am so stuck on this that her words don’t immediately register.

I clear my throat and slide my hands into my pockets. “And what were you expecting?”

Her eyes shoot to mine in alarm. “Oh, did I say that out loud?”

“You did, and now I want to know what you mean.” I am curious about a whole lot of things about this girl, but I stick to the one she has brought up.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend—”

“I am not offended. Tell me.”

I use the same voice I do when I want answers from my men, and while I expect to see her eyes flash with fear, I witness nothing of the sort. She tilts her head to the side and watches me with her bright eyes.

“She was expecting you to be the huge, mean, fire-breathing dragon that everyone thinks you are.” We both turn to Arya, whose eyes are still closed, but there is a smile on her lips when she speaks. “You better not be glaring at my new best friend. I don’t want you to scare her away.”

I shake my head, approaching the girl who is clearly trying to fight off the meds. My sister looks little like our father’s side of the family, and thank God for that. It’s unfortunate that she even carries the family name, but that decision was beyond my control as she’d already been named before she was dropped off.

“How are you feeling, Arya?” I ask, standing next to her bed.

“Like I drove my new car into a flower stand,” she croaks, finally opening her eyes. “I didn’t mean to. Something was wrong with the brakes, and I couldn’t control the car.”

Did someone mess with her car? Well, that is something I will worry about when she is safely on the other side of the ocean. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell her. “Once you are cleared for travel, I am sending you right back to—”

“I am not going back to Belgium!” she snaps, surprisingly firm for someone in a hospital bed.

“I have already made the decision, Arya.”

“You will have to knock me out to get me on that plane.”

“I’ll give you that choice.”

She glares at me before choosing another tactic when anger doesn’t work. “Please Vlad, I don’t have anyone there…”

“I am not sending you there to make friends, but for your own safety.”

“…Or family. I went to school there, and it was fine; I was safe, but I was lonely. I can’t go back. Please.” Her eyes shift to look behind me. “I’ve been in Valor Springs for a few weeks, and I’ve already made a friend, right Rue?”

I turn around to find the girl in the yellow sundress trying to sneak out of the room. Her hand is already on the door knob and she would have slipped out if Arya hadn’t stopped her.

Rue .

Is that my fairy’s name?

“Erm, yeah,” she responds to my sister, her cheeks flushing at being caught trying to sneak out. “Yes, we’re friends, but now that your brother is here, I figured I should leave you two to…catch up.”

She pulls down on the knob when Arya stops her once more. “Wait, what about your flower stand?”

Rue pulls open the door and flashes my sister a placating smile. It’s warm and pure, even if it carries obvious sadness. “Don’t worry about it, Arya. Take care. I’ll… I’ll send you flowers.”

She is gone before either of us can stop her. We both stare at the door as it swings closed, and I can’t explain the sudden emptiness that overwhelms me.

“You have to go after her,” Arya demands from my side. “Her name is Rue Carter, and I destroyed her flower stand. I…I can’t forget the heartbroken look on her face when I hit it. Please, Vlad. Go after her. Please make it right.”

I turn to find my sister’s eyes moist with tears, and I can hear the heartbreak in her voice. “You need me here, Arya.”

Her eyes cross from mine to the figure visible through the window facing the hallway. “I’ll stay with Jax. Staring at his handsome face might help me get better.”

“Are you saying that I’m ugly?”

“Vlad!” she whines. “Please go after Rue. Make it better, for me. I can’t stand it thinking she’s out there feeling sad because of me. It’ll make me miserable knowing that I ruined her life. Please, Vlad.”

I nod once and squeeze my sister’s hand before walking out. Jax is standing outside the door waiting for me, and as my right-hand man, he is the one person I can trust around my sister. I know he would protect Arya with his life. He’s done it before. Since she was little, Jax would step in to pull her away, out of danger. When my father and I would argue about what was best for the little girl, Jax was there to distract and protect Arya as I dealt with my father’s anger. Next to me, there is no one more protective of my baby sister than my best friend.

“Stay with her,” I tell him. “Don’t allow anyone but the medical staff into her room.”

Something tells me whatever happened today was an attempt to get to me through Arya, and Jax must agree, or he would make a sarcastic comment about making him “babysit” my little sister. Instead, he simply nods once and walks into the hospital room, closing the door behind him.

I stare at the closed door and vow to get to the bottom of what happened today, but first, I have a girl to find. She was after all, on scene when the accident happened. At the very least, I owe her my sincerest thanks for what she did for Arya.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I turn to go after the little fairy. I convince myself that it’s for my sister’s sake. I lie to myself that I only want to alleviate Arya’s guilt, but the truth is… I need more time to figure out what it is about this girl that has me so enraptured.

Why does my heart threaten to cave in at the thought of never seeing her again?