Russian Bad Boy's Untouched Love Read Free Page A

young man wearing a black hoodie saved him the trouble. The guy placed himself between Mary and her car. His body language was aggressive. His face was dark beneath his hood and Vlad could see by the bulge in his pocket that he was packing some sort of weapon.
    “Where you think you’re going lady?” the youth asked in a thick Bostonian accent.
    “To my car.” Mary seemed to think she could bluster her way out of this predicament. Vlad had to give her points for bravery. He honestly wouldn’t have suspected she had it in her. “So if you’ll just step aside, I’ll be on my way.”
    The young man gestured to the bags she held in her arms. “Give me that stuff you’re carrying first.”
    “You want my students’ spelling tests?” Mary asked drily. “Why? Are you going to grade them for me?”
    “No, bitch!” the young man snarled. “I want your wallet.”
    “I’m a teacher in this shit neighborhood,” Mary told him. “Do you really think I have anything in my wallet that would interest you?”
    “That’s for me to decide.”
    Vlad started forward to offer his help, but another young man materialized out of a dark shadow on his left. “Where you think you going?” The second hoodlum wanted to know. “You give me your wallet and I won’t kill your stupid white ass.”
    Vlad sighed, feeling annoyed. Then he turned and pegged this second youth with a hard look. “Do you know who Vladimir Sokolov is?”
    The young man scoffed. “Yeah, so?”
    “That would be me.” Vlad turned and plucked the gun right out of the young man’s hand. “Now get your scrawny ass out of here before I end your life without even stopping to wipe the blood off my boots.”
    “Yo, Charlie!” the youth called out. “Let’s bounce!”
    “No way,” Charlie argued with a shake of his head. “I want this bitch to give me her bag. She’s hiding something.”
    “Charlie, I mean it.” The young man Vlad had disarmed was slowly backing away from the scene. “I’m leaving you here alone, man.”
    “Fuck you!” Charlie snarled.
    Vlad had already started toward Charlie when the young man made the epically bad decision to lunge at Mary. He grabbed her purse, but the stubborn woman refused to give it up. She held on tight, her other things dropping to the ground with a clatter as Charlie tried in vain to steal her purse.
    “Let go!” Charlie ordered.
    Mary tripped, falling to the pavement but refusing to give up. “You let go! It’s mine and I refuse to spend three hours at the DMV trying to get a new license just because some thug stole my purse!”
    Vlad almost laughed at that. Instead, he pulled the slide on the weapon he’d stolen from the other man. The noise was loud, even against the backdrop of the fight going on for Mary’s purse. Young Charlie stopped immediately. He turned and gaped at Vlad.
    “My name is Vladimir Sokolov,” Vlad said calmly. “Either you leave now on your own two feet or later in a body bag. The choice is yours.”
    Charlie didn’t have to be told twice. He bolted from the scene as though his trousers were on fire. His retreat left Mary kneeling on the ground trying to scoop her things back into her tote bags.
    “Are you all right?” Vlad asked gently. He squatted down to help her.
    She pushed his hands away. “Just go! I think you’ve helped quite enough.”
    “Mary, it’s all right. They’ve gone.” He saw her take a swipe at the tears trickling down her cheeks. “You’re safe now.”
    “I will be when you’ve gone.”
    Vlad chuckled. Then Mary stood up and marched to her car. She fumbled for her keys with hands too shaky to unlock the door. He stood and followed her. Taking the key from her hand, he unlocked the driver’s door and wordlessly took her things and put them in the backseat.
    “Thank you,” she said stiffly, as if her manners wouldn’t allow her to be rude.
    “I’m sorry this happened, but I’m glad I was here to help out.” Vlad touched her