Chapter 15 - Anton

Joyce, my mind shrieked as I saw the man knock her out. He swung her around so fast, that her head bobbed up and down. Then he lifted his hand and smashed her face.

As she crumbled, he chucked her over his shoulder. I had barely come to a stop. I watched in angst as he headed speedily across the street. My mind went blank; I pulled out my gun but didn’t dare shoot. If I missed him and shot her, I would never forgive myself.

I tried getting closer, but he was moving at an incredible speed. I watched in fear as he jumped into a white van and took off. My only thought was to save her.

Running to my truck, I followed them closely as they drove. As close as I could. In town, it was easy to blend with the traffic. But soon, they headed out of town. I increased the distance between us, afraid to be picked up. I needed to know where they were taking her. I followed them to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town.

I parked my truck about two blocks away between some worn-out buildings in a dark alley. Getting out, I stepped around the rubble lying all over. Keeping to the darkest spots, I headed to the warehouse. Some of the buildings looked like they were on the verge of collapse. I tried not touching anything fearing I may bring one down on me.

This wasn’t a safe area to keep anyone, I thought as I passed a couple of dumpsters. Rounding the last corner, I stopped. Peeking over one of the dumpsters, I saw the van and two cars near a door on the side of the building.

Rats were scurrying around outside. There were a couple of pools of water where the tar of the road had faded. I also noted quite a bit of wrappers and paper in the street. These appeared to be moving lightly from a breeze blowing through the buildings.

Stepping around the dumpster and moving into the street, a foul stench attacked my nostrils. I had never smelled anything like it. My stomach turned, and I felt like I was about to puke. Gagging, I swallowed hard as I placed my hand over my mouth.

I checked the vehicles before moving to the door. They were all empty, but it appeared that I might be facing five guys at least. I considered calling Alexandr but then dismissed the idea. I wasn’t ready to explain all of this to him. I felt sure he would understand, having the same possessive trait as me.

But I wasn’t ready to be lectured on my actions yet. Yes, he said to let them know if something happened and not do things alone. But it would take too long to explain it all and Joyce needed saving now. I decided I would face the music later.

My anger raged uncontrollably just thinking what they may do to Joyce. I kicked at the door with my gun in hand. Generally, I don’t carry but I kept one in my cubby, and today, I was glad I did.

The door swung open with a loud cracking noise. It echoed through the building as it broke open. The inside was larger than it looked. The place was bare except for a handful of old boxes, a broken table in one corner, and two chairs. In the middle of the room was a filthy mattress. There she lay, my angel. My mind blanked out at the sight of her.

I only saw the one man, the guy who took Joyce. Glancing around, I made sure there weren’t others, and I rushed towards him. Moving so quickly, I almost slipped in a sticky puddle of who knows what. The stench it gave off was nearly unbearable. It burned my nostrils and my lungs.

The man looked at me stunned, as if he didn’t even hear me coming. For this, I was glad. The element of surprise was always a good thing. Lunging at him, I brought the butt of my gun down on his head. He staggered backward as I threw my first punch.

He was a big man but appeared weak. As he went down, I was on top of him, hitting him with every ounce of strength I had. I wasn’t sure how many times I had hit him or how long it was, but when my hands started throbbing with pain, I stopped.

Blood pooled around his head, or at least what was left of it. I was so enraged that I had smashed his face in. Getting up, I took a deep breath. Glancing back at Joyce, I was relieved that she was still out. Taking off my shirt, I cleaned my hands and draped it over the man’s head.

There was still no one else around, and I wondered what had happened to the other men. Approaching Joyce, I kept an eye on the open door, not wanting any surprises myself. I felt guilty that she ended up in this mess. I bent down and picked her up. Heading back out to my truck, I moved as quietly as possible.

I managed to open the door without dropping her. Placing her down on the back seat, I quickly studied the swelling and bruise on her cheek. It was going to be sore for some time but should heal without issues. Once she was strapped in, I moved to the driver's side.

Before I could open my door, I heard voices drifting in the wind. There were three of them somewhere down the darkness of the alley. Quietly, I opened my door and got in. I had to get out before they realized what had happened, I thought starting my truck.

Luckily, it purred softly. I reversed out of the alley without putting on any lights. Once I turned, I switched on the headlights and floored it. Once back in the city, I stuck to busy roads as I headed for the safe house.

I was pleased we had made it to the safe house without any other problems. I pulled in and parked as close to the door as I could. After unlocking and opening the door, I carefully took her out of the truck and headed to my room.

This way, I could keep an eye on her. There was a large double couch I could sleep on while she rested on the big double bed. I had no idea how long she would be out. Deciding to take a quick shower and wash off the remaining blood, I left the door open.

I didn’t want to scare her if she woke, so I had to get rid of the blood still on me. I wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone, but with the door open, I would hear if she woke or someone came in.

Pulling on a pair of sweatpants, I heard Joyce screaming. Rushing into the room, I found her upright against the headboard. Her face was pale, and her voice hoarse. She looked bewildered and scared. Yet, I saw nothing wrong in the room. There were no open windows, no intruders, naught.

My heart raced as I gently got onto the bed and pulled her into my arms, wrapping them firmly around her. Stroking her hair, I whispered tenderly. “Joyce, it’s okay, you’re safe. I’m here.”

She shook her head. “No, no, why, what happened? Did you do this?” she screamed, trying to push me away.

“No, Joyce, I would never. But I got you, you are safe, calm down, please,” I begged, feeling my heart ripping to shreds. How could she even think such a thing of me? I pulled her closer as I continued to soothe her. “It’s okay, you’re safe.”

After a second or two, she finally placed her arms around. I held her tight as she cried into my chest. “I won’t let anyone harm you; I’m so sorry,” I added, holding her firmly and rubbing her back until I felt her starting to relax. Her sobbing slowly became less.

I held her firmly, not wanting to let go as my protectiveness of her overwhelmed me. I wished I had acted sooner, brought her back here, and kept her locked up. At least that way, she would have been spared this pain.

But on the other hand, it was my fault for involving her in the first place. If I had stuck to the original plan, none of this would have happened. Yet, I couldn’t let go; I wanted her in my life. I had to see her at work and make a scene, this was all my doing.

Burying my face in her neck, I inhaled her sweet aroma, allowing her essence to calm my exploding heart. Joyce took a couple of deep breaths, calming herself. She pulled back a tad and glanced up.

I knew then that I would have to open up and tell her the truth. If I kept it hidden any longer, I might lose her. I had to convince her to stay with me. It was the only way I could ensure she was safe.

I could still hear some fear in her voice as she spoke softly. “What happened? Who was that man?”

“Joyce,” I whispered, taking her face in my hands. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to stay here again. You can’t go home or back to work. Some bad people are after you; you are on their radar, and they will not stop targeting you.”

Taking a deep breath, I continued. “You will be safe here with me. I fear they may be monitoring your work and home. If you return, you will be captured again, and this time, I might not be there or get to you in time. Do you understand this?”

Joyce looked confused; her eyes appeared to be glossing over. Trying to clarify things, I spoke again. “I know this will be hard, but you cannot go back to your life.”

There was a spark in her eyes as she stared at me. Her tone was harsh when she spoke, filled with an unexpected anger I had only seen once. This was an intense turn-on for me as her spirit was strong and her will profound. She made me think of an unbroken stallion, and I loved this part of her.

“What the hell is going on, Anton? What did I get myself into, or does this have to do with the information I gave you?” Joyce pulled back and stood up. I could see her brain was working overtime as she started to pace back and forth beside the bed.

“If this concerns you or the information, I have a right to know!” She spat, stomping her foot on the ground. “What have I gotten into?”

I sighed as I rose, taking hold of her shoulders. I wanted her to understand and knew I would have to tell her everything. I would have to share my Bratva lineage with her to keep her safe. I hated the fact that she thought this was her fault. I would share as much with her as was safe.

I spoke softly, hoping she could forgive me for my part in this chaos. “None of this is your fault, Joyce. You are being targeted because you were seen with me.”

Joyce stepped back, her eyes clearing as if a light had come on in her mind. I couldn’t afford her to make any conclusions without all the facts, so I continued. “I’m part of a Bratva family, and one of our alliance’s enemies is after us. They are trying to harm our family.”

She stuttered, stepping back quickly. “But I’m not part…,” Joyce was up against the wall and had nowhere else to go as I stood before her. I could see she was trying hard to wrap her mind around everything.

“No, you’re not, but they are targeting anyone we have had contact with. This has nothing to do with the info you obtained and gave me. It is because of our bond.”

Her eyes hazed up again. Joyce blinked rapidly, shaking her head slowly. I wiped a lonely tear running down her cheek, hoping she didn’t hate me after all of this. I took her by the shoulders and guided her to sit on the bed. “Joyce, I am sorry,” I added.

Joyce glanced at me as she shoved me back. Her eyes were filled with deep sorrow as she lunged from the bed, moving out of the room. I followed her into the lounge area. “Joyce,” I said softly, taking hold of her arm and turning her to face me. “I am sorry; I didn’t intend for you to get caught up in all this.”

She stepped back, pulling her arm free. Her expression was a combination of shock and fear. I wanted to hold her, pull her into my arms, and comfort her. But with each step I took, she moved back, so I stopped. “Can we sit down and talk about it?” I asked softly.

Joyce glanced around half frantically. “I know this is a lot to take in, but we will get through it,” I added, hoping to bring her some form of peace.