Chapter 10

Nikolai

J ust when I think I have Arianna figured out, she surprises me. After a week of niggling from Dimitri and Endo, I finally decided that I can't avoid her any longer. We're no closer to knowing if she is who she claims to be, though both Dimitri and Endo believe she is. I could have pushed her harder for information than I have. But Dimitri and Endo's counsel against that, plus my niggling doubts have held me back. So, I've got to either trust her and get closer to try to get the information out of her or have to torture her for the information and get rid of her. I'm no stranger to torturing or beating what I want out of someone. But the thought of doing that to Arianna leaves me cold. I have no taste for hurting women unless completely necessary. I'm confident I can get the information out of her another way, and I can scratch the itch I'm feeling for her once and for all.

I haven't been able to get her out of my mind, so I've decided to give in to my desire to fuck her. Then I will soon get bored and move on to the next one. Just like I always do. She's not different or special, I just haven't managed to fuck her yet and that's why my thoughts of her are driving me crazy. I refuse to let myself think otherwise. I planned to seduce her and get it over with.

All that changed when I walked into the library. She was curled up in the chair by the window, barefoot and in loose, yet elegant pants with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Her raven hair was down, a sight I realized I'd not seen before as I noticed how long it is. I was pleasantly surprised that she didn't start a fight, or ignore me, she almost seemed happy to see me and to talk to me. Part of me felt a little bit disappointed about how easy it was going to be to get her to fall into bed with me.

Then she left me speechless.

I was so surprised by her flirtatious little quip, and the fact she was walking away from me, I didn't even have time to respond. To grab her and fuck her till she screamed my name like I know she wants to. If the little minx wants to play games, I can do that.

I'm still standing in the library, plotting my next move when there's a knock at the door. My initial hope that it's Arianna coming back to play is squashed when Endo walks in.

"Hey boss, did you two kiss and make up yet?" he asks with a grin.

"If we had, she'd still be in here and you certainly fucking wouldn't be," I reply dryly.

"Have you finally met a woman who's immune to the Kuzmin charm?" he quips.

"Not at all. Just some idiot keeps interrupting us," I say pointedly.

"Touche, though this time I saw her leave so you can't blame me," he says with a shrug.

"What do you want? Do you have news on the woman Lucchese married?" I ask, not wanting to entertain lighthearted banter about Arianna any further.

"‘Fraid not, he's kept her out of sight since the wedding. But we could find out more from the man himself. Our men have just informed me that Lucchese had turned up at one of our clubs in Manhattan."

"Little Fox?" I ask, referring to one of the more high-end exotic dance clubs we own.

"Yep," Endo confirms.

"Let's go," I say, striding ahead of Endo and toward the garage. "We'll take the Lambo, it's quicker."

I'm going to have to put my fun with Arianna on pause for now. I need to know why the fuck Lucchese is in my club, and hopefully get to the bottom of why Arianna is in my house.

***

In the dark confines of the club, Lucchese sits front and center by the stage. He's easy to spot as he's illuminated by the bright glow of the stage lights in comparison to the dim red shadows of the rest of the establishment. He's acting as though he owns the place, leaning back comfortably in his chair with four scantily clad women hanging onto his every word as he leers and throws dollars at the dancer on stage. Behind him, three meatheads stand sentinel watching over him. If my door staff did their jobs properly, they should be unarmed.

I look at Endo, and he nods. In silent agreement, we split up. I head directly toward Lucchese while Endo secures the perimeter. Several of the dancers hungrily eye me and greet me as I make my way through the club. It's still quiet and they all know who I am. Most would kill for the chance to spend the evening with me, dancing and hoping for more. They know I'm a good tipper and an even better fuck. I ignore them all, right now I'm all business, and even if I was here socially, none of them catch my attention. Not like Arianna has.

Shit. I need to stop thinking about her right now. I have to clear my head and think rationally. I might be here because of her, but I can't let that cloud my judgment. One way or another, I will get to the bottom of the situation tonight.

"Kuzmin, what an honor to have your presence here tonight, I hear you've been somewhat...absent these days," Lucchese drawls, offering an empty smile.

"Lucchese, I'm surprised to see you here, seeing as you have your own chain of clubs to frequent, and a new bride at home. Although our women are far superior, surely you cannot be bored of the mysterious De Luca daughter already?" I ask, testing his response.

"I see news of my nuptials has traveled fast. So sorry you weren't able to attend, it was a small gathering, a bit of a whirlwind affair, you understand," he replies, knowing full well I wasn't invited.

His tone suggests he either knows or suspects that I was there on the day, just not as a guest.

"My invite must have gotten lost in the post. You still haven't told me why you're here," I reply, bored of playing games.

"Can't a man enjoy a belated bachelor party and a friend's establishment? Please, sit, join me."

He gestures to the seat next to him where a surgically enhanced busty blonde in a baby pink fishnet dress sits. Though the word dress is a stretch since her nipples and tiny G-string are on full display. She immediately jumps up out of her seat to perch on the armrest, eyeing me with glee. I have no interest in her, nor do I like being treated like a guest in my establishment, but for now I decide to play along and sit down. Lucchese gestures for the waitress who appears seconds later with a fresh bottle of champagne.

"A toast," Lucchese declares, holding his champagne glass up, "To my beautiful bride."

I go to reach for my glass but the blonde beats me to it. Leaning over and thrusting her ass in my face, giving me a clear view of everything she has to offer, she picks up two glasses and then plops herself onto my lap. I take a glass from her and promptly remove her from my lap. Her excitement about my strength and the fact I touched her is quickly overridden by disappointment that I have wordlessly denied her. She gulps back her drink and plasters on a smile like the pro she is.

"Yes, I would like to meet her. I am curious as to why De Luca kept her hidden for so long, she must be quite special," I state, attention still fully on the man before me.

"Oh yes, that she is. She's something alright. When I first saw her I knew how much fun I would have with her, breaking her spirit. She will provide me with plenty of heirs to strengthen the Lucchese family. I knew the little wildcat would love getting it hard the moment I laid eyes on her. I grabbed her rump and swatted her nice and hard with my cane and the beautiful bitch didn't make a sound. She fucking loved it," he says with a lecherous grin.

The thought of him doing that to Arianna fills me with white-hot rage. Outwardly, a flicker in my eyes, a slight grit of tension in my jaw, and a briefly clenched fist are all the signs Lucchese needs to confirm his suspicions.

"Ah, yes I can see why you wanted to take her for yourself," he says with a knowing glint in his eye. "But she is promised to me. Luckily for you, no shame or embarrassment was brought to myself or Don De Luca, as far as the world is concerned, I married Arianna that day. Apart from a few dead nobodies, no real harm has been done yet. So, if you give me back what is mine, we can move forward with an agreement between us all. That is unless you have already sullied her. I know that's the first thing I would do with her, fuck her and own her."

Formerly, I would have at least considered the offer. Why risk making an enemy of a strong triple alliance for one girl? But I don't even have to think about it. The thought of handing Arianna over to this creep so he can rape her and abuse her makes me want to crush his skull with my bare hands.

"No," I growl.

"Oh, has the mighty Kuzmin Pakhan developed a crush?" Lorenzo jeers, the youthful mocking tone sounds jarring coming from his wizened face. He reminds me of an overripe, piece of fruit, I could crush him with one hand.

I can't let him think that I have a weakness he could exploit.

"Not at all. I just don't take kindly to people making demands of me in my own business."

"You misunderstand me, friend, it is simply a proposal of an agreement. If you choose to decline it and make a powerful enemy, then so be it," he threatens.

"I wonder how confident you'd be without your bodyguards, old man? You might have been feared once but with no heirs to take over, and no real bride to sire them, the Lucchese name will die with you."

"I could say the same for you Kuzmin, you have no heirs, no wife. I have been Don for many years and outlived many young bucks like you who think they are invincible. I may be old, but my experience is not a weakness, it is a great strength," he declares, raising his hand and flicking his wrist.

I don't have a chance to reply as all hell breaks loose.

At that moment, Miss Busty Blonde leans forward to pour more champagne. A muffled shot rings out and the bottle erupts into thousands of pieces, the girl falls to the ground. Dead. By pure chance and rotten luck, she got in the way of a bullet intended for me. This was a trap all along. I barely notice her warm blood splattering across my face, the shards of glass sticking into my skin, or the screams and chaos that explode around me, but I remain calm, reacting on instinct.

Everything that happens next takes place in just moments and practically simultaneously. Another shot rings out, and Endo comes running, having killed the shooter. The dancers all run screaming and tripping over each other in their high heels as they scramble to get out of the line of fire. The guards behind Lucchese reach for their hidden weapons. Without hesitation, I quickly draw my gun with practiced ease and take down the man closest to me. Endo takes the other two in quick succession but not before the second manages to fire off a shot in his direction. I hear him cry out and fall to the floor, but I cannot worry about how badly he's hit until I've handled Lucchese.

He sits, wide-eyed and shocked. He clearly thought he'd get the drop on us. That his four men could handle my two. He also must have had inside help to get guns inside in the first place. The cocky son of a bitch isn't even carrying a weapon.

"Nikolai… let's talk about—"

He doesn't get to finish his empty bargaining plea, I fire a shot squarely in the middle of his forehead and he falls forward, dead on impact.

Immediately, I race to where Endo is lying. To my relief, he's already pulling himself up.

"Just a graze on my arm, boss, nothing to worry about. A couple of stitches and a cool scar to brag about to the ladies," he says with a wink.

One of the doormen approaches. "Sir, we've locked all the doors, nobody out or in as per protocol."

"Perfect, thanks, Ivan. Let's get to work. Someone in here was paid off to let them in with weapons and I want to find out who. Round up the girls and keep them somewhere safe. I doubt any of them were involved but we can't take any chances, so we should speak with them all. Oh, and be sure to send the dead girl's family a healthy compensation," I add. She gave her life for me, albeit not deliberately, but it's the least I can do to take care of her loved ones.

He nods, "Will do."

"You sure you're up to this?" I direct at Endo.

"Sure thing. I'd hate to miss the fun part," Endo replies.

"Okay, we should call in some of the others to help with cleaning this place up, too," I add.

It's going to take hours of questioning, and probably torture, if Endo's pissed off and people don't talk. But we can't let a spy get away. We have to find them and make an example of them. With Lucchese dead, that's one less enemy, but we've now effectively started a war with his allies. De Luca and Di Stefano are also bound to know why he was here and that I have his daughter. They'll come looking for her.

As much as part of me wants to rush home to protect Arianna, I know she's safe there. They won't know what's happened here yet or where I'm hiding her—I chose one of my lesser-known homes for that purpose. For now, I need to focus on taking over the parts of Lucchese's empire that I can and find out who the traitor is.