Chapter 18

Eighteen

"Everyone here?" Greer, one of my mentors, asks from the screen.

She's in a room with her husband, Killian, the Captain of the Westies in New York, and his right-hand man, Conor. Along with her guard Enzo, her brother Bastiano, the Don of La Costra Nostra, his men Lorenzo, Giovani, and lastly Tristano.

"Here," I speak for Callum and me.

"Yes," Haruaki says with Kenji next to him.

We see Nikolai, head of the Bratva in California, speaking but nothing comes through.

"Nikolai, can you check your microphone? We can't hear you," Greer says.

I bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing as the big man scowls, aggressively hitting a button on the keyboard.

His computer guy, Alexei, looks as if he sighs, moving the keyboard and mouse away from him. Meanwhile, Dimitri, Nikolai's brother-in-law and right-hand man, can be seen laughing.

"Can you hear us now?" Alexei asks.

Greer nods. "Loud and clear. All right, let's get started. I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel like we are finally starting to gain some ground on this ring. In a joint operation, the Westies and La Costra Nostra found another container of women and girls two weeks ago. Good job, guys," she says as she looks at her family. "We carefully interviewed everyone, and their stories were almost the same. They were grabbed off the street or from their homes. They all agreed that the masked men all had heavy accents. Two of the girls mentioned that they heard arguing coming from outside the container. They couldn't understand what was being said, but the men were clearly angry." Greer looks between Callum and me and Haruaki and his men. "If they stick to the pattern, you will have women start going missing within the next three days."

Callum nods. "We're ready."

"All the working girls in the city know to come to The Currency tomorrow to get their tracking patch," Haruaki adds.

"Awesome." Greer smiles before looking at Nikolai. "How are things going over there?"

"We managed to get a container of fifty women and girls. Ages ranged from fourteen to twenty-three. They were packed in there like sardines." Nikolai frowns.

"We got lucky though. One of the women that they had taken speaks Ukrainian. She was able to tell us what she had heard," Dimitri tells us.

"Did she hear anything useful?" Haruaki asks.

"Here, why don't I just show you?" Alexei says as he taps a few buttons.

A video pops up on the screen and starts playing. It's an interview with a young girl, sixteen at most.

"I heard them," she whispers.

"What did you hear? Could you tell what language they were speaking?" Nikolai asks.

"If I pressed my ear tight against the metal I could hear them. They were speaking Ukrainian."

You can see Nikolai's shoulders tense. "You know Ukrainian?"

The girl nods. "Yes, my nanny is from Ukraine. When I was little, I would hear her talk to her family back home and I thought the language was beautiful. My parents agreed to let her teach me."

"Do you remember what they said?"

The girl takes a drink of water, her hands shake when she sets the glass down. "Yes. They said Fedir, if I'm saying it right, is angry and that he needs more product. One of the men said they should just take out the competition to make their lives easier, and the other guy agreed and said it's bullshit that the boss told them to stand down. That the competition will be dealt with in time."

"Very good, Britney. That's very helpful."

Alexi stops the video, and it drops from the screen.

"We're getting to them," Killian says.

Bastiano nods. "I'd say so. I wonder if they know it's all of our families or if they only know of one of us."

"It sounds like we all need to be prepared," Callum adds.

Nikolai nods. "We have tightened down security on our end."

"For the meantime, Ivanna and I have moved back to the compound," Dimitri tells us.

"This gives me a reason to stop my wife from inviting people over for a while," Haruaki says.

Killian laughs. "Good luck telling my goddaughter that."

"Nikolai, have you heard from Maxim?" Bastiano asks, getting the conversation back on track.

Nikolai nods. "He's made every check-in so far but nothing to report. He's still trying to earn their trust."

One of Nikolai's men, Maxim, volunteered to go undercover. When we found out through the dark web that a sale would be happening and that the Ukrainians were behind it, we knew we had to be there. Maxim was the perfect candidate. He knows the language and how to blend in or stand out when needed. Now we just need to wait for him to prove himself to those watching and to get an invite.

It's a gamble we are all willing to take.

"I can't wait for this to be over." Greer sighs. Killian reaches over and rubs the back of her neck. "Anyway, does anyone have anything else they would like to discuss while we're all here? I know we are united only to end this ring, but if we can offer any additional assistance, let us know."

"Callum, Declan, how is your Russian problem?" Dimitri asks.

He has been helping us try to lock down Vladimir. He's not in Chicago, but we can't seem to find a trace of him anywhere else either. Not even on facial recognition software. It's as if he's a ghost in the wind.

Not that he's gone quiet. We have had two attacks on our operations down at the dock. Each had a note from daddy dearest. Seems he's pissed I married his daughter.

Her stalker is still trying to get her attention as well. Too bad he can't. I've had my men intercepting every gift delivered. The notes are getting a bit more deranged. It has me on edge.

"Yeah, how is married life treating you, Dec?" Tristano speaks up for the first time.

His jovial tone is forced. I wince. He's pissed at me. Fuck, I really do need to call him.

I grit my teeth and ignore my friend. I need to fix that too, but my mind has been focused on my wife. Fuck, I'm failing left and right in my personal life.

Callum speaks before I can. "No real updates. Vladimir has disappeared."

"We haven't been able to get a lock on him since he left his daughter with me over a year ago. We had one of our men following him, but he mysteriously came up missing," Haruaki muses.

"I'm not surprised," Nikolai mutters. "I only met him once, when he petitioned to become part of my ranks to leave Russia. I never liked the guy. He was total scum. When I denied him, he found his place elsewhere. You should have never made the deal with him, Haruaki. He's better off dead."

Haruaki's eyes grow cold. "So easy judging from the other side of the country, Nikolai. Tell me, why are we trusting you again?"

"I don't have to be here. I could easily handle this shit on my own," Nikolai retorts.

"Then why don't you?" Haruaki throws back.

Greer snarls. "That is enough. Both of you. This isn't some playground fucking game. There are real lives at stake here. You want to keep throwing barbs at one another? Do it on your own time. This dick-measuring contest is fucking pitiful. If you both want out, then fucking leave. We don't need egos in this conversation. We need cooperation and fucking teamwork. Your petty arguments mean nothing when the bigger picture means women and children are being raped and tortured for the enjoyment of sick monsters."

Everyone grows quiet at her outburst. After a moment, Tristano laughs.

"Well, looks like Greer won the dick-measuring contest. I'll have a trophy made."

I barely withhold a snort, making him glare at his own screen. I know he's looking at me.

"Now if that's it, then we all have our assignments. Send through any information you get. I want these people taken down as soon as possible, and all of this is getting in the way."

She stands, leaving the room with her husband close behind her.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Declan," Tristano says right before he clicks a button, disconnecting their feed.

I watch as everyone else signs off, closing our own feed last.

"What was that all about?" Callum turns to me.

"What?" I mutter, ignoring how shitty I feel at the hurt in Tristano's tone.

This is why I didn't want friends. Or a wife. Now I have both, and it sucks knowing I'm disappointing them. Makes me feel like a fucking failure.

He quirks a brow. "Is Tristano coming for a visit?"

"Who knows, it's Tristano." I shrug. "He is a wild card."

Callum nods, accepting my non-answer. "Well, if he does, make sure you take a day off. Spend some time with him and Nikita. He wasn't here very long before the wedding, and I'm sure he would like to get to know her."

I know what he's hinting at. Tristano will help me open up around my woman. I didn't tell Callum I have a date with her tonight. In fact, I haven't given him any updates on her at all.

I know he wants one, but he will keep his mouth shut for now. That's why I like him. He knows when to leave me the fuck alone.

"Will do," I tell him, collecting my laptop as I head out of his home office.

If there's one thing I know about my energetic best friend, it's that he doesn't say things that he doesn't mean. The question is, when will I find him on my doorstep?

My hands shakewith nerves as I stare at myself in the mirror.

This is as good as it's going to get.

My hair is parted down the middle with loose curls, and my makeup is minimal with the extension of red lipstick. I have on a fitted, low-cut red dress that shows off entirely too much leg, but my boobs look amazing in it. My heels are black with red bottoms that make my legs look even longer. They were my one splurge with my first check, but even then, I bought them used. They make me feel good, though.

To finish off the look, I put on my trusty black leather jacket. While it really shouldn't go with the outfit, it adds this edgy look to it. Besides, it offers me a level of comfort.

Declan told me to be ready at six sharp, and it's five minutes 'til. Perfect.

Leaving the bathroom, I grab my purse off the bed and head to the living room. I pause when I see the living room is empty.

Where is he?

Did I get the time wrong? Or the date?

I assumed he would be waiting for me, but I guess I was wrong.

What if he's hurt? He said he had work today. I'm under no illusions of what my husband does for work.

A knock at the door makes me flinch.

Cautiously, I step forward. "Who is it?"

"It's me."

I let out a breath, hearing his voice.

Reaching forward, I unlock then open the door. "Hey, did you forget your key or something?"

"No."

I frown. "Then why did you knock when you could let yourself in?"

Declan smirks. "Because I'm picking you up for our date."

I suck in a breath when it hits me.

He's picking me up at the door like this is a proper date and we don't already live together.

"God, you are fucking gorgeous," he tells me, his eyes hungrily taking me in. "Are you ready to go, or do you need more time?"

My body heats at his blatant way of checking me out.

"I'm ready." I step out into the hall, and Declan locks the door behind me.

He takes my hand, making my stomach fill with butterflies. Slowly, he leads me to the elevator where Seamus is holding the door for us. He steps back as we step in.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look?" he says against the side of my head before pressing a kiss there.

It's making me dizzy. This charming man in front of me isn't the Declan I'm used to.

"You did, but you can tell me again."

His eyes twinkle with amusement as he looks down at me. "You're beautiful."

"You don't look so bad yourself." I wink at him.

The man looks fantastic. He's got on a black suit and shirt and has it paired with a red tie. He is usually dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. It's weird to see him so dressed up, but I'm glad he is. He matches me.

"It almost looks like we matched on purpose."

Declan's lips twitch. "Great minds think alike."

I narrow my eyes. Did he somehow know I was going to wear red? He has mischief in his eyes, so I can't be sure.

"Come on." He takes my hand and pulls me out of the elevator and through the lobby.

"Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien," a driver says as he holds open the door for us.

I suck in a breath at the way he addresses us. Sure, the men around the building have been calling me Mrs. O'Brien, but I haven't taken much notice of it. This is the first time I've heard someone refer to us both as Mr. and Mrs. since the wedding. The way his hand squeezes on mine has me smiling at the driver.

"Thank you," we say in unison.

Declan helps me into the car first before sliding in, his hand taking mine again. This touchy-feely version of Declan is unnerving. I'm out of my element.

A few moments later, the car starts to move and I turn toward him. "So where are we going?"

"To dinner. Then I figured we could play the rest of the night by ear depending on how it goes. Does that sound okay?" His thumb brushes against the back of my hand, causing goose bumps to raise on my skin.

"That sounds perfect," I whisper, aware that I'm under his spell.

How did we go from him avoiding me to this?

"Now tell me, how was your day?" He gives me his full attention, making me beam inside.

God, having all of his attention like this is addicting. I could get used to this.

"Fine." I shrug. "I watched a horrible TV series and then got ready."

Declan tilts his head. "What made it horrible?"

"From episode one, you think the main character is dead. Only she's not. She's been body snatched by another ghost and forced out of her body."

"That's…" Declan looks like he's at a loss as to what to say.

"Exactly. It was horrible. Five hours of my life I will never get back." I draw the conclusion for him.

Declan chuckles. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but it's kind of funny."

"Maybe to you," I grumble as we come to a stop. "That didn't take long."

"We were only a couple of blocks away."

"So you're saying we could have walked." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"We could have, but I wouldn't make you walk that far in heels." He winks at me.

"It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure I've walked further in them."

He brushes his lips against my knuckles. "Just because you can, Nikita, doesn't mean you should."

His lips on my skin are fire. It makes me want to lean in and see if those familiar tingles spread through my body again.

Before I can respond, the door opens.

Declan steps out first, then holds his hand out to me. I place my hand in his and carefully get out, making sure not to flash anyone.

Still holding my hand, Declan leads me into the restaurant. The hostess doesn't hesitate when she sees him. She leads us straight through the restaurant toward a private room. I can feel eyes on us, but I can't focus on them. All I can focus on is the hand in front of me.

"Thank you," I murmur as she walks away from us, her eyes lingering on Declan.

A pang of jealousy hits me, but when I look at him, his eyes are on me.

"Mo chroi, you are lucky I know how to fight."

I frown at him. "What does that mean?"

He picks my hand up, bringing his lips to it as he speaks against my skin. "It means that you look ravishing, and by the number of eyes on you as we walked through the restaurant, I might have to beat them off with a stick to keep you by my side."

My mouth falls open at his admission. "It doesn't make you jealous?"

I know watching the hostess look at him made me want to get a bit stabby.

He smirks at me. "Of course it makes me jealous. You are mine. I don't like others coveting what is mine, but I will never dampen your shine, wifey. If you want to show off what a goddess you are, I will stand by your side and make sure each one of those fuckers knows that there is only one man who worships at your shrine, baby. That's me."

I shiver at his words. Who knew such a declaration could make my body feel like jelly?

I have no idea how to handle this flirty Declan. It's what I wanted, but now that I have him, I'm at a loss.

Unable to handle any more, I pull my hand back, looking at the table. "Was she supposed to give us a menu?"

Declan shakes his head. "It's not that kind of place. The meal is already decided ahead of time."

I raise a brow. "So you picked out our food? How do you know I'll like it?"

I'm a tad bit annoyed at that. I don't want others making decisions for me. My whole life has been that.

Declan winces. "I kind of did. Shit, I didn't even think. Are you allergic to anything?" He runs his hands over his face. "I was trying to be romantic. They serve fondue here, so they will bring everything to the table, and we will make it ourselves. If you don't like it, we can go somewhere else."

Seeing how worried he is about it makes my annoyance fade. He isn't trying to control me.

"Interesting. No, I don't have any allergies, to food at least."

Declan licks his lips. "Is this okay?"

"Sure. I'm willing to try it."

The server comes up and asks what we would like to drink. Declan sticks with water, so I do as well. I don't want to get drunk. I want to remember every part of this night.

Declan doesn't know, but this is my first real date. I was never allowed to date before, and I don't count our wedding or Christmas as a date.

This is monumental for me, but I don't want him to know it, so I'm trying to act casual.

Quickly, the server brings us back our order along with the first course.

"We are starting you off with a cheese course tonight. Once you are done or if you need another drink, you can pick up that phone there." She points to the wall our table is against. "And I will be back with the next round or whatever it is you need. Otherwise, I'll leave you guys alone. Please, take your time."

"Thank you," Declan tells her.

I completely forget my manners because I'm staring at the food in front of me. There's a big pot of melted cheese in the middle of the table along with skewers and bite-sized pieces of bread, pretzels, fruit, and vegetables.

"This looks amazing. I've never done anything like this," I whisper.

It really does look like something I would enjoy. Yes, it's food, but it feels like more. It feels like an experience.

"Good. I'm glad." He sounds relieved.

"It's so much food, and she said there's more?" I ask as I follow his movements, putting a piece of bread on the skewer and dipping it into the cheese.

Declan chuckles. "There are four courses. Cheese, salad, entrée, then dessert."

My eyes widen. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack. Don't worry, we don't have to eat it all. Now tell me something I don't know about you."

"Well, I mentioned I'm not allergic to any foods, but I am allergic to aloe. I hate the clammy feeling, and I like to eat my popcorn with either green olives or peanut MM's."

I look to him to see how he reacts to the little tidbits of information I've just given him. One serious, the other superficial. I want to see how he reacts before I give him anything more.

Declan makes a face. "Green olives and popcorn?"

I give him a small smile. Of course he focuses on that.

"Don't knock it until you try it. Now your turn."

"I used to play hockey as a kid, I'm not a fan of olives, and I'm not allergic to anything that I know of." He smirks at me.

I scoff. "Lucky. You never realize how many things you can't use until you're allergic to a popular ingredient."

"I never thought about that. Lotions, makeup…"

"And more." I change the subject. "So if you played hockey, you can skate."

"I can."

"You know, I studied figure skating for a while. Maybe we could go together sometime."

Declan's eyes light up. "We can do that for our second date."

I quirk an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I am even enjoying the first date. Who says we will have a second?"

He smiles wider. "Easy, mo chroi. You're my wife. I get to date you every day for the rest of our lives." I blush at his confidence that we will be spending many years to come together. "Besides, you can try to lie all you want, wifey, but the smile that has been on your face since the cheese has come out says that you are enjoying every minute of this."

My cheeks heat at his words. He's not wrong. Then I feel his foot bump mine, only it doesn't move away once he realizes it's me. Instead, he leaves it there, focusing back on the food in front of him.

I stare at him, trying to come to terms with the way I feel right now. If you had asked me a month ago if I would be falling for my husband, I would have said no way in hell, but sitting here now, I can't help but think that this was inevitable. There's something about Declan that makes you want to like him. I fought hard against it, but I was always going to lose this fight.

"Try this," he murmurs, holding out a piece of apple with cheese on the end.

I take it into my mouth, sucking on his fingers to get all the juices.

His eyes light up with desire as he clears his throat.

"Behave," he says in an authoritative tone, but I see the smile he's trying to hide.

"You don't like when I behave," I throw back at him, making him laugh.

The rest of the night, we go back and forth sharing little things about each other and eating. We lost track of time until they had to ask us to leave because it was an hour past closing time.

And it was perfect.