20. Nicholas

20

NICHOLAS

I glanced in the back seat, narrowing my eyes at FNG. Not even the swollen lip he was sporting made me feel better. Punching him wasn't nearly enough to satisfy my taste for blood, but it would have to do. Unfortunately, I needed him alive. If this Ivan guy found out I killed FNG, he would kill Raven. And that would totally defeat the purpose of what we were trying to do.

But I really wanted to end his life right now.

"He wasn't actually going to kill her," FNG tried again.

I turned around again. "You said he was about to strangle her when she said your name."

I wasn't sure what I was most upset about—that Ivan was about to strangle Raven to death and she would slip through my fingers, or that it was FNG's name that saved her life.

Maybe that shouldn't upset me. After all, she was alive and well, but the fact that another man's name saved her life really grated on my nerves. If anyone should be saving her life, it should be me. Not that Raven needed saving. She was strong and fully capable.

Aside from the time that her partner hit her over the head and threw her off a roof.

And when she needed to be saved from Ivan, but this was a different circumstance. It wasn't every day someone needed to be saved from a former KGB operative. Hell, it could have happened to any one of us, and we would be in the same position as her.

"We're here," Rae announced, pulling down a long driveway. We were out in the middle of nowhere. I sure hoped FNG trusted this guy. If it was a setup, we could all end up dead and no one would know a thing. Hell, he could bury our bodies out here. It would take bloodhounds to find us.

There were no lights on to guide us through the darkness. By all accounts, this house looked abandoned. The windows were broken downstairs and the door was hanging from the hinges. It was the perfect place for an ex-KGB agent to lay a trap for his so-called friends.

"I don't like this," I muttered as Rae pulled to a stop.

"I think it's awesome," Fox grinned. "Like something out of a Halloween movie. Ooh, maybe we could get Cash to host a party here. I call dibs on Aladdin."

"Aladdin?" FNG asked.

"Yeah, I always wanted to wear that little cap on my head. And how cool would it be to have a monkey for a sidekick?"

"I'll get you one when this is over," Rae retorted.

"Seriously? I'll have to stock up on bananas."

"If you get to be Aladdin, then I want to be?—"

"Hey!" I snapped. "Priorities."

They both looked at me sheepishly. I shoved the door open, but didn't miss FNG saying, "I call Ron Weasley."

I rolled my eyes and pulled my gun, walking carefully toward the door. Old guy or not, I wasn't taking any chances.

"Do you want me to shoot them now?" Rae whispered. "We could make it look like an accident."

"We need FNG."

"So, just Fox, then. I can live with that."

I proceeded to the door and gently turned the knob. Stepping into the darkness, I carefully walked through the abandoned house. There was no sign that anyone was here. I pulled my small flashlight and shone it on the floor. There weren't even any footprints in the dust. As I trailed the light around the room, tiny specks of dust floated through the air, clouding my lungs with every breath I took. It was nearly impossible not to sneeze in here.

"Ahchoo!"

I spun, ready to shoot FNG in the face. He held his nose, not moving a muscle. "Sorry," he hissed. "It's dusty."

The lights came on and the Russian stepped out, chuckling as he walked toward us. "There is no need for the secrecy. It is only me and your Raven."

"Then why did you have all the lights off?"

He held his arms wide, turning in a circle. "It is not my house. I did not want to draw attention. Come. She is downstairs."

"Already have her chained up?" I asked as FNG pushed past me.

"Ivan!"

"FNG, my good friend. Is good to see you."

FNG rushed forward, wrapping his arms around the Russian. I still couldn't believe this guy was real. Nobody believed a thing about his travels, but if this guy really was a former KGB operative, he could be a lot of use to us.

If we could trust him.

"So, she's all good?"

"I keep her safe as a teeny tiny rabbit."

They both burst out laughing. I glanced at Rae, who shrugged, not sure what to make of it either.

"Come, come. I show you to the little Raven. I promise you, she is unharmed. Perhaps a little drunk." He descended the stairs with a heavy gait, completely unafraid of the gun at his back.

I followed him warily, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, my heart beat heavily in my chest as I considered what I might find when I got to the bottom of the stairs. What I didn't expect was to see Raven sitting in a chair, her leg kicked up on the table as she drank a glass of vodka.

"See? She is still living," Ivan grinned. "As promised."

I needed to see Raven, to make sure she was okay, but I still didn't trust Ivan. I looked to Rae, who nodded in acknowledgment. I holstered my gun and rushed over to Raven, gripping her face as I forced her to look at me.

"Are you okay?"

Her eyes were slightly unfocused, but when she realized who I was, a wide grin split her lips. "Nicholas!" She tossed her head back and laughed. "I just put it together! You're like the Tsar!"

"What?"

The laughter faded and her smile dropped. "Don't cause a revolution."

"A what?"

"Power isn't worth it."

"What are you talking about?"

"And I promise not to spy. On anyone."

I turned to Ivan, trying to make some sense of what she was saying. "Is any of this making sense to you?"

He shrugged. "We talked. Is good."

"See?" FNG walked up behind me. "I told you she would be alive."

"She's drunk," I said, getting to my feet.

"Yes, but she is not dead," Ivan pointed out.

"You got her drunk!"

He frowned. "Is Russia. We toast to health."

"This is not Russia!"

He chuckled, stepping closer. "My friend, where I go, Russia goes. Come, we drink."

Fox pushed past me and took a seat, eagerly awaiting any tidbits the Russian would throw his way.

"At least if we're drinking, we're not dead," Rae said.

"If we're drinking, it'll make it easier for him to kill us."

FNG laughed. "Do you really think the Slayer needs you to be drunk to kill you?" He slapped me on the back and pulled up a chair of his own. "To Russia!" he shouted, grabbing his own drink.

"Na zdoróv'je!"

"Na zdoróv'je!" FNG and Fox shouted.

I rolled my eyes as Raven lifted her own glass and downed the contents in one swallow. This was not what I expected when I arrived.

I spent the entire night keeping watch as everyone else got wasted. For some reason, they didn't seem all that distrusting about Ivan. Even Rae eventually gave in to his charms. I found an empty room on the second floor that didn't have busted-out windows and chose that for our sleeping arrangements for the night.

I was dead tired and in desperate need of some coffee, but there was no way I was leaving anyone here with Ivan the Slayer. Raven groaned beside me, rolling to her side before spitting dust out of her mouth.

She sat up, brushing it from her face as she looked around the room and grimaced. "This is not the Four Seasons."

"This is barely a house," I commented.

She jerked around and finally saw me leaning against the wall. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your life."

"From who?"

"Ivan."

She looked confused for a moment, pressing her hand to her head. "How much did I drink last night?"

"Before or after I arrived?"

She groaned, flopping back down on the ground. "Just kill me."

"I didn't sit through the whole night with you so you could give up now."

"How can my stomach hurt this much? Did I eat an entire cow?"

"No, but there was a lot of vodka involved."

"Vodka…Ivan."

"I already said that."

"I know, but now I remember it. This is so bad." She sat up suddenly and I thought she was going to be sick. "Nicholas—" She squeezed my arm. "He wants the eggs."

"He already has them. I got a history lesson last night about them."

"Yes, about the last Emperor and something about…something hidden inside!"

"Yeah, I heard that too."

"No, but don't you see? If he takes the eggs, I'll still have the mafia after me!"

Man, she was really slow this morning. "Yes, I realize that."

"What are we going to do?"

"I'm working on it."

"Working on it?" she jumped to her feet, nearly falling sideways as she swayed. "I can't afford to wait for you to work on it. What if he's working with the mob? Or the government? Did you know he used to be a KGB agent?"

"Yes, I heard all about that last night too."

"If he takes them, I'm dead."

"Do you really think I would track you here and then let him leave with the eggs? Maybe it's about time you start trusting me."

"I don't know you," she snapped.

I snagged her around the waist and pulled her against me. "Then it's about fucking time you started."

I pressed a bruising kiss to her lips, refusing to give in even when she pushed at my shoulders. I was tired of chasing this woman, only for her to leave me in the dust. I would prove to her I was here for her even if it killed me.

"Nicholas—" she panted. Her shoves turned into twisting my shirt in her fingers. I grabbed her hands, trying to stop her as she pulled at the hem of my shirt, but she yanked back and landed a bruising slap across my face.

My head snapped to the side with the force of her hit. Slowly, I turned back to her, the anger and need raging inside me. Grabbing her by the arms, I tossed her up against the wall and pressed my body to hers.

"Don't fight me."

"Don't tell me what to do."

She tried to shove me off her and I grabbed her wrists, slamming them against the wall above her head. Defiance flared in her eyes, but her body was begging me for more. Clasping her wrists in one hand, I slid my other hand down her waist, flicking the button on her pants.

"Be a good girl and stay still."

"I was never very good at listening."

But when I slid my hand inside her pants and brushed her clit with the tips of my fingers, she stilled, needing my touch more than she needed to prove she could stand on her own.

Hot, wet heat flooded my fingers as I swirled her tight bud. She panted with need, her fists clenching with the need to break free, but that wasn't happening. Running my nose along the length of hers, I slid my lips over hers, devouring her and taking what was mine. My teeth clamped down on the delicate lobe of her ear, not releasing her until she hissed in pain.

"Tell me you need me."

Her trembling breath almost had me believing she could hold out. But her pussy wouldn't be denied. She craved this as much as I craved the chase—the need to know where she was and protect her from any threats. She may not need my protection, but that wouldn't stop me from intervening and making sure no harm came to her.

"Tell me," I repeated, pinching her clit just a little too forcefully.

She gasped, her head slamming back against the wall as she fought the waves of pleasure I forced through her body.

"Say it."

"No!" she gasped.

"It's not that fucking hard," I snapped, getting really pissed now. "I'm a man. I protect you."

"I take care of myself."

"And I'm there for backup," I demanded. "You can't always be alone."

Her gaze snapped to mine and fire lit her eyes. "I'm always alone."

"Not anymore."

If she didn't believe me now, she never would. And I couldn't blame her. I stalked her. I fucked her. But I didn't really know her. That was all about to change.

In a matter of seconds, we were both naked from the waist down. I guided my cock to her entrance and slammed inside, taking what I desperately needed. I hadn't even realized I'd released her wrists until she wrapped them around my neck and pulled me closer. Her nails scraped against my skin as I thrust inside her, driving home the point that this was not over.

"I hate you."

"I need you," I panted.

"You shouldn't have come," she cried out as I gripped her thigh, hiking her higher.

"Fuck! What are you doing to me?"

Animalistic urges swarmed my mind. I pictured her on the ground in the middle of the woods as I fucked her into the dirt. Or swaying in my hammock as I fucked her in my back yard. A thousand other scenarios floated through my mind as I exploded inside her, filling her with my cum.

Exhausted, I rested my head against hers, my body the only thing holding her against the wall as she lazily trailed a hand up and down my back. A drop of sweat slid down her nose and I quickly moved to lap it up, grinning as she frowned in disgust.

"Get used to it."

"I'll never get used to that."

Pounding rattled the floor from below us.

"Are you done yet? We're covered in dust down here!"

Raven bit her lip, making me chuckle. She definitely wasn't like other women. "Should we give them round two?"

"I don't think they can handle it."