Chapter 29: That afternoon: Coming to terms with everything

CHAPTER 29

EILIDH

THAT AFTERNOON – COMING TO TERMS WITH EVERYTHING

A fter Miki and Luca left to place cameras near the handover site, Marko headed to his room to work, and I was left alone with nothing to do but think.

Vlad had gone to check that my idea of using the old tunnel network to access the factory was possible. I was pleased with myself for remembering about the tunnels and I really hoped it was indeed the solution to their problem.

When I'd thought of the idea, they had all been impressed, and it had made me proud. We'd discussed the possibility of it being a viable option and it had been thrilling to be a part of things. I'd listened to Miki's input and was blown away by his ingenuity. The man was bloody brilliant in the way he thought of every eventuality.

Warmth spread all over my body as I thought of everything else that man was brilliant at.

Just as he'd asked, I was wearing the pretty white lace underwear, and I couldn't wait for him to make good on his promise later. Shivers of excitement ran down my spine at the thought and I was back to being horny as hell.

Lord, it seemed like that was becoming a permanent state of being for me.

Not that I was complaining. Hell no!

My man turned me on, and I was more than happy with that thought.

I was quickly learning that there wasn't anything he could do that would make me unhappy with him for long.

Even after overhearing the guys discussing getting Mathieson out, and not knowing what to think, all it took was a kiss from him to calm me down.

I'd been livid, wondering why they would want to help Mathieson escape. It had crossed my mind that Miki had lied to me, and he was actually working with the guy. Although I hadn't wanted to believe it, I hadn't understood why else they would get him out. Yet one touch of those sexy lips of his and I'd been putty in his hands.

Even now, just thinking about his kisses made my lips tingle, and I wasn't just talking about my mouth!

Thankfully, after Miki explained things, I understood his need to make Mathieson pay for his crimes. God, how I'd changed!

It was almost a relief to know exactly who my sexy Russian was because now I could reconcile with the fact that he was indeed Bratva, as I'd suspected. I'd known he would be high up too, but I hadn't considered that he was the pakhan. That blew my mind.

When he told me he had unwillingly inherited the position from his dad but had done his best to fulfil the role of Bratva boss and family protector since, I could hear how much his responsibilities weighed heavily on his mind and my heart went out to him.

Miki's life was a difficult and dangerous one, yet he seemed to navigate it with his own moral code.

Even so, it was a scary thought for me to have become such a different person that I would be happy to get into bed, literally as well as figuratively, with a man who was part of a Mafia organisation. Yet I knew that no other man but Miki could have made me want to.

The way Miki looked at me and the way he treated me made me feel like I was special. No man had ever made me feel the way he did and despite his background, my Mr Sexy Lips was probably the best man I'd ever met.

My whole body warmed as I thought about how much he laughed and smiled at me. I got the impression he didn't do that often, and I loved I was the one who could bring a little lightness into his dark world.

I'd thought that accepting Miki for who he was would be difficult, and yet it was turning out to be a lot easier than I'd expected.

I still didn't know the exact extent of the criminal activities his Brotherhood was involved in; all he had told me was that they didn't hurt women and weren't involved in human trafficking.

That, at least, was an immense relief to me.

An even bigger relief was the fact that Miki had said that his family was trying to get out of their criminal lifestyle. While I doubted the possibility of that, I was happy that he was at least trying. It said a lot about his character, and it endeared him to me all the more.

While Miki talked, I had quietly listened and allowed myself to process it all. After he finished telling me everything he was comfortable sharing, I had been stunned because it didn't matter to me.

Even when he admitted he planned on killing Mathieson, it hadn't made a difference. In fact, after everything Miki had told me about the guy, I actually agreed that he deserved it. Jail was too good for people like him.

It was a shock to agree with what Miki planned to do to Mathieson.

I had always done everything by the book, lived my life playing by the rules, and kept the laws of the land. I'd believed in our law enforcement and our justice system, and never agreed with people acting as vigilantes. But when the upholders of the law were bigger perpetrators of crime than most criminals, that changed a person's perspective.

A sense of grief washed over me as the last vestiges of the person I was, died.

Even knowing Miki was a killer, if I was truthful, I could see more morality in my Bratva pakhan than in either Mathieson or my colleagues, who were morally obliged to uphold the law but had failed dramatically.

Shaking my head at my revelations, I had to admit; I was completely, totally, and utterly, one hundred percent in love with my Bratva man and while the old me would have been horrified, the new me simply accepted it. There was no point in even trying to deny it. I had it bad, and that was all there was to it.

The sexy Russian was never far from my thoughts and had become an obsession. I wanted to be with him every minute and thought about him constantly when I wasn't.

Fingering the necklace Miki had given me, I smiled.

The rose gold tear-shaped pendant was set with an amber stone surrounded by tiny little diamonds. It matched the rose gold studs in my ears and complimented my colouring, just as Miki said.

I was touched, not only by the gift, but by the amount of thought Miki had put into buying it for me. It really was stunning, and I would enjoy wearing it.

As I examined it more closely, I realised it would also compliment my gold underwear, which had little rose gold bows in between the cups of the bra and the sides of the thong.

Today Miki wanted to remove my black lace set with his teeth and I intended to make sure he did. But another day soon, I decided I'd bring the little gold set out to play.

Ooh la la! I couldn't bloody wait. The thought sent a gush of wetness straight into my white lacy knickers, and I bit my lip as I anticipated the evening ahead.

I was looking forward to going to dinner with Mr Sexy Lips later and would wear my little black dress and strappy heels. Then afterwards we'd come back to the room, and I'd give him dessert.

Smiling mischievously, I made a call and ordered a couple of little items to be delivered to the room later. Miki had given me a present and tonight I planned on giving him one in return.

In the meantime, I had an entire afternoon ahead of me and nothing to do, so I settled in the suite's living room and put on the TV, turning to the local news. The story of my attack and the fire was running, with an image of Martin, as the suspect wanted for questioning.

My heart sped up as I looked at his smug face staring back at me from the screen, and I couldn't suppress a shiver of fear.

A detective constable being attacked in her home and left for dead as it burnt around her would be news on any day. However, with the suspect being another detective and her partner, who'd gone missing, it was a major story.

I'd left a message on Aunt Maisie's phone to tell her I was okay, just in case she was worried. The Chief Superintendent had left a message on mine telling me how sorry the department was for what had happened, but I hadn't called him back. I still didn't know how far up the chain of command this whole corruption thing went, so I didn't want to talk to him.

Thankfully, the reporters didn't know where I was, or I expected the hotel would be inundated. Miki had paid the manager for the staff to be discreet, so I just hoped it stayed that way. It would be difficult for us to carry out our plan if we had to navigate the so-called great British press. And I really wouldn't want to bring Miki and his family any unwanted scrutiny.

Tears stung my eyes at the images of my house in flames. I couldn't believe how close I'd come to being killed only two days ago, and by a colleague, too. The sooner Martin was caught, the better. I just prayed he would be at the handover, as I didn't like the thought of him out there somewhere, possibly waiting to attack me again.

The very idea had me feeling sick with nerves.

I'd joined the force to follow in my dad's footsteps and I had been so proud to be a police officer, but with officers like Martin, Roy, and the others, I wasn't any more, and I bloody hated each one of them for stripping me of that pride.

Of course, if they hadn't, Miki and I would never have met or got together.

My breath hitched as that thought hit me like a bucket of water being thrown over me.

However, as much as I adored Mr Sexy Lips, it wasn't like I was going to be grateful to a bunch of murdering scum for his presence in my life.

No, fate had put us in each other's path. Chemistry and common goals had brought us together, and now love would bind us and bridge the gap between two worlds and two people that otherwise would have remained apart.

When the next couple of days were over, I'd resign and follow Miki to London. I wasn't sure what I would do there, but it would be a fresh start, so I supposed I could do anything I wanted.

With TV not an option and nothing else to do, by mid-afternoon, I was bored and about ready to climb the walls, but thankfully Marko and Vlad came in to check on me.

We ordered room service, ate little cakes and sandwiches, and sipped tea together while chatting about the plan for the next day. It was odd to think these Russian men enjoyed such a British tradition.

Watching them sip from China cups balanced on little saucers was pretty funny, and I had to bite my lip to avoid laughing each time Vlad took a sip. He was a big guy, so when he held the cup, it looked like a child's tea set in his hands.

Regardless, both men looked sophisticated, and it was hard to remember they were more than the Russian Oligarchs they appeared.

As we discussed the plan, I asked Marko lots of questions.

"Don't arrest me," he said, laughing as I marvelled at his skills in hacking and tracking.

"I promise not to," I replied, laughing in turn.

I liked Marko; he was nice and had a nerdy sort of charm about him, but he was hot too. He was not your typical nerd, that was for sure, and he carried that hint of danger, just like the others, that added to his attraction.

Vlad was a quieter person. He was as tall as Miki, but even more muscular. Yet, like Miki, they appeared more down to genetics and training rather than steroids. He had a calming air and seemed to be one of those people who was rarely fazed by anything, and I could see why he was Miki's friend and bodyguard. I liked him too.

We laughed and chatted, and I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

After about an hour, I noticed Vlad yawning. He had slept little in the last few days between tailing me, Bratva business, staying up, guarding my hospital room, and helping put our plans into motion. The poor man was shattered, and no wonder.

All those times I thought I was being watched; it had been Vlad.

"You scared me by creeping around, following me in the dark," I told him.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, and I believed him.

"Of course, you scared me too," he went on.

"Me? I doubt that." I laughed incredulously.

"That day when you challenged me to come out with that torch in your hand and that glint in your eye, I was pretty sure that if I did, you'd brain me with the thing and that would be the end of me," he smirked.

"Oh ha, ha!" I said, laughing.

Bonding with the guys gave me the warm fuzzies and made my decision to be with Miki feel better. I had a feeling that was the intention of our little get together and it worked.

We were having fun, but after I caught Vlad covering another yawn with his hand; I insisted he go take a nap.

Marko followed a few minutes later to do more of his hacking stuff and I was left to my own devices, once again, which wasn't a good idea.

Within ten minutes of them leaving, I was going stir crazy. I really needed to get out of the room, so decided to go for a swim in the hotel pool.

After quickly getting changed, I headed down to the Spa.

I thought about telling Marko where I was going, but quickly talked myself out of it. Marko was busy, and I didn't want to disturb him or wake up Vlad.

One of them would have probably insisted on coming with me if I had told them, and that wasn't fair because Vlad needed his sleep, and Marko needed to be doing whatever he was doing to make sure everything ran smoothly tomorrow. Besides, it wasn't as if I was leaving the hotel.

A staff member directed me to the woman's changing room, where I took off my clothes and put them in a locker. I debated keeping my promise to Miki and leaving my necklace on, but was scared to lose it in the pool, so I took it off and tucked it into the locker as well. Just as I closed the door, I felt a presence behind me.

Before I could turn to look, I was pushed up against the locker door. A hand closed over my mouth, and I felt a prick in my neck. I was suddenly very weak. My knees buckled, but I was held in an iron-tight grip so instead of falling, I simply slumped over the arm around my waist, powerless to fight the waves of tiredness that made my head lull and my eyes heavy.

Unable to move my limbs, I couldn't stop my hands from being cuffed behind me. My mind was sluggish, and I couldn't seem to think coherently as I was slung unceremoniously over someone's shoulder.

I wanted to struggle, but I couldn't sum up the energy and I didn't seem to care as the world wavered in and out of focus. Instead, I just hung there, limp, while I was carried away, fighting to stay conscious.

A few minutes later, my assailant bundled me into somewhere small, and I heard a noise above me like a boot closing. A car! I was in a car. My mind registered the fact, and I vaguely thought that I should try to escape, but it was impossible. I couldn't even muster a scream.

Lying curled up in a ball, I felt the vibration of the engine as I was driven away from the hotel. I must have passed out because I woke again as the car turned a corner and I was thrown against the side. That should have hurt, but it didn't. My mind felt like it was floating, and my body was warm and relaxed.

I'm high!

Did I get injected with heroin? I wasn't sure, but I didn't seem to care. My eyes grew heavier again, and I drifted off.

The jolt of the car as it went over a bump woke me the next time.

A short while later, the vehicle stopped. Nothing happened for quite some time, and I lay there practically paralysed, but finally my thoughts cleared a little. I was still too weak to do anything about my predicament, but aware enough to know I was totally screwed.

Thankfully, I was still too high to panic.