Chapter 14 - Leon

I was seeing red. I had to leave the room before I lost all control. She was more than perfect. I didn't want to hurt her, but I couldn't allow anyone else to hurt her, either. Heading back down, I noticed the table had been cleared, and it seemed everyone had left.

Frustrated, I grabbed a beer and went out to the patio. I had almost emptied my first one when Piotr came out. He walked past me to the steps leading out towards the front of the house. He stood for a bit with his back to me.

Piotr turned, gave me a side grin, and spoke in his deep voice. I didn't know if it was due to my state of mind or if he spoke louder than usual, but his voice rang through the air, filling it with a strong sense of authority. "Come, Leon, come with me now."

He walked down the short row of steps and headed towards the garage. Swallowing the last bit of beer, I placed the bottle on the table and followed. I knew when he made his voice thick there was no arguing, just doing.

Grabbing his helmet from its perch between the visor and handlebars of his black bike, he spoke again. To any outsider, it would have sounded like he was barking orders instead of extending an invitation, which was his way.

"You will join me in our meeting with Ashan Morozov later. But let's grab a drink in the meantime."

He had barely flung his leg over the bike and pulled his helmet on before it roared to life. Climbing in my black beast of a truck, I saw the double gates open behind me in the distance. Piotr waited in the entranceway.

The clean leather gave off a strong odor. It was earthy but had a sweetness to it that was generally only found in sportscars. I kept it clean and varnished it weekly. My black beast was one of my prized possessions. Starting her up, I took hold of the wheel and pulled out behind Piotr.

My truck purred like a kitten. In my opinion, she sounded better than any motorbike ever would. However, if you asked Mila or Piotr, they would disagree. I drove behind Piotr as we headed to the New York Den. It was a huge gambling house owned by the Morozov family.

We hadn't been down to their establishments at the coast, but I was sure they were just as spectacular as this one. Pulling into the brightly lit parking area, we found a spot close to the door. Heading in, we moved through the first floor, which held a variety of slot machines and gambling tables to the stairs at the back.

The second floor held some private dancing rooms, a restaurant, and a pool area with a bar. We moved through to the bar area and found a spot where we could practically see the entire floor. Piotr ordered a couple of beers as we sat down.

Once the lovely blond waiter had brought our drinks and left, he turned to me and spoke in the same deep voice but not as loud as before. "You need to be careful with that little dove of yours."

Feeling my anger igniting, I turned to face him. I could see on his face that he meant what he said. This time, I thought before replying that I needed to stay calm. Scanning the floor, I took a deep breath and sighed.

Piotr reached across the table and tapped my arm as he continued. "I don't want to interfere, but I don't want to have to deal with the fallout if it goes firing up."

I understood what he meant. I didn't want trouble either, but I couldn't explain how I felt around her. Instead of answering, I gave him a sharp nod, indicating I understood. This wasn't the time or place to discuss personal issues.

Piotr returned my nod and waved his arm in the air showing the waiter to bring two more. We downed our first beers without any further discussion. Checking my watch, I knew it wouldn't be too long before Ashan arrived if he wasn't already in the club. Which was very possible, as he surely took care of the business.

We were about halfway through our second beer when Ashan and Jamie came waltzing in. We rose as they came over. Stepping around the table, we greeted like old friends.

"Come with us," Ashan said as he and Jamie started towards the other side of the pool area. There were three closed-in gazebos, which offered more privacy for business deals. We entered the first one. As we sat down, a waiter came in with a tray of drinks.

The young man, probably barely a day over twenty placed it on the small round table. He turned to Ashan, gave a slight bow, and left. "Right then," Ashan said, smiling. "Tell us about the progress?"

I listened as Piotr went through the events and results we had on all the other projects we were working on. Once he was done, it was my turn. I took a deep breath before starting. Ashan sat listening intently. Once I had gone through the two messed-up situations, he suggested we use Cindy.

"I will find another way, I guarantee you. I just need a bit more time." I pleaded with him.

Ashan glanced at Piotr and then at Jamie before responding. "Sure, you have a week; please note time is of the essence here."

Nodding, I replied gratefully. "I know and won't let you down. Thanks, Ashan. May I be excused?"

Ashan nodded, and I left, heading back to the bar on the other side of the floor. At the bar, I grabbed another beer and sat on one of the chairs, scanning the floor again. The kind of work we did, we had learned to be cautious. Even though we were on friendly ground, I knew things could still change within a second.

Even the Morozov family surely had enemies, maybe even more than we had. At this, I smiled. I was sure they had many more people coming at them than we would ever know. I had barely taken a sip of my beer when a lovely young woman slid onto the chair next to me.

"Would you like to dance with me?" She inquired in a silky voice. Glancing back, I noticed Piotr was done and coming my way. In the past, I might have taken a woman like her up on such an offer. She was beautiful, her eyes sparkled like diamonds, and her smile was inviting. I could see myself riding this ocean, but now my mind was filled with Cindy.

This beauty before me couldn't even come close to what Cindy had. "No, thanks, I'm on my way out," I replied as I moved to join Piotr.

"I'm going to the bar down our way. Do you want to join?" I asked as we exited the den. Piotr nodded, pulling on his helmet and starting up his bike.

The bar was about midway between our mansion and the den. It wasn't as fancy as the den, but we had visited it before. It held two pool tables, a dartboard, a jukebox, a small stage used only on the weekends, a dance floor, and about ten tables. I had never seen it to full capacity, which suited us better.

We sat down at the bar and Piotr ordered a round of beers. I wanted to forget Cindy, and my mixed emotions and beer weren't going to do that, so I got us some shots. After two rounds, we played a game of pool against some creeps hanging around the tables. I hadn't seen them here before, but they appeared harmless enough.

Piotr had stopped taking shots with me once I started feeling a buzz, but I wasn't ready to go home yet. I wanted to forget everything. I wanted to keep on drinking. After another couple of rounds, Piotr took me by the arm as he spoke. "I think it's time to go; you've had enough. If you continue, you won't be able to drive home."

I let out a small chuckle as I responded, pushing him back. "No, no, I want one more."

Piotr spoke softly as he pulled my arm around his shoulder. "No more, brother, let's get out of here." We walked to the door but had to turn sideways to get out together. Stepping into the cool evening air, it brushed my cheek and made me smile.

"You feel that?" I asked Piotr as we headed to my truck. "I think an angel just kissed me."

Piotr smiled, "I think you had a little too much," he said as I pressed the remote buttons, hearing the door popping open.

"Right you are, as always," I said, opening the door. "But I feel better." Before I could get in the night air rang with the sound of metal colliding with metal. Glancing at the back of my truck, I saw three men with metal bats. One was tapping his bat on the back flap of my truck.

Regaining my senses instantly as anger surged through me. I slammed the door closed and stepped closer as I spoke. "Hey, please don't do that."

The three men looked at each other, smiling. "We heard you have been making some waves. It has to stop or else…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Piotr said, taking a step towards them. I heard the rise in his voice and saw his clenched fists at his sides as he readied to take them on. The three men stepped out behind the truck as another spoke behind us.

Swinging around, we were met by three more standing behind us and another three to the side. The men before us had what looked like pipes or crowbars in their hands, and the men to the side were armed with knives.

Nine to two, I thought. Our odds were quite good. Even though I had a little too much to drink, we faced worse. "Right," I said. "Now we have a party."

Piotr and I stood back to back, taking on our fighting positions. Adrenalin coursed through me, bringing life to all my senses. Piotr was the better fighter between us, but I had never backed down and could stand up for myself.

"What's your beef with us guys?" Piotr asked.

The men didn't bother to answer. As the three before me stepped closer, I caught a glimpse of a logo on their shirts. They were from the lab we were investigating for the Morozovs.

As the guy on the right swung his pipe at me, I grabbed it, pulling sharply. He came tumbling forward, going down to the ground before me. Raising his pipe, I slugged it down on his back as he tried to stand. His arms gave way, and he huffed out, collapsing back to the ground.

I knew he wouldn't stay down for long, but there were more men to focus on. Behind me, I heard Piotr scurrying as he took on the guys on his side. This distraction, even though it was a split second, cost me dearly as I felt a sharp sting on my side. Grabbing at the pipe that connected with my ribs, I swung the one I held.

There was a loud cracking sound as the pipe made contact with the perpetrator's head, followed by a piercing scream. Armed with two pipes, I stepped sideways, blocking the next hit as the third guy moved in. The night air filled with the clanking sound of pipes against pipes.

Glancing over my shoulder, Piotr had already taken down the three on his side. He was holding two steel bats up in the air. The three men to our side had started their approach. But I knew he would be able to hold them off.

Turning back to the man left standing before me, I didn't see the guy with the knife approaching. I swung the two bats in concession one after the other, laying down enough blows until he collapsed. The first guy I knocked down was on his hands and knees, getting ready to charge Piotr.

Swinging the pipe with force, I let go and watched as it hit him on the side of his head. There was a loud clonking sound as it struck him. He instantly collapsed as blood streamed down the side of his face. Feeling triumphant, I grinned as I turned to see how Piotr was doing.

He was, as usual, taking on two at once. Feeling the sudden burn in my side, I turned to see another one standing slightly behind me with a knife. He had just stabbed me and was getting ready to do so again. I shoved him back as I also moved backward. Feeling Piotr's back against mine again, I spoke, holding my side. "We have to get out of here."

Piotr glanced at me and then down to my side. "You're bleeding," he huffed.

"Yeah, I noticed." I felt the warm liquid bulging out and running down my side. I knew soon I wouldn't be much aid to him. Grabbing hold of the side of my truck, splattering it with my blood, I started towards the door. My vision was coming and going, but I still held the pipe up as the other guy came at me again.

"Piotr," I breathed out loudly. I was sure the one guy had suddenly turned into two or three. I couldn't be sure as my vision betrayed me. Piotr stepped into view, swinging the damn bat left and right.

I felt the backdoor handle and pulled on it. Sliding onto the cool leather seat, I called out. "Piotr, let's go."

The front door of my truck swung open, and then she roared to life. I felt her moving fast as Piotr drove. I was barely conscious and could only hope it was him and not the knife-wielding guy.

"Piotr, Piotr," I breathed out. My voice was barely audible as I felt myself drifting off.

"Hold on, Leon, please, brother," I heard him screaming somewhere in the distance. It was the first time I heard fear in his voice. Knowing he was with me soothed my anxiety slightly as I slipped away into the unknown.