Chapter 2 - Leon

Would you believe my luck? This was supposed to be a simple mission. Get into the lab, find the guy, squeeze him for answers on the company's sinister secrets, and give the details through to the Morozovs. The Morozov clan made sure we knew the information was a threat to them, and it had to be handled with care as quickly as possible.

Now, I had two people instead of one. If I hadn't noticed the blink of a light, this woman might have caused a lot of trouble for me. She was now tied, gagged, and safe from causing trouble. Feeling sure she couldn't interfere anymore, I turned my attention back to the man.

"Really," I huffed, slapping the man in the chair. "Why did you have to go and pass out on me?" I added as another ‘clap' rang through the musty air. I tried waking him, but he didn't move. I slapped him in the face. Stepping back, I heard scuffing behind me and turned swiftly.

There she was, upright and bouncing forward on her tied legs. Her light-brown hair flapped up and down, seemingly light as feathers. "What are you…" I started saying before I noticed the dusty red button she was aiming for. "No," I screamed as I lunged at her.

It was too late. I only managed to grab her coat as she leaned over and shoved the button with her head. The room filled with a loud ringing as alarms went off. "Now look what you've done," I shouted over the ringing as I grabbed my bag and pulled her with me to the chair.

Untying the man, I lifted him over my shoulder before pulling her up to her feet. She felt light compared to the stocky man. I had to leave, and they now had to come with me. She left me with no option; I planned on leaving her once I had what I had come for. But now my plans had to change. We would have to decide together on her fate as I would take her back to my hide-out.

I knew the others wouldn't be pleased but felt it was the only thing to do. Besides, if the man didn't give us any information, maybe she would. Sneaking out of the building through a side door not far from the room, I headed for my truck. She was a handful as she twisted and squirmed in my arm.

She could be glad that I didn't believe in knocking women. Even though I felt sure she was scared, she had a lot of fight and spirit. Somehow, this turned me on, and I wanted to learn more about her. She smelled sweet, like honey with a tinge of herbs or something. Her odor was playing with my senses, and so was her silky, soft skin.

It intrigued me how she could manage to stir me so swiftly. I have never felt a pull to any woman like this before. It was something to experiment with, but now was not the time for such things.

Twice, I almost lost my grip but I managed to make it to my truck. After shoving the man into the backseat, I lifted her into the front passenger side and strapped her in. Getting in on the driver's side, I realized that I would have to blindfold her. I couldn't take a chance of her knowing where we lived. Well, actually, where I lived.

Reaching to the back, I pulled out a clean cloth and wrapped it around her head, making sure not to cover her nose. Once she was blindfolded, I took off. As we drove away, I saw the cops pulling into the building's parking area. Just in time, I thought as I turned up for the next block.

Thinking of my mission, I felt rage pushing up through my body like lava flowing from the mouth of a volcano. I didn't get the information; the guy passed out, and I now also had this woman to deal with. Glancing at her, my stomach turned. There was something different about this one.

Nothing went as planned tonight. I noticed her flinching as I smacked the steering wheel while driving up the next block. Turning left two blocks up and again right after three more, I took a couple of deep breaths.

I had to calm down. Piotr, Mila, and Konstantin were surely not going to be pleased with me. Not so much for dragging the woman with. No, they were going to be furious I didn't extract the information we needed. The Morozov family was a big deal. They have the power to reach you anywhere. Messing up this agreement wasn't even a consideration.

Pulling up to the curb of my hideout, I quickly surveyed the area before opening the gate. The street was clear both ways and dark as it should be. Driving through the covered gate to the darkness of my parking spot at the back, I ensured the gate was closed behind us.

I planted some ivy and creepers after moving in here a few years back. They had grown over the single-story house quickly. Now, they concealed most of it. I loved the vibe the vines brought. They also covered the gate and most of the windows, offering exceptional coverage.

The driveway was long enough to fit about eight cars as it stretched along the side of the diagonally built house. No lights were on this side of the house, only at the front, as I preferred the darkness. Switching off the engine, I glanced at the woman before texting Mila to tell her what was happening.

Getting out of the truck, I first unlocked and opened the back door of my hideout. This door led to the room I used for interrogations. In the far corner of the room was a door leading to the cell where I sometimes kept captives. I had insulated the walls and doors, making the cell and this room soundproof. Even though my entire house was also soundproof, these two rooms had added insulation for safety reasons.

To my right was another door. That one led to the area I lived in, my house of sorts. The backdoor and two inside doors were fitted with time-locking deadbolts and could only be opened with my fingerprint. The front and other inside doors worked with keys. But these were usually in my pocket, and Mila had a set.

Leaving the backdoor open, I returned to the truck for my captives. Opening the backdoor, I had to drag the man out as he was still unconscious. The woman just sat there as I dragged the man out, unmoving.

Carrying him inside, I placed him in the cell. I thought about the woman, and I hoped she was still okay. Returning to the truck, I carefully pulled the woman out. I felt my heart pounding as nervousness started to set in. The woman wasn't moving. I placed her down on the ground and removed the blindfold.

She just lay there on the ground with her eyes closed. No, I thought, this can't be happening. She was alive when I put her in my truck, and the blindfold hadn't obscured her nose. Feeling a tinge of fear creeping up my back, I loosened the ties around her hands slightly. Still, there was no movement.

Her pale skin appeared flawless except for a couple of freckles, which complimented her look in the light of the moon. Her light-brown hair spread around her head on the ground, making her look like an angel for a second. The tight jeans she was wearing highlighted her curvacious body, and I felt my throat tightening.

Moving my hands slowly down her legs, I wondered if she had anyone special in her life. Grinning at my thoughts, I shook my head, clearing my mind of the sudden invasion.

As I untied her legs, she pulled them up to her chest. Her feet came at me at an unbelievable speed. She kicked me full force against the chest, sending me sprawling backward before springing up. Shocked, I leaped to my feet, noticing her frantically glancing around before she turned and headed for the gate at the top.