2. Chapter 2

2

T en hours later, I'm sitting across from Dimitri, the Pakhan of Russia. And for the last fifteen minutes, it's been a staring contest with him. Uncertain why Walker acted as if I had to rush here. I expected them to be under attack.

"Are we just going to sit here, or are you going to let me in on what Walker called me about?" I ask, leaning back into the chair.

"I'm still debating."

My eyes roll to the back of my head. I should have known this was going to happen. One thing about the mafia that I learned while dealing with them is that they don't trust anyone. It's the same in my profession. You can't trust a single soul. The only reason I trust Ryker as much as I do is because we've known each other for so long and were in the military together. I know more about his character than my own.

"Well, ask away. I'm an open book."

Dimitri glares over at me as if he doesn't think I will realize this is a game he is playing. He is waiting to see if I will crack or freak out because I am facing a killer.

I like to murder people too, buddy .

"Why did Walker pick you?"

"I'm good at making people disappear," I answer honestly. It's a blessing but a curse. The number of people who are missing and never to be found just because of me is alarming. My parents would be ashamed, if I hadn't killed them.

"Is that why Walker trusts you?"

"Walker doesn't trust me," I blurt out.

Dimitri smirks, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "Long story short, three years ago, Gabriel and Blake were taken. It didn't take us long to find them, about twelve hours." Dimitri sighs. "But the damage was already done by the time we got to them. Neither one has spoken about what happened, and it's come to my attention that Antonio, head of the Italians, is making moves towards one of my children, Blake."

Frowning, I open my mouth to say something about Antonio going after one of his sons. But I stop myself from saying something I might regret.

"There's more to it," I say instead.

"You're a smart one, aren't you?" Dimitri smirked.

"Walker called me for a reason. Just stop pussyfooting around and give me what I need to protect whoever it is," I growl. I'm sounding more and more like Ryker. He's the one with no patience, yet here I am losing it with the Pakhan of Russia.

"Business deals are messy, and Italians and us, we have a bad history. Antonio wants a hand in Blake's marriage, and I refuse. He's getting testy and through the grapevine, I hear he's getting anxious, wanting to tie our families together because of Salem."

I nod my head, remembering all about Salem. The girl who hunted and killed most of the Italian Mafia over fifteen years ago.

"So where do I come in?"

"I don't want the details. No one will know. Not Walker, no one, just yourself. Protect Blake with your life."

Dimitri studies me as I think about what he says. Over the years, I've only done a handful of protection jobs. Usually, it's a wife hiding from her husband, and I protect her while Ryker tracks him down. This feels different, and I can't put my finger on what it is.

"Now that we have that established, let's go." Dimitri gets to his feet and walks around his desk, heading for the door. Following behind him, we leave the office, walking through the entryway, heading for the stairs. A few guards stand post around the front door and the stairs. Turning left, we head down the hallway until we stand outside a door that has seen better days. Dimitri knocks twice, stepping back. I hear a commotion inside until the door cracks and a blond guy pokes his head out, eyeing me and then Dimitri.

"Blake's having a fit," he mutters. Opening the door further, Dimitri enters, leaving me in the hallway. "You coming in, big boy?"

I frown, snapping my head over, realizing the blond boy was talking to me.

"Can you not flirt with other men?" another voice replies inside the room.

The blond rolls his eyes, turning on his heel. Following him inside, I come to a stop the moment I'm through the doorway. The black walls are littered with holes, as if someone slammed their body against it or punched and kicked it. A single mattress sits in the corner of the room, and two windows that once would have brought in a good amount of sunlight now are blocked with a wooden pallet. The floor is spotless, which slightly surprises me.

"Gabriel," Dimitri mumbles, inclining his head towards me. "Where's Blake?"

"She's in the bathroom." Gabriel gets to his feet, glancing over to me, then back to Dimitri.

"I'm assuming this is him," a dark-haired guy says, grabbing the blond by the waist.

"Yes, how long has she been in there?" Dimitri asks, not paying any mind to the glare the dark-haired one is aiming towards me.

"A few minutes, she was packing," the blond answers. "Also, hi, I'm Gabriel." He smiles at me. Gabriel holds his hand out to shake it just for the dark-haired dude to smack it

"Jace," I mumble .

"This is who you expect to protect Blake?" the dark-haired man snaps, looking over me as if I'm not a six-foot-four man who has the body of a bodybuilder. Ryker might know his way around a knife better than myself, but I can fight better than him. And the way this guy is staring at me, I might have to prove it.

I open my mouth, only to stop when the bathroom door slams open. The breath in my throat gets trapped and I blame it on the blood loss. She's a short, tiny thing, but thick, with an hourglass figure. Black jeans hug her lush thighs, and I'm nearly drooling for a taste. The long sleeve shirt she wears does nothing to hide the double D's she has, or the perkiness of her nipples pointing through her shirt. I want to shove my face between her tits and live there.

But one glance at her face tells me she's thinking of murdering me instead of writhing under me. And when she produces a knife and throws it at me, I barely miss it being lodged in my face.

She's a firecracker.

And I'm obsessed.

"Blake, enough," Dimitri hisses, stepping in front of me.

She doesn't stop, only glares at her father. Picking up a book from the table, she chucks it at us. It hits Dimitri in the chest. He grunts and recovers before stepping towards her. Blake doesn't like this. Taking a step back, her eyes widen. I don't like the way he's advancing on her either, and I sure as hell don't like the way she's backing up. Her eyes search for an exit and when they land on me, I know she's mine. She might be scared and uncertain of me, but I also see a small flicker of something. I know that look, it's something deep and meaningful.

"Leave her alone," I'm speaking before I know what I'm doing. Dimitri stops in his tracks. His son and the boyfriend glance at me. "You advancing on her isn't helping the situation. You expect her to pack her bags and leave with a stranger. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't trust me either." I'm not sure if I'm helping the situation or making it worse. But I also can't just stand here and watch her like a scared little kid. "So back off," I snap.

Dimitri turns, glaring at me. "I don't know what makes you think you can just talk to me like that, but you're going to learn quickly that I'm not one—"

"Dad!" His son, assuming it's Tobias, growls .

I roll my eyes. I don't care what his problem is, and I was only doing this as a favor to Walker. But one look at Blake and I want to wrap her up and protect her, even from her father.

"Let's all take it down a notch. Baby, stay here and help Blake pack. Jace, go downstairs or something. Daddy Dimitri, let's go find Mom." Gabriel smiles. He claps his hands together before he grabs onto Dimitri's arm, pulling him forward.

"I told you to stop calling me that," I hear Dimitri mutter as they leave the room.

I don't wait for Tobias to tell me to leave. I turn on my heels to leave the room and head towards the stairs. Passing the guards, I stand by the front door.

I don't know why I'm so surprised that Blake was a girl, but for some reason, I was convinced whoever Ryker and I were protecting would be a guy. And now I feel like this makes everything worse. I could tell by the way she stared at me—the hint of fear, but also curiosity—Blake is mysterious, and I want to figure her out. I want to know the tiniest details about her.

"Did they tell you?" Gabriel mutters, appearing in front of me. Not moving, I shake my head slightly, watching an older woman who I'm assuming is Blake's mother, fuss over her as they walk down the stairs, carrying two duffle bags. "I'm not surprised. They're a weird bunch." He sighs, shifting to stand next to me.

"She doesn't speak," Gabriel finally says.

Cocking my brow at him, I wait for him to continue.

"I was with her when she got taken. I heard some things that they did to her, but we don't speak about it. But Blake, I feel like I need to protect her. I have an older sister, you see, and sometimes I feel like Blake is my baby sister. I guess if you think about it, since Tobias is mine, Blake is like my sister in a way."

Biting the inside of my cheek, I stop myself from snapping at him to get to the point. If I am being honest, I want to hear more about Blake. I want to know everything about her, what makes her tick and what calms her. But I also want to light a fire under her ass and make her snap.

"Anyway, they're almost done talking and saying their goodbyes, so I'm going to make this quick." Shifting around, Gabriel stands in front of me again. He's much shorter than me, but the way he's puffing out his chest and eyeing me, he might as well be six foot three. "Hurt her and I will kill you. I might not be able to beat you in a fight, but The Butcher can." I should feel man enough to be able to say that the old-time Butcher doesn't send shivers down my spine. But I'd be a liar. Rumor is, Gabriel's sister is married to whoever this Butcher fella is. It would explain why Gabriel isn't afraid to stand up to Dimitri. The Butcher would wreck Dimitri and eat his bones for dinner.

"Who's that?" I ask, nodding my head towards the older woman and Blake.

"Mila, Blake and Tobias's mother," Gabriel says.

"And Blake doesn't talk at all?"

"No, not since… not since they took us," he mutters.

"I'm sure my lovely husband—" Tobias says, as he appears behind us.

"Not husband," Gabriel interrupts.

Tobias snaps his head to Gabriel, rolling his eyes before turning his attention back towards me. "I'm sure Gabriel has threatened you, told you all about his brother-in-law, but Jace…" he says, stepping into my line of view and once again, these fuckers block my view of Blake. I'm very quickly beginning to hate not being able to see her. "Hurt my sister, overstep, touch her, do anything to upset her feelings, and I swear I'll remove your guts through your mouth," Tobias threatens.

Nodding my head, I don't say anything. I don't plan on involving myself with her. Besides, she's just a protection job, just someone I'm supposed to watch over. Even if I feel a pull towards her.

"Jace," Dimitri calls out.

Nodding my head, I walk towards the three of them, bending to grab Blake's two bags.

"With your life," Dimitri says. Biting my cheek, I stop myself from snapping at him that I already know this.

The walk outside to my car is tense and awkward. Opening the passenger door, Blake glares up at me with the same fight, wanting to deny me for the simple fact that she can .

"Get inside, Blake," I mutter. Her eyes squint before she bends down getting into the passenger seat. Closing her door, I shove her bags into the trunk. Slamming it shut, I can feel four sets of eyes on me. Taking a deep breath, I don't look up as I open the driver's side door and get inside.

"Seatbelt," I mutter, twisting the key in the ignition, and the car roars to life. Blake slowly does as I say, clicking the seatbelt into place. Leaning against the door, away from me, she pulls her hood further over her head.

This is going to be a long drive.