Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

N ikolay

I'd been forced to take a cold shower to rid myself of twisted thoughts about her.

Even then, I masturbated to try to relieve some pressure. It hadn't worked.

Just saying goodbye to the two of them had seemed entirely different than with any other nanny. Plus, he hadn't thrown a tantrum. I'd installed a nanny-cam with nanny number two, ensuring my son wasn't being abused. He wasn't. However, only the last woman hadn't left him alone in his room to cry it out.

This morning? Damien had waved. Barely.

I'd learned a long time ago that sometimes people just clicked, no matter the age. But I'd never felt so comfortable about leaving him with anyone before.

As I pulled up at one of a few warehouses that was fronted by a lovely restaurant I owned, I realized how much the business of punishment was getting old. Sure, it was a necessary evil but usually, assholes like this had been hired to die if necessary. My hope was that since I knew fluent Italian, that would put the unknown perpetrator off guard. If not, there was no reason to waste time.

Both Maxim and Danny were outside the front of the restaurant. It wasn't open yet, although prep work was being done. Thankfully, the warehouse space itself had been made soundproof. That didn't mean there wasn't traffic that we needed to be careful not to disturb, deliveries made on a regular basis. The restaurant was popular with tourists and locals alike, their authentic Russian food complemented with one of the finest wine selections anywhere.

And the atmosphere was festive, especially on Thursday through Sunday nights when there was also music.

I shoved my sunglasses into my jacket, surprised how much warmer the air was from the day before. The swings in October were often significant.

"You made it. How was that possible?" Maxim asked. He'd even tried his hand at babysitting a couple of times. That hadn't gone over well.

"I took Danny's advice. Chantel seems very equipped to spend time with my son and he likes her. Crazy, but he adores her already."

"Well, she is pretty adorable," Maxim said in a low voice. "When she's not trying to get herself killed."

I threw out my arm, my index finger close to being in his face. "You touch. You die. Simple as that."

"He likes the girl," Maxim laughed. "I wouldn't dare touch her."

"You took my advice?" Danny asked, slapping his hand on his chest.

"Yes, I did. I didn't have much of a choice."

I thought the two men were going to fall down to the sidewalk. "The earth is coming to an end," Danny huffed.

"Very funny."

"The soldiers arrive?" Maxim said, changing the subject.

"They did. We're all set."

"It's almost lunch time," Maxim said. "Torturing people makes me hungry. Maybe we could grab a bite afterward."

"I worry about you," I told him.

He laughed. "What? A guy's gotta eat. Right?"

Danny looked at me, lifting his eyebrows. "Our mystery guest should be a little bit out of it by now. No water. No food. Likely no sleep."

"Good. I want him on edge. That's vital." The service door on the side was unlocked and we walked in, immediately greeted by the chef.

He came over, shaking my hand profusely. I might own the restaurant, but he was free to do with it what he wanted. Plus, I'd set up a program so he could buy it back. At much lower rates than any bank.

"Mr. Kuzmin. So good to see you. Please tell me you're joining us for lunch." His Russian accent was thick, his family and this place the most important things to him in the world.

"I wish I could, Omar. Unfortunately, business in the back room. You don't have any deliveries today. Right?"

"Just our usual wine delivery around four. I hope Damien is well?" He never ceased to ask about my son, no matter the circumstances.

"He's doing great. Thank you for asking."

"Good. Very good to hear. I'll keep everyone out of the storeroom as well as the warehouse," he told me.

"Excellent. This shouldn't take that long." I waited until he backed away before heading to the locked door. Most of the time, no one from the restaurant needed to head into the back. While a portion was used for extra tables, tablecloths, chairs, and even smaller appliances for the wild hair ideas he'd gotten over the years, the smaller storage facility held most of the dry goods. Only the two huge walk-ins were still in use, normally only one. They'd been purchased because when I'd bought the place years before, there'd been old equipment.

Omar had tried to work with everything, but a single blip as the compressor went and thousands of dollars' worth of food had been lost. And the man was proud, refusing to allow me to pick up the slack.

However, I had in the form of all new equipment and checking the wiring. In addition, I'd purchased two more state-of-the-art walk-ins to soothe the man's concerns. As of late, one usually wasn't running, simply a spare, but both were humming actively like refrigerators would do.

"You turned it on?" I asked when we were close. I could tell they'd had the mystery guest tied to a steel chair, specks of dark blood unmistakable.

"Yeah, why not? No, I didn't set it at thirty-five or forty, but I just put a nice chill in the air for him." Danny had an evil streak as well, which usually resulted in my smiling.

"I had our doctor take care of the gunshot. It was a through and through," Danny said. At least he knew I wasn't interested in the guy bleeding out.

We had a decent doctor on call, one who helped with the kind of injuries and gunshot wounds that it was best not to go to a hospital for.

"Good. I hope he's not a Popsicle." I was the one who opened the door, forced to wave away some frosty air, but it wasn't as frigid as a refrigerator of this size should be.

There he was, the two LED lights in the roof of the stainless-steel piece highlighting the fact he was sitting in the corner, doing his best to keep his naked body warm. "You stripped his clothes?"

"More a mental thing," Maxim growled.

As much as I'd enjoyed the bloodier side of the business when I was younger, running with Vadim as if we were going to rule the world, our regime had turned into a full-fledged series of businesses, not a torture chamber.

"Are you ready to talk?" I asked him.

He did lift his head, the exhaustion evident. " Non ho niente da dire ." His voice was cracked, which made sense.

I walked further, determined not to hold an interrogation inside. "You don't have anything to say? Who are you protecting? They aren't coming to your rescue."

He seemed shocked I'd understood him, but acted as if he was going to spit in disgust.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I told him. "I simply want to ask you a few questions. Nothing more. Nothing less. If you are honest with me to the best of your ability, then we'll get along just fine and I'll be happy to let you go back to whoever sent you. With a message of course. If not, well, you won't like what could happen."

Maxim was literally growling beside me like some wild beast. I turned my head toward him, lifting a single eyebrow.

He grinned and backed away.

" Non so chi mi ha assunto. Non hanno offerto la loro identificazione ," he breathed and he was shivering.

"What the fuck did he say?" Danny asked.

"That whoever hired him didn't provide his identity. I don't know. That's possible. Get him out of here. I'm cold."

I backed out, trying to think about how to handle this. It was possible what he was telling me was accurate. It did happen. Often grunts were used to provide a single message, but two days' worth? That's what I needed to weigh.

As I rubbed my arms, he was brought out, tossed back into the hard metal chair. When Maxim started to tie him up, I waved my hand.

"I don't think we need that at this point. He's not going anywhere," I told them, staring directly down at the unknown man. He was young, maybe late twenties. I didn't see tracks on his arms as if he was a drug addict, but some shot up between their toes. No, his eyes weren't bloodshot and he would have been going through limited withdrawals by now.

Danny slammed the walk-in door and both men, along with the four other soldiers who'd kept guard on the dude all night, stood off to the side.

I removed my jacket, wanting him to see that I had a weapon in a holster. "Look, I have a feeling what you just told me is correct, but that doesn't change that you followed the woman, terrifying her and making my men chase after you. What were you hired to do? We'll start small."

"They will kill me," he said in English, which was a marked improvement.

"I'm going to venture a guess whoever hired you did so by speaking Italian."

He sighed, looking elsewhere and Maxim just couldn't help himself, smacking the dude across the face.

I threw my hand out again. I had the distinct feeling the man wanted to talk. Or at minimum he wanted to live.

"Answer the question," I told him. "Phone or direct contact?"

He took way too long answering. I crouched down, pulling out my weapon. Often with those not in the business, and only hired for a limited gig, merely allowing them to understand what could happen produced results. "One last time or I'll tag in my Russian friend to convince you to talk."

He glanced up at Maxim, obviously fearful enough. "College campus."

"What college?"

"Columbia," he said almost sheepishly, as if I was going to make fun of him.

"Really? Fascinating. You're a student?"

"Yes."

I was curious as to what he was studying but not sure the point. "How did they approach you and why do you think they did?"

"I was taking Italian. A clean-cut–looking guy caught me when I went to a deli on campus. He mentioned he was in my class. It's huge so I wouldn't know. We chatted, ate some lunch together, and I must have mentioned tuition was kicking my ass. He said he had a way for me to make some money."

"What did he look like?"

"Like a student," he answered, becoming antsy. "Dark hair and eyes. Seemed a little older than anyone else but the campus has people from all walks of life. Nothing special."

They would use someone who could appear like a student. Made sense.

"Did he describe the job?"

"No. When I said maybe, he asked for my phone number to text additional details when he learned them," the guy continued. He was constantly staring at the door as if expecting bad men to come through. We were right in front of him.

"You didn't think that was suspicious?" I'd known enough men who were hurting for money, just trying to make ends meet that they would have sold their mother for a few bucks. Living or going to school in New York was expensive no matter how you looked at it.

He shrugged, his breathing becoming more ragged. "I needed the money and there was nowhere else to get it. My dad isn't alive, and my mom is pretty sick. No brothers. No other family."

"How much did they pay you to act like a stalker?" Danny piped in.

"Twenty thousand dollars for two nights of work. Two. I had ten deposited in my account before the first night. Another five after the second. They meant business. I wasn't going to hurt the girl. That's not me and they didn't ask me to. I just had to scare her and I was told via text they'd take care of the rest."

I glanced at both my men. The guy was telling the truth. If I was dead broke, for twenty-k, I'd become a damn stalker for a couple of days.

That also meant if we hadn't taken her the night before, someone else might have been planning on it. That would make them pissed at the loss. Ah, too bad.

"Why in God's name did you not just walk away when you knew two rough-looking men had come for her?"

"Hey. I'm not rough," Maxim growled.

I gave him a look. He was a bouncer on steroids. Nothing more.

"They told me not to let her out of my sight until the shift was over." Now I was certain the kid was going to start crying. For all his toughness, he'd just wanted to make extra money. What the hell was I supposed to do with that?

"Okay. You had no idea who my men were?"

He shook his head several times. "I swear to God I didn't. I don't."

Exhaling, I rose to my feet, raking my hand through my hair. We'd scared him quite a bit. I motioned to Danny and Maxim with my head, taking them both out of earshot. I was more than shocked and my men would be as well I was going to let the kid live. But killing him wouldn't solve anything. Whoever was doing this was playing a nice game. They likely suspected I'd burn the city down. No. I wasn't going down that road.

"What do you want to do, boss?" Danny asked.

"Kill him," Maxim snorted.

"No. He's a real pawn. The assholes did it on purpose. You're going to take him to get some things from school then you're going to take him to the train station. If he doesn't want to go, our hands are washed of him. Do you understand?" I was glaring at Maxim.

He huffed and turned away as if disgusted.

"Look. The kid didn't know what he was doing," I added. Although the guy must have had a feeling stalking a young woman could get him killed.

"Yeah, I get it. Whoever these bastards are, they're trying to keep us unnerved." Danny exhaled.

"Yes, they are. Tough. They accomplished nothing but putting us further on notice." And shoving me together with a woman I was lusting after. "I'm going to help the guy understand he should leave town. If he doesn't, our hands are washed of the matter."

"Understood, boss," Danny answered for both of them.

I headed back. Too much time had been wasted. "I'm only going to make this suggestion to you once, kid. You're not from here. Are you?"

He shook his head.

"That's what I thought. Go back home wherever home is. I might be allowing you to live, which isn't like me in the least given you threatened someone I care about. But the man who hired you is just as dangerous as my organization is. Plus, they won't like the fact you failed."

"I didn't fail!"

"In their eyes you did. And they won't allow that to go unpunished. You mentioned you have a sick mother. I doubt she'll want to lose her only son. My men are going to escort you back to wherever you live before taking you to the train station and ensuring you get on safely. That's my offer. If you leave of your own accord, you might live. But, if I happen to run into you again or if you were stupid enough to find yourself in a predicament like this and I found out, I wouldn't go easy on you. In fact, I'd become your worst nightmare. Understood?"

He was shaking all over. "Yes, sir. Thank you. I just…"

"I know. You need the money. One piece of advice. If it seems too good to be true, it is."

With that, I walked out after giving my men a look. Maxim knew better than to handle some form of punishment on his own. I'd been generous, maybe too much so, but my days of bloodlust were long past.

Maybe the truth was that I was jealous of what Aleksander and Vadim had. How had that become possible?

As I headed out, I noticed a call had come through. Given the warehouse was soundproof, it also didn't allow for phone reception either.

I quickly dialed Vadim's number.

"Hey, my Brigadier," Vadim said as if feeling the need to remind me. "How's the houseguest?" I'd at least let him know what the fuck was going on, including the stalker.

The entire situation was getting out of hand. "She's settled, good with Damien."

"Wow. Didn't I mention you should look outside the box?'

"Yeah, well, this could be a dangerous situation."

"Dangerous?" he asked, half laughing. "Why?"

"You know why."

"Buddy, you need to rid yourself of that lust. It's going to kill you."

"We'll see. Why did you call?"

He exhaled. "Drop by my house for a quick meeting. I briefed Aleksander and he's had a brief chat with Raphaella." If his wife knew anything about what was going on, it might stop a war before it began.

Maybe we were getting somewhere. "You're at the house?"

"Yes. With everything going on right now, it's better to be away from Manhattan. Plus, Caroline was missing the estate. You know how women are."

"Yes, I do. I'll be there in twenty."

I was there in fifteen, punching the accelerator. I'd checked my phone again and called one of the soldiers at the house to make certain there wasn't something going on. All was quiet. But I had a feeling that was subject to change.

As soon as I was on the front porch, the door opened and Caroline was there, greeting me as she always did.

"It feels like it's been forever," she said.

There hadn't been a party in a long time, something both Vadim and Caroline had wanted to do. We'd simply been too busy. She opened the door wider, allowing me inside.

"I know. Time gets by. Have you had a chance to talk to Sofiya recently?"

"Last week. She's doing so well in Italy, happy as can be. I'm hopeful she'll come and stay for the holidays."

Sofiya was her best friend, Vadim's birth daughter. He also had an adopted one that was living in Miami the last I'd heard.

"Now, a little bird told me that you have a houseguest." She gave me a saucy look, something she was known for.

"There are no secrets in this empire. None."

"I would love to have a brunch to meet her. Maybe in a couple weeks," she said.

"Maybe."

She laughed. "They're in the sunroom. It's a beautiful, warm October day."

"Yes, it is." I headed to the back, the house one I knew very well. Vadim had land, a beautiful estate where the acreage was covered with trees and flowers. He was a happy man, something I hadn't thought would happen in our early days given his propensity to violence.

Then again, we'd been young men sowing our oats.

When I walked in, the two men did little more than get up from where they were sitting.

"This won't take long," Vadim said. "I'm sure you want to get back to your guest and Damien."

"I don't want to overload her. My little man can be a handful."

They both laughed.

"I talked with Raphaella who grilled her dad. Now, you know how the man has been, but he seemed genuinely shocked we were under… I'll say duress." Aleksander had utter faith in the woman he'd married. I couldn't blame him and Raphaella's father would be an idiot if he so blatantly broke the alliance.

"You trust what was said," I added, glancing from one man to another.

Vadim nodded. "He is going to see what he can learn from his end. Yes, the smaller Italian group has been a pain but mostly in his ass trying to steal shipments and territory. We'll have a combined meeting in a few days. In the meantime, we should keep a close watch on business activities including the smaller businesses, and our families. You know how some of these rodents act. They will find a way to weasel in when you least expect."

"The shipment?" I asked.

"At the port. Extra men on board. No issues so far," Aleksander said. "I also checked with my partner at the law firm, asking him to find out if there were any recent heavy-duty arrests in the Italian community."

"Good idea," I said. "Something crazy is going on, the kid stalking Chantel hired from Columbia University of all places. By an Italian. He was scared shitless but only after being placed on ice for a night."

"An Italian. Pretty coincidental," Aleks mused, rubbing his jaw.

"I know," I agreed.

"Wow. The techniques are definitely different than they used to be," Vadim said, half laughing. "Let's not jump to any conclusions about any of this. I'm having my computer whizzes keep an eye on any attempt at hacking."

"I doubt they'll go down that well again," Aleksander stated with more certainty than I felt.

"Yeah, you're right but all avenues need to be watched. We need to be very careful."

"Agreed. Now, if you're not going to need anything else right now, I'll head home," I told them. "I will say a charade is being played. It's like whoever is doing this is determined to enjoy the show. Twisted bastard."

Aleks smirked. "Just remember, usually greed or revenge is behind every game."

"Yeah," I huffed. "I know."

"Watch your back, my friend. The stalker bit was clever but dicey. Whoever is after us has placed Chantel into the mix," Vadim warned.

"And I wonder if my brother has anything to do with the trouble."

Both men looked at each other.

"Don't ask. But I am having further discussions with Vissarian," I told them.

"Do that. We don't need any additional surprises," Vadim said.

He was right. We'd had enough over the years, all of us believing times had changed.

They hadn't.