Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

N ikolay

At least Damien had finally fallen asleep, although it had taken some doing.

One thing the little boy loathed was thunderstorms. He usually became hysterical, which was the case tonight. It had taken me two hours to calm him down, the kid crying himself into exhaustion.

I was overwrought, drinking my second scotch and uncertain how I was going to handle this. Something had to give. It just had to.

The drink seemed heavy in my hands and I placed it on my desk, trying to think through something different to do.

When my brain remained muddled, I slammed my hands on the surface, almost knocking off my computer. Wouldn't you know it, my goddamn phone rang. I almost pitched it across the room but grabbed it instead, exhaling as I stared at the number.

Vissarian.

Shit.

I wasn't in the mood to take his crap, but he was my brother and never called. "Vissarian. It's not a good time."

Heavy guilt also rushed through me like wildfire. The moment my thoughts drifted to just how good it had felt having my cock inside Chantel's tight pussy, I yanked it back. Never again. I'd promised myself that.

"I need your help," my brother said in a voice I'd never heard, one that carried fear.

I snapped my head up as my brother never sounded rattled. Never. Tonight, he sounded fearful, which definitely wasn't like the grandiose man. "What's going on?"

"It's Chantel. She quit her job, which I'm thankful for, but someone has been following her. On the subway. Down the street. They've parked themselves outside her apartment and she's terrified."

"Fuck. What the hell?" I knew she was going by her mother's maiden name, but if anyone figured out the connection, she'd be fresh meat for the taking, a weapon against the Bratva. "Where is her place? I'll send a couple men to pick her up."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Please take care of her. She's my baby girl."

"You have my word, brother. With my life." He rattled off the address and I got off the phone immediately, dialing Danny. "I need you to pick up my… my brother's adopted daughter." I had no idea why I'd put it that way other than the lurid thoughts that remained in the back of my mind.

"Okay. Is she in danger?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, some asshole has been following her, standing right outside her place. Watching. Bring her here. Take Maxim or Tanner."

"Will do. Give me the address."

The girl had rented a shit apartment in Brooklyn, but at least it was close. Fuck. It was still raining, hard enough the men could try to enter her place through another entrance. But I knew my guys. They'd hurry to snatch her up.

At this point, I was positive it had something to do with the rumor someone was trying to take us down.

I dialed Vadim, not caring whether he was in the middle of dinner.

"Wow. Two times in one day," he joked.

"Yeah, well, this couldn't wait."

"You sound stressed."

I powered back most of my drink, checking the weapon was still in my desk drawer. I pulled it out and would check the security cameras. However, I doubted they would come after one of the Bratva at this point. Whoever it was believed they'd found easy pickings.

But that could change.

"Stressed, yes. My brother called. Someone has been threatening Chantel."

"Well, fuck. What the hell? Didn't she just move here?"

"Yeah," I told him, returning to the bar. My protective side was already taking over, my need to have her safely here with me stronger than it should be, but I no longer gave a fuck. "I wanted to place you and Aleksander on alert. I think we have more than just a small problem."

"I agree. The soldiers are doing exactly what you suggested. We need to try and catch a break. I hope your men are going to try and capture this guy?"

"I'm sure they will."

Vadim hissed. "You're damn good at interrogation. Just don't allow your personal feelings to get in the way of this."

The man knew me too well. "I'll try not to." Hell, it was too late. "I'll let you know if I learn anything."

"I'll call you tomorrow. I think it's time we became more aggressive."

"Agreed."

Now it was time to wait.

And goddamn it. I wasn't a patient man.

Chantel

Fear.

It did crazy things to your mind and also to your body. The creepy crawlies refused to leave, but my mind was conjuring up danger unlike anything I'd faced. I did exactly as my father said, shoving clothes into the bag haphazardly. I didn't care. Clothes didn't matter if I wasn't alive. Shit. I was losing my mind.

A few minutes later, I was jumping out of my skin. Especially when the buzzer sounded. I almost hesitated until I realized what was happening. I couldn't have raced to the intercom fast enough.

"Yes?" The single word was a clear indication of how terrified I was.

"My name is Danny Sinclair. I'm Nikolay Kuzmin's lieutenant. I was told you were in danger and Nikolay sent me to pick you up. Can you buzz me in?"

I almost felt as if I couldn't but there was no other choice. Although a girl could never be too cautious. "Uncle Nikolay has a particular tattoo on his neck."

He chuckled. "An ugly black vine."

I might like this guy.

"You passed." I unlocked all but one mechanism and remained terrified, backing away from the door once again.

He was outside my door knocking in what seemed like less than a minute. "Chantel? It's Danny. It's going to be okay. Just open the door and I'll get you out of here."

It took me a second to react, finally managing to unlock the last. He opened the door slowly, methodical in his actions. The guy was huge, which made me feel pretty damn good. "He was there watching me."

"Where?"

"Across the street." I pointed to the window and closed the door, still so terrified I could barely breathe.

He took long strides to the window, scanning the street. "What was he wearing?"

"Some kind of sweatshirt with a hood. I think it was gray."

"He's not there now but he could have seen us coming. Is there a back entrance to this building?"

"Yes. Kind of in an alley."

Danny yanked out his phone as he nodded. Who the hell was he calling? "Maxim. Pull around back and watch for a man in a gray hoodie. He's the one who's been following Chantel."

"Will do. I'll be there in less than two minutes."

"Good. We're coming down." He ended the call and walked toward me.

I backed away.

"It's going to be okay. You need to trust me. Okay? Are you taking anything with you?"

My mind was still processing but I glanced down at the stuffed full duffle bag, which he grabbed.

"Get your purse. Let's go."

I did as he asked, finally snapping back to reality.

He pulled out a weapon and moved to the door, opening it slowly. After peering out, he beckoned for me. "Where are the back stairs?"

"End of the hall," I said.

"Good to know. Stay right behind me. Okay?"

"Okay.

And I did. He was very careful every step of the way, peering down the stairwell before allowing us to race down.

His weapon was still in his hand and when we reached the bottom, he turned to face me. "As soon as I make certain Maxim is outside, you're going to keep your head down and jump in the back where you're going to lie on the seat. You won't move until I tell you it's okay. Do you understand?"

"I've been through drills like this. I'll be fine."

"Good. Let's go." He opened the door and I could see a black car just outside. Another man jumped out, opening the back door and I didn't hesitate, racing toward it, Danny keeping me covered as much as possible.

Once inside, my suitcase was dumped on the floor and I did as he'd told me to do, lying across the seat while the two men jumped in the front. They didn't waste any time, Maxim pressing down on the accelerator. They said nothing and my heart remained in my throat as they drove. From what I could tell, they were trying to remain in the alley as long as possible.

The jags and swerves indicated they were doing their best to avoid dumpsters, boxes, and the usual shit people tossed in the alley.

I was starting to breathe easier when Maxim cursed first in Russian. "We got company. Gray hoodie."

It was my natural instinct to jerk up, trying to see the asshole.

"Stay down!"

I thumped back down as the car was suddenly brought to an abrupt halt.

"Do not move!" Danny hissed and both men jumped out.

I didn't need to see anything to know they were chasing the dude or that apparently, they'd caught him. The sound of heavy fighting ensued. Brutal thuds were followed by someone being slammed against the hood of the car.

I didn't follow orders very well, lifting my head and staring into the cold, black eyes of the man following me.

And I'll be damned if he wasn't grinning.

He didn't remain there for long, yanked off and tossed around. Another series of hard punches could be heard.

I was so damn terrified, I reacted or maybe overreacted, struggling to get the door opened. Without hesitation, I bolted out, racing behind the car and back toward the apartment.

"Jesus fucking Christ," Danny yelled.

Seconds later, I could hear footsteps behind me, the man tackling me, shoving me against the brick wall.

Danny crowded my space, shaking his head. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I got scared. He looked at me. He smiled. He…"

"I don't give a shit. You could have gotten yourself killed. Come on. You're not doing that again. Do you hear me?"

There was no telling how many times I'd nodded. I knew better. Of course I did, but I was completely out of my element, more terrified than I'd been in my life. He jerked me along, keeping me covered as he headed back to the car. I was able to catch a quick glimpse of Maxim holding a gun on the perpetrator before I was shoved back inside, the car door slammed. Danny was cursing.

More grunting sounds.

Brutal thuds.

Finally, a single shot.

I covered my ears, doing what I could not to panic. A few seconds went by, fortunately hearing both Danny's and Maxim's voices.

Then the trunk opened.

And a body was dumped inside.

This was surreal.

No, this was very real.

I was caught in the middle of a nightmare.