Chapter 17
Olek
Iwanted to kill him.
My rage was so consuming that Mikhail had to physically stop me from getting in the car and drive straight to that warehouse early.
"If you go in hot, you get them both killed," he said, his hand on my chest. "Think, Olek. You need to be smart about this."
"He threatened my woman. My child. Her sister. Her best friend."
"I know. Which is why we're going to handle this right." Mikhail pushed me toward the armory. "Come on. Let's gear up."
I assembled my best men—five of them, all lethal, all loyal. Positioned them around the warehouse perimeter with instructions to stay hidden unless I gave the signal.
"No one moves until I say," I told them. "He thinks she's coming alone. If he sees any of you, he’ll kill the hostage."
"And if he tries to hurt Katrina?" Mikhail asked.
"Then you put a bullet in his head." My voice was ice. "But only if there's no other choice. I want him alive long enough to suffer."
I studied the warehouse blueprints. Two stories. Multiple entry points. Too many places for Marcus to hide, to watch, to have backup.
"He'll be expecting an ambush," I said. "He's paranoid. Careful. He'll have contingencies."
"So we give him what he expects," Mikhail suggested. "Let Katrina walk in alone, like he demanded. We stay back, out of sight. Wait for an opening."
"And if there is no opening?"
"Then we make one."
I checked my weapons. Glock at my hip. Knife in my boot. Backup piece at my ankle. Not enough. Would never be enough. Because the woman I loved—the woman carrying my child—was about to walk into a trap, and every instinct I had screamed to stop her.
"I should go in her place," I said.
"He won't negotiate with you. He wants her." Mikhail's voice was gentle. "This is the only way."
"I hate it."
"I know."
At 11:30, I went to get Katrina.
She was in the family quarters, dressed in dark jeans and a black jacket. Her face was pale but determined.
"Zara?" I asked.
"Asleep. Elena's staying in the apartment with her." She looked up at me. "If something happens to me you’ll take care of her?"
"Nothing's going to happen."
"Promise me Zara will be safe."
I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Do you understand me? You're going to walk out of that warehouse with Shanice, and we're going to come home and get married and raise our baby and Zara and live a long, boring life together."
I glared at him.
"Promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't do anything stupid or heroic. You get in, you stall, and you let me handle the rest."
"I promise."
I kissed her, trying to pour everything I felt into it. Love. Fear. Desperation.
"I love you," I said against her mouth.
"I love you too."
"Then trust me to keep you safe."
She nodded, and I forced myself to let her go.
We drove separately. Katrina in her car, alone, like Marcus demanded. Me and Mikhail in a blacked-out SUV five minutes behind. My men were already in position by the time we arrived, invisible in the shadows around the warehouse.
"Thermal's picking up two heat signatures inside," one of them reported through my earpiece. "Second floor, northeast corner."
Two people. Marcus and Shanice.
"Any others?"
"Negative. Just the two."
Either Marcus was alone, or he had backup I couldn't see. Knowing what Katrina had told me about him, I assumed the latter.
"Stay sharp," I ordered. "He's not as stupid as he looks."
I watched through binoculars as Katrina's car pulled up to the warehouse. She sat there for a moment, her hands gripping the steering wheel.
"You can do this," I murmured, even though she couldn't hear me. "I'm right here."
She got out of the car. My heart stopped as she walked toward the warehouse entrance, small and vulnerable in the darkness.
Every instinct screamed to stop her. To grab her and take her home and let Marcus rot in hell with his hostage.
But Shanice didn't deserve to die because I was too much of a coward to let Katrina go.
"She's going in," Mikhail said quietly.
I watched her disappear through the door, and something in my chest cracked.
"If anything happens to her.” I started.
"Nothing's going to happen." But Mikhail's hand was on his weapon. "We won't let it."
I switched to the thermal feed on my phone. Watched Katrina's heat signature move through the first floor, climbing the stairs.
"Stay back," I whispered. "Don't get too close."
But she was already at the top of the stairs, moving toward where Marcus waited.
"Boss," one of my men said. "I've got movement. West side. Three—no, four heat signatures. Armed."
Fuck.
"He brought backup," I said.
"What do you want to do?"
I calculated quickly. Four men plus Marcus. Five against six if Katrina couldn't fight. Bad odds, but not impossible.
"Take out the backup first. Quietly. Before they know we're here."
"Copy that."
I watched the thermal feed as my men moved into position. Watched Katrina enter the room where Marcus waited. Watched as he stood, something in his hand. My guess was that it was a gun, and it was pointed at her head. Rage whited out my vision.
"I'm going in," I said.
"Wait!”
"He has a gun to her head." I was already moving. "I'm not waiting."
"Olek, if you go in there."
"Then he dies faster." I chambered a round. "Everyone move. Now."
I heard gunfire from the west side as my men engaged Marcus's backup. Heard shouting. Confusion. Good, let them be confused. I entered the warehouse and moved fast, using the chaos as cover. Up the stairs. Down the hallway. I could hear voices now, both Marcus and Katrina.
"—thought you could hide from me? Thought you could run?"
"I'm here now. Let Shanice go."
"Let her go? Baby, I'm just getting started."
I reached the doorway and assessed the situation in seconds. Marcus had Katrina by the hair, gun pressed to her temple. Shanice was zip-tied to a chair in the corner, gagged, terror in her eyes. Marcus's finger was on the trigger. I didn't think I just moved.
One shot. Center mass.
Marcus jerked, the gun going off wildly. The bullet hit the ceiling as he fell, dragging Katrina down with him, and his gun flew behind him.
"Katrina!" I was across the room in seconds, shoving Marcus's body away. "Are you hurt? Did he?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine." She was shaking, clutching me. "Shanice?"
I cut Shanice's restraints while Mikhail appeared in the doorway, weapon raised.
"We got the others," he reported. "All down."
"Good." I looked down at Marcus, bleeding out on the floor but still conscious. Still alive. "Get Shanice to the car. And get the cleaners here. This place needs to disappear."
"What about him?" Mikhail nodded at Marcus.
"Leave him with me."
"Olek, you can’t stay." Katrina started.
"Take Shanice home," I said gently. "Check on Zara. I'll be there soon."
"What are you going to do?"
"What needs to be done." I kissed her forehead. "Go. Please."
She looked at Marcus, then at me. "Make him suffer."
"I plan to."
Mikhail led them out, leaving me alone with the man who'd terrorized the woman I loved.
I knelt beside him. "You made a mistake."
Marcus coughed blood. "Fuck...you..."
"You threatened my woman. My child. My family." I pulled out my knife. "That was your last mistake."
"She's...mine..."
"She was never yours. You just terrorized her into thinking she had no choice." I pressed the knife to his throat. "But that's over now. You're over."
"You...can't..."
"I can and no one will ever find your body." I leaned closer. "Any last words?"
He tried to spit at me, but instead he gurgled his own blood. I slit his throat, helping him to mind his manners. Then I watched the life drain from his eyes. I felt nothing but satisfaction.
When it was over, I stood and called the cleaners. "I need a complete scrub. Warehouse on Carson. No traces. No evidence. Nothing."
"How many rooms?"
"Five."
"We'll handle it."
I left the warehouse and drove home, my hands steady on the wheel despite the blood on them.
Marcus was dead. Katrina was safe. Our baby was safe.
Everything else could burn. By the time I got home, it was nearly 3 AM.
I got cleaned up and then went to Katrina’s apartment.
Katrina was sitting on the couch with Shanice, both of them holding cups of tea. Zara was asleep in the bedroom.
"Is it done?" Katrina asked quietly.
"It's done." I held out my hand. "He'll never hurt you again."
She took my hand and let me pull her close. "Thank you."
"You don't thank me for protecting what's mine." I kissed her hair. "You're safe now. All of you. That's all that matters."
Shanice cleared her throat. "I should probably go. Let you two talk."
"Stay," Katrina said. "Please. I don’t want you going back to that apartment alone."
I pulled her onto my lap. “She’s right, Shanice. You’re family now too. Until I can make sure that your apartment is safe, I need you to stay here.”
Marcus was dead. That didn’t mean that the threat was gone. I had to make sure so that everybody could get on with their lives and start to actually live.
“You can stay in my room.” Katrina told her.
“And you’ll come upstairs with me to our room.” I told Katrina.
“Our…”
“Yes, ours.” I kissed her and helped her to stand.
Katrina helped Shanice get settled, and then we walked upstairs together.
I helped her shower, washing her body for her.
Then, I helped her into a silk nightgown and pulled her into my arms so she could sleep.
I exhaled, glad this shit was over and that Katrina was exactly where she needed to be. In my arms and completely mine.