Chapter 9
Stash
Fortunately, I had a couple of men already stationed at a warehouse close to where she lived. It didn’t take them long to head over and slip inside without being seen.
Seeing Pavel’s number on the screen, I immediately answered. “Yes.”
“It’s clear, boss. There’s no one around her place and no attempt to get inside.”
“Alright. Keep watch for an additional ten minutes. If you don’t see anything, go ahead and go. But do a swing in the usual spots.”
“What are we looking for?”
“Any information that might lead to me to believe my brother has resurfaced.”
“Shit. Yes, sir.”
I’d made the call while waiting for her to appear out the back door. I’d known instinctively she intended on trying to escape. I’d also known the minute she’d recognized me while in the ring.
She’d tried to hide it but had failed. I’d seen the gaze turn from shock to worry then to desire in a few seconds.
That should have been the dead giveaway.
Even now, the attraction we shared was substantial.
I pocketed my phone, thinking about how to address the assassination attempt with everyone else.
In my mind, it appeared as if the target had been Sean, but if so, why start with the card girl?
Even the heavy flirting I’d seen the one guy do didn’t warrant trying to eliminate her life.
There was more to the story. Much more. With what Sean had shared, removing the Irish mob leader seemed ideal.
Except the election had yet to be held.
The night certainly hadn’t gone according to any plans. Not in the furthest reaches of my mind. But I should have known something was up when Dimitri had come bounding into my office.
He seemed to bring bad luck with him.
I sat back in my chair, taking mental bets on how my guest would handle the situation. The girl was tough, more so than I’d gathered at the office. However, the evening’s festivities had yet to fully sink in, which should be happening right about now.
With the glass in my hand, I waited to see Boris’ reaction.
I’d mentioned that Saige would likely try to run and the only way to do that was through the kitchen.
Since the first week after moving to New York, I’d found the bar a perfect location to decompress.
At first, I hadn’t known that he was an implant from Russia.
Finding out he’d been in the city for over thirty years while missing his old home was a draw. We’d quickly become friends.
While few people knew my background, the Chertov name not holding any favors in the city, he had fond memories of my father. At least someone did.
He lifted his head toward me, giving a sign that surprised me. She’d thought about running, making it as far as stepping into the kitchen. His second nod was toward the darkened hallway.
She was more nervous than before, her fingers white knuckled while holding the strap on her purse. Yet she’d returned. Without me chasing her.
Not only was that a pleasant surprise, but it told me both about her resolve and the very strange connection we shared.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on why, but now that I knew the card girl was Saige, the thought of all those men pawing her angered me.
They’d put their dirty hands on her, shoving her garters full of money.
I could break their fingers for even thinking about touching her.
As far as the other bastards who’d dared lay a finger on her whether on purpose or otherwise. Oni zaplatyat tsenu, prichitayushchuyusya Volku.
They’d pay the price owed to the wolf.
How fascinating that she’d used the term along with predator. After coming into my own as an Enforcer, I’d heard that said about my personality more than once. I actually liked the sentiment. I certainly had more of a killer nature than anyone had originally believed.
The Chertov bloodline. Thanks a lot, Pops.
Even now, as she sat down, I was still embroiled in visions of tearing the men apart limb from limb.
Saige reached for her wine, now staring me in the eyes.
“You returned,” I told her.
“Did you have any doubt?”
“Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, you passed a test.” I swirled the liquid in my glass, curious as to her response.
Her laugh almost had a bitter sound to it. “You’re always testing me. While it’s obvious you don’t know New York very well, I have a feeling you’re the kind of man who’d use any method available to hunt me down.”
“Like a wolf.”
That bought me a smile. “Very much like a wolf.”
“You’d be right. Is there another reason you didn’t run?”
“If you’re thinking I’m afraid of your punishment, that’s not it. Unless the discipline you have in mind includes firing me. I need my job. And I assure you that it has nothing to do with how much I enjoy working with you.”
An admittance she didn’t like making. Most women in this situation, and a good number of men I knew, would have done everything to leave. Some would have gone to the police while others went into hiding. But not this girl. With her spunk continuing, I could tell she would be just fine.
She was insanely beautiful, although I hated the makeup hiding her subtle features. My coat, which looked damn good on her, was still tightly wrapped around her body, but I’d seen enough that I didn’t want a single other man looking at her.
Wanting her.
I forced myself to look away for fear of saying something I’d regret at this point.
“Your job is safe, Saige. Although the rule is that you will not return to the club and we won’t talk about this again.”
“And no police?” After asking the question, her eyes opened wide expecting anger.
“And no police.”
“Okay. You’re going to trust me enough to keep your secret?”
“What secret is that? I assure you that as of right now, there is no evidence to indicate anything happened at that club but a typical MMA fight. As far as the man who attacked you, whoever he’s working for considers him and his buddies expendable.”
“That’s the way of your business and theirs.”
I lifted my glass in appreciation. “Exactly. There’s nothing for you to tell anyone about. Unless you want your friends to learn about what you witnessed tonight.”
He had my loyalty on a silver platter. “You know I don’t.”
“Good. There’s one last thing. You are not to tell your friend who usually works at the club what happened as well. Can you keep that from her?” I could tell she wasn’t certain that was possible.
“Yes, I can do that. There’s no reason for her to know and like I already said, I have no intention of going back.”
“Excellent. Then enjoy your wine so we can go. I have one last question.”
“What’s that?”
“Who is your friend?”
“No, I’m not going to tell you anything about her.
She has nothing to do with this. She didn’t force or coerce me into accepting the job tonight.
She thought it would be cool and get me out of the house.
Make a little money. You thinking she has something to do with those monsters attacking just isn’t fair.
She has nothing to do with what happened.
You’ll need to punish me instead if you’re so insistent on doing so. ”
She had no idea how tempting the thought was. She also couldn’t possibly understand how her conviction, while completely unwise, was honorable and something I coveted almost as much as loyalty.
How very protective of her and the reaction was very natural.
She wasn’t doing anything but defending a friend.
I would find out another way instead of her betraying the woman.
“Very well.” I leaned forward until I was able to gather a more powerful hint of her perfume.
“Just keep in mind what I said. The person behind those soldiers will stop at nothing to get what they want.”
When she crowded the airspace between us, leaning so far forward I could almost kiss her soft lips, my cock stirred as it had done before. “And exactly who is this person, so I can make certain and keep a distance.”
The thought of kissing her was delightful but as reckless as everything else about the evening. “That’s what I intend on finding out.”
“You mean the big bad wolf doesn’t know?”
What I’d learned from the Christmas party was that she enjoyed provoking me. Not only mentally. Perhaps until now she hadn’t understood she was poking the beast in his cave. As well as during his slumber. “Skol’ko volka ni kormi, on vso ravno v les smotrit.”
After I harshly whispered the words of my grandmother, my companion shuddered visibly, which turned me the fuck on. “What did you say?”
“An old Russian proverb. No matter how much you feed the wolf, he still stares into the forest.”
“What does that mean?”
“That means a creature’s true, wild, and very dangerous nature cannot be changed no matter how much time or money is spent to domesticate it.”
Her breath skipped just a couple of beats, but to her credit, she didn’t move.
Other than darting the tip of her tongue to a plump spot in the center of her bottom lip.
I had the urge to suck on her tongue, using quite a bit of control to keep from doing so.
“I’d say you were speaking more about yourself than any enemy who might cross your path. ”
With a deep breath, I sat back hard in the chair, able to laugh more easily than normal. “Touché, Saige. You are correct.”
“Now that we’ve established you really are a wolf in sheep’s clothing, answer me this. Is it true what I’ve heard that to live with wolves you need to act like one?”
How fascinating that she had an understanding of Russian proverbs.
My grandmother would be proud. “Very true.” What was she suggesting?
More important, why? It would take some time determining the reasoning behind her question, and I knew there was a point.
Very little she’d done with me was casual, always directed by her strong personality.
There was much I could say otherwise, but I chose not to, lifting my glass instead.
I could see a spark in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. While she might not be a true adversary, she was enjoying the dangerous game being played. I both admired and was concerned for her.
Yet there was no reason to stop the progression of a new page in our relationship.
At this point.