Chapter 34 #2
Simeon, even with blood dripping down his face, pales and scrambles to his feet. “No, Ilya, wait. You don’t understand. I’m trying to lure him into a false sense of security. He needs to think that I’m working with you to benefit him. It’s a perfect double cross. Right?”
Ilya looks at Alonzo. “Hit him again.” Alonzo grins, his fist slamming into Simeon’s gut, more blood spraying.
“You think I’m an idiot?” Ilya continues coldly. “But you made a fucking mistake. You invited your father, and the Butcher, to my home. And you did it deliberately knowing my niece is now here.”
“My turn.” Zakhar steps beside Alonzo and throat punches Simeon, making him fall to the ground, clasping at his throat, trying to get air into his lungs, while also trying not to swallow the blood creeping into his mouth.
“I told him we shouldn’t work with you, cocksucker, but my brother had plans for you. We knew you’d pull this shit.”
“Do I get a turn?” Oleg asks.
“No more hitting him,” I order. “We need him alive.” I look at Ilya. “Do you have eyes on Timur?”
“There’s been no activity at their place in twenty-four hours.” He tenses. “You think he’s already on his way here?”
“They have another way out that we wouldn’t be able to see them?” Zakhar asks. He looks down at Simeon, but the idiot just continues to choke and gasp.
“There was out of the basement. Kind of like how Nico was set up,” I say, looking at Alonzo.
“It comes out into the canopy of trees and follows along the property line and comes out a neighbor’s driveway a couple miles down.
Far enough away, and they used to pay the neighbor a shit ton of money to keep them quiet and to use it.
Then when the neighbor died, they bought it and he gave it to one of his higher ranking men. ”
“Fuck. Oleg!” Ilya barks.
“Already on it.” Oleg rushes out, and the tension in the room escalates.
“What are we looking at, Aurora?” Alonzo asks, voice tight.
“They’ll have taken a plane into the state and are making their way here,” I finally answer.
“My father, though, he’ll have sent whoever it is with him ahead to scope this place out.
” I look at Zakhar. “They know your daughter is here, and they’ll know you’re going to move and protect her.
She’ll be the first one they use to get in.
They won’t come after me right away. They want me alive. ”
Zakhar’s face is tight. “What the fuck do I do then? If this fucker has been watching our every move already…”
I glance at Alonzo, lifting my brow in a silent question.
He nods. “If you want her out of this, you let me have my men take her to our plane and head for New York. Keep her out of danger. They’ll take her to Nico Armani’s home, where she’ll be protected, and the Carusos’, Cattaneos’ and Armanis’ will make sure that no other Russians will get close to her. ”
“You want me to send my daughter to the other side of the country? Trust Italians not to use her against us when this is all over?” Zakhar demands, face bright with indignation.
“Do you see another option?” Alonzo snaps.
“There is no place on this coast, or even in your neighboring states that she’ll be safe.
And unless you have another safe house she can go that no one else knows about, she is in danger here.
And whether you want to believe it or not, we don’t use children.
Ever. She’ll be surrounded by other women as well. Including my sister.”
“Zakhar.” He looks at me, distrusting. I don’t blame him.
We’re asking a lot. “She will be safe there. She will be safe with Alonzo’s men.
They protected her all last night, and are with her now.
She said that they never bothered her, never approached her, and took their jobs seriously.
If they were going to hurt her, or use her, they had their chance. ”
“She’s the only thing I have left, and if anything happens to her…”
“Then I’ll let you kill me,” Alonzo offers simply.
I stare at him. What the hell is he doing?
Zakhar’s eyes narrow in suspicion. Alonzo shrugs.
“You don’t trust me, so you can use that as collateral if anything happens to her or until she’s back here.
But I’m telling you right now, she’s going to be safer there than here. ”
“Alonzo, give me your phone,” I order. He arches a brow, but hands it over after opening with a quick password.
I video call the phone number I know by heart, trying to ignore the furious beating in my chest. The moment Sienna’s face fills the screen, that beating turns sharp and painful.
Her hazel eyes widen in shock, and then relief.
“Rori!” she cries. “You’re alright. Thank God.
” Then her expression morphs into fury. “I’m going to kick your ass the minute Alonzo gets your ass back here, do you hear me?
I’m going to make you black and blue. How dare you go off without us?
Not trusting me with all this shit. Me! Me!
Your best fucking friend.” She launches into a tirade that, despite everything, makes me smile.
Zakhar and Ilya inch behind me, looking at the screen, until I can finally yell loudly, “Sienna, stop! Shut the hell up and listen, you needy bitch, or I’m going to have Alessio tie your ass to the bed and edge you for days.”
“He’s tried that and never lasts more than a few hours,” Sienna snaps, a righteous smile pulling at her face. Then she sees the men behind me and arches a brow. “Bitch, are you having an orgy over there? Damn. Those Russians are hot. Are you getting every hole filled, because go you!”
“Shut up, you horny nympho.” I sigh.
“I’m trying my best, krasotka,” Zakhar flirts shamelessly. “Your delicious friend is far too—Fuck off,” he grunts when Alonzo slaps him upside the head.
“Get to the point, Aurora,” Alonzo orders gruffly. “And, Sienna, tell Alessio to get ready to meet the plane. We’re sending an important package back.”
Sienna’s grin disappears and nods. “What do you need?”
“Coniglietta, what’s going on?” Alessio demands, stepping into the frame. His eyes connect with mine, before they take in the men behind me. His expression turns cool, assessing. “Alonzo, I take it you have a report?” he finally says.
“Important package, decade and a half old, heading your way. Protection at all costs, and these two want assurances that she won’t be used in any kind of way against them, or as a pawn in a game they think we want to play.”
Alessio’s eyes harden, and they zoom in on Ilya. “And you are?”
“Ilya Romanov. And you must be Alessio Caruso. I’ve heard of you.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of you.” He looks at Zakhar. “You must be the brother. Package yours or his?”
“His,” Ilya replies tightly.
“Fine. Send the package. Updates will be sent every hour until it arrives. After that, updates will be sent whenever you need. We don’t use children, Romanov.
Ever. Women either.” He gives me a pointed look.
“Even ones that hide things to protect their friends, and seem to think that they have to handle everything on their own.”
I hold his stare, but his words still hit their mark.
“What do you want in return?” Ilya finally asks.
“Nothing. Consider this a sign of good faith.” Then he looks at me and Alonzo. “And you two better get your asses back here in one piece.”
“Working on it,” Alonzo answers. “Package will be incoming in six hours. They’ll be leaving in half an hour.”
“I haven’t agreed,” Zakhar snaps. “And stop calling her a fucking package. She’s my fucking daughter, not cargo.”
“Then you’re an idiot.” Alessio ignores his furious glare.
“Your daughter will be safe here. Nico Armani’s home has just survived more attacks in the last month than yours ever has.
Not to mention, it’s fucking huge. She could be there for months and she could avoid all of us.
Send her here, Romanov. We’ll keep her safe, and the moment you give the word, we’ll send her back.
Or you can come here to get her.” He looks at Alonzo.
“Get her on the plane. You sending all the men back?”
“I want to keep Titus, but the others will see her back.”
“Good.” Then he looks at me. “Love the hair, by the way. Be less for Sienna to use when she’s grabbing it and punching you in the face.”
“She can try. Put her back on.” Alessio moves the phone to Sienna. “You can fight with me later, babe,” I tell her when she opens her mouth. She snaps it shut. “I need you to make sure that Mila is looked after and kept safe. She’s a smart kid.”
“I’ll make sure Gia, Amara, and Kida know.
We’ll keep her safe, Rori.” Then she looks at Zakhar and her smile softens.
“I promise, she’ll be safe.” Then she winks.
“Probably influenced by some badass women, but that’s not a bad thing.
We’ll just make sure that she doesn’t come home with a mohawk.
Well, unless she wants that. Then you’ll have to just deal with it, big guy.
” She looks back at me. “I love you, bitch, and if you get yourself killed, I’m going to drag your body back here, resurrect you, and kill you again, but much slower and painfully.
I’ll start with plucking out every single pubic hair you have with the tiniest tweezers I can find, before I start on your head. ”
“Then it’s a very good thing I wax, isn’t it?” I give her a soft smile. “Love you too, Sienna. Bye.” I hang up and hand the phone back to Alonzo. “Tell your men to get ready to leave. We need to get her in the air as soon as possible, and before Timur or my father realize she’s gone.”
Zakhar looks at me. “You’re certain she’ll be safe?”
“Yes. You want me to add myself to the collateral with Alonzo?”
He looks at his brother, they have a silent conversation, and then he turns and storms out of the room.
The same door that Simeon is trying to sneak out of, and Alonzo stops him with a hand on the back of his shirt, yanking him back with a yelp. “Where do you want him?” Alonzo asks.
“I need to see to a few things. I’ll leave him with you,” I tell Ilya. “Then we need to talk and make a plan.”
As I walk out the door, I give Alonzo a grateful look, and his face softens briefly, before it tightens again and he slams the screaming Simeon against the wall.
Any other time I’d be amused that Alonzo is willing to work with Ilya as his muscle, but this isn’t a normal circumstance, and this is the stuff he’s good at. Right now, I need to think, and I need to grab a few things from my room.
If Timur and my father are coming, I need to be ready. I’ve been focused on fighting them on their own ground, not realizing that I need to learn everything I can about my temporary lodging.
I throw open my bedroom door, stopping when I see the flower on my pillow. It’s a dark red rose, much like some of the ones growing around the grounds I’ve seen in passing by some of the windows.
Damn it, how did Alonzo know I love roses?
I brush my finger over the soft petals. No, I need to get myself together.
I need to focus. So why do I pick up the flower and carry it with me into the bathroom?
And why do I allow myself half a second to imagine Alonzo lying it there this morning after I left?
Wanting me to have something beautiful to find when I came back?
Some of the cracks in my chest seal, and I can’t be angry about it. The man is full of surprises.