Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
NATHANIEL
“ W hat do you mean a shipment just arrived,” I asked Ivan, who was manning things at Euphoria.
“I’m not sure what to tell ya, Boss. I was doing rounds when the truck showed up with a full delivery, and there was no place to put it. Shameless and Delirium are still under surveillance, and with the busted water pipe at Wanderlust that only leaves here and Ecstasy. Ecstasy is already packed full, waiting for pickups, which makes me edgy, and now we get a whole load of party favors. It doesn’t make sense. Last I heard from Goran, he said this wasn’t supposed to arrive for a month.”
I glanced down at Cutter and tried to keep my voice even. “What is Ronan saying about all of this?”
“I haven’t been able to reach him or Dimitri, and Aaron is gone for the weekend up to Big Bear.”
Of course, Ronan would screw up a buy and then be MIA. “Do we have anywhere we can put it?”
“I can take everything out of the vault and put the skids at the back. I don’t have anything here showing a pickup for tonight. Has that changed?” Walking to my desk, I unlocked the hidden drawer that held the files for my illegal transactions and looked at the list. Most of it had already been divided up among places it wouldn’t usually go with the cop and water issues. This was not my job. I brokered deals, Ronan took care of sales, and Titus made sure shit was in order. But Titus was in Russia visiting with his fiancé’s family.
“Is everything labeled properly?”
“Seems to be. But we have at least three hundred pickups based on the codes without dates. I’m sorry, Boss, but I’m going to need a hand. I don’t want to leave the truck in the docking bay like this. We still have an alcohol and produce delivery expected. Can you send me four guys?”
The problem was that no one other than Goran, me, my father, or Titus knew the pickup and drop-off schedule. Shit, this wasn’t good.
“Okay, let me see if I can find someone to look after Cutter, and I’ll be right there,” I said, hanging up the phone.
If the vaults had been loaded poorly to start this could take hours. I hated disorganization and didn’t want any product coming to my businesses, but my father insisted that it was better than a random warehouse he had in the commercial district. Delivery trucks came and went from my businesses daily, so it wouldn’t seem out of place. I agreed with him, but they were also lucrative all on their own, and the last thing we needed was one of them to be raided. It was my stupidity. I built the buildings with massive bank secure vaults for overflow or emergency purposes only, but I should’ve known he and Ronan would take advantage.
Even though my mom was technically in the house, it was faster to call her. The phone rang and went to voicemail.
“Mom, are you free for a few hours? I need someone to look after Cutter.”
Hanging up the phone, I tried Kaylani. She’d arrived back two days ago, and yet I’d only seen a brief glimpse of her. Her phone went to voicemail as well. Great, just great.
“Cutter, we’re going to see if we can find Grandma,” I said, and he looked up from the building he was making with plastic blocks. “Let’s pack your backpack with some things to do.”
“Okay.” I held open his bag, and he put in his tablet and a coloring book with crayons. He didn’t just drop them. No, he made sure they were all perfectly positioned inside.
“How’s your wrist feeling? Do you need more medicine?” He shook his head no. “It doesn’t hurt?”
“No, it’s just itchy.”
I tossed in a few more things, like his favorite stuffed animal and a hoodie, before helping him put it on and then picking him up. This was new. Not the carrying him part, the worrying about what to do with him when I needed to work. Glancing at the time, I knew Savannah would be calling before she went to sleep. I couldn’t wait for her to get home. This week without her had felt like years all over again.
Walking to the far wings of the house, I nodded to the guard outside my mother’s suite. “Is everything okay,” I asked, eyeing him.
“Mrs. Mikhailov is feeling under the weather and has asked that I make sure she doesn’t receive visitors.” I narrowed my eyes at the guard, who I knew to be loyal to my mom. He didn’t give anything away.
“Is this something serious I should know about?”
“I only know what I am told, and that is she is under the weather.”
He was lying. I knew he was lying, but busting into the room or pummeling him to get the answer was out of the question.
“Fine. Have you seen my sister?” He shook his head no.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“Well, it looks like we are heading out for the night together,” I said to Cutter, who smiled wide.
“But it’s almost bedtime. Will we get in trouble?”
“I won’t tell if you won’t tell.”
“But I thought you said we couldn’t keep secrets from Mommy.”
Fuck. I did say that.
“Normally, yes, this is the one time we will make an exception.”
Cutter crossed his arms, tapping his chin. “Does this mean you’ll keep me learning to skate secret?”
I was just schooled by my four-year-old.
“Okay, let’s make a deal. I won’t tell Mommy about you skating, and you won’t tell Mommy about our adventure,” I said, picturing the skinning I would receive for taking our son to a strip club.
Cutter nodded. “Okay.”
Reaching the front door, I buzzed the guard room, and within seconds, the sound of thundering feet raced down the hallway.
“All of you are with me. Henrick, you’re driving.”
Loading into the stretch limo, I tried calling my father and Ronan, but their phones were off. What the hell were they up to? I didn’t trust my father as far as I could throw him and didn’t want to leave my son with him, but they could’ve gone to the club.
“Wow, where are we?” Cutter was staring up at the flashing sign and the glittering lights in the trees that surrounded the place.
“We are at one of my businesses,” I said, helping him out and carrying him inside. The music was loud, and I swore under my breath. What if it was too noisy for him in here? I didn’t even make it to the office before I was surrounded by staff, all of them gushing over Cutter.
“That’s cool,” he said, pointing to the girls who were dancing from ribbons attached to the ceiling. “Dad, can I try?”
“Oh my god, he called you dad. That’s so cute I might cry,” Rita, one of my exotic dancers, said.
“Right? I never thought I’d hear that, and he looks so much like him,” Becky exclaimed.
“I’m standing right here,” I said, but everyone was talking at once, and Cutter was asking question after question.
“Boss?” I looked at Ivan and nodded.
“Rita, can you take Cutter to my office and keep an eye on him for me?”
“Sure, I’m happy to.”
“Can I help? My shift is done, and he’s adorable,” Becky offered.
“Sure, why not? Cutter, you go with Rita and Becky for a little bit while I do some work, okay?” He happily nodded as I handed him over.
Snapping my fingers, I pointed to Cutter, and all the guards followed the girls to my office.
“Alright, let’s do this. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I get my son out of here. If there’s a god, Savannah won’t ever find out about this little trip.”
SAVANNAH
“That’s strange,” I mumbled as Nathan’s phone went to voicemail for the third time.
“What?” Goran looked at me, his face showing his immediate concern.
“I can’t reach Nathan. That’s not like him.”
“I’ll see where he is.” Goran pulled out his phone. I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t concerned but seemed confused, which didn’t make me feel any better.
“Where is he?”
“Um…well….”
I held out my hand. “Give me the phone if you value your life, Goran. Whatever you’re afraid Nathan might do to you, remember you’re trapped in a car with me.”
“Heard.” He placed the phone in my palm and I stared at the glowing dot that said he was at Euphoria.
“It’s eleven o’clock. Why would Nathan be at Euphoria?” I looked up at Goran, and he held his hands up like he didn’t want me to shoot him.
“I have no idea, but I’m assuming work.”
I stared at the phone, my fingers tapping on my knee. On one hand, I was secure with how Nathan felt, but…there was always a but. My past experience made this more difficult. I didn’t want to be the jealous, insecure wife, and yet, why wasn’t he answering his phone? I closed my eyes and tried to shut out the memory of Shawn and all the pictures of the women—false or not—I’d seen Nathan with, but some insecurities were just harder to ignore.
“Do you want to go there,” Goran asked.
“Is it that obvious?”
He smirked. I sighed and nodded. Shit.
“Vlad, head to Euphoria,” Goran called to the front of the limo. “I don’t think he is doing anything with anyone else if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I glared at Goran. “I’d appreciate you getting the hell out of my head now.”
“I’m just saying. I don’t know why he’s there, but what I do know is that Nathan is insane about you, like borderline crazy. There is no way he’d mess that up for a piece of random ass. That’s all I’m saying.”
“So, you don’t think I should go?”
He shook his head. “No, we might as well. It’s on the way, and it will put your mind at ease. I don’t think Nathan is going to mind being surprised a day early. But again, what do I know? I’m just a lowly soldier.” He smiled.
“Oh, shut up. You know you’re a lot more than that to Nathan. If I didn’t have you this week, I’m not sure I would’ve survived the chaos of my mother and ex,” I said.
Vlad slowed, and we pulled into the parking lot of Euphoria. I looked up at the sign that had changed, and so had some of the decorative shrubbery from the last time I was here four years ago, but aside from that, it looked the same.
I took a deep breath of the salty air as soon as we got out, and even though I’d never lived here before, it felt more like home than anywhere else I’d lived aside from Italy.
The guard manning the door held it open for us, which was a totally different reception from the one I’d gotten the first time around. I clearly remembered being told that they were ordered to, Keep the Fed outside . I was no longer a federal agent, now. That was for sure.
Loud Caribbean music signaled that the theme had changed, but the exotic aspect remained. It now looked like everyone was in the middle of a tropical island. There were even beach volleyball nets set up with topless girls playing while booths of men watched. Those dancing in the ropes were painted to look like animals. I couldn’t even imagine how many people this place employed.
We walked to the office, and the door was closed, but a couple of guards stood outside. As soon as they spotted me, they paled, eyes going wide, and my heart sank through the floor. They never showed emotion, so it was bad, like all the way to the top of Everest bad. I’d believed Nathan when he said he only wanted me. My chest hurt. The pain constricted my throat and made my hands shake.
“Um….” The guards started and looked over my head to Goran, who I knew was behind me.
“If you want to live another day, get out of my way,” I growled at them. The guards swallowed hard and stepped aside. Grabbing the handle, I took a deep breath and readied myself for what I was going to walk in on. Glancing down at the ring on my finger, it had never felt so heavy until this moment. He promised me there would never be anyone else. If he was in there with a woman I would kill her and then rip his balls right off his body. I locked all my emotions down like Fort Knox, very aware of all the guards standing around and the tension pressing in on me.
“You don’t have to….”
I pushed open the door, ready for battle, despite Goran’s final attempt to dissuade me, and came to a sudden halt at the sight before me. Cutter was sitting on Nathan’s desk, playing cards with two women I didn’t know. One was clothed and looked like she’d been on her way home, but the other was in a sparkly bikini with glitter all over her body.
“What the hell?” This was not what I expected, and in some ways, this was a whole lot worse.
“Mommy!” Cutter jumped up, and I walked over and picked him up off of the desk. His arms wrapped around my neck as he kissed my cheek. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I said, eyeing the women.
Glitter cleared her throat and stood. “Hi, I’m Rita.” She held out her hand. “Mr. Mikhailov had to come in, and we said we’d look after your son. He’s amazing.”
“Yes, he is. Thank you for looking out for him, but….” I stopped as I heard Nathan’s voice in the hall.
“Damn, that took a lot longer than I thought it would. Goran, what are you….” I marched out of the office and faced Nathan, ready for blood. “Oh, fuck.”
“Oh fuck?”
Cutter gasped. “Mommy, you said a bad word.”
My eyes never left Nathan. I’d never seen him scared. I didn’t know he was capable of it, but he looked scared now, and with good reason. If our son weren’t hanging on to me, I would’ve killed him on the spot.
“Yes, I said a bad word, Bud. Cover your ears. There are going to be a few more.” I took a step in Nathan’s direction, and he rolled out his shoulders but remained still. I got the feeling he wanted to turn and run for the door, but he was too fucking proud and stubborn for that.
“Oh fuck? Is that all you have to say about bringing our four-year-old to a strip club and leaving him with people I don’t know? One of whom is barely clothed, I might add.” He opened his mouth, but I cut off whatever argument he had. “I left Cutter alone with you for one week. One fucking week, and he ends up with a dislocated wrist and a cast. Tackled and terrified at a hockey game so badly that I had to calm him down, and now you bring him to a strip club.” I pointed at the open door. “And here he sits at nearly midnight playing cards like he is some shark at a poker table while you’re off doing god knows what.”
“Guys, give us a minute,” Nathan said, and the guards started to turn, all too happy to hightail it out of the line of fire.
“No, don’t go anywhere.” They all froze, and even Goran looked concerned, like he was caught in the middle of a domestic. “I’m taking our son home. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll give me some time to cool the fuck off before you show your face. It’s way past his bedtime, and I’m beyond furious.” Whipping around, I marched for the stairs and out the front door, letting the guards scramble to keep up and surround us.
I got into the back of the limo while Goran and the guards who had been accompanying me followed. No one said a word until Cutter spoke, breaking the silence.
“Mommy, are you mad at Dad?”
I smoothed back his little mohawk and kissed his forehead. “That’s not for you to worry about, Bud. We’ll get it sorted out.”
He looked down at his hands covered in gold and silver glitter. “Was I bad?”
I pulled him into my lap. “No, of course not.”
“Mom?”
“Yeah, Bud?”
“Are we gonna lose this family, too?”
I closed my eyes and held him to my chest. “No, Bud. Sometimes grown-ups are going to disagree, but it’s okay. You’re not going to lose anyone. Your dad and I both love you very much.”
“Okay.” Cutter laid his head against my heart, and I could feel him fall asleep.
“Are you sorry that you said we should go to the club,” I asked Goran.
“Not one bit. There are some moments as a soldier you live for, and watching Nathan terrified he was going to have his manhood ripped off was the highlight of my fucking life.” The rest of the guards snickered. “I only wish I was going to be there to see round two.”
Laying my head back, I stared at the ceiling of the car, just wanting to get home, have a shower, and curl up, holding my son. This was not the reception I’d been hoping for, that was for sure.