Chapter Twelve
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m kind of freaking out,” Igor said. “And that’s me saying something.”
Brute didn’t need to ask what they were talking about as he glanced across the yard to where Road was sitting on his own, a single tennis ball in his hand, as he tossed it against the wall.
It had been a couple of weeks since he ended things with Dinah. He’d known the brother was falling for the woman, but he didn’t quite understand what had happened so quickly for Road to become this. He didn’t like it. The brothers were getting a little worried. Road, keeping it all locked up inside, was not good for himself or the club. It would only be a matter of time before he cracked.
He tapped his son’s bottom, as he held him close to his chest. It had taken a couple of weeks, but he and Faith had finally agreed on calling him Jonah. Brute didn’t like the name but he’d already decided his club name was going to be Heartbreaker. He wouldn’t allow anyone to take it. He already had a little leather jacket in the works with his new title.
He also knew the club was getting antsy as they wanted to take on more of the Golubev. For Brute, he had given Nikki time, but he didn’t take orders from the Bratva. All he did was bide his time, and he already had what he needed in place to do a full-scale attack on multiple businesses. He just needed to wait for Golubev’s greed to get the better of him, and once everything was in place, it was only a matter of time to take it all out.
This was exactly what he was waiting for.
Getting to his feet, he walked over to Road, with his son in his arms, knowing Road would keep himself in check. The man was many things, but when it came to kids, he drew a line.
“What?” Road asked.
“You want to talk about it?”
“No, but I want to kill Nikki Golubev,” Road said.
“And your time will come,” he said, and he knew his answer had surprised Road. Brute laughed. “Do you seriously believe I would allow any of the Golubev to live? It’s not going to happen. I’ve already told Faith not to get too attached to her father, and trust me, she isn’t. She has told me repeatedly that she has no trust in him. I don’t either. Do you want to tell me what went down between you and Nikki this time?”
“How do you know there was a ‘this time’?” Road asked.
“I’m not an idiot. You were happy leaving the compound to see your woman, whom I assume is the same one you brought to the hospital. Now, you stay, and you look at the wall, or you eat your food in silence. I don’t think I’ve even heard you greet any of the guys, or Faith for that matter.”
Faith might have also told him she believed Road was suffering with a broken heart. That he was hurting. Brute didn’t give a fuck, so long as his men had their shit together when it hit the fan. He didn’t want to be worried about Road being able to handle himself.
“One of my last jobs before this,” Road said, swirling his hand in front of his face. “Sergey got pissed at a woman’s rejection. He wanted her to pay for insulting him. I didn’t ask questions.”
“None of us did,” he said, agreeing.
“And … the woman’s face, she got cut up, not as bad as mine, but bad enough it ruined her career. I didn’t know this woman was a widower. She was still mourning the death of her husband, and she had a daughter. Dinah was this woman’s daughter.”
“Oh, shit,” he said.
“Yeah, oh, shit.” Road threw the ball at the wall and caught it. Brute was surprised it didn’t tear by the snap of it. “Nikki warned me that Sergey has put detail on all of us. He wants to know who we see, who comes to the club, and shit that happens. I couldn’t allow Sergey to get to Dinah. Not with what he did to her mother. Nikki, rather than just warn me, decided to pay Dinah a visit and then told her to wonder who actually gave the order.”
Brute’s anger was back.
“Church, ten minutes,” Brute said, getting to his feet.
He had heard enough. Nikki had played the wrong card, and now he was going to pay the price.
****
Pain.
Betrayal.
Guilt.
Loneliness.
Fear.
Dinah had experienced them all and as she looked at her mother’s grave, she felt every one curling up her spine, threatening to take hold of her. She couldn’t breathe from it.
She’d called the salon and booked a couple of weeks’ vacation. There was nowhere for her to go, but she couldn’t see people right now. She had lost her father, and there had been times she didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. After what happened to her mother, she fought every single day to be a positive light to her.
Now, as she stared at her mother’s gravestone, she felt so empty, so hollow. Road had burst into her life like a fire, and made a place for himself in her heart, and now she felt so many different things. She hated him and missed him, and was so angry at him. She wanted to hurt him and kiss him. She hated that he’d done this to her.
Why did he lie? He had known from the very beginning who she was and what he’d done, and he hadn’t been honest with her.
“I hate that I miss him,” she said.
She had already talked to her mother about everything.
“Does that make me weak? Because I miss him and I hate him, and I want to punish him for everything he has done?”
She sighed. “I’m sorry.”
She rubbed her temples.
“You probably don’t want to hear any of this, but I don’t know where else to go. I have no one else to talk to.” She pressed her lips together. “You wouldn’t have fallen for a guy like him, would you?” She shook her head. “No, of course not. You would have done better. You would have been better.”
She blew out a breath, and the tears she fought so hard to keep at bay threatened to spill over.
“I’ve got to go,” she said.
Rain had started to fall, and even though it was hot, the rain started slow and then began to fall hard and fast. She’d not watched any weather forecast, and it wasn’t long before she had no choice but to rush toward her home.
She got to the front door and scrambled with her keys, trying to find one to fit the door. Her brain had been all over the place lately. She couldn’t think or feel, or make sense of anything.
Stepping into her home, she came to a complete stop, as she looked into the eyes of Sergey Golubev. He was inside her house. She didn’t look away, just stared right at him.
“Wow,” he said. “You have your mother’s eyes.”
Hatred filled her as she looked at the man who hurt her mother. Her hands clenched into fists, and she did no more than throw herself at him, taking him and his guards by surprise, as she landed several blows to his head and body before anyone could grab hold of her.
They had no choice but to suddenly grab her, and to get her away from their boss, they tossed her to the floor, which is where she landed in a pool of blood. The impact of the floor had made her feel a little sick, but she saw Raine’s lifeless body across from her.
They had killed Raine.
Dinah couldn’t believe it, but someone put a foot on the base of her back, and she tensed up. This was not good.
“I had no idea you were feral.”
“Fuck you,” she said.
Someone grabbed her hair, and using their grip, pulled her to her feet, and she cried out, as she was standing once again. She tried to stop them from pulling her hair, but it was no use.
Once again, she came eye to eye with the man she hated more than anything in the world. She had never seen him like this, in the flesh. Blood came from the corner of his mouth and she knew she had caused that. She felt joy at hurting him, and then she laughed.
“You have to get one of your men to control me. You’re nothing more than a fucking coward,” she said.
Pain ricocheted from her stomach as Sergey punched her. She gasped for breath, and fell to her knees on the floor.
“Coward,” she said, again.
He came at her, but Dinah had been prepared since Nikki had stepped into her salon. Road may have broken her heart, but Nikki’s presence had sent a warning to her.
Sergey came at her, and none of them were expecting the knife in her hand, until she plunged it not once, not twice, but three times into Sergey’s thigh before they were able to react.
When they did, Dinah knew she was screwed, as everything around her went black.
****
The plan, although intricate, was very simple. Brute knew what he was doing, and Road was more than ready to hit the multiple ports, but it did require them splitting up and keeping in constant contact.
One by one, each port was expecting a shipmen t— one of drugs, another of guns, and then wome n— two of each. Six ports in total, each one designed to be split down and spread through different channels, going from state to state. This was Golubev all over. Attempting to make multiple deals at once without giving a space between, which could only mean one thing. He’d approached the Italian mafia, made a deal, and they had accepted.
Road ran a hand down his face. This was going to be bad, so very, very fucking bad for the club. The moment they took out these shipments, it would make an enemy of the Italian mafia, and he had a feeling that was exactly what Brute wanted.
“Fuck!”
He dialed Brute’s number and put his cell phone to his ear.
“Is it done?”
“Not yet, do you have any fucking idea what you’re about to do?” Road asked.
“I know exactly what we’re going to do,” Brute said. “Now, I want to see it all burn. Trust me on this, they’re going to get the message that this is what you get when you join forces with Golubev. I’m already aware of his new alliances. I’m not worried, and neither should you be.” With that, Brute hung up his cell phone.
He should have known Brute would have control of everything. It was rare for that man to not have his shit together.
Staring down at the docks, he waited for the call, and the moment it came, he pressed the button. Within seconds, the whole dock where the ships were coming into port exploded, catching the boat right along with it. The shipment of humans was being dealt with differently. They were not going to be killed.
Cops would be arriving on the scene, the men involved would be arrested, the women removed, and once the coast was clear, the boat was going to mysteriously catch fire.
Road couldn’t help but smile. Seeing Golubev’s deals and dreams go up in smoke was a dream come true. He felt lighter on his feet, and ready to cause more trouble.
“Fuck, yeah, did you see that?” Vlad asked.
He and Vlad had been sent to this dock, along with Hail, who made his way over with a hoot.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Hail said. “Best damn fireworks display I have ever seen.”
Road couldn’t have agreed more. This is what they were about. It felt good to no longer keep their distance, but to also take this fight to them.
Golubev would struggle with his next move. This had always been a risk, but Road knew there were always shipments coming in that didn’t have anyone surrounding them.
He felt like tilting his head back and hollering up to the sky, cheering, or some shit. For the first time since he told Dinah the truth, he felt fucking alive, and he knew it was because he’d caused nothing but destruction.
Just then, his cell phone started to ring as he headed back to his bike. Hail and Vlad were talking about the explosion. They had already been there hours earlier, planting the dynamite, and preparing it to explode. Looking down at the number, he was surprised to see Dinah was calling him.
“Dinah, hello, I’m so glad you called,” Road said, stepping away from his bike, and Hail and Vlad.
He didn’t want her getting the wrong impression.
“It’s not Dinah,” Sergey Golubev said, and Road went on high alert.
The number calling him said Dinah, so that had to mean Sergey had her fucking phone, which meant he had Dinah.
“What do you want?” Road asked.
“You see, that is a loaded question. There are many things I want. To see your whole clubhouse squashed like the rats you are. At first, I did find this little rebellion cute. A whole bunch of ugly bastard wannabes, thinking they can take me on. Do you think you’re the first group that has come after me?” he asked.
Road didn’t say a word, but his stance, or something, had alerted Vlad and Hail to exactly what was happening, and they’d moved close and were listening in. He didn’t see a point in keeping this conversation private.
“Road!” Sergey snapped.
“Do you want me to even justify you with a response? There’s nothing I can say or do, because the truth is, I don’t give a fuck what you say or do. Where’s Dinah?” he asked.
And then, he heard the scream. This was one filled with pain, and he tensed up.
“You better not fucking touch her,” Road said.
“You’re not in any position to negotiate.”
“No? Then I guess I better wait for your call.” He didn’t know how he was able to hang up his cell phone, but he felt this rage building inside him. “Evil fucking bastard. I should have killed him when I had the chance.”
There were so many times he could have killed hi m— taken him, stabbed him, shot him, beaten him at least half to death. Yet, he’d done nothing. Absolutely nothing, and now, Dinah was going to pay the price.
“What’s going on?” Brute’s voice suddenly filled the air, and Road spun around to see Brute approaching.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I got a message from town, that a guy meeting Sergey’s description was seen entering Dinah Evans’s home. When he emerged, Dinah was unconscious,” Brute said.
“You knew when I called you,” Road said. “You fucking knew, and you didn’t say anything. He had her.”
“Yes.”
“She’s dead,” Road said. There was no way she was getting out of this alive.
“Not yet, you heard her,” Brute said.
“What the fuck do I do? I can’t … he can’t hurt her. I won’t let him. I’ve got to turn myself in. I’ve got nothing to offer him in exchange.”
“You have,” Brute said.
“What?”
“Offer up the club.”
Road shook his head. “Fuck, no, I’m not doing that. I’m not a fucking rat.”
“Listen to me, Road, the guys are already on their way. You start negotiations by taking the blame for what happened at the docks. You tell him you give up yourself and the club. You go, he thinks you’re going alone, but we’ll be right there. All we need is the location, and the moment we get your signal, we’re hitting hard and fast. Your only job is to get Dinah.”
Road knew as a plan went, it was a long shot. A total long shot.
He ran a hand down his face, but he still didn’t like it. He never sold out the club, and would never turn his back on any of the men there. Anger and rage filled him as he wanted to end Golubev.
“He needs to die.”
“Then tonight, you make that shot. You make it count, and even if it injures him, you got what you needed.” Brute put a hand on his shoulder.
“Why are you doing this for me?” Road asked. “I don’t make your life easy. You have no reason to help me.”
“You’re my club brother, Road. You wear the patch that says it’s so, and even though we don’t see eye to eye, I know you’d die for me. Also, I know what it’s like to finally find your soulmate, and I know there is nothing more important in this world than my Faith and Jonah.”
It was the closest they had come to having a heart-to-heart. He was shocked.
“I’ve got to get her back. Even though she hates me.”
“Maybe this will help her see what you were dealing with.”