CHAPTER 10
HENDRIX
Watching Kirby walk into The Centennial building has me clenching my fists at my sides. I want to rush over to her and throw her over my shoulder. But I don’t.
I knew she would pull back and need some space after the gift she gave us a few nights ago. She could have insisted that we let her leave, and we would have done it. It’s not like we ever want to take our woman without her consent.
Not only did she grant it, but she gave us her trust. It was a true gift, and I know that my brothers appreciate it just as much as I do.
But it was a lot for her. I can respect that.
I wasn’t surprised to find her gone the next morning even though I wanted to track her down and put her over my knee for leaving without one of us to escort her wherever she needed to go.
It was difficult to do, but I convinced Wolfe and Dominic to give her a little bit of space when they realized that she had left our home. Surprisingly, Wolfe understood my point before Dominic was willing to accept the truth of what I was saying. He wanted to storm over to her hotel and bring her back to where she belongs.
Being the voice of reason is a burden sometimes.
The only thing that calmed Dominic down was the promise that we would keep an eye on her while giving her some space. We’ve taken turns over the last few days in a divide and conquer approach to everything we have going on.
Normally we keep our ranks tight so that we ensure that we have each other’s backs but being pulled in more than one direction makes that more difficult. I hate the fact that Dominic is alone while checking out some warehouses, just to ensure there’s not another trafficking ring since that’s the go to when it comes to dealing with Morozov. It’s where the biggest danger is and Wolfe would be with him, but the tip we got about drugs being sold in Volkov’s name had us going solo today.
I glance down at my phone, knowing that Kirby is safe inside Club Sin even though I desperately want to follow her up.
She’s been running errands today around the city. Feeling her anxiety as she moved through the place she once called home made me want to wrap her in my arms and whisper sweet words in her ear, but I held myself back. There’s no way she would’ve wanted me to coddle her. That’s not who she is, and I could practically feel the resolve wafting off her as she faced her fears.
I’m damn proud of her, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to take the burden of her past off her shoulders. If only it were that easy.
Being able to have my eyes on her has made me feel better since we agreed that part of giving our Phoenix space involved not going to Club Sin the last few evenings. If she’s spent time with a sub, we don’t know. I doubt she has, or if it’s happened then it’s been void of any sexual contact. I don’t know why I believe it, but it’s what my instincts are saying. I learned to trust my gut a long time ago and I don’t see a reason to stop now.
Part of me hopes that with us not being right in her face Kirby will have the chance to wonder about us and miss us. It’s not like we’ve disappeared from her life completely. We’ve taken turns texting her in a group chat every morning. She hasn’t responded, but I wasn’t expecting her to.
She’s been holding herself back from life for a long time. It’s not going to change overnight.
Still, I haven’t been able to leave her alone completely. Not with a Morozov on the loose. She probably isn’t on their radar, but I can’t rule it out completely as well.
The thought of those monsters getting their hand on her again, makes me see red. Just as I’m about to give into the need to be able to see her, again, my phone rings. I growl as I reach for it and see Wolfe’s name.
When I answer, I don’t get the chance to say anything before he informs me, “Found the idiot. Talked to him. You should meet me at Volkov’s office. Call Dominic while I get cleaned up and head that way.”
“You good?”
“Of course,” there’s amusement in his tone that has me relaxing slightly.
I won’t be able to relax completely until I can end a day by going home with my brothers with the knowledge that our woman will be home as well.
Home.
We don’t even have a home. I know it’s because we haven’t had a reason to settle in one place, not when we’re always on the move. Now, the thought of not having a place to call home has a pang of regret and longing hitting my heart.
Kirby deserves that. She’s been traveling for a long fucking time. I’m not sure if settling down in Seattle would be right for her, but we do own some land outside the city and Wolfe’s brother is here. Maybe it would be good.
With a shake of my head, I call Dominic and tell him to meet us at Volkov’s office before heading to the other side of the city. I’m not surprised to find Wolfe waiting for me when I step into Volkov’s building since the townhouse isn’t far.
Dominic walks in a few minutes after me and we all share a look. I can see the questions in their eyes, and I let out a sigh.
“I guess it would be too much to ask to deal with business before personal,” I grumble. When they don’t say anything, I know it would, in fact, be too much to ask. “She’s fine. She ran errands today around the city. I have to say, she was so fucking strong. It clearly bothers her being back here, but she went out and did all the stuff she needed to do. I’m proud of her.”
“Is she there?” Dominic grits out past his clenched teeth.
He doesn’t need to say where ‘there’ is. We all know exactly what he’s talking about. I give him a single nod and his shoulders drop as he gives me a glare that would scare a lesser man. I know he doesn’t agree with me about giving her some space, but she needs our trust just as much as we need hers. This is the way to get it.
It’s not easy, but it is right.
I look between them and arch an eyebrow. “Now, with that out of the way, want to update me before we go up?”
“Nothing to report. I didn’t find anything in the area I checked out today. Doesn’t mean there’s nothing to find,” Dominic informs us with a shrug.
He’s not fucking wrong. There are a lot of warehouses in the industrial area of the city. It’s not like Mikhail would put a big neon sign over any of his nefarious bullshit to let us know where he’s hiding out to make it easy for us.
When I look toward Wolfe, he leans forward while his voice is a low rumble, “I tracked down one of the peddlers. I grabbed him and then took him to the basement to ask him some questions.”
“Did you learn anything useful?”
“Not much beyond what we already know,” he admits. I let out a grunt of annoyance before he smirks. “Except,” he pauses for so long that I’m tempted to punch him, but I know he’s just trying to break the tension with a little drama, “he did say that the drugs are a distraction.”
Rage flares inside of me along with a big fucking side of worry. I growl, “A distraction for what?”
“He didn’t know, but my gut is telling me it’s probably trafficking. It’s an easy way for Mikhail to add to his bankroll with very little overhead. Especially now when the auctions don’t have to happen in person. If he has a half decent tech guy then they’ll throw that shit on the dark web and call it a day.”
I nod and mutter, “Well, fuck.” Part of me is dreading heading upstairs, but I know we have to do it. Getting ahead of Morozov has been a pain in the ass. He’s kept himself in the shadows and he’s paid people enough for them to keep their mouths shut. Or maybe he’s just instilled that amount of fear. “We better head up. I’m sure Kirill knows we’re here by now.”
“Of course he knows,” Wolfe scoffs.
I flip him off and stride toward the elevator that is going to take us up to Volkov’s office. While the space where Wolfe took the dealer is for the shadier side of Kirill’s businesses, this one is for the legit side. It’s in the heart of downtown. We’ve met here many times before and with the work we do, at least the work we advertise, no one has a reason to question us.
Providing security consultations for someone as rich and high profile as Kirill Volkov is completely legitimate. No one has to know that we’ll paint the streets of Seattle red if we need to.
When Kirill’s secretary gives us a seductive smile as we stop in front of his office, my lips don’t even twitch into a smile. She’s a beautiful woman, one I would have looked at twice before Kirby came back into our lives.
Now though? I’m not even a little bit interested.
Her face falls when I don’t respond to her obvious flirtation. “Oh,” her voice wavers as if she’s unsure before clearing her throat, “you can go on in. Mr. Volkov is expecting you.”
With a curt nod, I sweep past her, not even bothering to give her a second look.
“Thank you,” Wolfe’s voice is professional with a hint of charm. “Don’t be an asshole just because she wanted to jump on your dick,” he whispers softly for only me to hear.
“Don’t want to give the wrong impression, not with Kirby in our lives,” I toss back at him as I swing the door open and step inside.
I know he won’t bring it up again in front of Volkov. We might be on the same side, but he’s still a man with a lot of pull. And it’s not like he’s a fucking troll or anything. I’m man enough to admit that he’s attractive, then there’s the whole power attracting women thing.
Kirby wouldn’t necessarily be swayed by that, but I think it’s best not to tempt fate.
“Gentleman,” Kirill’s voice booms from his spot behind his desk. Maxim is lounging on a couch along one wall, his smile lazy as he takes in our approaching figures. Baker is sitting in a small sitting area on the other side of the room along with Huck. “Please,” he makes a sweeping gesture toward the chairs on the other side of his desk, “have a seat.”
I sit while knowing Wolfe will join me and Dominic will stand at our backs without needing to look their way or ask. That’s what happens when you work side-by-side for as long as we have.
We’re not in danger in this room, but Dominic will be on edge until we walk out. The men in this office don’t have the years of training the same way we do, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t deadly.
“Clearly you’re here because you have information to share,” Kirill opens the conversation for us.
It doesn’t take long to update him on what we’ve found out. His jaw is clenched when Wolfe mentions the drugs being a distraction.
Maxim’s voice is full of barely contained rage, “What the fuck is he planning?”
I can only shrug in response to his obviously rhetorical question. His guess is as good as mine. I can give it to him, but he’s a smart man. I have zero doubt that he’s had the same thoughts that I have.
“He’s just fucking with us. Either it’s to cover for what he’s really doing, probably trafficking, or he’s just out there ruining our name on the street. We made it clear from the start that we wouldn’t be peddling shit on the street. If he’s only undermining me, it’s a good place to start. It being a distraction could be bullshit,” Kirill points out.
“I wouldn’t assume anything when it comes to Mikhail,” Baker’s tone is neutral and measured, “or discount any option.”
“True,” Kirill grunts.
He looks at us and I hold his gaze, unwilling to back down. We’ve been working at trying to get to the bottom of things. If we could just go scorched Earth and burn the city down to smoke him out, it would make things easier. Since we can’t go that route, subtle and quiet takes time.
I’m not going to apologize for it.
“We’ll keep our eyes open and running down any information we get. I’ll loop in Penance and the DSMC.”
Kirill nods. It’s enough of a dismissal for me.
As we leave his office, I desperately want to head to Club Sin and pull Kirby into my arms. She’s not ready for that. Not yet at least.
If I’m right, she’ll be coming to us. I hope she’s ready when she does because it’ll mean it’s time to show her exactly what we’re into. She can handle it; I think she’ll even enjoy it.