Chapter 11 Sergei
SERGEI
"Easy girl.” I ran my hand down Moya’s side. “We’re going to get you better.”
“Her legs are about to give out,” Mom warned.
“Come on, girl.” Moya’s sides heaved as the vet told her, “You’re gonna have to move.”
The calm in his voice didn’t match the urgency in his movements. He was giving her firm pushes and tugs as he guided her out of the stall. Mom stood on the other side with one hand pressed against her neck, and the other stroking through her mane, doing what she could to keep her calm.
“Sergei, push from her flank,” the vet barked.
I followed his command and shoved my shoulder hard against her ribs, and the strain pulled at my spine.
She tried to surge forward, but her muscles quivered and her hooves shuffled.
For a second, I thought she might go down again.
Mom pulled on the lead and spoke with determination as she told her, “Come on, Moya. You can do this.”
The poor mare grunted, and her body shook so hard her knees almost gave way. The vet knew we were in trouble and gestured for the door, “We gotta get her to the trailer before she gives out.”
I slipped to her side with one hand braced against her shoulder and the other gripping the rope.
Together, Mom and I guided her out of the stall, and her breath became more labored with each step.
Every stumble had me tightening my grip and ready to catch an animal that would’ve crushed me if she went down.
Somehow, between Mom’s coaxing and my pulling, we got her up the ramp, and I felt a small sense of relief when I heard her hooves clank against the metal flooring of the trailer.
The vet quickly closed the latch, and I took a step back, staring at Moya through the slats.
Her eyes were wide and wet, and it tugged at me to see her in such pain.
“Stay strong,” I murmured.
I couldn’t take any more, so I turned and headed back to the car.
I didn’t expect it to hit me the way it did, but seeing Moya stumble and her eyes filled with worry and pain gutted me. I didn’t let myself feel like that. Not for people and sure as hell not for animals. But standing there with my shoulder braced against her, I felt it.
The fear of her collapsing.
The ache of watching her suffer.
I didn’t even know I had it in me to feel such things, and I didn’t like it. Hell, I hated it. It made me feel weak and exposed in a way that made my stomach turn. But that didn’t stop me from caring about that stupid horse.
I cared way more than I should have.
When I reached the car, I found Alina sound asleep with her head leaning against the foggy windows, and just like that, I was hit with another feeling I didn’t care for—guilt. Damn. Poor girl had been out here for hours, waiting for me to return, and I didn’t even come out to check on her.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to or didn’t feel compelled to.
I did, but my mother never left my side.
I knew she would become suspicious if I kept going out to the car, so I stayed put, leaving Alina to fend for herself.
I was about to open the door and apologize for taking so long when the sound of footsteps drew my attention to the rear of the car.
I glanced up and spotted Gabby walking up with Misty. Both were wearing tight jeans and boots that were more about show than work, and they were both smiling at me like they were actually happy about seeing me. Misty gave me a sexy smile as she said, “Hey there, handsome. How’s it going?”
“Been better.”
Gabby’s brows furrowed. “Moya not any better?”
“No. The vet just took her to the ER clinic. Needed more than we could do here.”
Their smiles faltered for a moment, but it didn’t stop Misty’s hand from landing on my bicep. As she leaned in with a seductive smile, I took a few steps away from the car. The last thing I needed was for the girls to see Alina sleeping in the front seat.
Gabby and Misty followed me as I walked away. “Well, Moya’s in good hands now. You wanna head up to Gabby’s place and have a drink? It might help take your mind off things,” Misty said coyly, continuing to smile as she began to rub her hand up and down my arm.
“It’s Mom’s place,” I clipped. “Gabby’s just staying there. Besides, I’ve got to go.”
“You sure?” Misty batted her eyelashes. “We’d show you a real good time.”
“Not happening.”
Her pout was instant, but I didn’t stay long enough to give her the chance to push any further. I opened the door, and as I slid inside, I saw that Alina was awake. She was sitting up straight, and her eyes were locked on mine.
She didn’t say a word as I closed the door and started the car.
She didn’t have to. I could tell by her expression that she was annoyed.
I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d left her for so long or if it had something to do with my exchange with Misty.
I had no doubt that she’d not only seen her, but she’d witnessed the flirting. I could only imagine what she thought.
I shouldn’t have cared.
I didn’t owe Alina anything. She was nothing to me, but I still felt a sense of guilt as I started down the driveway. Suddenly, the words started spilling out of me, “I’m sorry. I had no idea it was going to take that long. I should’ve…”
“It’s okay.” She placed her palm on my bicep, and her expression relaxed. “You don’t have to apologize.”
“One of the horses has a bad case of colic.”
“Oh.” She returned her hand to her lap. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It happens. We managed to get her back on her feet, but she wasn’t faring well. The vet decided to take her back to the clinic.”
“I hope she will be okay.”
“She should be. Our vet is one of the best.” I glanced over at her as I explained, “Mother takes in horses like her. Broken ones… ones that no one else wants. She gives them a second chance, where most would just put them down. Needless to say, we use the vet a lot.”
“Oh, wow. That’s amazing.” Her face softened into something that made my chest tighten. “Your mother has always had such a big heart.”
Her words were kind and comforting, but they did little to make me forget the way her eyes cut through me with disappointment when I finally made it back into the car.
Certain she had seen the whole exchange with Misty, I almost told her right then that Misty and Gabby just worked for my mother, and neither of them meant anything to me.
But before I could speak a word, a strange sound broke the silence.
At first, I couldn’t make out what it was, but then, it happened again. This time, Alina wrapped her arms around her stomach, and it hit me. Her stomach was growling. Neither of us had had a bite since breakfast, and the poor girl was starving.
“I haven’t fed you.”
“It’s okay. You’ve been busy.” She grimaced. “Besides, my stomach is just being dramatic.”
“You’re hungry. That’s not being dramatic, but I’ll take care of it.”
I continued easing out of the drive and started toward home. Alina sat back in her seat and looked out the window, and it wasn’t long before her stomach growled again. It gnawed at me, and I knew I couldn’t wait a moment longer. I grabbed my phone and scrolled until I found the number I wanted.
Malcolm.
The kid was barely twenty-one. He was all muscle and energy, and he reminded me of a lost pup who hadn’t figured out if he should bite or heel. He was one of the first I’d taken on when we started construction on the casino, and he was hungry in a way that had nothing to do with food.
I could tell right away that he had potential, but he let his temper lead him instead of his brain.
I saw something of myself in him and decided to take him under my wing.
I kept him closer because I knew he wanted to prove himself, but more than that, I trusted that he would keep his mouth shut about Alina.
As usual, he answered on the first ring. “What do ya need, Boss?”
“Go to Romano’s,” I answered. “Pick up two of my usuals, a bottle of wine, and a dessert. Bring it to the apartment.”
“I’ll have it there in half an hour.”
The line went dead, and I slid my phone back into my pocket. I glanced over at Alina, and the knot in my stomach all but disappeared when I saw that she was smiling. I took that as a sign that I was on my way to rectifying the mess I’d made of the night. I certainly couldn’t have made it any worse.
Once we were back at the apartment, Alina handed me the toboggan and gloves and waited as I put them back in the closet.
Without thinking, I closed the door and continued into the kitchen.
I tossed my keys on the counter and glanced over at Alina, who was hovering next to me like she wasn’t sure if she should sit or stand.
“How about a glass of wine?”
“That sounds nice.” Her lips twitched with a hint of a smile. “I’ll have one if you’re having one.”
“Oh, I’m definitely having one.”
I went to the cabinet and pulled down a bottle, and I’d just started looking for the corkscrew when there was a knock at the door.
Knowing it was Malcolm, I didn’t panic. I simply put the bottle down and started for the door.
I didn’t get far before I heard a metallic scrape of a key followed by the click of the bolt unlocking.
The door swung wide, and in strolled Malcolm, grinning like he owned the place. “Hey, Boss.”
“You knock and then let yourself in?” I didn’t bother trying to hide my irritation as I snapped, “What the hell is the point in knocking?”
“Courtesy.” Malcolm shrugged and placed the bag of food on the counter. “Figured I’d give you a warning before I walked in on something.”
“You keep using that key without permission, and I’ll take it back.”
He smirked. “Thought you trusted me.”
“Thought you had good sense. Clearly, I was wrong.”
“Relax, Boss.” His grin grew wider as he looked over at Alina. “If I wanted to crash your date, I would’ve brought flowers. Would’ve brought you an extra dessert, too. I know how you like their cheesecake.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and grumbled, “You’re lucky I haven’t killed you yet.”
“Ah, come on. You know you love me.”
“Time for you to go.”
“Sure thing.”
He gave me a salute, then turned and started for the door. Before he walked out, I called out, “Hold up.”
I grabbed my wallet from my back pocket and started over to him. I pulled out my credit card and placed it in his hand. “I need you to do some shopping tomorrow. Grab some jeans, some sweaters, a warm coat, and anything else you can think of.”
“They for her?” he asked as he nodded his head toward Alina.
“Yeah. Bring them by here in the morning and leave them with Bog.”
“You got it, Boss.” He took the card and shoved it in his pocket before heading out the door. “You two have a good night.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, I started back over to Alina, and she gave me a warm smile. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You need clothes.”
“I do. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” I cocked my brow. “I have no idea what the kid will show up with. It could be all pajamas and flipflops. You never know.”
“Whatever it is, I’ll make do.”
And just like that, the tension I’d been carrying started to fade.
Alina joined me at the table, and I unboxed our dinner. We talked a little more about Mother and her horses, and Alina asked a few questions about the casino. But mostly, we just sat there in silence, enjoying our meal. I didn’t mind. After the day I’d had, I actually enjoyed it.
When the plates were empty, Alina helped me clear the table and offered a smile as she muttered, “Thank you.”
“Sorry it took me so long to get you fed. I’ll do better tomorrow.”
“You were great. You’ve done more than enough.”
She held my gaze for a moment, then turned and made her way out of the kitchen toward the guest bedroom. I waited until the door clicked behind her before pulling out my phone. I hadn’t had a chance to check my messages, and I was eager to see if there was any word from Conrad.
I had a few random texts from Viktor, Mom, and Nikolai, and there were two voicemails from Shep and Conrad.
I started with Shep. I clicked on his message, and he got right to the point.
“Hey, man. Just letting you know that the camera footage has been cleared at all locations. No one’s gonna find anything they shouldn’t.
Give me a shout if you need anything else. ”
I felt like a small weight was lifted, but there was still more to come. I had no idea what news Conrad might have, so I scrolled down to his message and hit play. His voice came through steady as he said, “Looks like our buddy has fallen on hard times.”
Conrad chuckled at his own sarcasm before adding, “His brother and their lieutenant were murdered two nights ago, and it wasn’t pretty. Damn near beheaded them both.”
Two nights ago. That would’ve been the night Alek beat the hell out of Alina. The same night that she packed her things and ran. That explained the angry phone call and the reason Alek hadn’t chased her down. He was too busy trying to pick up the pieces of his falling empire.
Conrad sounded pleased with himself as he said, “I told you the Albanians were done playing. Hell, they hit them hard this time. Stole a shipment that was worth millions and torched two of their main warehouses. They’re in a full-blown war now.”
War would mean lockdowns across the board. All eyes would be on a counterattack. Not Alina. Hell, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they didn’t even know Alina was gone. I let out a deep breath and let the relief settle in my chest.
We weren’t in the clear.
Not even close, but at least it gave us some time.
“I will stay on top of things, and if I hear any more, I’ll give you a call.”
With that, the message ended. I sent him a text, thanking him, then grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine and made my way to my bedroom. It was time to put an end to this hellacious day. But I had a feeling that there would be more to come.
Many, many more.
I wouldn’t be able to truly rest until I dealt with Alek and the family. It would be the fight of my life, but I was ready. I had to be.