Chapter 7 – Luka
P avel swore that the drugs should work their way out of her system at the twelve-hour mark. At six hours, when Vivian still wasn’t awake, I gave up and pulled off the highway. The city park and rec space doubled as a small, sparse campground. I noiselessly slid the stolen vehicle back into the trees, hiding it in a remote camp spot. I cut the lights and dark descended around us, burying us in its thick shroud.
Twisting in the seat, I flashed another long look at Vivian.
Expecting the wave of guilt to twist my gut, I frowned at her. Oh, I did feel bad! But not because of what she’d done, and how I’d responded.
Saints, that kiss ….
I didn’t kiss women. Ever. Whenever I touched them, which was also an uncommon occurrence, the encounters were filled with regret. It hadn’t been with her. When Vivian kissed me, I came alive. There was no self-loathing when we touched. I didn’t feel the sting of betrayal by holding her close.
But then I’d remembered what I had to do, and I came across as an asshole for stopping something so pure, so wonderful. Damn my cousin and my own loyalty to the pakhan!
“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” I confessed.
Not that Vivian could hear me. Just because our time together was short, didn’t mean I wanted it to be unpleasant. And when I made the delivery, maybe we could remain in contact. She had something she wanted my help with. She had something she feared. I could help. That candle flame of hope wavered and sputtered in the wind, but it had never extinguished.
I reached back, testing for the umpteenth time for a pulse. It was there, a nice steady beat.
“Why did you have to be so pretty?” I muttered, pulling up the mad doctor’s number on my phone.
I can’t catch feelings for the runaway heiress. And it wasn’t her fiancé that was the problem. It was me. Just because that kiss didn’t trigger the bad, didn’t mean it wouldn’t eventually come. Any attraction I felt would ultimately turn into a disaster. A broken heart was a chronic condition; the scars ran deep and remained unhealed. Guilt and sorrow were the unavoidable symptoms, rearing their ugly heads and making the idea of even the smallest of flings impossible. Nothing would cure it. Not even a wild woman, whose kiss was a damn fire—
“What?” a grouchy voice croaked in my ear.
“I think something’s wrong, Pav,” I growled into the phone. “It’s been six hours, and she’s still out cold.”
The mad doctor sighed. “There’s nothing we can do with you that far away.”
“There has to be something,” I growled, gripping the phone tighter.
Pavel sighed. “You could break into a veterinary clinic and steal the stuff for an IV. They have less security. But seriously, the roofies will just leave her system. She’ll be fine.”
“If you’re wrong, you’ll answer to me, old man,” I snapped. If she wasn’t? If she reacted to the drugs? “Our asses are on the line if we fuck this up.”
“Luka, what’s gotten into you, lad?” Pavel’s voice sharpened. “It will be a pleasanter drive if she’s unconscious for most of it. In fact, you might want to slip her another. Put the pill under her tongue in—” He paused, doing some freaky calculation, no doubt. “Two hours. She’ll sleep straight into town.”
I bit my lip. Not one part of that sentence did I approve of. “I’m getting her hydrated and the drugs out of her system.”
Pavel had the nerve to chuckle. Did he spend time in a gulag? Yes. Was he one of the Old World’s most wanted criminals? Also yes. But could I take any man of our bratva to the ground and slaughter them? Again, yes. The only one to beat me in a brawl was my big cousin Dimitri.
“Whatever. It’s your operation. Just get home, kid,” Pavel said.
“Call me kid to my face, I fucking dare you.” And with that, I hung up and tapped a question into the search bar.
Veterinary clinic near me.
Google blessed me with a location that was a half mile away. Windows cracked, I cut the engine, locked the car, and ventured into the night. Due to the lack of clouds, there was enough light from the moon not to trip and break my neck.
Walking through the wooded area and staying out of sight, the heat wrapped around me like a thick, suffocating blanket. The air was so heavy with humidity that every breath I took felt damp and sluggish, as if I were inhaling the very essence of the forest. The night was alive with the calls and cries of insects, their incessant chirping and buzzing creating a strange, hypnotic rhythm that echoed through the trees. When one brushed against my face, I gagged.
“Screw nature,” I hissed.
There was a tinkling chuckle in the back of my mind. “Now where’s your sense of adventure, Cool Hand?”
“I don’t do outdoors shit.” My boots stomped along the pavement. This was madness. Who decided sleeping in a metal box—or saints forbid a tent!—was a good idea?
“Pussy.”
“Ghost,” I countered.
Because…that was what she was. My own personal haunter. But silencing the voice wasn’t an option. My chest ached when months passed, and I didn’t hear from her. At least she’d been vocal here. Why here, though? Why was she talking more than usual now?
Had I finally lost my fucking mind?
“The beach, Cool Hand. Remember the beach….”
I sighed. It was likely this place that brought the idea of her back enforce. We always dreamed about making enough money to leave our life of crime behind. Now that I was in paradise, that dream was resurfacing. An ache pulsed deep in my chest.
I miss you so much. Every day.
My muse didn’t answer.
Pushing the supernatural away, I forced my mind to work. To think of anything else! When no logical trail of thought came to my rescue, I let out a ragged snarl of frustration.
“I need to read The Republic again,” I decided.
That always calmed me.
“‘I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.’” I began to recite bits of the ancient tome as I emerged from the tree cover and onto the road. Dawn was an hour away and I wanted to be back on the road before Vivian woke up. But…I needed to make sure she woke.
A shudder wracked my spine. Maybe I should have brought Stepan with me. He could guard her while I found an IV.
“He would think she’s pretty,” I grumbled.
Vivian was. But it wasn’t the lush curves and soft planes of her body. It was her eyes. They blazed to a darkness that was almost black when her blood was hot. When her temper cooled, however, they softened into the deepest, richest brown.
She needs to wake up!
Hurrying down the road, I ignored the swarms of bugs eager for a taste. Fuck summer and fuck the South. It was too hot and nasty and—
“And you love it, Cool Hand. Quit lying,” my tormentor scolded.
I shoved that voice back into the memories where it could rot and decay in the past. Loved the coast. Loved the South. Past tense—all of it.
It died nine years ago.
The cinderblock buildings along this strip of road had seen better days. There was rust on the metal roofs, and while some had fresh paint, the whole visage screamed horror movie set. Only a few of the streetlights worked, and those ones flickered as if they were on the verge of giving up and succumbing to the darkness.
No one was awake, the town felt abandoned. Cursed. It was frozen somewhere in past decades; no building was younger than the 1970s. Yet people clearly inhabited the time capsule. The question was, were they unwilling to leave, or did they not know that a whole other world existed outside this dated, decaying place?
I rounded the clinic and thanked my patron saint that there was no security system. The deadbolt proved a problem. But after testing the knob, it was obvious that the wood of the door wasn’t strong. It cracked and splintered under my persuasive touch.
Shaking my shoulders after the exertion, I sauntered through the staff break room. Sure enough, there was a saline bag in the supply closet—because it was indeed a small closet.
With a shake of my head, I went to the doctor’s office, scribbling a note. I left a stack of bills that would more than replace the door and thanked him for the saline and needles.
It was time to go. As I passed the break room, I peeked into the fridge.
“Cupcakes!” I grinned.
Snatching two, I slid into the night, my tongue lapping against the stiff mound of sticky-sweet frosting.
The walk back was quicker than the one into town. I set the saline on the hood of the car along with the second cupcake. My plan was to stick frosting under her tongue. The spike in blood sugar could only help.
A crash sounded behind me.
I turned on my heel and peered through the thick darkness. While the eastern sky was growing slowly brighter, the shadows cast a pitch veil over the trees around us.
Turning from sight to sound, I focused on the crashing. My ears were sharp enough to process the information almost as well as my eyes could have. Whatever it was, it was moving away from us. Good. I didn’t need to hurt an animal or kill a human. As soon as my package was taken care of, I would be back on the road and make my delivery before midnight. There were hours of driving time, but I would need to stop and take a break at some point. That coupled with the need for gas and Vivian would no doubt want food—
“What the fuck!” My heart exploded in my chest. “No, no, no. No!”
The dome light revealed an empty backseat.
I snapped my head up. The lumbering was faint, but it went deeper into the woods. That was neither animal nor man. It was a woman—and she was no doubt panicked.
And pissed.
In my experience, that was a far more dangerous—lethal and fucking deadly —combination than either man or beast.
Taking a deep breath, I bounded forward. I wasn’t a natural woodsman like my big brother. He could move through nature at any time and not make a damn peep. My feet found every dry leaf, every brittle branch. The scent of the woods was rich and earthy, a blend of pine needles, decaying leaves, and the faint, sweet perfume of new growth somewhere deeper in the forest. It mingled with the musty odor of moss clinging to the trunks and the tangy hint of something metallic, almost like blood, that made my skin crawl. Sweat trickled down my back, making my shirt cling to me uncomfortably, and I could feel it pooling at the base of my spine. It was a careful balance of moving fast and slow!
I was on her trail.
The area grew rapidly brighter. Looking up, I realized why. The stench of decay gusted into my face through the break of tree cover. It came off the water ahead. The swampy body that soaked the ground was an offshoot from a bigger river.
And my little pretty was slogging through the moisture.
Oh, the insanity!
Stopping at the edge, where the ground turned soft, I winced. “Vivian,” I sang out. “There’s gators out there, you know.”
She didn’t respond. The only sound was a soft sob that hiccupped from her throat.
Saints be damned! She was terrified.
Which, in hindsight, was a completely normal reaction to being drugged and kidnapped.
I really did not want to go into the brackish water. That mud would suck my shoes off, not to mention the bloody mess it would make.
Reason with her, you idiot! If she would even hear me out….
I had to try.
Closing my eyes, I drew a deep breath. “That water’s pretty gross. Why don’t you come out here, and we can chat?”
“You kidnapped me!” Vivian screamed.
I shrugged. “So? You wouldn’t have come willingly.”
“So!” she raged, spinning around. “Is that your justification?”
The whip of her angry gaze snapped across the distance and slashed me across the chest.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” I insisted. “But if you continue in that water, I’m not going to be able to rescue you.”
“Better I drown than go with you.”
Vivian kicked away, hurrying toward the deeper water.
“What a bloody mess,” I muttered under my breath.
What did I do now? Hunting a frantic woman through the nature preserve was less than ideal. What if she came upon help? How would I get her back then? I rubbed the back of my neck.
Through the dim light, I caught the ripple on the water. My pulse spiked, and something I never felt anymore seized every fiber of my being.
“Vivian!”
Miraculously, she stopped.
I softened every muscle of my face and tried to keep the raw panic from my voice. “Come back to shore, darlin. You’re in danger out there.”
Vivian bobbed in the water as she treaded in place. “No, Luka, if that is in fact your name. I’d rather die.”
“Well, that gator over there might just grant your wish,” I snapped.
I drew my knife at the same time I kicked out of my shoes.
Vivian hadn’t moved.
Move, damn you! “Darlin, I’m gonna need you to start coming back this way. But move at an angle, okay?” I heard the shake in my own voice.
Vivian risked a peek over her shoulder. The gasp of surprise slithered over the water. She saw the ripples too.
“Can you do that for me, Vivian? Come on, baby, I need you to move,” I insisted.
The center of my body rocked on the balls of my feet. While a gun could take care of the problem at a distance, there were two reasons not to use it. First, and probably the most important, was that I didn’t want a shot being heard by the other campers, few though they were.
But the second, and the reason that I listened to, was that it just wasn’t my style to shoot.
Vivian took one slow stroke back.
A long, hard breath blasted through my nose. It looked like I was getting muddy.
When the ripple moved a foot closer to my package, I bolted. Using the few precious feet of solid ground, I dove over the muddy bank and into the water. The splash caused the swamp monster to change its path. It turned around, putting distance between us, but just for a moment.
“Run!” I ordered, herding Vivian back toward shore.
Venom seeped from her voice. “I hate you.”
We didn’t have time for that. I grabbed her and tossed her behind me. She could scramble out of the water or simply stand there until I hauled her out, but now I was between her and the spawn of dragons.
The gator lifted its jaws from the water and roared.
I’d seen a few episodes of Swamp People , but being face-to-face with one of these monsters of myths and legends was another matter.
My blood sang!
Moving backward, I found solid footing. Vivian was safely scrambling away. And luckily, the alligator was following.
We were damn lucky the critter hadn’t struck while we were arguing. His lethargy would be his undoing.
Sliding a second blade from the sheath at my waist, I was suddenly transported to a different reality. I was a valiant knight of old, defending the fair maiden from the attack of the loathsome beast. The dawn scratched the sky, casting an eerie glow. The rippling water looked like a shifting veil of silver and black.
Shit like this made me certifiable, but I didn’t care. I was in my fucking element.
The monster peered out of the water, jaw open and ready for a bite. A feral grin carved across my mouth. I raised my blades high and ready.
“Luka,” Vivian called in caution.
“Yes, darlin?”
Her voice shook ever so slightly. “What are you doing?”
“Battling a draconian spawn.”
At least she wasn’t using my moment of hubris to flee.
The monster was a hulking mass of scales and sinew, its eyes glowing a feral yellow in the dim light. It rose from the water, its attention turned on me. A guttural growl rumbled from its throat, and it lunged. I struck just in time, feeling the jarring impact as steel met scale.
The beast recoiled, but it wasn’t done.
“Luka!” That plaintive scream echoed through the swamp.
My heart hadn’t fluttered that fast in years.
The illusive high I worshiped flooded my veins. Only in the extremes did I find the rush I needed. Except, this was better than most experiences. No perilous bungee drop, no combat with a rival mob could compare to this . And it wasn’t because I was pitted against a primaeval beast.
It was the fair maiden watching.
Sheer delight raced through me. Pure, unbridled joy had me wetting my lips in anticipation.
The gator advanced. I moved to the side. An elegant arc of my blade cut along the thick hide.
But I didn’t jump back fast enough.
With a swift, powerful stroke of its claw, the monster raked across my calf, tearing through my jeans and flesh. Pain exploded in my lower leg, and I gritted my teeth against a scream. The mud around us was watered with my blood, and I staggered back, trying to keep my footing on the slippery, uneven bank.
This isn’t over!
I was the monster other monsters feared. My strength? It lay in the fact that I knew no fear.
Ignoring the searing pain, I lunged forward again, this time aiming for the beast’s throat. My knife bit deep, eliciting a howl of rage and pain. The monster thrashed violently, knocking me off balance.
I fell backward, butt landing in the water. One miscalculated scoot backward and I was fully submerged, gasping as the cold liquid closed over my head. For a moment, everything was muffled and surreal, the world reduced to a blur of movement and the muffled effect of the water.
I kicked to the surface, sputtering and coughing, just in time to see the beast bearing down on me. With a desperate burst of strength, I thrust my second blade upward, plunging it into the creature’s underside. The monster’s roar echoed through the forest, and I felt its hot, foul breath wash over me. I stabbed it again and again. There was no mercy in my thrusts. I would dominate this denizen of the swamp. It clawed frantically, but its movements were weakening.
Finally, with one last shudder, the beast collapsed, its lifeblood mingling with the murky water. I stood there, chest heaving, every muscle in my body screaming in agony, but I was alive.
I did it.
The euphoria was like no other.
This was the stuff of legends. No one back home was going to believe this. A manic laugh rumbled in my throat.
“I can’t believe I just fucking did that,” I breathed. And no one was here to see it!
No…wait.
Turning around, I threw a victorious smile to the fair maiden. Saints, she was beautiful!
Except for the fact that she stood shell-shocked, leaning heavily against a tree.
“You’re not even human,” she finally rasped.
That was probably the biggest compliment she could have given me.
“I’m afraid that might just be true,” I chuckled.
Stabbing my knife in the gator’s flesh one last time, I used it as a grip to tug the brute back to the shallower bank.
“What the hell are you doing?” Vivian stammered.
I wrenched the jaw open, buried my blade in the gum tissue, and worked the bone. “Taking a trophy.”
The two-and-a-half-inch tooth broke off. I plucked it from the ground. Better take a few more. I continued to carve out teeth, prying them loose with the force of my blade.
Now my cousins would have to believe me!
But the victorious smile was smacked from my mouth as a fresh burst of pain shot down my leg.
“Fucking hell,” I growled.
It was time to go back to the car, take care of this mess, and get the hell on the road.
Vivian must have realized the trail of my thoughts. Her mocha eyes widened, and she took a shaky step back.